Early Childhood Education and Care Policy in Australia: An Insight into Parent Perceptions Posted Online

Abstract

Recently in Australia there has been a shift towards the increased use of formal early childhood education and care services. Federal, state and territory policy makers have responded with reform agendas designed to improve the quality of early childhood education and care. There are few studies that provide insights into community perceptions of current initiatives in early childhood education policy and their perceived effectiveness with families. This study begins to address this void by examining the perceptions of the community - identified as parents through textual inclusions - with regard to early childhood education and care policies. Data were 199 posts to an online forum in response to an opinion piece about early childhood education. The following key themes were identified in the forum posts: the importance of child care; brain research and early childhood; and, challenges balancing career and family. Findings provide an insight into current issues relevant to early childhood policies in Australia, from the perspective of a self-selected group of community members, in response to an issue related to care and early childhood.