Registered Office
The Benevolent Society
PO Box 171 Paddington NSW 2021
Paddington NSW 2021 Donations 1800 819 633 ABN 95 084 695 045
Media Release
Monday 30 March 2009
First five years central to childhood development
Child development and education expert Dr Ron Lally will explore how the first five years of a child’s
life and early emotional experiences can impact on their development and later success in school, at
a seminar in Sydney today.
In a previous visit to Australia, Dr Lally highlighted that the child-to-staff ratios in Australia are too high
to provide quality care for children – this view is supported by The Benevolent Society.
“These early years in a child’s life are crucial in shaping their long term health and wellbeing. Given
the amount of time many children spend in care outside of the home, the quality of this care will have
a huge impact on their development,” said Greg Antcliff, Senior Manager of Early Childhood for The
Benevolent Society.
“In order to ensure our children have the best possible start in life, we need to invest in improving the
child care system.
“The NSW Government has already committed to changing the existing carer to children ratio from
1:5 to 1:4, but for children under 2 years old, there really needs to be a minimum of one carer for
every three children.
“It’s important to keep improving the way we work with young children and their families, by looking at
the research, practice and policies developed internationally and how these might apply in an
Australian context.
“Assigning a primary carer to each child in care would provide greater continuity for the child, and
would mean better communication between the family and the child care workers.
“We also need to provide more training and support to child care workers, if we are to improve the
quality of child care in Australia,” Mr Antcliff said.
Dr Lally has been involved in developing child care programs and policy in the United States since
1966, and heads the Program for Infant/Toddler care, which produces the most widely distributed
infant and toddler caregiver training materials in the world.
The seminar is jointly presented by The Benevolent Society, Lady Gowrie Child Centre - NSW,
Uniting Care Burnside Children's Services, Community Child Care Co-operative and Children's
Services Central.
[ENDS]
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Erin Schrieber + 0410 003 934
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Registered Office
The Benevolent Society
PO Box 171 Paddington NSW 2021
Paddington NSW 2021 Donations 1800 819 633 ABN 95 084 695 045
The Benevolent Society
Established in 1813, The Benevolent Society is Australia’s first charity. Nearly two centuries after
we first started helping the destitute and homeless in colonial Sydney, our 800 staff and 900
volunteers continue to support more than 16,000 children and adults each year in metropolitan,
regional and rural New South Wales and in Queensland.
The Benevolent Society works with
women, children, families, older people, people with a
disability and those who care for them, and people affected by adoption. We support vulnerable
and disadvantaged people across the lifespan to build on their strengths and lead happy and
fulfilling lives. We help to connect communities through support groups, volunteer visiting
programs and community projects.
Our vision is that every person is healthy, safe, connected and has a meaningful and productive
role in their community.
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