Page 1108 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 8 April 2008
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
As part of the schools renewal initiative, the ACT government committed to the establishment of four new early childhood schools, at Southern Cross, Lyons, Isabella Plains and Narrabundah. These schools will be the first of their kind in Australia and will provide families with a comprehensive model of care in education at what we hope will be a one-stop shop.
The framework has been developed to underpin the establishment and operation of these early childhood schools. The framework provides a rationale for the early childhood schools to develop as early learning and development centres from birth to eight years; the common goals for the early childhood schools; core elements of service provision; and critical success factors. These schools will be built upon the very successful and very popular model which is already in operation at the O’Connor cooperative school, which was where Minister Barr and I launched the framework at lunchtime today.
The location of the schools in Lyons, Isabella Plains, Narrabundah and Scullin will mean that integrated early childhood education programs and services can be accessed across all areas of Canberra. That is a fantastic choice that has not been available to parents with young children in the past, when we have only had one early childhood school—the cooperative school in O’Connor.
These purpose-built schools will provide a coherent approach to early childhood learning and wellbeing. They will encourage and draw on family and community participation to ensure children are provided with the best possible comprehensive care and education. The early childhood schools represent a very collaborative endeavour between government agencies, including the Department of Education and Training, ACT Health and the Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services, and also with our non-government partners.
The importance of the early years to children’s lives is beyond question. There is overwhelming evidence that the first five years of life can affect an individual’s whole life course and that a good beginning to life is the foundation for future development. The policies of the ACT government around early childhood align closely with those of the Council of Australian Governments. COAG has already identified early childhood as a major component of its productivity and participation agenda. With our early childhood schools, the ACT is well positioned to take a leading role in progressing this agenda, with its comprehensive preschool program and new models of early childhood programs. It will be exemplified in these four new schools.
The services provided within each of these schools will vary from site to site and will be available from a number of government and community agencies, including education, childcare, health, parenting, early intervention and preschool programs. The framework we launched today ensures that government and non-government services within each of these schools are connected to the needs of young children and their families in our community.
The P-2 schools reference group supported the development of the framework for early childhood schools. The reference group included representatives of the
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .