Learning begins long before formal school
enrolment, and research demonstrates the
positive impact of quality preschool programs.
The early childhood years are formative in
setting the framework for later educational
achievement (Elliot, 2006; Magnusson, Ruhm,
& Waldfogel, 2004; Sylva, Melhuish, Sammons,
Siraj–Blatchford, & Taggart, 2009) with the
benefits of preschool magnified for those from
disadvantaged backgrounds (Lynch, 2005;
Schweinhart et al., 2005). These advantages
are recognised in government policy through
a range of Council of Australian Governments
(COAG) programs. The $970 million National
Partnership on Early Childhood education
program, for example, commits to providing
every Australian child with access to a quality
preschool program in the year before fulltime
school (Productivity Commission, 2013). The
particular preschool needs of Indigenous
children living in remote communities are
also central to the Closing the Gap Indigenous
policy framework targets (Department of
Families, Housing, Community Services and
Indigenous Affairs [FaHCSIA], 2009). Since 2008,consecutive Closing the Gap Prime Minister’s
Reports (Department of the Prime Minister and
Cabinet, 2010; 2014) have noted substantial
enrolment growth, with the 2014 report
estimating that 88% of Indigenous children
in remote areas are enrolled in preschool, up
from around 55% in 2006 (Australian Bureau of
Statistics [ABS], 2006).