In acknowledging that participation in early childhood education is linked to academic success, all levels of government are investing in early childhood programs that recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as a priority group. A particularly important plank is the 2018 extension to the National Partnership Agreement on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education. Under the partnership, all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children will have access to an affordable quality preschool education. The 2018 agreement will bring the total level of Australian Government investment in preschool to $3.2 billion since 2008. The National Partnership Agreement includes a focus on increasing the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, with a target of 95 per cent of children enrolled in the year before full-time school. The need to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, history and cultures in early childhood education programs was a dominant theme of the My Life My Lead consultation process. Language immersion from a young age plays a strong role in this cultural context, as does bi-lingual education and participation in cultural arts activities. Children for whom English is not their first language benefit from a foundation in their first language to prepare them for the acquisition of English as a Second Language. Continuing efforts to support perinatal and early childhood health is fundamental to bringing about the sustained improvements needed to meet the Closing the Gap targets. Building on these efforts, future investment must consider opportunities to embed an integrated service framework, ensuring a holistic approach to supporting and strengthening families, with a focus on supporting children to develop the foundations for a happy, healthy life. PRIORITY AREA 4: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Social determinants influence both the exposure to and impact of environmental risks that lead to infection, disease and poor health. A myriad of diseases are directly linked to poor environmental health, including respiratory infections, gastroenteritis, trachoma, skin disease and middle ear infection. diseases have the potential to cause long-term health problems and disabilities that adversely affect a person’s ability to learn and engage fully in education and employment. The link between the high burden of infectious diseases in children and chronic disease in later life is also well established. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are more likely to experience environmental conditions in their home and surroundings that directly contribute to poor health outcomes. The numbers for overall admissions to hospital for conditions attributable to poor environmental conditions increased between 2007 and 2014-15. In the same period, hospitalisations for infectious diseases for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were at least 1.5 times the rate of hospitalisations for the non-Indigenous
In acknowledging that participation in early childhood education is linked to academic success, all levels of government are investing in early childhood programs that recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as a priority group. A particularly important plank is the 2018 extension to the National Partnership Agreement on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education. Under the partnership, all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children will have access to an affordable quality preschool education. The 2018 agreement will bring the total level of Australian Government investment in preschool to $3.2 billion since 2008. The National Partnership Agreement includes a focus on increasing the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, with a target of 95 per cent of children enrolled in the year before full-time school. The need to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, history and cultures in early childhood education programs was a dominant theme of the My Life My Lead consultation process. Language immersion from a young age plays a strong role in this cultural context, as does bi-lingual education and participation in cultural arts activities. Children for whom English is not their first language benefit from a foundation in their first language to prepare them for the acquisition of English as a Second Language. Continuing efforts to support perinatal and early childhood health is fundamental to bringing about the sustained improvements needed to meet the Closing the Gap targets. Building on these efforts, future investment must consider opportunities to embed an integrated service framework, ensuring a holistic approach to supporting and strengthening families, with a focus on supporting children to develop the foundations for a happy, healthy life. PRIORITY AREA 4: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Social determinants influence both the exposure to and impact of environmental risks that lead to infection, disease and poor health. A myriad of diseases are directly linked to poor environmental health, including respiratory infections, gastroenteritis, trachoma, skin disease and middle ear infection. diseases have the potential to cause long-term health problems and disabilities that adversely affect a person’s ability to learn and engage fully in education and employment. The link between the high burden of infectious diseases in children and chronic disease in later life is also well established. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are more likely to experience environmental conditions in their home and surroundings that directly contribute to poor health outcomes. The numbers for overall admissions to hospital for conditions attributable to poor environmental conditions increased between 2007 and 2014-15. In the same period, hospitalisations for infectious diseases for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were at least 1.5 times the rate of hospitalisations for the non-Indigenous