Multi-cultural Children Struggle to Access Education

Multicultural children in Australia are missing out on early childhood education and the effect echoes throughout their schooling.

Children from culturally diverse backgrounds in Australia are accessing early childhood education at lower rates than their peers and are also more likely than other children to miss out on critical early intervention for children with developmental concerns.

They are more likely to be developmentally vulnerable when starting school, which impacts their learning and later life.

This has been the reality for ‘Leila’, a mother of three young children, who fled Afghanistan almost a decade ago to secure a safer future for her kids in Australia.

For years, Leila struggled to access early childhood education and the occupational therapy her children needed, all of whom are on the autism spectrum.

"When my daughter finally started attending [early education], she cried hysterically every day. I was so worried because I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t speak enough English to ask the staff what was happening. The centre wouldn’t provide an interpreter - I felt helpless. I had to withdraw her.”

Research, resulting in the Stronger Starts, Brighter Futures ll document, investigated migrants’ early learning experience and was conducted by non-profit SSI and researchers at Education Futures, University of South Australia (UniSA).

SSI’s General Manager of Newcomers, Settlement and Integration, Yamamah Agha, said children from migrant and refugee backgrounds need to be able to access culturally responsive early childhood education and early intervention support tailored to their needs.

“The higher rates of developmental vulnerability among multicultural children in the early years risks perpetuating a cycle where those who start school behind, often stay behind with significant impacts for the rest of their lives."

Professor Sally Brinkman from UniSA said mapping out multicultural children’s engagement in early childhood learning is increasingly important as Australia becomes more culturally diverse.

"Participation in early childhood education is a powerful investment. It doesn't just benefit the children and their families, but it also creates a chain reaction bringing real and important advantages to Australia's economy and society.”

The analysis of the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) found that overall, 82% of children from culturally diverse backgrounds attended some form of early childhood education in 2021, compared to 90% of other children - a gap that is seen across national cohorts of the AEDC from 2009 to 2021.

Furthermore, the analysis of the AEDC found that children from culturally diverse backgrounds:  
•    Are more likely to be developmentally vulnerable at school entry than other children, though this gap has been narrowing over time.
•    Are half as likely to access early intervention support (i.e., speech therapy, occupational therapy, or disability support) compared to other children.
•    Are an increasing proportion of children enrolled in their first year of school, reaching nearly 26% in 2021, up from 17% in 2009.

Attendance by children and families from CALD backgrounds in early childhood education can be improved through a mix of universal, targeted, and place-based to address non-financial barriers to participation in early learning. These approaches involve governments, policy makers, early education providers and providers of settlement services.

Image by Ahmed Akacha