A new campaign is spotlighting Australia\u2019s 3,000 independent early learning centres, says Australian Childcare Alliance president Paul Mondo.<\/p>\n
A new campaign celebrating Australia\u2019s 3,000 independently owned early learning centres is putting the spotlight on the 79% of providers that operate just a single service.<\/p>\n
Launched today, Proudly Independent, Proudly Local has been developed by the Australian Childcare Alliance, the national peak body representing independent providers, to highlight the role these family-owned, community-focused small businesses play in supporting children, families and local communities.<\/p>\n
Public perception of early childhood education and care is often mixed, shaped by rising concerns over affordability and safety, but balanced against a strong recognition of its role in children\u2019s early cognitive development and in supporting parents to stay in the workforce.<\/p>\n
Every school day in Australia, 1.3 million children attend a childcare centre, supporting more than 950,000 families. On average, a child spends around three days a week in early learning.<\/p>\n
Paul Mondo, President of the Australian Childcare Alliance, said locally owned, independent centres play a vital role in the sector. He said these businesses support children and families, employ local educators, and contribute to the social and economic fabric of the communities they operate in.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t just an early learning issue, it\u2019s a small business issue. The Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) has consistently called on governments to properly assess how new policies, regulations and funding arrangements will affect small businesses before they\u2019re introduced. Mondo argued early learning policy should face the same test, recognising that an independently operated local centre doesn\u2019t have the same scale, resources or capacity to absorb change as larger operators.<\/p>\n
Mondo said many independent centres have spent years, and in some cases generations, building trusted relationships with families, educators and local communities, and are deeply embedded in their neighbourhoods, connected with local schools and businesses, and attuned to the people around them.<\/p>\n
He added that policy and funding frameworks too often treat the sector as one homogenous group, without recognising the unique complexities of different operating models, particularly for independently run centres.<\/p>\n
Mondo said failing to differentiate between local independent providers and the rest of the sector risks tipping the scales against them. He said losing independent early learning providers would mean losing choice and diversity in the sector, and that all parts of the sector should be valued and understood, because that diversity is what gives parents real choice.<\/p>\n
COSBOA CEO Skye Cappuccio said independent early learning providers are small businesses in every sense of the word. She said they employ local people, invest in their communities and help families thrive, but their role as small businesses isn\u2019t always recognised. Cappuccio said that, like every Australian small business, they deserve a fair go and the chance to keep growing, employing local people and supporting the communities that rely on them.<\/p>\n
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Yajush writes for Dynamic Business and previously covered business news at Reuters.<\/p>\n
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