Improving access to urban and regional early childhood services

This resource sheet focuses on how to improve access to early childhood services located in metropolitan regions and large country towns where the majority of Indigenous people live. However, many studies do not differentiate urban from remote geographic contexts in reporting on effective strategies. Therefore, strategies that appear to be most appropriate to urban and regional settlements have been reported here, while those pertaining particularly to remote areas are not covered. Many of the strategies that are described here may also apply equally in remote settlements, with consideration of additional access challenges; for example, distance from services and difficulty attracting staff to remote townships. This resource sheet draws on about 30 studies to explore practical ways to improve access to a range of early childhood services for Indigenous Australians living in urban and regional centres. While most studies are Australian, international evidence has been incorporated where appropriate. There are few evaluations that test whether and how different strategies and mechanisms contribute to improved accessibility. We are therefore reliant upon documented practice experience in drawing out this resource sheet’s findings and principles