Vulnerable preschoolers are slipping through the cracks

Many preschoolers are missing out on the early childhood education they are entitled to according to a new report led by Professor Linda J Harrison, from Macquarie’s School of Education.

Get muddy

Once upon a time children simply played outside, but now the same experiences of running around in the woods can be delivered to you for just a few hundred dollars a week through ‘bush kinder’.

Adding up the numbers on preschool

Australia has spent more than A$11 billion dollars since 2008 to expand government-funded preschool to prepare 4-year-olds for school, but there’s no hard evidence its made a difference.

Pre-school is becoming a federal election issue

As well as promising benefits for children, a more integrated, universal preschool education system would deliver significant benefits to families and the economy.

Taking child therapy online

A real-world trial has tested the effectiveness – and revealed the challenges – of adapting behavioural therapy to the online world.

Pre-school investment delivers double – with a bit of help

The promised returns on investment in preschool won’t just happen. They depend on a complex chain of events, from preschool through to adulthood, involving the child and their family.

Early-years education online: the rise of the virtual preschool

Virtual preschools might be a welcome alternative for home-schoolers and other families who want to keep their children ‘close by’ during their early years, rather than sending them to state or private institutions.

Opening pre-school to all children

Fewer than a quarter of young children from low-income families used preschool or childcare services in 2017. Here’s how the government can create an effective, affordable early childhood sector for Australia.