The Malinauskas Labor Government will support the development of the next generation of young South Australians with more than $4 million to improve literacy and development in the early years.
It follows the release of the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care handed down by Royal Commissioner Julia Gillard last month that recommended the expansion of the Words Grow Minds initiative.
The Words Grow Minds campaign was an initiative of the Department for Education's Early Learning Strategy and provides information to parents of young children about how best to support their child's development in the first 1000 days.
Research shows that the first 1000 days are critical to the development of a child's social and emotional intelligence.
The Words Grow Minds pilot was the first campaign of its kind in South Australia, combining advertising, social media tools and a range of service providers to reinforce key, consistent messages while distributing parent resource packs.
It provides tools, advice and resources to parents and carers to increase interactions with their baby through talking, reading, singing and playing – with research showing these things make a significant difference to brain development.
The program was piloted in November 2022 in Mount Gambier and then in Whyalla in February 2023 by the Early Years Taskforce, a coalition of non-government and government early years services and agencies from across South Australia.
Raising Literacy Australia (RLA) plays the convening role for the Early Years Taskforce, chaired by Kate Ellis, a passionate advocate for early childhood.
The campaign shows families that all they need to support their children's growth is their time, attention and imagination, and empowers them with activities and tips to try out at home and in their community.
The State Government has also committed to continue funding of nearly $1 million to RLA for the ongoing production and distribution of packs of books for newborns.
This will enable 21,000 'baby book packs' to be distributed to South Australian families to help support the foundational numeracy and literacy development of children from birth.
This is on top of a further $600,000 will be provided to support more than 23,000 preschool book packs going out to families across the state.
The Malinauskas Government announced last month it will adopt the very first recommendation in the report to reduce the rate of South Australian children entering school developmentally vulnerable from 23.8 per cent to 15 per cent within 20 years – well below the national average of 22 per cent.
The State Government has committed $70 million to begin immediate work on delivering a further 12 recommendations, including commencement of the rollout of universal three-year-old preschool in 2026.
As put by Peter Malinauskas
We've already begun the work towards delivering the biggest reform to early childhood education South Australia has ever seen.
All South Australian children deserve the best start in life, and reading to kids is fundamentally important.
This $4 million investment in early literacy programs is in addition to the $70 million we've already committed to delivering Royal Commission outcomes including three-year-old preschool.
It's only through these investments and a focus on the early years that we will see real change and reform for the better of generations to come.
As put by Blair Boyer
Early intervention before a child starts school, goes a long way to support social and emotional wellbeing, as well as cognitive and language skills.
The Words Grow Minds campaign goes straight to the heart of how families can help babies and young children develop through simple interactions that benefit the whole community.
Providing families with baby and preschool book packs ensures more families read regularly with their child which makes a big difference to their literacy and numeracy as they grow up.
Getting the early years right can make the biggest difference to a child's life – that's why we're making these investments.
As put by Early Years Taskforce chair Kate Ellis
We cannot ignore the fact that South Australian children's development is behind the national average before they even start school.
It is so important that our State Government has shown the commitment to turn this around.
The research is clear, with up to 85 per cent of brain development occurring in a child's first three years, increasing positive interactions with young children will improve outcomes throughout their entire lives.
What we are announcing today is an innovative, Australian-first program to do something truly meaningful and change South Australian children's lives for the better.
