Preschool education two years prior to Year 1

1
Report and Implications of the  Independent
Inquiry into the Provision of Universal Access
to high quality preschool education in
Australia                          
Kathy Walker Michaela Kronemann
XXIV World Congress of OMEP
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Who is the AEU?
The Australian Education Union
represents 155,000 teachers and education
workers in public education, from preschools to
schools to technical and further education
institutes, across Australia.

• Early childhood education is a key AEU priority
• 1998 AEU discussion paper Towards a National
  Plan for preschool education ongoing
  consultations, roundtables, policy development,
  Independent Inquiry.
• AEU position
• universal and equitable access to at least one
  year of free, public, high quality
  preschool education
• national plan needed
• Commonwealth government has a role to play

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Defining preschool education

• Complexity of structures and provision in
  Australia
• Early childhood education encompasses 0-8
• Developing curriculum frameworks 0-16
• Preschool is a planned educational program for
  children in the year before the first year of
  school. Children are usually aged between 4 - 5
  years of age. A qualified early childhood
  teacher, who has completed a degree in education,
  plans the program and is usually supported by a
  teacher assistant. (Walker 2004)

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Funding of preschool education

• Average country expenditure for 3yo is 0.4 of
  GDP. Most countries spend 0.4 to 0.6.
• Australia spends 0.1 of GDP.
• Australia is one of the 4 lowest spending out of
  35 countries.

State funding levels vary NSW Victoria are
the lowest.
Report on Government Services 2003 OECD,
Education at a Glance 2002
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The role of the Commonwealth

• Commonwealth funding for preschool education was
  abolished in 1985.
• The Commonwealth contributes to all other sectors
  of education and largely funds childcare.
• There is no coherent national policy on preschool
  education, no national goals, and no consistent
  or coordinated strategies to ensure access.
• National data is incomplete and inconsistent.

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Structures of preschool education

• Staffed and funded by Education Departments, and
  integrated with or linked to schools in ACT, NT,
  Queensland, SA, Tasmania and WA.
• Community Services focus in NSW and Victoria.
  Community, private, local government providers,
  with a small number in government schools.

Education departments also responsible for child
care in SA, Tasmania and ACT. New links emerging
between education and childcare and health in
some systems.
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Differences between the systems

• Funding
• Age of entry
• Departmental responsibility
• Names of programs
• Length of access
• Cost to parents high in NSW and Victoria
• Links to schools
• Links to other early childhood services eg child
  care, health
• Hours of attendance
• Maximum group size
• Teacher qualification requirements
• Salary parity
• Access and participation rates

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What is provided?

• On average, 10 12.5 hours of preschool
  education for 4 year olds (two years before Year
  1.)
• Queensland preschool one year prior to
• year 1, but fulltime prep. in 2006.
• 3 year olds also funded in NSW, Queensland, SA
  and ACT
• Early access in some systems eg. for Indigenous
  children, pre-entry program in SA.

9
Age of entry into preschool and school
Department of Education and Training, Western
Australia, http//www.eddept.wa.edu.au/
November 2003. (modified)
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Cost to parents

• No national update on comparative costs
• NSW reported average of 30 per day or 60 p.w.
• Victoria average about 140 per term or 140
  p.w.
• QLD free in state schools
• (avg. 12 p. day for younger children in C K)
• TAS WA
• SA free or voluntary contribution ACT NT

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Participation in preschool education

• 253,400 4 year olds in Australia in 2002
• 83.5 of 4 year olds in preschool in year before
  school
• 27,704 3 year olds around 17 of all 3 year
  olds.

82.6
101
71.7
95.1
61.9
99.8
239,270 children in preschool education 193,809
Commonwealth approved long day care places for
0-4 year olds in 2002.
99.6
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Who is missing out?

