From a historical perspective, Australia as a nation has been known for its efforts in funding education. However, this fact is only limited to primary, secondary, vocational and tertiary education. This implies that minimal support is geared towards supporting Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) leading to criticism from educational experts who feel that the government has failed in supporting ECEC. As a result, ECEC in Australia has developed through the support of private sectors and families, which has led to many anomalies not present in other sectors of education (Bennett " Tayler, 2006). Some of the oddities witnessed include the absence of an inclusive government curriculum at all levels of education, denial of access to ECEC for the socially disadvantaged group, and significant variance in the qualification of staffing and employee ratios within the ECEC program. Overall, the country’s investment in ECEC is low compared to the other levels of education such as the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Across the world, many countries are focusing on the early years of education to ensure the well being of their children is catered for throughout their lives in order to lift the country's production. I believe that providing access to high quality and affordable ECEC programs is considered as one of the best measures that will ensure positive outcomes for children, mainly the underprivileged ones. The ECEC sector has been struggling for equality among the disadvantaged children, which has compelled them to come up with educational policies that will spearhead their campaign.
The government together with the ministry of education has come up with several policies which will ensure that ECEC gets equal education opportunities so that it cannot lag behind. One of the policies implemented is the social education policy that aims at ensuring ECEC gets equal opportunities as those of other levels of education. The policy seeks to focus on children from disadvantaged communities who have been neglected by the Australian government. The children have been left at the hands of private individuals and families who are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that they sponsor and supervise their education needs. The subject of social education policy centers on the concept of social justice: it asks us to think about what fairness or justice looks like in the present society (Lingard "Rawolle, 2004). In addition, the policy asks us to examine what the Australian state is doing to facilitate improvements in the quality of people’s lives and to tackle issues such as poverty or inequality. Lastly, the policy asks us to identify better ways in which the Australian society can function. Social education policy aims at determining what the state and other organizations can do to improve the children's education quality under ECEC programs (Taylor, 2004). For instance, using the policy, the state will view the pre-school service as a policy vehicle that can be used to promote social inclusion, which in turn can prepare children for later schooling and to further create the long-term foundation for a skilled workforce and a stronger economy.
The social education policy offers a framework that will address the social justice issue in relation to young Australian children. The critical aspects of the social education policy include considering how resources should be distributed and for what purpose. Within the country, children come from a range of backgrounds such as the rich and the poor which implies that they have different needs. This raises the question of whether the state should ensure that every child is provided with an equal opportunity to thrive. Another issue that arises is whether the state should ensure that a minimum level of care and education is provided to all because children come from a range of backgrounds. Arguably, parents, the local communities and members of the wider society should come in handy and help the state. In many ways, the social education policy is about thinking through questions such as the ones mentioned above, always making inquiries on what is the most socially just or fairest distribution of resources that will help Early Childhood Education and Care among Australian children (Giovacco -Johnson, 2011). Equal allocation of resources as an issue in ECEC directly relates to democracy, which can be achieved by distributing funds to all children irrespective of their backgrounds. Australia is known to be a country that practices democracy; therefore, by allocating equal resources to support ECEC, it will encourage other nations to adopt the social education policy (Ailwood et al., 2011).
Major researches have independently been undertaken and have all supported an economic, social and business case for investing in ECEC. For instance, a study conducted by James Heckman a Nobel Prize winner of the University of Chicago found out that there have remarkable successes in recent investment in ECEC which are essential for early learning and can further be enriched by involving external channels (Heckman, 2002). It is suggested that investments in ECEC have lasting effects thus it is advisable not to postpone investing in children until they become adults, can only be achieved through ECEC programs. Research conducted by Nailon " Beswick (2014), suggests that learning is a dynamic process and is considered effective when it begins at a tender age and should continue through old age. However, it should be understood that the responsibilities for ECEC, which is shared between the Australian national government and the states often means complexity. Most studies conducted on the ECEC have suggested that there is a need for government involvement in funding the program to ensure that every child gets access to education at an early age as a fundamental right. In addition, the studies have suggested the need for the parents, families and the community to get involved in ensuring that they support ECEC programs. Given that the private sector is well entrenched in the provision of ECEC within Australia, there is a need for a positive involvement by the government to ensure it contributes to the well-being of the children through funding ECEC programs (Tayler, 2011).
It is important to note that investing in educating Australian children through the ECEC makes good economic and social sense. ECEC being a national issue, I propose that both the Australian government, private sectors, families and the communities should come up with ways in which the can fund and support the sector. Through funding, ECEC programs will operate within the country with minimal interference which will allow children to get access to early education as their basic right. On the other hand, I propose the establishment of the office of ECEC across the country to help in advocating for the children's right to get an early education. Over the past years, the ECEC sector had been neglected and left for the families and the private sector. However, with the establishment of offices across the country, it will be easier for the department of education to monitor the progress of ECEC thus fostering early education for the children despite coming from different backgrounds. In addition, I propose that all stakeholders involved in spearheading ECEC program should ensure that strong quality standards for ECEC are met so that children can positively benefit from the program. To achieve this, there will be a need for a quality rating system that will aid in driving continuous improvement where parents will be provided with information about the quality of learning and care under the ECEC programs. Lastly, there is a need for the establishment of a body that will be tasked with streamlining of the licensing and accreditation arrangements of ECEC institutions within the country. The above-suggested proposals address issues related to democracy by advocating for equal distribution of resources in all educational sectors. It is the democratic rights of the Children to get access to ECEC within Australia. Democracy advocates for equitable distribution of resources in all educational sectors irrespective of the citizen's backgrounds. Therefore, Australian children have a democratic right to get access to ECEC which is an ongoing process that will an individual achieve his or her dreams later in life. The above-suggested proposals advocate ethical concerns that affect children attending ECEC programs. For instance, it is ethical for the proposals to recommend for quality rating standards that will drive continuous improvements which in turn will provide parents with information regarding the quality of care and learning under ECEC program.
References
Ailwood, J., Brownlee, J., Johansson, E., Cobb-Moore, C., Walker, S., " Boulton-Lewis, G. (2011). Educational policy for citizenship in the early years in Australia. Journal of Education Policy, 26(5), 641-653.doi:10.1080/02680939.2011.587538
Bennett, J., " Tayler, C. P. (2006). Starting Strong II: Early childhood education and care. OECD.
Giovacco -Johnson, T. (2011). Applied ethics as a foundation in early childhood teacher education. Early Childhood Education Journal, 38(6), 449-456. doi:10.1007/s10643-010-0428-7
Heckman, J. J. (2002). Invest in the Very Young.
Lingard, B., "Rawolle, S. (2004). Mediatizing educational policy: The journalist's field, science policy, and cross-field effects. Journal of Education Policy, 19(3), 361-379. doi:.1080/0268093042000207665
Nailon, D., " Beswick, K. (2014). Changes in Policy Related to Early Childhood Education and Care in Australia. In The Future of Educational Research (pp. 13-23). SensePublishers, Rotterdam.
Tayler, C. (2011). Changing policy, changing the culture: Steps toward early learning quality improvement in Australia. International Journal of Early Childhood, 43(3), 211-225.
Taylor. S. (2004). Researching educational policy and change in ’new times’: Using critical discourse analysis. Journal of Education Policy, 4(19), 433-445.doi:10.1080/0268093042000227483
