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To: Premier Daniel Andrews

75% of 3-year-olds are missing out on preschool

Australian Education Union Victorian Branch

We won! 3-year-old preschool funding has been secured.

The Andrews Government has committed to introduce 15 hours of preschool education for all three-year-old children - the single biggest investment in preschool we have seen in Victoria.

As teachers, educators and parents, we know what a huge difference this will make in the lives of the children in our community.

My name is Lily and I’m an early childhood teacher. I believe that every Victorian child deserves access to high-quality preschool education.

The research evidence supports what I already know as a teacher- preschool programs have long-term benefits for a child’s cognitive, emotional and social development.

But the cost of sending children to preschool is causing 75% of 3-year-olds to miss out on these opportunities.

Access to preschool education shouldn’t rely on a parent’s ability to pay. Every child deserves to benefit from early childhood learning regardless of their background.

Join me in calling on the Andrews Government to fully fund 10 hours per week of 3-year-old preschool for all Victorian children.

Why is this important?

Our group of early childhood educators will be meeting with the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Jenny Mikakos, on the 1st of December.

We need to take this opportunity to show Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister Mikakos how important preschool education is to our children’s future. Currently we rank 33 out of the 36 OECD countries for participation in 3-year-old preschool education – this is disgraceful and we need to make a change.

Together we can send a strong message to the Andrews Government to make sure they deliver funding for 10 hours of 3-year-old preschool per week, to give all children the best possible start in life.

Please sign the petition to tell Premier Andrews and Minister Mikakos that all Victorian children deserve 10 hours of 3-year-old preschool.

Partner

Updates

2018-10-08 13:33:48 +1100

Petition is successful with 4,088 signatures

2018-10-04 16:38:04 +1000

I am proud to tell you that our hard work has paid off.

The Andrews Government has committed to introduce 15 hours of preschool education for all three-year-old children - the single biggest investment in preschool we have seen in Victoria.

As teachers, educators and parents, we know what a huge difference this will make in the lives of the children in our community.

In more incredible news, Bill Shorten has committed $1.7 billion to give both three and four-year-olds access to 600 hours of preschool each year.

The announcements today from the Labor party at both state and federal levels are in direct response to the work of community members who signed and shared this petition, called their local MP or arranged for a politician to visit their preschool.

This is a day for celebration!

2018-09-20 09:28:03 +1000

Yesterday I handed almost 11,000 petition signatures over to Premier Daniel Andrews. That's around 6,000 paper signatures, and 4,000 from Megaphone!

Our meeting with the Premier was incredibly positive. He was very happy to receive the signatures, and congratulated us on getting so much support.

Whilst the Premier said he could not make any announcements on the spot, he has pledged to continue looking at the issue as part of his government’s commitment to education in the lead up to the state election in November. Thank you for your support - we have come a long way! I will update you again when there is more progress.

2017-11-03 10:16:31 +1100

1,000 signatures reached

2017-11-01 21:21:38 +1100

500 signatures reached

2017-10-30 21:02:36 +1100

100 signatures reached

2017-10-30 18:34:43 +1100

50 signatures reached

2017-10-30 15:06:17 +1100

25 signatures reached

2017-10-30 12:29:34 +1100

10 signatures reached