EXCERPTS
MORE than 25 community and private childcare owners and operators have banded together to fight against any watering down of education standards in centres as part of a push to address affordability concerns.
The Early Learning Coalition, to be launched today, will demand a renewed commitment to child welfare and quality at a Productivity Commission hearing.
The Abbott government has asked the commission to undertake a public inquiry into options for childcare and early childhood learning, with a focus on developing a system that supports workforce participation and addresses children's learning and development needs.
In its interim report, the commission said there should be more flexibility around the way staff ratio and qualification requirements were implemented. In particular, it recommended that: employment of an early childhood teacher be based on the number of children over three years of age in a service, rather than on the total number of children; and that all early childhood education and care workers with children younger than three only be required to hold an appropriate lower level of qualification rather than a degree or diploma.
The commission says that this is likely to have "significant impacts" on the composition of the early childhood education and care workforce and it intends to assess further the implications of the proposed changes.
Stephanie Bruno, the director of Barfa Bear Childcare in Sydney's Beverly Hills, will tell today's hearing in Sydney that higher-level qualifications are necessary to build parent confidence.
"To provide a high-quality education you need passionate, dedicated, highly trained educators," Ms Bruno said. "You need a mix of qualifications including some with diplomas and degrees who are paid accordingly."
Ms Bruno said her centre had had difficulty attracting and retaining qualified educators, an issue that needed addressing.
Albina Porracin, owner and operator of Beaumont Hills Long Day Pre-School and The Parkway Child Care Centre in western Sydney defended minimum ratios of educators to children.
"Children need individualised care; it's important for safety and for education," Ms Porracin said. "You just can't deliver individualised care if you let ratios drop."
Margaret Carey, the director of Clovelly Childcare Centre in eastern Sydney, said research showed support of children in their first three years directly related to positive brain development.
"As employers we support investing in every child's right to education through play-based learning," she said.
The Early Learning Coalition is a not-for-profit alliance of employers and community directors working in early childhood education and care.
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read online at The Australian