Banging the drum for early childhood services
24/02/2014
Dignity for Disability has today announced their early childhood plan, incorporating a daily music component, for the 2014 State Election.
“Daily musical experiences for all children is the cornerstone of Dignity for Disability’s plan for early childhood services,” says Party Leader Kelly Vincent.
A recent report by Thinker in Residence, Martin Elbourne on the future of live music in South Australia recommended ‘maximising opportunities for creative musical expression in children’.
Elbourne concluded from this that it is ‘important that policy makers, and in particular those who develop early childhood education curricula, consider music as an integral part of the development of young people when developing and implementing such policy.’
“Dignity for Disability’s promise to the early childhood sector is that we are champions for all children, and in so being, we are strong advocates for children with a disability, their parent carers and those working with them.
“As champions we want to build strong partnerships to ensure the positive outcomes for the future of South Australia that can only be delivered with long-term planning in mind.
“Forget the four year electoral cycle, we want to focus on making tomorrow’s adults today, by investing in the work being done in early childhood, and by ensuring that we keep negative risk factors down, and positive impacts on young children’s lives up on a daily basis. Educators must be resourced to deliver the outcomes we all know are possible.
“Dignity for Disability are a human rights based organisation, and we believe strongly that every child has the right to access a quality education, and that that opportunity begins from the moment that child is a glint in her parents eyes,” said Ms Vincent.
Kelly Vincent will be speaking tonight, alongside Childhood Development Minister Jennifer Rankine, at the Early Childhood Australia State Election Forum at Hindmarsh from 6:30pm.
