20 MayHappy Birthday ELAA – celebrating 30 years of service to members
Kindergarten Parents Victoria (now Early Learning Association Australia) was officially launched on 21 May 1991 by the then Premier, Joan Kirner.
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The organisation sprang from the vision and dedication of two key founders – Marg Stephens and Karen Weston who, with other parents passionate about the right of children to access high quality education, formed a group called Parent Action for Kindergartens over 30 years ago.
The group worked with Victorian members of Parliament; the Office of Preschool and Childcare; and a variety of organisations such as the Australian Early Childhood Association and the Anglican and uniting Churches Early Childhood Industrial Council toward the formation of a State-wide organisation. In May 1991, KPV was officially launched Premier Joan Kirner at the Collingwood Children’s Centre.
From initially representing parent volunteer kindergarten committees to a current membership representing the broader early childhood sector, ELAA continues the mission of KPV and has grown in its capacity to support the needs of members through advocacy; industrial relations and management advice; professional development programs; training for committees; management resources; plus a range of member benefits and sector specific communications.
Milestones
1989/90: Marg Stephens and Karen Weston form Parent Action for Kindergartens (PAK) to ensure Victorian kindergartens survive the economic recession.
1990: October – December, PAK work with parliamentarians; Office of Preschool and Childcare; employer, and other early learning organisations on the formation of a State-wide organisation.
1991: May, Kindergarten Parents Victoria (KPV) officially launched by Victorian Premier, Joan Kirner.
1992: First paid KPV staff appointed – Executive Manager, Kathy Boyle, and Committee Support Coordinator, Sue Morrow.
1994: Kindergarten committees now have complex administrative responsibilities changing from a salary subsidy model to per capita funding.
1995: ECMS (Early Childhood Management Services) established in response to local governments need for KPV to manage preschool enrolments and fee collections.
1997: First Kindergarten Parents Victoria/Lady Gowrie Conference for Early Childhood staff and committee members.
2001: Kirby Review acknowledges administrative burden faced by parent-run kindergarten committees.
2003: ECMS formally separated from KPV. Funding to support cluster management (now EYMs) of kindergartens introduced.
2009: Australian governments agree to implement national changes to improve quality and consistency of early learning and care.
2012: National Quality Framework takes effect. KPV members vote to become Early Learning Association Australia (ELAA).
2013: All Australian four-year-olds funded to access 15 hours of kindergarten a week (for 40 weeks a year) delivered by a tertiary qualified early childhood teacher.
2018: The Victorian Labor Government announces a $5 billion commitment over the coming decade to ensure all three-year-old children in Victoria can attend up to 15 hours a week of universally funded 3-year-old kindergarten.
2021: After years of annual extensions and advocacy by ELAA the Federal Government announces four-year commitment to the Commonwealth funding portion of the National Partnership on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education.
Here’s a few memories over the past three decades.