Early Childhood Development Services: Access and Quality
Overview
The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) is accountable for planning and providing early childhood services and does this in partnership with local government. The audit focused on two services which are available for all young children and their families: universal kindergarten and maternal and child health. Vulnerable and disadvantaged children and families also have access to Early Start Kindergarten and enhanced maternal and child health services.
The audit examined whether access to early childhood services has improved and if services are meeting the required standards.
The audit concluded that access to universal maternal and child health and kindergarten services, and services for vulnerable children has improved over the five years to 2010 as shown by increasing participation rates. While this is a positive result, DEECD cannot demonstrate that services are accessible when and where needed, especially for vulnerable children and families.
While DEECD and local government are committed to working collaboratively and cooperatively, the partnership is not effective. DEECD has not exercised sufficient leadership in planning, commensurate with its accountability obligation for delivering on the government's objectives for early childhood services.
DEECD also cannot demonstrate services provided are of high quality as it does not have sufficient assurance providers are meeting program standards and service agreement requirements.
The audit recommended DEECD exercise better oversight of council service planing, develop a better understanding of service demand and strengthen its monitoring of service quality.