Governments need to stop funding Early Childhood Services... A potentially unpopular opinion.

The Children’s Fire is a story, a symbol, a teaching that reflects ancient wisdom traditions the world over. It has been brought to broader awareness by Mac MacCartney, and asks us to adopt a way of thinking about leadership that carries immense consequence for every decision we make. Consequences for the welfare of children, human and non-human alike. And for unborn children many generations into the future. 

The Children’s Fire symbolises a pledge, made originally by indigenous leaders, that “No law, no decision, no action, nothing of any kind will be permitted that will harm the children.”

In light of recent alleged sexual assaults of children at childcare centers throughout Australia, and calls for a Royal Commission to highlight systemic issues in the Early Childhood sector, ‘The Honourable’ Jason Clare MP - Minister for Education - recently released a communique announcing the "investment" of $189 Million nationally, plus contributions from state and territory departments, to “strengthen safety and quality in ECEC settings”. A statement that implies the government's care and commitment to making children’s services safer for children… 

Here’s my - possibly very simplified and potentially naive - thoughts on it all.

A quick calculation based on the figures presented in the document indicate a total sum of over half a billion dollars is to be spent on increased monitoring, regulatory compliance and policing - including installation of CCTV cameras, more frequent assessment and rating visits, and greater punishment for non-compliance.

There are so many reasons these strategies are inappropriate - which requires a different conversation.

For now, it’s enough to say they are bandaid solutions - applied to minimise the gaping wounds that are symptoms of a much larger problem - contributing to the tension, overwhelm and stress already rampant within an over-stretched system.

Many great educators are currently working within a culture of disconnection, perpetuated by insufficient capacity for building genuine quality relationships with children and families. Inadequate adult:child ratios, lack of support, limited training and increasing compliance requirements has, for decades, resulted in the departure of thousands of highly experienced and skilled educators, and contributed to the decline of quality, not just in care, but in the safety and wellbeing of children.

I’ve worked in and around the Early Childhood Education space for over 30 years - putting my own children in care while I cared for others. None of this is a new conversation - it’s the same one that gets rehashed every time another traumatic event is exposed! 

And each time those with the power for real reform offer bandaid solutions - pouring more money into policing compliance. And still, these solutions haven’t fulfilled their promises to prevent the harm of children. If anything, they are perpetuating it!

If our leaders continue offering the same thing then we will only ever get the same results - compounded and intensified.

Radical change requires radical action.

Here’s a creative idea - one worth contemplating in my opinion: What if the money being invested in Early Childhood Education and Care - half a BILLION dollars in addition to current funding - was given directly to families so they no longer needed to juggle childcare?

Most parents I speak to often feel an instinctive longing to be with their children - an innate desire for raising them in a safe, securely attached, supported way. They express to me the tension and conflict that arises when this longing meets the equally innate urge for survival - one that is reliant, in our modern culture, on financial income.

Perhaps it’s as simple - and as complex - as understanding the fundamental biological and psychological human needs… and making sure that these are met. 

If parents and families were supported to be the primary caregivers of their children more effectively, within healthy communities, I wonder how many of the wider problems of our society might also be addressed - including the current mental health crisis?

Of course there are some for whom this might not work. Not everyone wants to be a ‘stay-at-home’ parent - some feel propelled and driven to maintain a career, or follow a different calling, and I acknowledge and respect that completely.

Of course, there are larger conversations to be had around the need for community and broader support - beyond financial assistance - to ensure all needs of children and families are well met and in balance. Small, community-led spaces where children are safely cared for and nurtured by loving relationships are a key piece in these conversations.

But it’s time our leaders stopped coming up with knee-jerk reactions to the symptoms and began looking at the wider picture - the fundamental root causes underlying systemic issues. 

The research has been done, the evidence available. 

And yet those in power continue to blindly ignore it - hiding behind a smokescreen of pretence and promises, designed to entice those who trust them into a false sense of security. A delusion that speaks volumes to the unconscious basic assumptions our modern society makes about leadership.

I’m left with the question: What would it look like if our leaders were genuinely committed to the needs and safety of children?

What would it look like if they were to put The Children’s Fire at the heart of every decision they made?

I wonder.

The Children's Fire: “No law, no decision, no action, nothing of any kind will be permitted that will harm the children.”