A lot has changed since my last Nurture Nook letter; the State Election has come and gone, I have retained my position as Early Childhood Learning Minister (and picked up Education!), and the Federal Election has been called, with the date quickly approaching.

I am thrilled to continue in the Early Childhood portfolio. As I have mentioned before, I am a working mother, and I understand the pressures on families when it comes to finding affordable, accessible and flexible childcare options. That is why I continue to be committed to ensuring every child in NSW – no matter where they are from or what their circumstance – has access to a top-quality early childhood education, and that their parents or carers can be confident their child is receiving the best possible care.

Heading into the State election earlier this year I was proud of my achievements as the second Early Childhood Education Minister in the State’s history. Through the NSW Government’s Start Strong program, we made the single biggest investment in the State’s history in early childhood education, and the numbers prove it paid off.

We have seen participation rates soar from 56 per cent to over 80 per cent, with children enrolled for 15 hours a week in a preschool program at 93.2 per cent. This is 8.3 per cent higher than what it was in 2016, and the greatest increase of any Australian state or territory.

Under our Government, more children are attending early childhood education, more is being invested than ever before, we are leading the Nation on two years of quality early childhood education, and the quality of our services is soaring.

However, I acknowledge there is always more to do.

Now that I continue to hold this very important portfolio, I will be hitting the ground running to work on the issues impacting the sector, children and families the most. I look forward to getting back out on the ground, meeting with parents, educators and stakeholders, because I always believe a grassroots approach is the best way to do things. I have always been a hands-on Minister, and this will continue.

Regardless of who wins the Federal Election, the NSW Government will continue fighting for equitable support when it comes to ensuring NSW does not miss out. No matter who the Federal Minister responsible for Early Childhood Education is in a month’s time, I will continue to meet with my Federal counterpart regularly and I will not stop fighting to ensure our children get what they deserve.

NSW has come a long way, but I am not going to stop here. I look forward to working with you to achieve the very best for our children. Thank you again to all of the ACA members for your contributions to early childhood education in NSW.

Thank you,

The Hon Sarah Mitchell MLC
NSW Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning

(As published in the 2019 winter edition of The Nurture Nook.)