Australia is at a crossroads. The recent and appalling violations of children’s safety and dignity in some early childhood education and care centres in Victoria have shaken public trust and deeply impacted the Early Childhood Education and Care Sector across the country. This moment requires more than regret – it demands urgent, unified action. Children’s safety is not negotiable, nor is it the destination at which we stop. It is a non-partisan, moral imperative that must sit at the heart of every decision we make about education and care, as the foundation on which we build the programs, contexts and systems that children rightly deserve. The decisions we make continue to bear enormous responsibility.
Children have rights—undeniable, indivisible rights—to safety, protection, dignity, privacy, health, wellbeing, play, participation, education, and joy. These rights are upheld and reaffirmed by the Renewed Geneva Declaration for Children’s Rights, 2024, which places particular emphasis on children’s right to be heard, to be protected and safe, and to thrive within strong systems of community and education.
As an organisation committed to the highest possible quality education for all children, the Reggio Emilia Australia Information Exchange (REAIE) draws hope and inspiration from the Educational Project of Reggio Emilia – an approach that has proven over 6 decades that incredible change is possible when we start everything from a unifying conviction of the rights of children. Colleagues in the municipal infant-toddler centres and preschools of Reggio Emilia remind us that children are citizens from birth, coming into this world brimming with agency, intelligence, and the right to participate fully in the communities they belong to. These are not abstract ideals – they are guiding principles for ethical, responsive, and future-oriented educational practice and indeed respectful societal function. This profound belief in humanity and the value of the common good engenders organisational, systemic, civic and political priorities that consistently respond to the rights of children, families, and educators to safe, joyful, and intellectually lively educational settings.
At the recent REAIE National Conference – Landscapes of Collaboration: New Possibilities for Education in Complex Times – Kate Mount, REAIE’s Chairperson, delivered a rousing and urgent call to action. Keynote speaker, Elena Maccaferri, pedagogista from the Preschools and Infant-toddler centres – Istituzione of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, posed the compelling question: ‘If not now, when?” and “If not us, who?
REAIE echoes this call – we must move beyond our initial shock and sorrow, and work together in an informed, meaningful and collective response that works ardently to bring about the systemic change that is required.
REAIE stands with children, families, and educators who honour their work with integrity every day. We recognise the profound sense of betrayal and grief that recent revelations have triggered. But, we also acknowledge the intense pressure educators now face – scrutinised, under surveillance, and, in some cases, mistrusted. REAIE calls for informed and compassionate leadership bolstered by systemic and political support for the early childhood sector and profession. Surveillance is not a substitute for professional knowledge, reciprocal trust, robust pedagogy, or the nurturing relationships that sustain children’s learning, participation and growth. Children, educators and families deserve better.
In this moment, let us hold fast to our educational responsibilities – not as technicians of the minimum standard but as informed and capable citizens committed to high quality education and care. Let us place children’s rights and wellbeing at the centre of every dialogue, policy, and practice. Let us listen deeply to one another, even when the conversations are complex and difficult. Let us bring generosity, rigour, imagination and solidarity to the task of rebuilding professional trust and children’s safety in early childhood education.
Loris Malaguzzi, acclaimed educator and philosopher, first leader of the municipal Preschools and Infant Toddler centres in Reggio Emilia, said “Education is always a political act.” We know this to be true – this work is political and essential.
Society is shaped by every decision we make in education – for now, for the future, for always. It is only through conscious solidarity, principled collaboration, and a shared sense of purpose that we can build the system children need us to build and deliver on the promise of childhood – and of education itself. This requires cohesive action and urgent attention. It requires all citizens and governments to do the work that matters. It requires us to lift our voices as a professional collective. We are needed to stand alongside children, colleagues and families as we call to: raise the minimum qualifications required in all services; reinstate high standards of training in training courses and course providers; revisit ratio requirements; increase the quality of pre-service supervision and support offered to all professionals as they emerge into the workforce; and ensure the regulatory authorities and the systems they serve are resourced adequately and appropriately.
The municipal preschools and infant-toddler centres of the city Reggio Emilia uphold early childhood education and care as the common good. This concrete and enduring educational experience is an invitation to us all to consider deeply, at a systemic and political level as well as in the pedagogical decisions that are made every day, whether an ungenerous culture of profit is compatible with care as a deeply held human value, and the right of all children.
So, we ask: What does this mean for you? How will you respond?
Together, we are shaping lives, communities, and the culture of our future.
This is not easy work – but it is essential work.
This is why we show up.
declaration2024.org/centenary-of-the-declaration-of-geneva/
