Federal Government seeks input to shape new Early Years Strategy through pulse survey

The Federal Government is developing a new Early Years Strategy to create an integrated, holistic, whole-of-government approach to supporting early childhood development, and is seeking input from the community, including those working in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector to shape it. 

To support the development of the strategy, the Government has released a pulse survey: Australians views on early childhood. This survey is one part of the broader consultation approach for the strategy, complementing the forthcoming call for public submissions and roundtables, and will be used as a high-level ‘sense check’ regarding Australians’ priorities for children in their early years.  

The participation of those in the ECEC sector will support the strategy to reflect the priorities of families for the Strategy, including parents, expectant parents, grandparents, carers and other family members. 

The Department is especially interested in hearing from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, culturally and linguistically diverse community members, people living in rural and remote areas, and people from the LGBTQIA+ community.  

Results from the survey will help to inform the Early Years Strategy, and therefore participation by those in the ECEC sector is important to ensure an accurate representation of those within the sector.

The survey will be available until 3 March 2023 and can be found at engage.dss.gov.au 

Please reach out to the Early Years Task Force at the Department of Social Services ([email protected]) with any questions or concerns about the survey.