ELACCA welcomes Labor’s commitment to increase wages of sector professionals and increase investment in Child Care Subsidy

Labor’s investment in quality early education by reducing costs for families and increasing wages of early childhood professionals is welcomed by the Early Learning and Care Council of Australia.

The Early Learning and Care Council of Australia (ELACCA) has welcomed Labor’s announcement of $4 billion increased investment in the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) rate coupled with funding for wage increases for early childhood educators, supporting a quality early education for all children.

ELACCA CEO, Elizabeth Death said the commitment from Labor recognised that early learning lays the foundation for future success, and the vital role a qualified and respected early education workforce provide to educating our nation’s youngest learners.

“Labor’s announcement builds on their recent commitment to fund two years of early learning for every child before school by supporting the ongoing development of a professional workforce of early childhood educators and making access to early learning more affordable.

“Importantly Labor has committed to an immediate review of the new Child Care Subsidy to ensure that children experiencing vulnerability and disadvantage do not slip through the cracks. Currently one in five Australian children start school developmentally behind their peers and often don’t catch up. It is critical that high quality early learning is universally accessible and affordable for every child, with targeted strategies for children and families who need it most.

“The recent ‘Launch into Learning’ campaign, supported by ELACCA’ s members of the largest private and not for profit early learning and care providers, asked for a significant investment in our children to ensure they had access to two years of high quality play based early learning prior to school.

“We also requested a review of the Child Care Subsidy, better support for children experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage, a strategy to ensure the nation had enough highly trained early childhood teachers and educators, and an ongoing commitment to the National Quality Framework.

“Labor has made a commitment that indicates they are cognisant of the irrefutable evidence of the importance the early learning sector plays in the education continuum and the essential role that qualified educators and teachers play in delivering quality play based early learning.

“ELACCA and its members will work with the Government and other relevant stakeholders to deliver on the commitments made, delivering greater wages to our early education workers without an increase in cost of education and care to families.”

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