• About 40,000 children missing out-- about 2400
  in NT
• Data is incomplete and unreliable
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
  (est. 13,000 3 4 year olds)
• Children from NESB
• Children with disabilities
• Children from rural and remote areas?
• Children from lower socio-economic backgrounds?
• Report on Government Services 2003

Are all who attend getting access to quality
provision?
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Independent national inquiryinitiated by AEU, to
provide a forum for stakeholders

• Terms of Reference
• The Inquiry will seek to ascertain and report on
  the views of early childhood education
  stakeholders in relation to the following issues
• 1. the degree to which Australia is successful in
  ensuring that all children in
• Australia have equitable access to a high quality
  free preschool education
• 2. the current barriers that prevent all children
  from accessing preschool
• education and the challenges that need to be
  addressed
• 3. the roles that the Commonwealth and
  State/Territory Governments should
• play in ensuring universal access to preschool
  education
• 4. initiatives that would guarantee that all
  children do have access to a high
• quality preschool education
• 5. strategies and arrangements that would
  strengthen the links between
• preschool education, early childhood education in
  schools and other
• early childhood services

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Inquiry process
Independent researcher Kathy Walker

• national forum October
• State/territory visits Nov.2003 March 2004
• forums, visits, meetings, discussions
• Written and verbal submissions by 31 March
• Launch of report at national forum on 25 May 2004

www.aeufederal.org.au/EC/Inquiry.html
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Summary of major findings of inquiry

• From a national perspective, this inquiry found
  that preschool education is characterised by
  fragmentation, varying degrees of quality, no
  equitable access, and without a national vision,
  commitment or consistent approach. The number of
  different approaches, funding formulas,
  terminology, child ratios, curriculum, costs and
  delivery hours and models promote inequity across
  Australia for young children in their preschool
  year

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KEY FINDINGS

• GROUPS WHICH REPRESENT CHILDREN MOST LIKELY TO
  NOT HAVE EQUAL ACCESS
• Indigenous
• Poverty and or Low SES
• Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Background
• Special needs

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• I cant help feeling like it really is just the
  luck of the draw as to whether or not you receive
  a preschool education. It seems to depend upon
  where you live in Australia and not that you are
  Australian that provides you with equitable
  access to a free quality preschool education.
• (School Principal)

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Major findings

• Significant barriers exist in Australia that
  prevent equity of access
• Lack of a national vision and commitment to
  preschool education is viewed as a major barrier
  to access of high quality preschool.

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• Costs to parents are a major barrier to preschool
  access, particularly in NSW and Victoria.
• Lack of qualified early childhood teachers
  impacts upon the quality and number of preschool
  programs available in some areas of Australia

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• Lack of adequate funding, resources and supports
  for preschool education for children with special
  needs is a significant barrier to equity and
  access.
• Lack of links between services adds complexity
  and difficulty for families and children in
  understanding what to access and how to access
  appropriate services and programs.

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• Differences in terminology for preschool and the
  first year of school reflect a fragmentation of
  preschool programs across Australia and are
  particularly problematic for families who move
  between states.
• Differences in age of entry to preschool and the
  first year of school create further confusion for
  families and inequity for children across
  Australia

22

• Significant differences in government funding
  levels and models contribute to unequal access to
  preschool education across Australia.

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Summary

• There is currently no national plan or vision for
  preschool education across Australia other than
  to leave it to the responsibility of each state
  and territory
•  

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Recommendations

• A national plan for preschool education be
  developed between the Commonwealth and states and
  territories to ensure equity and access to high
  quality preschool

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Recommendations

• The provision of high quality and accessible
  preschool education for all children in the year
  before commencing school is free for all children
  across Australia and is acknowledged at a federal
  level as a universal right.

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Recommendations

• It is recommended that the Commonwealth
  reintroduce dedicated funding for preschool
  education and that Commonwealth and state and
  territory governments jointly provide the full
  costs of preschool education.

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Recommendations

• The Commonwealth and State and Territory
  governments give priority to ensuring access to
  high quality preschool education for Indigenous
  children across the country
• Access to two years of preschool education be
  provided for all Indigenous children

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Recommendations

• Current initiatives that link health, education
  and community programs be increased and expanded.
  Higher levels of coordination between services
  should be established between government and
  non-government organisations in direct
  consultation with Indigenous communities.

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Recommendations

• The Commonwealth, and state and territory
  governments provide a significant and immediate
  increase in funding to provide adequate supports
  and resources for children with special needs.

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Recommendations

• It is recommended that preschools and child care
  centres across Australia come under the
  jurisdiction of the departments of Education in
  each state and territory and provide continuity
  for children and families between child care,
  preschool and the first year of school.

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Government response thus far
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Inquiry website www.aeufederal.org.au/EC/Inquiry.
html
Email contacts Kathy Walker kathywalker_at_ozemail.
com.au Michaela Kronemann mkronemann_at_aeufederal.or
g.au
AEU website www.aeufederal.org.au