In Good Beginnings experience, effective transition to school programs over a period of at least two school terms provides for a more effective start to school, particularly for children in vulnerable communities.

####### Recommendation

- • Explore models that support parent and child participation by wrapping ECEC services around starting school

In considering flexibility of children’s services a variety of models and service types may be required. Ensuring high quality, accessibility and availability of services, to ensure high standards in ECEC are met and outcomes for children and families delivered, will be more important than the type of ECEC service or setting. That is: If ECEC services are to be provided by employers then the same quality and regulatory conditions and expectations should be met; if nannies and au pairs are in scope for subsidy and rebate then both quality and regulatory conditions should be in place along with efforts to ensure that accessibility and affordability conditions are provided for. When considering access for the most vulnerable children consideration needs to be given to the impact of navigating multiple subsidies and rebates. While a combination of child care benefit and childcare rebate assist some concerns relating to access, navigating these systems and understanding entitlements often acts as a barrier. There is a need to review and simplify access to these subsidies and rebates either through direct service funding—to reduce the out of pocket expense—or through more streamlined processes to determine level of benefit. There is also potential for greater use and better application of Special Child Care Benefit to support families experiencing difficult circumstances. Good Beginnings hears feedback that rigidly applied criteria often results in waiting times for families to access services that they desperately need, for example families at risk are ineligible for SCCB support. There is also potential to expand the criteria to support families to access programs and family support to improve their situations. Program criteria could determine SCCB eligibility so that families attending specified programs are automatically eligible for benefit; a starting point for this could be those participating in the Department of Social Services Family Support Program or similar programs. As previously stated, a focus on high quality across service types will ensure that children’s learning and care needs are met, regardless of service type. While much effort has been put into implementing consistent standards across the ECEC sector there is still community concerns and a perception that one service type is superior to another.

#### Quote from a Good Beginnings worker:

Parents always ask me if I should remove my child from childcare to attend a [preschool/kindergarten] program. The message that I reinforce is that when making the choice consider the quality of the service rather than the service type. Often parents choose to swap to [preschool/kindergarten] because of the subsidies available, even though their child is settled in a quality child care program.

8 8 Good Beginnings Australia – Productivity Commission Issue Paper: Childcare and Early Childhood Learning - Feb 2014