Wednesday, 19 March 2025

Early childhood education and care

Anasina GRAY-BARBERIO (Northern Metropolitan) (19:25): (1525) My adjournment matter this evening is to the Minister for Disability, and my ask is: Minister, what metrics is the government using to monitor and report on participation rates of children with disabilities in early childhood education, and how will these metrics drive progress towards greater inclusion?

The 2024 Productivity Commission inquiry A Path to Universal Early Childhood Education and Care found that children with disabilities in Victoria face systemic barriers to early childhood education. Families reported long waitlists, inconsistent funding for support staff and a workforce that lacks necessary training to provide inclusive education to our most vulnerable young learners. Of the estimated 20 per cent of children that have learning difficulties, developmental issues or disabilities, only 5 per cent attend childcare-subsidy-approved early education services. This indicates significant gaps for children with disabilities in our early childhood education systems. Families say services use different tactics to discourage or prevent their child from enrolling or attending. This includes making them feel unwelcome, claiming they do not have the funding or resources to support the child or limiting attendance hours. Many families also struggle to access outside-school-hours care, making it even harder for them to stay in the workforce.

The shortage of qualified early childhood educators has only exacerbated these challenges. The Victorian Teacher Supply and Demand Report 2022 projects teacher demand will outpace supply by 2028, with demand rising 12.8 per cent and supply only 10.6 per cent. When services are stretched, it is children with additional needs who are often the first to miss out, but the reality in Victoria is that too many children with disabilities are being left behind because our early childhood education systems are under-resourced. Culturally and linguistically diverse families face additional barriers in identifying disabilities, literacy and developmental delays and accessing support services. Without adequate translation and interpreting services, many families struggle to navigate the system.

Minister, we need urgent action, and this must include increased funding to support inclusion, professional development and disability-inclusive education, and that is ongoing for each early childhood teacher, and workforce incentives to attract and retain skilled educators in the sector. Without these changes, Victoria risks continuing a cycle of exclusion and disadvantage for children with disabilities.