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In February 2024, The Salvation Army provided a submission to the Productivity Commissions inquiry into Early Childhood Education and Care - Draft Report Release: "A Path to Universal Early Childhood Education and Care (the Inquiry).”

The Inquiry aims to address barriers that impact access to ECEC services and support better outcomes for Australian children and families.

This submission builds upon the discussion and recommendations made in our previous submission to the Inquiry in 2023 and responds to some of the specific information requests from the Productivity Commission.

This submission covers:

• Enhancing cultural safety in ECEC’s. We recommend that government work alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Culturally and Linguistically diverse leaders and community organisations to promote culturally safe ECEC services.
• Improving the quality of ECEC-related vocational education and training. We highlight the need for availability of quality training opportunities and accountability mechanisms for registered training organisations providing education in the ECEC context.
• Reforming the Child Care Subsidy. We advocate for simplified and streamlined application processes and widely distributed, easy-to-understand information regarding subsidy entitlements.
• The importance of system navigator roles within the community. We recommend investment in community-based system navigators.
• More flexible sessions of care in ECEC. We highlight the need for flexible sessions of ECEC that respond to local family and community needs.
• Enhancing availability of occasional care. We recommend increased investment in and availability of occasional care.
• Accountability mechanisms for underperformers. We suggest the government work to establish non-regulatory bodies that provide support to ECEC services to improve service quality.

The Productivity Commission is to present a final report to Government by 30 June 2024.

• Learn more about the Inquiry
• Read the Salvation Army’s Submission