Why We’re Speaking Up This Election

At Children First, we believe every child has the right to the best start in life, so they can build a better future for themselves and their community. We’ve proudly worked alongside families in Western Sydney for over 75 years, providing not-for-profit, community-led early education that places children’s wellbeing, identity, and potential at the centre.

We don’t usually comment on politics. But this election, the stakes are simply too high to stay silent.

Every child deserves access to quality teaching and learning. Every family deserves services that respect their language, culture, and values. And every community deserves the chance to grow strong, connected and supported.

We remain committed to experiential learning, to nurturing children’s communication and social-emotional development, and to working hand-in-hand with families, their first and most important educators. We recognise the rights of all children to play, to be active participants in decisions that affect them, and to access education that lays the foundation for lifelong learning.

We especially commit to improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and for children in communities too often overlooked.

That’s why we’re calling on governments, no matter who wins, to back not-for-profit, community-led services that put children before profit.

A childcare sector at risk

Recent revelations, such as the ABC’s Four Corners investigation, have brought national attention to issues we’ve been highlighting for years. The shift towards market-driven, for-profit childcare is undermining quality, affordability, and safety for children and families. At its heart, childcare should always prioritise care over commercial interests, yet today, many not-for-profit providers face unsustainable pressures.

On August 8, 2024, the federal government committed to a well-deserved 15% pay increase for early childhood educators funded through the Child Care Subsidy. To meet these new requirements, we diligently navigated complex regulatory processes, negotiated a new Enterprise Agreement approved by the Fair Work Commission, and responsibly limited fee increases for families to under 4.4%, despite our actual costs rising by almost double that amount. Eight months later, the promised government funding has not materialised, leaving our workforc (and the families who rely on us) in limbo.

These pressures directly challenge our commitment to quality. While some for-profit services drastically cut costs, spending as little as 33 cents per child per day on food, we remain committed to providing nutritious meals at more than $12 per child per day, ensuring the best outcomes for every child in our care.

Achievable policy solutions

We urge political leaders and policymakers to use this election to meaningfully prioritise children and families over profits by acting on three critical policy solutions:

• Funding not-for-profit childcare as essential community infrastructure
  Prioritise public investment towards community-led early education providers with demonstrated track records of delivering high-quality, accessible childcare, especially near public schools.
• Immediate delivery of worker retention funding
  Urgently deliver the promised ECEC Worker Retention Payment to stabilise the workforce and allow not-for-profit services to fairly adjust fees beyond the 4.4% cap, reflecting the genuine cost of quality early education and care.
• Piloting integrated family support and early intervention
  Fund a dedicated pilot at Children First to deliver integrated educational and therapeutic services within childcare centres, specifically for children who do not qualify for the NDIS. Additionally, fund a family navigation program to help families access critical support services seamlessly.

A clear message from Western Sydney

We recognise the complexity facing policymakers and candidates, but complexity cannot excuse inaction. The evidence is clear, and the solutions are achievable. Not-for-profit, community-led childcare services deliver stronger educational outcomes, safer environments, better nutrition, and greater family and community resilience.

This federal election represents an opportunity to set a new direction. One that aligns funding, policy, and regulation clearly with public good, not private profit.

We call on all candidates and decision-makers to clearly demonstrate their commitment to Western Sydney families by putting children first.

Let’s ensure that families in Western Sydney have genuine choices about their children’s learning and development, and that every child has the best possible start in life.