CHRIS Bourke says the ACT Government has renewed its commitment to assisting vulnerable children and families to access short term childcare placements in times of crisis.

“More than $4 million over the next two years will be allocated to ensuring the most vulnerable families in the ACT have access to short term childcare placements when the primary care giver is unavailable,” Chris said.

“Early childhood education and care is one of our most important early intervention strategies. We know vulnerable families with children aged zero to five benefit most from high-quality education and care, but are the least likely to access it. We also know that a child’s development in the early years affects their whole life.

“Our aim is to provide vulnerable children with the right support at the right time so they have every chance to fulfil their potential.

“High quality childcare placements enable young children to build their social and emotional skills and have both short and long term developmental benefits.

“Improving the wellbeing of vulnerable families and young children requires flexible systems that respond early to emerging issues and challenges.

“We are working hard to enable equitable access to high quality services and we remain committed to providing this support for a further two years until June 2018.”