The recent Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) results have sounded an alarm for early childhood development across the country. With only 52.9% of children on track across all five developmental domains in their first year of school, it’s clear that systemic reforms and increased investment are urgently needed. However, while policy and funding are essential, we must also reassert the critical, irreplaceable role of parenting in the home.
The AEDC findings make one thing very clear: developmental vulnerability is increasing, and children are entering school less prepared socially, emotionally, and cognitively. While early education settings play an important role, parents remain the most consistent and influential figures in a child’s formative years. The home is a child’s first classroom, and parents are their first and most important teachers.
Intentional parenting where parents engage meaningfully and consistently with their children lays the foundation for emotional regulation, language development, problem-solving skills, and social competence.
Why Engaged Parenting Matters:
- Intentional Interactions Promote Brain Development
The first five years of a child’s life are a period of rapid brain development. Daily interactions—like storytelling, singing, imaginative play, asking open-ended questions, and shared household routines—create the neural wiring that supports future learning and wellbeing. - Screen Time vs. Real Time
With digital devices ubiquitous, children are often overstimulated yet under-engaged. Passive screen use can displace critical moments of real-world interaction and physical play. By restricting screen time, parents create space for children to be curious, observant, and present in the world around them. - The Power of Boredom and Free Play
Boredom is not a problem—it’s an opportunity. When children are not constantly entertained, they’re more likely to invent games, ask questions, explore their environment, and build creativity. These moments foster independence and resilience. Structured childcare has its place, but unstructured playtime at home and in the community is just as vital. - Social Learning Happens Everywhere
Social norms and behaviours—how to wait, listen, share, cope with disappointment, or handle conflict—are not taught only in formal settings, but are absorbed through lived experience. Time spent in shops, playgrounds, and public places with parents offers powerful teachable moments that prepare children for navigating the broader world. - Peer Engagement Builds Resilience
Peer play in informal, mixed-age, and varied settings helps children learn negotiation, empathy, and emotional flexibility. When children play outside of structured environments like childcare—on the street, in the backyard, or with family friends—they face challenges and solve them on their own or with minimal guidance, building critical life skills.
The article, Childcare, early education advocates sound alarm as development census results decline, highlights challenges such as long waiting lists for early intervention services, workforce shortages, and the need for systemic reform. But while governments must improve access to services, parents do not need to wait for policy changes to act. Their influence is immediate and ongoing.
Even in areas labelled “childcare deserts,” parents can provide a rich developmental environment at home through simple, consistent, and purposeful practices: reading daily, involving children in household tasks, talking with them at eye level, setting predictable routines, and letting them experience life with all its ups and downs appropriate to their developmental/cognitive/emotional age and stage.
The AEDC results are a wake-up call. But in the race to build more childcare centres and fund early education, we must not lose sight of the key role parents play in a child’s development. Government policies and early learning systems can supplement what is offered at home, but they should not replace it.
We need a national conversation that not only invests in early childhood education but also empowers, educates, and supports parents to reclaim their central role in raising resilient, socially capable, and emotionally strong children.
A child’s first steps into school readiness begin not in the classroom, but in the lounge room, the kitchen, and the playground—with a parent by their side.
Walker, A and the Victorian Statewide Drive Team; Childcare, early education advocates sound alarm as development census results decline, ABC News, 19 June 2025 Childcare, early education advocates sound alarm as development census results decline – ABC News
©Copyright Bower Place Pty. Ltd. 2025
