On Wednesday 7 December, Federal Member for Canberra, Gai Brodtmann and ACT Member for Brindabella, John Hargreaves joined students of Richardson Primary School in the ACT to co-launch ‘On my first day’, a guide to starting school written by ACT Kindergarten and Year 1 students. Ms Brodtmann and Senator Hargreaves were speaking on behalf of the Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth, Peter Garrett and ACT Minister for Community Services, Joy Burch, respectively.
The booklet is an initiative developed following release of the Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) results and Australian Government funding provided for targeted community engagement activities in each State and Territory.
Together with other socio-demographic and community information, the AEDI results are a powerful tool for influencing planning and policy around early childhood development.
Following release of the AEDI results, the ACT led children’s consultations to hear from children about an important experience in their lives and to use their expertise assisting other children transitioning to school. Kindergarten and Year 1 children across Canberra were invited to draw or write messages about what it was like to start school and what they thought children starting school needed to know about school. From over 1177 responses, 81 drawings and words of advice were selected and collated into the book ‘On my first day.’
The Australian Government has made a commitment to collect AEDI data every three years. Through future cycles of the AEDI and initiatives such as the “On my first day” booklet, we can build more comprehensive information relating to young children’s development enabling better early childhood outcomes for Australian children.
To view a copy of the publication www.children.act.gov.au.
Read more about the AEDI.