Kate E Williams

In early May 2021, the Australian Children’s Education and Care Authority (ACECQA) released a consultation paper on the Ten-Year National Children’s Education and Care Workforce Strategy (2021-30). This was in recognition of the important challenges faced within the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector in Australia including supply shortages, and attraction and retention of experienced quality educators and teachers. In this document the QUT Centre for Child & Family Studies responds to the proposed considerations for the strategy, highlighting matters we consider priorities.

Substantial learning and development occurs in the first three years of a child's life, with early childhood education and care (ECEC) experiences playing a significant role for many children. However, studies show that the quality of ECEC is often lower in these early years compared to 3-5-year-old settings. Qualification expectations of educators are also lower, and a lack of specialised content for infants and toddlers has been noted in preservice training and curriculum. It is crucial to support educators' capacity to understand the learning capabilities of very young children, and to reflect on and adjust their planning and practices accordingly.