National vision for early childhood education and care

About the vision

Federal, state and territory education and early years ministers are developing a national long-term vision to drive future reform of early childhood education and care (ECEC). 
The draft national vision recognises:

• Quality ECEC has learning and development benefits for children in the most formative period of their lives. This can be especially significant for children from vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.
• An affordable and accessible ECEC system supports parents to work and study, especially women. This in turn supports the Australian economy to grow and prosper.

The draft national vision covers all forms of ECEC, including preschool and all forms of child care. 

Read the draft vision.

Consultation

We are collecting feedback on the draft national vision between 17 March and 7 April 2023. 
You can take part by completing an online survey or by making a written submission.

• Complete survey
• Make submission

We are also collecting feedback through targeted consultations, including with representatives of First Nations communities. 

This consultation is a joint initiative of the Federal, state and territory governments under the auspices of National Cabinet.

The New South Wales Government went into a caretaker period on 3 March 2023 ahead of the NSW state election on 25 March 2023.

The results of this consultation will inform the incoming NSW Government.

Next steps

• Stakeholder consultation is open between 17 March and 7 April 2023.
• We will use all feedback to inform the final vision. We will also publish a summary report of the feedback. 
• National Cabinet will consider the vision in mid-2023. 
• Once agreed by National Cabinet, the vision will provide long-term direction to achieve a quality, accessible, affordable, and equitable ECEC sector.

More information

Read these frequently asked questions for more information.