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Getting it right for early childhood teacher programs in Australia
Book chapter

Getting it right for early childhood teacher programs in Australia

Wendy Boyd and Alicia Phillips
International perspectives on early childhood teacher education in the 21st Century, pp.1-16
Springer , 1st edition
2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5739-9_1
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Abstract

In 2009 the Australian government invested in developing the early childhood workforce initiative via the National Quality Agenda. This agenda focused on improving the supply and quality of the early childhood workforce. Evidence shows that there are serious and persistent concerns with the quality of education and care in early childhood settings across Australia with Australia ranked by UNICEF (2017) at 39/41 of the wealthiest countries in the world on delivering quality early childhood education and care (ECEC). With evidence now showing that the strongest predictor of provision of quality ECEC are the qualifications of the educators the focus now turns to how the educators are qualified. Across Australia there is an inconsistent approach to early childhood teacher (ECT) programs. Programs are for birth to five years, birth to eight years, and birth to 12 years. In the latter two programs graduates are trained to teach in early childhood settings, and in primary school. These approaches vary according to jurisdiction, and at times are in response to teacher registration agencies. Research of the combined early childhood/primary degrees show that the content is too watered down for early childhood teaching, and graduates want to teach in primary schools making this program for qualifying early childhood teachers unsound. Research is presented on the current situation of staffing, and status of early childhood education.

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