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Indigenous child care

What if I am part of an Indigenous family?

The importance of the early years for Indigenous children

Indigenous children are a particularly vulnerable group of children in Australia and the gaps between them and non-Indigenous children in some key areas of life have widened in recent years. The gaps for Indigenous children compared to non-Indigenous children include lower life expectancy at birth, lower birth weights, higher rates of death and injury, lower rates of school readiness, and exposure to higher levels of violence.

Even though these gaps are very worrying, there is evidence that that investment in early childhood for disadvantaged children can make significant, long-term improvements. The Australian Government’s investment will give Indigenous children the chance to start learning early and be ready for school. Doing well at school gives a child many more opportunities in life. Government funding will also focus on improving health for Indigenous mothers and babies as well as providing support to Indigenous parents and families to help their children grow and develop.

Early childhood education and child care options

The Australian Government is committed to providing an affordable, accessible and high quality early learning and child care system to all Australian children. Many studies show that high quality education and care can stimulate a child’s development and help overcome disadvantage.

Children from Indigenous families are encouraged to be part of the early childhood learning and care experience in Australia, with support available to ensure that child care services are inclusive of children from Indigenous families. Support programs, like the Inclusion and Professional Support Program, offer specialist support to help child care services to successfully include an Indigenous child (or indeed a child from any culturally and linguistically diverse background) into care.

Professional Support Coordinators and Inclusion Support Agencies throughout Australia work with child care services to ensure they provide quality child care that is culturally safe, appropriate and meets the needs of Indigenous children. These organisations provide resources, training, support and advice to child care professionals about all aspects of a child care service, including children’s development, programming and financial management.

For more information visit the Inclusion and Professional Support Program website or ask your child care service for details.

Are there early childhood education and child care services for Indigenous children?

Yes. The Australian Government is committed to closing the education gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children and provides early childhood learning and care services that support Indigenous families.

Early learning and child care

In addition to the wide range of services available to all children, such as approved long day care, family day care and outside school hours care, Indigenous families can access child care services funded by the Australian Government in rural, remote or Indigenous communities.

Indigenous focused services provide an environment that acknowledges and strengthens the cultural identity of Indigenous children. Services encourage children and families to participate in local cultural activities and events. Many services employ Indigenous staff and involve Indigenous elders in the early learning program wherever possible.

Indigenous focused child care services are tailored to the needs and interests of the local community and may include Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Services, flexible/innovative child care, outside school hours care (including vacation care), mobile child care services and crèches.

You can search for a child care service in your community through the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care.

The Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care is the national non-government peak body in Australia representing the interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families. This organisation has a membership base of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-based child care agencies, Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Services, family support services, foster care agencies, link up and family reunification services, family group homes, community groups and voluntary associations, long day care child care services, preschools, early childhood education services and services for young people at risk.

The Australian Government also funds Indigenous Professional Support Units which work together with government funded Indigenous focused child care services to help them provide culturally appropriate quality child care. Professional training, support and advice is offered to Indigenous services and their staff covering issues such as programming and curriculum development, children’s behaviour, financial management, employment of child care staff, business planning and training for management committees, directors and child care workers.

Indigenous Professional Support Units also work together with Professional Support Coordinators and Inclusion Support Agencies to ensure approved child care services can support Indigenous communities, Indigenous families and local needs.

Supported Playgroups

Supported Playgroups are those that are initiated and facilitated by a paid coordinator and are available to Indigenous families.

Playgroups give children under school age the chance to socialise and interact with other children and adults. Parents are usually involved in the children’s activities.

Playgroups are different from child care because you stay with your child rather than leave them in someone else’s care.

They also provide a good opportunity for parents to talk and share common experiences and can be held at family homes, community centres or community halls.

Visit Playgroup Australia’s website or call 1800 171 882 for more information.

Indigenous Children’s Programme

The Indigenous Children Programme was formed in 2006 by a merger of previously funded Aboriginal Islander Child Care Agencies and Indigenous Parent and Family Wellbeing programs. The Indigenous Children’s Programme aims to strengthen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities and build their resilience and support networks.

For more information visit the Indigenous Children’s Programme webpage or visit the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) website.

What are some other Australian Government initiatives for Indigenous children?

Indigenous preschools

The Australian Government, in collaboration with states and territories under the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), will ensure all children have access to a quality early childhood education program for 15 hours per week, 40 weeks per year in the year before formal schooling by 2013. This program will be delivered by degree-qualified early childhood teachers in a range of settings, including preschool and child care. This commitment is inclusive of all Indigenous children, with a specific Council of Australian Governments target to ensure that all Indigenous four year olds living in remote areas have access to a program in the year before formal schooling.

For more information on preschools contact your state or territory government or local council.

Children and Family Centres

There will be 35 new Children and Family Centres established nationally over the next five years. These centres will be in urban, regional and remote areas that are disadvantaged and have a high Indigenous population. The centres will provide a range of services from the one place, including child care and pre-school for children and support for parents and families. This will make it easier for children and their families to get to the services they need.

More information on these services will be published on mychild.gov.au as the centres are established.

Supplementary Recurrent Assistance

Supplementary Recurrent Assistance helps education providers (including preschools) accelerate educational outcomes for Indigenous Australians beyond those which could reasonably be expected from their own funding or mainstream funding sources. Efforts by providers to improve Indigenous outcomes must focus on eight priority areas for Indigenous education.

The Preschool Profile

The Preschool Profile is a tool to help preschool staff assess the literacy and numeracy skills of children before they start formal school. The profile is also used to measure children’s progress through their preschool years. The Preschool Profile identifies the knowledge a child brings to school and it can be used together with other measures of social development, health and wellbeing to improve their educational outcomes.

You can download a copy of this resource online or ask your child’s preschool for more information.

Whole of School Intervention

The Whole of School Intervention supports communities and parents working with schools and other organisations to improve the educational outcomes of Indigenous school students. Family-friendly strategies, like the Parent School Partnerships Initiatives, are a good way for parents to get involved in their child’s education.