This toolkit is designed to help leading voices in the child development and care sector increase public understanding of
- the importance of government efforts in ensuring the long-term wellbeing of children as healthy citizens and productive workers;
- the challenges Australia faces in ensuring positive development outcomes for all of our children;
- how early child development and child mental health happen; and
- the relationship between early child development and quality child care programs, policies, and centres.
This toolkit was sponsored by the Centre for Community Child Health at The Royal Children’s Hospital and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia with the support of The Benevolent Society, Berry Street, the Brotherhood of St Laurence, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (Victoria), the Department of Education (Australia), Early Childhood Australia, Goodstart Early Learning, Mission Australia, the Parenting Research Centre, The Smith Family and UNICEF Australia. It is designed to help communicators in the field to translate the science of early childhood development and mental health in the Australian context, in order to increase support for evidence-based programs and policies designed to improve child and social outcomes in Australia.
The toolkit models how to use the FrameWorks Institute’s evidence-based recommendations for communicating with average Australians about these issues in ways that build public understanding and support.