Media release
3 February 2025
The Early Learning and Care Council of Australia (ELACCA) welcomes the West Australian Premier Roger Cook’s announcement that a re-elected Cook Government would focus on growing the WA early childhood workforce, establishment of a dedicated Office of Early Childhood Education in WA, trial free access to high-quality four-year-old kindergarten and expand outside of school hours care.
ELACCA CEO Elizabeth Death welcomed the commitment, ‘We are really pleased to welcome this important commitment to early learning and care from Premier Cook today, in particular to grow the WA early childhood workforce,’ Ms Death said.
‘We know the importance of access to high-quality early learning and care to provide children with the best possible start in life. We call on Premier Cook to extend free four-year-old kindy to all high-quality services, utilising latent capacity in non-government early learning and care services as well as government kindergartens. WA children and families deserve access to services that best meet their needs and circumstances,’ Ms Death said.
The Premier advised that the $33.8 million commitment to four-year-old kindergarten includes funding for implementation, minor infrastructure, curriculum development, and workforce strategy measures. A dedicated Office of Early Childhood Education would also be established in WA.
‘ELACCA and our members would be well-placed to support the implementation of these initiatives,’ Ms Death said.
The commitment to free full-time kindergarten for four-year-olds would begin in 2027 at 10 pilot locations across the regional and metropolitan WA, with an aim to expand free full-time, four-year-old kindergarten across the state.
ELACCA and our members are committed to a vision, and stand ready to deliver, where every Australian child has access to high-quality early learning and care, delivered by a qualified, skilled and deeply valued workforce.
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For more information please contact:
Sally Maddison
Early Learning and Care Council of Australia
PO Box 348
Annandale NSW 2038
Mob: 0498 228 762
About us:
The Early Learning and Care Council of Australia (ELACCA) was established to promote the value of quality early learning and care as an integral part of Australia’s education system. Our 18 CEO members include some of the largest early learning providers in the country, representing both not-for-profit and for-profit services. ELACCA members operate 2,017 long day care services, 320 preschool/kindergarten services and 88 OSHC services, covering every state and territory. They offer one-quarter of all the early learning places in Australia. Together, our members serve 232,978 children and their families, and employ more than 59,000 staff.
As well as promoting the value of quality early learning and the need for greater public investment, ELACCA advocates for the right of all children to access quality early learning and care, particularly children facing disadvantage. We do this by drawing on the knowledge and practical experience of our members and representing their views to decision makers in government, the media and the public.