ACT Parents is questioning how the ACT Government expects to reverse 15 years of declining child development outcomes while most public schools face tighter budgets and families struggle to access timely developmental and allied health support.
The release of the Nous Group report, Emerging drivers of declining AEDC results in the ACT, reinforces the urgent need for investment in early intervention, family support and public schools.
The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) shows that the proportion of ACT children developmentally on track across all five domains has declined from 50.8% in 2009 to just 43.8% in 2024. More than one in four ACT children (28.1%) are now developmentally vulnerable in at least one area when they start kindergarten.
ACT Parents Executive Officer Veronica Elliott said the results reinforced the need to match government commitments with practical support and resources.
"We've known for years that children's developmental outcomes are declining. What we need now is the investment to turn that around," Ms Elliott said.
"You can't support vulnerable children with strategies and paperwork. You need people, services and resources that can respond to what individual children and families actually need.
"The Nous report identifies a complex range of interconnected factors affecting children's development. The complexity of children's needs tells us something important about the response required. Individualised, coordinated support takes time, specialist expertise and resources. It isn't always the cheapest or easiest support to provide."
Ms Elliott said families also needed timely access to practical assistance.
"Parents don't need another lecture about what they should be doing differently. They need timely access to good advice, early intervention and services that can actually help their children.
"Too often, families are left navigating waiting lists, expensive assessments and disconnected services, while educators also struggle to access the specialist support they need."
Ms Elliott said the findings raised serious questions about the resourcing of ACT public schools as they prepare for their 2027 budgets.
"More children are starting school with developmental vulnerabilities, particularly in social, emotional, physical and communication development.
"Yet at the very time we're recognising that children's needs are becoming more complex, most of our public schools are being asked to plan for fewer resources.
"How can we expect schools to meet increasingly complex needs while reducing the resources available to them?
"We've spent years developing strategies to improve children's developmental outcomes. But strategies don't provide speech therapy, they don't reduce waiting lists, and they don't put additional support into classrooms. That takes investment.
"We need coordinated action across early childhood education, health, community services and public schools, with clear accountability for improving outcomes.
"We know more children need support. Now we need to make sure that support is actually there."
