Final report on SA early childhood education and care
Rachael Ward |
The final report from the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care in South Australia is set to be released after months of public hearings.
The recommendations will be handed down on Sunday morning.
An interim report released in April called for universal preschool to be extended to all three-year-olds in the state within ten years.
Commissioner Julia Gillard recommended they undertake 15 hours a week of preschool through government schools, private early learning centres and long daycare facilities.
The push came after the commission heard evidence that without early intervention children most at risk of developmental delays would find it hard to catch up.
The capital cost of an extra 11,000 places would be up to $139 million with extra ongoing funding to support the system costing between $121 million and $357 million.
Earlier this year Premier Peter Malinauskas described a number of the interim recommendations as ambitious and flagged workforce challenges.
In May, the commission was told poor pay for early childhood educators was the key reason for the ongoing exodus from the sector, which was about 30 per cent per year.
There was also concern the situation would be made even harder by pay increases in the aged care sector which could lure away staff, and the ongoing impacts of burnout or mental issues after working through the COVID-19 pandemic.
It also heard better recognition of a person’s Aboriginal culture was important to encouraging and developing greater Indigenous representation in the early childhood workforce.
AAP
