Early childhood education is the silent victim of COVID-19 schools debate

The internet is overrun with memes of parents professing their devotion to teachers, but let’s not forget the value of our early childhood educators in all this too, writes Clare Masters.

The debate around school shutdowns and childcares closures has been fierce and necessary.

It has never been more apparent that schools are a social and learning linchpin and the near collapse of early education providers was an important reminder that they play a vital role in keeping our economy pumping.

But there is a key point that has been missing from the conversation: the education of our youngest Australians.

Even more so than the schooling system, early childhood education in Australia is unwieldy and mammoth, there is no real clear ‘ownership’ and communication lines are messy – this was evident in the bushfires when schools had a clear warning system on when to close while childcares were flying blind.

Insiders say that improvements have been made since then, but for the sector to come so close to collapse shows how precarious it is.

There is a key point that has been missing from the recent conversation: the education of our youngest Australians. Picture: iStock

When it comes to all facets of development the first five years of a child’s life are absolutely vital. But our debate over the survival of childcare was largely focused on workforce participation; keeping the sector viable and allowing key workers to keep working. These are all absolutely valid arguments but what has been missing in action is debate around what is happening to the cognitive, social and emotional development of our children under five.

Early childcare education is much more than babysitting, it is also about the caretaking of children’s neural development. Just as parents cannot be expected to take the place of teachers, neither can they easily step into the role of childcare worker.

It may not seem like it to the naked eye but there is a science behind peek-a-boo, shaking jars filled with glitter and reading out loud.

Early childcare education is much more than babysitting. Picture: iStock

Childcare in Australia is a postcode lottery at the best of times and right now even with the federal government’s very generous free childcare package it is still turbulent with many centres still struggling financially and asking for parent help to prop up finances with BYO nappies and food.

There is a mishmash of funding and in many cases providers are reporting they cannot cover outgoings and their staff cannot access Job Keeper.

Currently early learning centres are open with key workers and vulnerable children prioritised, but the test is very ad hoc and left up to the providers themselves, meaning that vulnerable children who were hard enough to get into the system to begin with are likely missing out on vital education.

These are the kids whose parents are not spending isolation reading to them or playing board games and for whom childcare was a welfare check as well as an education.

Currently early learning centres are open with key workers and vulnerable children prioritised, but the test is very ad hoc. Picture: iStock

Not to mention that all the children who don’t fit those criteria in any capacity are missing out on early education completely. Parents of school kids will tell you that distant learning comes a very distant second to actual learning.

A new campaign designed to help parents develop children’s life skills is now available designed to help fill the gap of daycare kids who are missing more than just the social aspects of childcare.

Developed by Telethon Kids Institute and Minderoo Foundation through their CoLab partnership, Bright Tomorrows it is a free app that interprets research into tips so that parents who are in isolation can still help their toddlers and preschoolers get some of the brain boosting activities that are the bread and butter of early education providers.

The internet is overrun with memes of parents of school-aged kids professing their eternal devotion for teachers whose skills and abilities are university taught, let’s not forget the value of our early childhood educators too.

Clare Masters is News Corp Australia’s News360 national education editor.

Originally published as Early childhood education is the silent victim of COVID-19 schools debate