Indigenous Child Care—Leading the Way

Abstract

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...

Rethinking evidence-based practice and two-generation programs to create the future of early childhood policy

“…Services have been developed to address the overall developmental burdens of poverty as well as the impacts of specific adversities, such as maternal depression (Cicchetti, Rogosch, & Toth, 2000; Nylen, Moran, Franklin, & O'Hara, 2006) and involvement in the child welfare system as a result of child maltreatment (Pears, Fisher, & Bronz, 2007; Pears, Kim, & Fisher, 2012). Programs targeting the distinctive strengths and needs of different racial and ethnic groups have also been developed, with a particular focus on the importance of addressing issues of cross-cultural competence and the damaging effects of discrimination on human development (Klingner et al, 2005; Sims et al, 2008). Detailed descriptions of these diverse categories of program models and intervention strategies are beyond the scope of this paper.…”

What Works and Why?: Early Childhood Professionals' Perspectives on Effective Early Childhood Education and Care Services for Indigenous Families

“…In the Australian context, this body of evidence has been the catalyst for increased investment in ECEC programs and a strategy directed towards closing the equity gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians (COAG, 2009a(COAG, , 2009b). Yet, uptake of ECEC by Indigenous families has remained lower than that for non-Indigenous Australians (Taylor, 2010) and enrolments in programs by Indigenous families have not been matched by continuity of attendance (Sims et al, 2008). For many, access to ECEC programs is obstructed by a complexity of personal and cultural factors and systemic constraints (Jackiewicz, Saggers & Francis, 2011;Trudgett & Grace, 2011).…”

Integrated Services for Aboriginal Children and Families

“…These latter considerations by Sims et al (2008a;2008b) are particularly relevant for the study reported here. The location of the proposed centre in an iconic place for Aboriginal people in Western Australia is a key component of the consultation process.…”

“…Further, they identify seven strengthsbased capacity-building service areas for Aboriginal families and children. These areas are: nutrition, health, transport, play and leisure, early learning and development, cultural program, and family support (Sims et al, 2008a). They note that:…”