Do you live in the country?

Then you’ve probably seen first-hand how much harder it is to access important services in rural and remote areas – including early learning and childcare, and health and allied health care for children.

That’s why you’re invited to this national, virtual event, presented by Thrive by Five, to show our leaders in the federal parliament, including the Minister for Regional Development Kristy McBain and Shadow Minister Darren Chester, why making universal access to early learning and childcare a fundamental right would be particularly important for children and families living in rural and remote communities.

Join us for an interactive online conversation led by rural parents and educators and industry experts to show our leaders why making access to early learning a legal right would help more country kids to thrive by five.

Event details:

When: Wednesday 12 June, at 7pm AEST

Where: Online, via Zoom

Who?

Rural parents and educators
Minister for Regional Development, Kristy McBain
Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Darren Chester
Thrive by Five's Jay Weatherill
CEO of SNAICC, Catherine Liddle
Royal Far West’s Jacqui Emery
Director of The Mitchell Institute, Peter Hurley
Tammy Smith, CEO of Yarriambiack Shire Council

Why country kids and communities?

Early childhood education and care is difficult to afford and access almost everywhere in Australia.

But outside of our major cities, the inaccessibility of early learning and childcare is even more dire. Millions of families live in ‘childcare deserts’ and the educator workforce crisis is felt more deeply as it’s difficult to retain workers in rural and remote areas.

The impact is huge – affecting parents, educators, workforces and local economies, and leaving two in five country kids developmentally vulnerable by the time they start school.

That’s why we’re calling on the Government to make access to high-quality universal early childhood education a fundamental right for every child, no matter where they live - just like primary and secondary school.

We hope you can join us for this important conversation.