We believe that the Australian early childhood sector is not performing well. The incidence of poor outcomes for children is increasing, and we believe that current service delivery is not capable of addressing this. We argue that, as a sector, there is an abundance of evidence of the kinds of programs and initiatives that could address our national concerns, and review some of that evidence. We also point out that there is considerable knowledge in Australia, based on Australian programmes and experience, that can be used to build a different early childhood sector with the potential to significantly impact on growing disadvantage. We conclude with the principles or themes around which such initiatives should be developed and a call to advocate for the development of such services. Appropriate services supporting all of our young children, their families and their communities, have the potential to make a huge impact on our society, and we can no longer hide from our responsibilities and avoid providing such services. We are not doing well Early childhood services in Australia are fragmented and operate from a range of jurisdictions (Press & Hayes, 2001). Some children attend out-of-home services such as child care. These children tend to be children of parents who are either in employment or who are preparing for employment through education and/or training. Other children (from three – five years) attend kindergartens or preschools. These may be sessional or part-time, and at least one parent of each of the children attending these services may not be in employment. Another type of service available to young children with at least one parent not in employment is playgroups. In some areas there may be family support services available to enhance the quality of parenting and consequently support improvements in child outcomes. Generally, these services tend to operate in areas targeted as at-risk or be specifically directed towards those families identified as at-risk. There is increasing concern about escalating poor outcomes for children across the developed world, and it appears outcomes for Australian children are no better. … in spite of increasing economic prosperity and 'globalisation' enabling greater access to opportunities, many key indicators of the health, development and wellbeing of their children and youth are not improving and many are worsening. And the social gradients (we call them inequalities)––the differences in outcomes between the advantaged and disadvantaged groups in the population––are actually growing larger, not smaller as promised (Stanley, Prior & Richardson, 2005, p. 2). Clearly, current systems are not effective; we need to rethink what is offered to children and their families. Neurobiological research (Mustard, 2005; Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000) indicates that the most effective changes arise from interventions in the early years. Economic analyses support this. For example, Heckman (2006) suggests that we can Early Childhood Australia http://www.e...

This article discusses the outcomes of a research project undertaken in 2011/2013 by a team of researchers from Edith Cowan University (ECU) in collaboration with Wanslea Family Services. The project aimed to address the relative lack of voice of biological children in the fostering task, despite the increasing acknowledgement of children's rights and their capability to be involved in decision-making processes. Data was collected through the use of focus groups and interviews with a small number of biological children, foster carers and service providers in Western Australia (WA). The data indicated the necessity to reconsider the rights of biological children in the fostering task and the need for specific strategies to address these rights. The findings of the study informed the development of a set of interactive resources for supporting biological children of foster carers during all stages of the fostering process in Australia. The resources also have potential value for use in overseas jurisdictions.

This paper discusses the findings of a qualitative research project conducted in 2017 that explored practitioners’ experiences and perceptions of the provision of play pedagogies in contemporary Western Australian early childhood education contexts. Interviews were conducted with four play-based learning teachers and an open-ended survey was completed by 40 early childhood educators who were members of the audience at a Western Australia conference in 2017. The study participants discussed beliefs and values pertaining to quality play-based learning and tensions associated with the diminishing role of play in the early years of schooling and its impact on young children. They also highlighted several enablers and barriers that influence and shape current early childhood education practice. The findings of this study provide further evidence for the issues identified in recent Early Childhood Australia (Western Australia) discussion papers and in other research surrounding play-based learning in the current social-political context.

The current Australian government is proposing an agenda focused around social inclusion in an attempt to address the complex issues associated with inequality evident in this country. Despite valiant attempts, many agencies struggle to offer inclusive services, particularly to families who have migrated to Australia from culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) backgrounds. In this study, we surveyed a range of programs identified by key informants as offering inclusive service delivery with the aim of identifying those aspects of their practice they believed facilitated successful inclusion. We then attempt to position our findings within recently emerging critiques of the concept of social inclusion, of which our participants appeared unaware. This critique addresses the fundamental purpose of social inclusion, and the strategies commonly used to achieve it, arguing that these are based on a deficit approach that positions those who are excluded as "other." In identifying those who are excluded as "other" and attempting to include them into a hegemonic idea of civil society as functioning citizens, are agencies actually being racist?

THIS ARTICLE DISCUSSES THE importance of early support for families in increasing their children's readiness to learn and optimising their developmental outcomes. It reports the findings of the evaluation of the It Takes a Village: Multicultural Early Learning Program, a research project undertaken in 2009-2011 by a research team from Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. The unique model and characteristics of the program are discussed in the context of its role in facilitating children's developmental potential, through the mediation of social disadvantage of the new migrant and humanitarian entrant families in the southeast corridor of Perth's metropolitan area.