Media release: Early Childhood education and care – Environmental scan released today

24 November 2022

Independent Schools Australia (ISA) has released its environmental scan of the early childhood education and care sector today.

Many Independent schools provide early childhood education and care on site and are greatly interested in the shape of things to come. This new report; Early Childhood Education and Care – An Environmental Scan looks at the range of early childhood settings and how they pertain to Independent schools in particular.

ISA Chief Executive Officer, Ms Margery Evans said today, “I am pleased to release this report, which pulls information together from different sources and jurisdictions to paint a picture of early childhood education and care in the Independent school sector.

“I hope that our findings will contribute to public discourse about how early childhood services should look and operate.

“A key insight concerns the complexity of the early childhood sector.

“Different funding models, different regulations, different arrangements and different data sources can make this critical service tricky to navigate for parents and schools.

“Decision makers have no small task on their hands to get the right policy settings to make sure all young children can access the care and education they need.

“The Independent school sector is an active participant and contributor to early childhood policy discussion in the interests of ensuring quality early childhood education and care is accessible and viable.

“The Independent school sector comprises more than a thousand schools, and many provide a vital preschool, long day care or other early childhood service to their communities,” Ms Evans said.

ISA is the peak body representing 1,187 Independent schools with 667,259 enrolled students.

ISA Media Contact: comms@isa.edu.au