ARACY introduces Australian Children’s Knowledge Acceleration Hub

ARACY, in conjunction with UNICEF Australia has launched the Australian Children’s Knowledge Acceleration Hub, to ensure that the impacts of COVID-19 on children in Australia are fully understood and communicated to decision-makers at all levels.

While children are not “the face of the pandemic”, in many ways they risk being “among its biggest victims” with the pandemic having “a profound effect on their wellbeing”, the United Nations Sustainable Development Group said, in its policy brief The Impact of COVID-19  on children.

“All children, of all ages, and in all countries, are being affected, in particular by the socio-economic impacts and, in some cases, by mitigation measures that may inadvertently do more harm than good. This is a universal crisis and, for some children, the impact will be lifelong” the brief reads. 

As such, the Australian Children’s Knowledge Acceleration Hub seeks to inform the policy and program responses that will meet the needs of children during the COVID-19 crisis and throughout the recovery. 

The Knowledge Acceleration Hub aims to:

• Ensure that the evolving needs of children continue to be well understood so they can be responded to efficiently and effectively
• Accelerate collaboration and coordination among key stakeholders to address evidence gaps and build consensus around priorities for action
• Facilitate knowledge sharing among key stakeholders, including access to global and local technical guidance and best practice

In order to achieve these aims, ARACY and UNICEF Australia will draw on data from Australia and international comparators, the latest research and analysis of COVID-19 and its impacts on children and families, and related research with applicable lessons for the known and anticipated impacts of COVID-19 and their potential mitigation.

Those working in early childhood education and care (ECEC) contexts can use the Hub to read regular round-ups of the latest information, research and analysis of the impacts of COVID-19 on children and families, to learn about innovative practice, and to influence policy. 

Those in the ECEC sector who have developed or changed practice to help children and families deal with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, or who have developed or are aware of further evidence as to the impacts of COVID-19 and/or upon which future policy and practice can be based are asked to keep their contribution to 100 words or less, and include relevant weblinks, before sending to ARACY via email to [email protected] with the subject Adaptation Sharing.