Centre Director Professor Frank Oberklaid has published an opinion piece in The Australian outlining why greater public investment is needed for quality early childhood education and care in Australia.

In the article, he says “Quality, or educational, childcare is a high-return investment for governments that has the potential to amplify the development and long-term earning prospects of millions of Australian children.”

“Greater public investment is needed for the extra training and staff needed to get quality into all forms of childcare without leaving low and middle-income families further out of pocket. This is as important to productivity as increasing women’s participation in the workforce.”

Read the full opinion piece in The Australian, co-authored by Sarah Wise, University of Melbourne and Berry Street Childhood Institute, or download a PDF of the article.

More information:

• Visit the Productivity Commission Inquiry page for reports, evidence papers, videos and presentations relating to the Inquiry.
• Read the latest Policy Brief: The future of early childhood education and care services in Australia
• Watch Brain Builders, an animation explaining the science behind early brain development.