The Enhanced Early Supports Pilot provided individualised early supports in home and community settings to a group of children and their families in Melbourne’s west not accessing individual NDIS funding. A 12-month evaluation showed the model made a meaningful impact. Key findings and recommendations are outlined in this report.

This report explores early childhood experiences and the ways these experiences relate to later outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families. Knowing more about what helps children from their early years through to their teenage years means communities can feel stronger, and services can be better planned and supported.

Early Childhood Hubs are increasingly seen as a powerful way to integrate early learning, health, allied health, and family support in trusted, community-based settings. Yet much of the work that makes hubs effective – the 'glue' of integration – remains overlooked, underfunded and invisible in policy and funding frameworks. This policy paper examines this hidden...

The roll-out of the Commonwealth Government’s commitment for new services in areas that have become known as ‘childcare deserts’ will take Australia one step closer to a universal early learning system. This article calls on the Government to prioritise service delivery for young children experiencing significant disadvantage, ensuring it is integrated, holistic and builds on...

This report analyses the 2024 Australian Early Development Census results, showing increased levels of developmental vulnerability in Australian children. There is also a continued trend of worrying levels of developmental vulnerability amongst children living in the most disadvantaged areas. It finds that without targeted strategies, educational inequity will deepen, not narrow.