Every child in early childhood education and care (ECEC) should be safe, nurtured and supported to thrive. Most of the time, they are. Across Australia, early learning educators do extraordinary work. But as recent events have shown, a high-quality experience is not always universal.
by John Hartman, CEO, Minderoo Foundation
Zero to five years is a period of rapid change, particularly for brain development. Experiences in these early years shape lifelong abilities to learn, build relationships and be resilient. For many families, ECEC is a critical part of this journey; it provides children with consistent adults outside the home, a positive sense of identity and culture, and safe places to play and engage.
Valuing this, Australia has ambitious plans for the early years window. From the Thriving Kids initiative and the Building Early Education Fund to expanded childcare subsidies via the Three-Day Guarantee and additional Paid Parental Leave so parents and babies can stay together longer during infancy, it is clear families are a national priority.
It’s pleasing to see that this is not just the case for governments, but for almost all the major political parties and forces across Australia.
But behind these efforts is an undeniable truth to face head on: Australia’s early years system, the cohesive and sustainable structure that supports service and policy success, isn’t fit for purpose.
Among the suite of good reform it houses, there are complex gaps thanks to decades of fragmentation. These gaps are where safety and wellbeing issues, such as those we are finding out about in early learning environments, can grow like a weed.
They are the result of regulatory differences, weak enforcement and a market-led model that does not put the child’s needs at the centre of the system. They are the reason that when things go wrong, whether that’s safety breaches, workforce shortages or services opening where they are not needed, accountability is fractured and responses, while swift, are reactive.
The existing ECEC landscape amplifies this challenge – it is funded by the Commonwealth, regulated by states and territories, delivered by thousands of providers and shaped by a myriad of policies.
It’s not surprising that recent federal data confirmed children attending high-quality ECEC have lower risks of developmental vulnerability, while lower-quality ECEC increases the risk of negative outcomes. Australia needs national oversight to ensure every child and family has a high-quality ECEC experience.
Investing in children is an opportunity that extends well beyond the playground. When children thrive, economic potential grows too. The Cost of Late Intervention report showed that failing to identify health and developmental issues in young Australians cost taxpayers $22.3bn in 2024. This is money spent on the consequences of inaction, such as child protection, youth justice and health crises. Investment in early intervention such as timely development checks, occupational supports and better post-partum care, benefits everyone.
This is why Thrive by Five is calling for a National Early Childhood Education and Care Reform Blueprint in this federal budget.
Effective ECEC reform needs to consider evidence, workforce data, cost modelling, the different needs of children, and complementary best practices. Design needs the input of those who work with families, as well as the contributions of communities themselves.
The blueprint ask is modest but critical: invest in a time-limited, national design process to map the ECEC system Australia needs, including the role of a future national commission in how it could purposefully strengthen what we have today.
It is a window to strengthen national stewardship, clarify accountability across jurisdictions and improve system performance, as well as better align funding, regulation and workforce policy. Doing so reduces fiscal and delivery risk as changes will be properly sequenced, tested and ready for implementation.
This is about giving Australia strong foundations to make universally accessible, high-quality ECEC successful.
Critically, it is also an opportunity to put children at the heart of our early years architecture and tackle the systemic gaps head on.
While ECEC is only one part of Australia’s early years landscape, it plays a unique role and requires a tailored reform approach if it is to mature as families and children hope. Educators also need a system that values and supports their work, and governments need confidence that public investment is delivering real outcomes.
To build the future we all want, one where every child is supported to thrive, we need to work together to get the early years opportunity right. If we do, everything that follows improves, which is what every parent expects and every child deserves.