Advocacy at C&K C&K advocates for every child’s right to high quality, accessible and inclusive early childhood education and care. We believe every child deserves a good childhood. What we advocate for Supporting our vision where every child flourishes. C&K’s vision ‘where every child flourishes’ is a broad yet clear ambition statement to guide each decision relating to our ECEC provision and our advocacy positions. We actively advocate for:High quality, evidence backed early childhood education and care delivered by a qualified early childhood specialist workforce.Affordable and accessible early childhood environments that meet the needs of working families and best support children’s outcomes, and supporting family choice of what will suit their child best.Inclusive environments where every child has the support they need to flourish.C&K partners with governments, peak bodies and sector groups to positively influence policies and decisions that benefit children, families, our workforce and the early childhood sector. How we make a difference C&K has a long history of advocating for children, families and the early childhood education and care sector. We proudly share our involvement in shaping and responding to a range of policy development and government inquiries. C&K's Submissions To support our advocacy efforts, C&K make submissions to government inquiries, reviews, and reform proposals. These submissions enable us to advocate with evidence-informed insights that influence policy and elevate the voices of children, families, and educators in our sector. National Advocacy ACCC Childcare Inquiry 2023Jobs and Skills Australia ECEC Workforce Capability Study 2024National Early Years Strategy 2023Productivity Commission: Children’s Perspectives of Early Childhood Education and Care 2024Productivity Commission Inquiry: A Universal Path to Early Childhood Education and Care 2024Productivity Commission Inquiry: A Universal Path to Early Childhood Education and Care Draft Report 2024 Queensland Advocacy Queensland Regulatory Impact Statement on Growing Child Safe Organisations 2023Queensland Thrive by Five Action PlanPutting Queensland Kids First 2024C&K CEO Dr Sandra Cheeseman is a member of the Queensland Minister’s Early Childhood Forum. Preschool Reform Agreement C&K advocate for long term sustainable funding for kindergarten, to ensure the future growth and viability of the community kindergarten sector, and support for kindergarten within LDC settings.C&K CEO Dr Sandra Cheeseman is a member of the Federal Government’s Outcomes Advisory Group, supporting the development of an evidence based measurement tool in kindergarten settings. Featured news View all Parents & Guardian Your complete centre visit checklist: What every parent needs to know Finding the right early childhood education setting for your child is a significant decision. As you prepare to tour potential centres during Open Week or at any time, here's what to observe and… Media Release An Out of the Box partnership that’s just perfect Some combinations just make sense: cheese and vegemite, sausage sizzles and Bunnings, chocolate and strawberries, picnics and parks. And that’s exactly how we feel about our latest partnership… Parents & Guardian Explore the Joy of C&K During Open Week! Searching for the right childcare or kindergarten can be challenging. Many factors must be considered before making this important choice, including location, availability, routines, quality… Media Release C&K Partners with QPAC to Bring the Magic of Arts to Children We're thrilled to announce our renewed partnership with the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) as the Principal Partner of the Out of the Box festival 2025, taking place June 17-22."… Media Release Upskilling Queensland's ECEC Leaders: C&K College Secures $250K for Micro-Credential Initiative C&K have been chosen as a successful recipient of the Queensland Government’s Micro-Credentialling Program, under Round 3 awarding $250,000 for C&K College to design and deliver targeted… Parents & Guardian, Wellbeing Bilingual pilot program supports equity and inclusion at C&K Mt Warren Park The 2024 pilot was a collaboration between the Creche and Kindergarten Association, the Department of Education and Mt Warren State School’s… Centre, Parents & Guardian Early Childhood Education and Care – for all families. From January 2026, parents of young children will have guaranteed access to three days of subsidised early childhood education and care (ECEC) each week, following legislation passed by the… Wellbeing Mindful Teaching, Mindful Leading: Connecting with Self and Student Jane Newman is a powerhouse. Founder New Core Consulting; Educational Leader, Consultant, Trainer, Coach and Speaker… Parents & Guardian Empowering Inclusion: Nurturing Play and Communication for Autistic and Neurodivergent Children In recent years, the landscape of early childhood education has seen significant evolution, especially for children who are autistic or neurodivergent. This evolution has been driven by enhanced… Centre Continuous Improvement in Childcare for Children & Communities: An interview with Shantai Jackson C&K Thornlands Childcare Centre has been providing quality early childhood education and care for children in the community for a little over five years now. Pulling into the centre and… C&K Thornlands Childcare Centre Centre Celebrating Our Global Citizenship Journey: A Year of Transformation Last month, 11 graduates of the 2024 C&K Global Citizenship Community of Practice – Transformational Practices in Global Citizenship in early years education, came together to share stories of… Centre Active supervision in Early Childhood Education & Care to boost connection As early childhood educators, we often find ourselves juggling multiple tasks and responsibilities throughout the day. In the midst of this busyness, it’s easy to fall into autopilot, going… Media Release C&K set to deliver new year pay rise C&K is set to deliver a historic pay rise in the new year after a record 98% yes vote to approve a new enterprise agreement.C&K CEO Dr. Sandra Cheeseman said the approval marked a… Wellbeing How Intergenerational Programs Transform Community Connections A Thoughtful Approach to Intergenerational Learning… Media Release C&K appoints Grant Thornton as new external auditor C&K The Creche and Kindergarten Association Limited are pleased to announce the appointment of a new external auditor for the 2024 financial year,… Parents & Guardian, Wellbeing Resisting ‘The Busy Badge’ as a parent - 10 benefits of embracing the slow in the early years At childcare pick up, a friend asks, “How are you?”You reply, “So busy, really busy”, while simultaneously reading the email from school about the latest head lice outbreak, working out… Wellbeing How to keep cool with your child this summer In the first five years, children learn more quickly than at any other stage of their life. At C&K, we want your child to have every opportunity to learn through play - even during the warmer… Centre 2024 C&K Conference Highlights On Saturday 20th July, 570 members of the early childhood education sector joined us for the 2024 C&K Conference. Guided by the year’s theme – ‘Everyday Matters: For Every Child. For You. For… Centre C&K Parkhurst Childcare Centre in Rockhampton is now open! C&K Parkhurst Childcare Centre in Rockhampton opened its door to the community on Monday, 10 June 2024.After 18 months of dedication and hard work, we were thrilled to welcome our new… C&K Parkhurst Childcare Centre Parents & Guardian What to pack for childcare If you’re reading this, you are likely gearing up for your child’s first day of childcare. It’s normal for parents, caregivers and children to feel nervous about their first day, and as you start… Parents & Guardian Everything you need to know about Free Kindy About C&K's Kindergarten ProgramC&K's government-approved kindergarten program is led by university-qualified teachers for children in the year before they attend school. Children… Centre What is play-based learning? In early childhood education, one approach stands out for its unique ability to foster holistic development while keeping children engaged and enthusiastic about learning: play-based learning. At… Wellbeing Five Benefits of Swinging Swings are a childhood favourite, be it at the playground or at our C&K centres. At C&K, we encourage our children to swing, offering many opportunities for this beneficial type of play… Wellbeing How to make childcare and kindergarten drop-offs easier It can take time to adjust to a new routine, for both parents and children, whether it is the first day at kindergarten, at a childcare centre or moving to a new room. There are things that you… Parents & Guardian Five things to do before the first day of kindy Starting kindy is exciting, but it's normal for children (and their families) to feel nervous. To help make the transition to kindy a positive and calm experience, we have put together five things… Wellbeing C&K welcomes putting Queensland children first C&K commends Putting Queensland Kids First as a positive step forward to create a holistic early childhood development system and welcomes the Queensland Government’s announcement to…