EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION TAFE CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE WILL BENEFIT CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND EDUCATORS
24 July 2024 – Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive by Five campaign has congratulated the Commonwealth and South Australian Governments on plans to establish a new Early Childhood Education and Care TAFE Centre of Excellence.
“A TAFE Centre of Excellence in early childhood education and care is great news for families and children and for current and aspiring early childhood educators,” said Minderoo Foundation’s Jay Weatherill.
“With high quality, play-based early learning, young children are more likely to start school ready to learn, and more likely to finish school ready to work.
“For families, particularly primary caregivers, early childhood education and care offers the opportunity to return to work and to increase their workforce participation. This delivers a huge benefit to our economy.
“But there is no early childhood education without early childhood educators.
“Australia needs an estimated 30,000 early childhood educators over the next five years to provide the quality education and care children and families rely on. That means we need a strong pipeline of training for the early childhood educators, which a TAFE Centre of Excellence will help deliver.”
Thrive by Five SA Alliance convenor Brad Chilcott said the centre would directly benefit South Australian children.
“South Australia has an ambitious plan to reform early learning, including rolling out universal three-year-old preschool.
“Children do best in early learning when they have the opportunity to create a connection with the early childhood educators in their lives.
“A new TAFE Centre of Excellence in South Australia will ensure there is a strong and resilient workforce that is supported with skills and professional development required to create those connections and deliver quality early learning for South Australian children.”
