He Said What?! A Mother’s and Teacher’s Response to Senators Insulting Childcare Comments

He said what??!!! Wait a minute hold my drink…
For those that missed it, Federal Senator David Leyonhjelm during an interview on Tuesday nights program of The Project, when asked if he would support the new $3 billion childcare reform package, the Liberal Democrat summarised the role of childcare workers as merely “wiping noses and stopping the kids from killing each other”.

Explaining he wouldn’t support the reform package “without amendment”, Senator Leyonhjelm suggested “wind(ing) back the regulations affecting childcare and also family daycare” by cutting the required credentials.

“Apart from the fact you want to make sure there aren’t any paedophiles involved, you have to have credentials these days to be a childcare worker,” he said.

“A lot of women, mostly women, used to look after kids in childcare centres. And then they brought in this national quality framework and they had to go and get a ‘certificate three’ in childcare in order to continue the job they were doing — you know, wiping noses and stopping the kids from killing each other.”

“A lot of women just quit. The ones who got certificate threes said, ‘OK, I want more pay now that I’m more qualified’. All we did was drive up the cost because of this credentialism.”

As an Australian I am ASHAMED! I am ashamed that in this day and age there are still people, people in a position of power, privilege and influence who deem it appropriate to make comments that belittling and degrading to not only another’s occupation but toward professionals who hold the key to early learning and childhood development.

The Early Years Learning Framework and National Quality Framework was introduced to raise the quality of childcare and early learning to ensure Australian children get the best possible start in life, with a consistent, high quality standard for early childhood education and care.

What he is forgetting is that early childhood is the foundation to all learning and development. When cracks begin to show in the foundation the rest of the bricks come tumbling down. With the sweeping reforms by the National Curriculum we are now seeing unrealistic pressure on our prep and kindy years focussing on numeracy and literacy and unfortunately falling down in the emotional, social, physical and basic developmental key areas.

The emphasis is now on childcare and early learning facilities to nurture and foster these crucial areas. Credentials are in place so that childcare is no longer simply just care, it is the basis and for many children their first encounter and first experience with learning. Why are these jobs and positions early years so undervalued? These are our children’s formative years, the interactions, experiences and engagements form and determine our future adults and you cannot overlook the importance of this.

He is reusing and repeating the same argument early childhood professionals have been hearing for generations that all we do is “play.” The only difference is he has wrapped it up in a newer degrading and insulting level. What these remarkable people do is not “just play” they are creating, they are designing, they are planning, they are seeing pivotal, teachable moments and they are applying, adapting and accommodating to benefit and help each child with their own beautiful and specific needs.

While I agree that we do pay too much for childcare it doesn’t fall on the shoulders of people who want to better themselves in their desired field. Perhaps other avenues could be explored to support the stay at home parent for wanting and choosing to be a part of their child’s formative years?

As a mother of two small children and an Early Childhood Teacher I am content and happy in the knowledge that the quality of care my children receive is in the hands of passionate, qualified educators who have chosen to be in the most crucial and yet still undervalued profession. These certified, qualified early learning professionals are walking hand in hand and guiding our children through their first encounter and life long love of learning.