When I was documenting my own thoughts of the 2007 Federal Labor Government and its achievements in early childhood policy, it was Collette Tayler who said to me: ‘we're involved in a decade-long effort. If we hold our nerve, we're on track to achieve something fine in this country’. Then, as now, I loved the optimism and ambition of this statement. This publication, guided so ably by Collette, Jane Page and many other academic colleagues, is an important and timely compilation. It explores the raison d’être behind Australia's renewed investment in the early years of a child's life, and details the policy framework and research ideas that govern learning and development in all care settings – be it pre-school, family or long day care.
As described across these chapters, there is now a national focus on policy goals, and a set of standards and regulations against which we can judge the quality of the services provided for Australian children. There has been fine-tuning, to be sure, but there now exists, across the disparate jurisdictions that make up the Commonwealth of Australia, a recognition that the Australian National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care is a core foundational document.
Within this volume the authors have also considered the many critical issues that are needed to achieve an optimal pedagogical environment. They include the recognition that young children are learners with rights, that intentional teaching is the way to help children achieve the skills they need to succeed to life, and importantly an acknowledgement that families are the ‘first’ partners in the learning process.
Readers of this publication will emerge with a finer appreciation of the complexity, hard work and critical thinking that now informs practice by teachers and families. We know that children are born hard-wired to learn and that the major life phase that represents early childhood is a period of astonishing development. That so many of our talented academic thinkers, policy makers and practitioners are working collaboratively is testament to the open spirit and sense of opportunity that is shared across the early childhood education and care sector.