| |
Why expand?
"Non profit organisations ... are an essential component of an open tolerant society and of a democratic political system. ... Their defining characteristic, that they are prevented from distributing profit or net assets to members, ensures this commitment to a wider goal than the enrichment of their members. It defines their behaviour as organisations, and means they behave differently to government agencies and for-profit businesses."
Mark Lyons, University of Technology, Sydney May 20
There has been exceptionally limited growth in the community owned child care since the 1990's. Lack of capital funding and the extension of the Federal child care subsidy has stalled the growth of community owned non-profit child care centres. At the same time the has been substantial growth in commercially provided child care, with sixty (60) per cent of long day care centres in Victoria being commercial and of these nearly one-third are part of publicly listed corporate chains.
However, the majority of the commercial operations are not integrated with family or early childhood support and development services and do not provide parents with a real role in decision making. Professor Shonkoff 1, Chair of the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child in the United States, asserts that quality services make a lifetime of difference to the development of children. Shonkoff's research into brain development of young children has led him to conclude that quality sustainable children's services, including child care, are services with trained expert personnel, low staff turnover that match the needs of the children and families. Moreover, Shonkoff proposes that community-based support and integrated services for families are important aspects of service provision for vulnerable young children.
Additionally, research, in both Australia and Canada, has demonstrated that community ownership provides the highest quality in child care. The Australian Institute 2006 study of child care showed that 'corporate chains offer the lowest quality of care ... and in some cases it is markedly lower than that provided by community-based long day care centres.' One in five staff working in corporate child care centres 'would not send their own child under two to a centre of comparable quality to the one they worked in due to quality concerns.'
There is also growing recognition of the importance of breaking down social isolation and exclusion for low income and disadvantaged families. The Australian Wellbeing Index identified that having children induces stress for individuals that can undermine well being 2. Improving connections between parents to a range of services can breakdown isolation and bolster personal and family well being. Hence, community owned children's services that have a range of services and supports and encourage parents to participate in decision making provide the interconnections that contribute to the wellbeing of parents. This is supported by Shonkoff's work which outlines that high quality early childhood services promote healthy development of children and are particularly effective in helping children from disadvantaged backgrounds. He argues that nurturing and responsive relationships between children and early childhood workers provides a strong foundation for learning, behaviour and health, reducing the prospect of lifelong problems in learning, behaviour and physical and mental health 3.
Hence concern that children and their families may not have access to quality child care linked to a range of community and social services has led Community Child Care to commit to support and develop community owned children's centres through the Sector Expansion project.
If you would like to discuss sector expansion please contact the Sector Expansion Manager on 03 9486 3455.
1. Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D. Chair of the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child ARACY Access Grid Conference Melbourne, Australia March 2, 2006
2. Cummins R.A. , Okerstrom E. et.al, Woerner J. 2005, Australian Wellbeing Index Survey 13 Australian Centre on Quality of Life, Deakin University , Melbourne
3. National Scientific Council on the Developing Child Working paper #1, Summer 2004
|
|
|
|
