Dear Miss Gillard, Mr Garrett, Miss Ellis and Mr Swan,

As a child care educator with some 18 years’ experience I would like to ask you why you would give the grant funding to some educators and not all.

While I was in high school some many years ago I completed my work placement in a child care centre. This is where my passion began. After completing grade 12 I then started as a trainee in a small centre. With each qualification that I completed I became more aware of the individual needs of each child. I have dedicated the last 18 years to ensuring that every child that I have cared for has felt loved, respected and valued.

With this said the $300 million early years fund will make the majority of educators feel unloved, disrespected and undervalued. This fund, given only to the minority, will divide educators and will see them leave the occupation they love purely for these reasons. Is it not better to give all educators an equal share of the funds so that we can all feel that the government respects and values what we do every day?

We constantly see on TV and in the papers how much the government understands that the early years are critical to a child's successful educational journey yet the very people who ensure that these experiences are of the highest quality are not valued as a whole.

Miss Gillard, I ask you this: If only a small percentage is to receive this GRANT, how do you think it will affect morale and the quality outcomes for children?

I URGE YOU TO RECONSIDER THIS GRANT AND ENSURE THAT IT IS FAIR FOR ALL.
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