This report explores how Foundational Supports in early childhood education and care (ECEC) can support all children to thrive. Foundational Supports, a middle layer of support for children with complex needs, are key to ensuring they are not left behind. The report offers 16 recommendations to address key issues around inclusion and equity within the...

This report looks at the impact of policy settings on Long Day Care market composition in the past 10 years, finding that market growth has been unevenly distributed, with fewer places in lower socio economic areas and a shrinking share of not-for-profit services. The authors urge policymakers to consider how quality services can be incentivised...

In 2021, more than 63,000 children were assessed as developmentally vulnerable when they started school, according to the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC). This analysis highlights the circumstances of disadvantage experienced by many of these children, how inequity of access to high quality Early Education and Care (ECEC) services contributes to this issue, and how...

This study into the benefits and opportunities from ‘early intervention’ calls for an overhaul of government policies to ensure at-risk children receive vital support services at a much earlier stage.

This report includes economic analysis of early childhood education in Australia. The analysis focusses on the early childhood education provided to children in the year before they start school. The analysis has considered the benefits of early childhood education for children, their parents or carers, governments and employers against the costs of providing that early...