|
For many, the position that young children are best cared for by their mothers, in their homes, particularly when they are under two years of age, is an unquestioned truth. Establishment of the primary attachment relationship between mother and child is seen to be put at risk when children are not in the full-time care of their mother. Consequently, services providing alternative care for young children are seen, by some, as disrupting the important mother-child relationship, and therefore not desirable or deserving of universal support. Child care thus operates as the poor relation in comparison to education programmes. Child care workers are paid much less than teachers in schools and, in many cases, much less than garbage workers, shop assistants and casino workers. Conditions of employment are poor, resulting in huge staff turnover and instability in the industry. Training requirements remain inadequate and, in many states, particularly in the 3-6 year age group, the first caregiver required in the regulations is not required to have any training. The high cost of child care limits access for many families, and the push for quality improvement is blamed as the driver of increased costs. No one questions the assumption that increased costs should be shouldered by parents. This is not acceptable. We know that the early years are the most important years in shaping the child's outcomes and, in the long term, the future of Australia. We do not question the immense amounts of government funding (and taxpayers' dollars) that go into supporting a low cost, universal education system. Such support should be available for care and education in the early years. |
|