Representatives from federal, state and territory governments, peak organisations and early childhood education experts will attend the National Early Years Learning Framework Symposium in Sydney today and tomorrow.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood Education and Child Care, Maxine McKew, said attendees will review a draft of the Early Years Learning Framework developed by a consortium of early childhood experts, led by Charles Sturt University.
“The symposium shows the progress the Australian Government is making with its commitment to develop a national curriculum for all early childhood education and care services,” Ms McKew said.
“On 2 October, the Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, and I announced $700 000 in funding for the consortium to develop the Framework to improve outcomes and opportunities for children during their critical early years.”
This symposium, which follows stakeholder discussions held in all jurisdictions, is part of the consultation process designed to ensure that Australia’s first national early childhood curriculum is a world class, evidence-based document.
Following the symposium, further consultations will be held through targeted focus groups and public forums to discuss and refine key components of the Framework.
The next stage will involve the development of supporting documentation and trialling in early 2009.
“The Early Years Learning Framework is a key component of the Australian Government’s early childhood reforms which involve significant investment in the education, development, health and care of our children,” Ms McKew said.