26 AprBest Start, Best Life consultations in summary
During Term 1, ELAA and the Victorian Department of Education (Vic DE) co-hosted a series of five consultations with ELAA members. These consultations were an opportunity for our members to engage with topic questions provided, to help shape how Vic DE delivers the 30-hour Pre-Prep reforms by 2032.
We would like to extend a thank you to the members that contributed to the discussions. Your insights were extremely helpful and the ELAA team appreciates how engaging and willing to share you were throughout this process. Your constructive feedback has not only assisted Vic DE in their reform roll-out, but it has also helped ELAA understand how we can best represent our membership through our state-based advocacy.
Although many topics were covered across the five consultations, below is a list of reoccurring themes:
- members wanted to ensure that quality is not compromised when upscaling to 30-hours
- current workforce challenges were highlighted. There were discussions on how to address these and how to plan for the increasing workforce requirements that 30-hours of Pre-Prep will demand
- the increase to 30-hours will be beneficial to vulnerable children and will aid in early intervention. The program aims to boost a child’s development as they transition into primary education and there will be continued consultation with the sector on how this is implemented
- professional development for long term teachers and educators was highlighted to engage the workforce in meaningful and innovative ways. Members acknowledged that professional development regarding vulnerable families and children would be a useful tool for teaching teams to access
- members have found School Readiness Funding (SRF) to be a positive program in their services but acknowledged that administration for SRF and other processes could be streamlined to save time
- wrap-around services are a quality improving aspect for education programs. There should be a focus on improvement and growth of wrap-around services to benefit ECEC outcomes
- infrastructure grants need to be transparent and easier for ECEC services and parent committees to apply for
- showcasing success stories in the workforce will be an effective way to improve workforce culture and encourage new teachers and educators to understand how fulfilling a career in ECEC is
- the value of increasing National Quality Standard rating assessment was highlighted as a way to monitor quality.
ELAA will continue to meet with Vic DE and the Minister Early Childhood and Pre-Prep about the 30-hour roll out and will be seeking ongoing input from our members.
Should you have any questions about the Best Start, Best Life consultations or the reforms, please email our Advocacy Team: Advocacy@elaa.org.au
