09 Aug2023 Education State Early Childhood Forum
The 2023 Victorian Education State Early Childhood Forum was held on Tuesday, 8 August, and brought together hundreds of early childhood educators, teachers, peak bodies and providers.
The all- day event provided an opportunity to reflect on the scope of the Victorian Government’s Best Start, Best Life reforms and to harness collective energy around the possibilities of supporting more children to receive the early education they need to set them up for life.
The day included a video message from Premier, Daniel Andrews, highlighting the importance of the reforms, followed by Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-Prep, Ingrid Stitt, talking about three areas of importance: equity, workforce and national leadership. These were key themes that permeated throughout the day.
An opening panel discussed the possibility of improving children’s life outcomes by the end of the reform period, including the important role Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) plays in closing the gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
Feedback was shared on what the Department heard during the extensive Best Start, Best Life consultations, including differing levels of understanding from parents about play-based learning, and opportunities to deepen relationships with children and families through 30 hours of ECEC.
Afternoon plenaries covered the topics of workforce, and strengthening the early years system, before a closing plenary that highlighted the strong national focus on Victoria as a leader in ECEC. Deputy Secretary – Early Childhood Education, Kim Little, spoke to the scope and scale of the reforms and the need to iterate and pivot as the reforms roll out.
A key takeaway from the day was by working together iteratively, the ECEC sector can scale up and improve the life outcomes of thousands of Victorian children. This is an opportunity, although daunting, that we should embrace.
