Australia’s children deserve the opportunity to get the best start in life. 

That’s why we are calling for the participants of the National Early Years Summit in Canberra on February 17 to be bold and aim to make Australia the best place in the world to raise a child.  

There is an overwhelming body of science that shows that the first five years of a child’s life, when they are setting the blueprint for lifelong learning and resilience, is the most valuable time to invest in their futures.  

The Summit must commit to a new guarantee for every Australian child, bound by legislation and operationalised by a new Commonwealth and State Early Childhood body. 

This guarantee should have universally accessible, high quality early childhood education and care as its backbone. 

It must ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families have access to community controlled, culturally appropriate services. 

And it must ensure every family in Australia has access to: 

•   infant and maternal health care;
•   comprehensive family support, including playgroups and inclusive community-based disability support; and
•   at least two years of preschool.  

We will only get these outcomes for children with a highly skilled and well paid workforce.  

This moment offers us a once in a lifetime opportunity. Add your name to the open letter and urge the Summit to be bold and lay the foundations for a new approach to the early years.