Minimum ratios don’t keep infants, toddlers and children safe

Ratios need to be higher than the current minimum standards to ensure child safety. The safety and wellbeing of children must be the first and overriding priority in every early childhood education and care service. My PhD study examined the effect of government policy on educators and how early childhood professionals responded to top-down policy mandates. Findings demonstrated that the educator-to-child ratio was a key concern for early childhood professionals. Unsafe staffing levels undermine children’s rights to safety and to highquality early childhood education and care. Recent public reporting, including from Australian academics, continues to highlight growing concerns in safety, supervision, and regulatory oversight across the sector.