Mission Australia, the charity organisation involved in child care service provider Goodstart Early Learning, has released an election manifesto which calls on the next Australian government to commit to a universal model of early childhood education and care while giving priority to disadvantaged families.

The manifesto claims that the benefits of investing early to ensure all children get the best possible start in life, irrespective of socio-economic or geographic factors are multiplied later through successful transitions to adulthood and resultant savings in welfare outlays.

Mission Australia claims that to improve the outcomes for disadvantaged and vulnerable children, the following actions are required:

• Greater examination of, and increased investment in, effective prevention and early intervention strategies, including those that are tailored to local communities. This includes recognising and acknowledging the critical role of ECEC as both a preventative and early intervention opportunity.
• Policy must be reframed in such a way that early childhood education and care is regarded as an integral part of our education system.
• The Productivity Commission should be tasked to inquire into the nation’s early education and care system in relation to the most effective and affordable model of child care – including reviewing current funding models and the economic arguments for and against ECEC becoming an integral part of the education system.
• Government should introduce a universal model of ECEC that commences earlier for disadvantaged and vulnerable children than for their more advantaged peers - up to three years before school and for 10–15 hours per week.
• This extended model of care should initially be provided as a trial in the 10 most disadvantaged communities designated by government in the 2011 Budget and be complemented with targeted and intensive support services.