Quality and safety of Australia’s early childhood education and care system - Parliament of Australia - Education and Employment References Committee - October 2025
In October of 2025 The Salvation Army provided a submission to the Senate Education and Employment Committee’s inquiry into the Quality and Safey of Australia’s Early Childhood Education and Care system.
The Salvation Army strongly believes that Early Childhood Education and Care is a vital element of both child and family wellbeing.
Ensuring that parents have access to high quality Early Childhood Education and Care, along with wraparound care services is vital to ensuring that kids get the best start in life and set them up for lifelong successes. The availability and affordability of these services is sadly lacking in many communities across Australia, particularly those where these services would make the most difference.
Our experience is that investing in the staff of Early Childhood Education and Care is the best way to support staff, deliver high quality services, and to maximise outcomes for children. This investment is both educational and financial, and is underpinned by strong sector regulation.
This submission covers:
- the importance of not-for-profit delivery of early childhood education and care;
- the need for flexible, affordable and accessible early childhood education and care places for children of all need levels; and
- the critical need to invest in the early childhood education and care workforce, both through education and retention.