A think tank has warned that toddlers could be indoctrinated into activism and identity politics as a result of the federal government’s new childcare curriculum.
The Institute of Public Affairs has raised the alarm, claiming that many parents may be unaware of the ideology promoted in the Early Years Learning Framework.
Analysis by the conservative think tank shows that diversity, inclusion and equality are mentioned 149 times, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and reconciliation are mentioned 96 times, and mother, father or parent are not mentioned at all.
Dr. Bella d’Abrera, director of the Foundations of Western Civilization program at IPA, says parents should be concerned.
“These centers should be a place where children play in sandboxes, draw with crayons and take an afternoon nap, and not be coopted by activist educators into the cults of social justice, identity politics and sustainability,” she said.
“Parents should be deeply concerned that the federal government is supporting young children who are exposed to very adult themes such as gender, sexuality, race, culture and the environment years before it is appropriate.”
The federal government’s learning framework for childcare centers has been criticized for including activist content on race, gender, culture and the environment (stock image)
Dr. Bella d’Abrera, from the Institute of Public Affairs, said children should be allowed to be children and that most parents would not be aware of the mandatory learning guide
The federal government’s childcare regulator, the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority, oversees the application of the Early Years Learning Framework, entitled ‘Belonging, Being and Becoming’.
The regulator is suggesting that children complete an Acknowledgment of Land daily and that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags are displayed in children’s centres.
The learning material recommended by the regulator includes ideas that children need to ‘understand and explore gender’ and that ‘colonial arrangements’ need to be ‘disrupted’.
“Like the National Curriculum, Australia’s early learning framework begins the process of indoctrinating babies and toddlers to radical gender and social justice theory, rather than simply letting kids be kids,” said Dr d’ Abrera.
‘While Australia’s education system has shifted from acquiring knowledge to activism and social justice, outcomes have continued to decline compared to other countries.
“By focusing on division instead of age-appropriate, evidence-based education, we are setting up a new generation for failure.”
There are concerns that children in childcare centers are being exposed to political ideology through the federal government’s learning curriculum (photo: a 2023 Voice to Parliament meeting)
The childcare regulator is also suggesting that daycare centers hold daily land recognition ceremonies (stock image)
An insider from childcare told the newspaper Herald Sun there was no industry opposition to the framework and individual centers had the latitude to apply the principles as they saw fit.
“Some services in central Melbourne will have a very different interpretation of what is needed than those in regional communities,” the insider said.
The Belonging, Being and Becoming framework, introduced in 2009, was updated in 2023 and made mandatory for 2024.
A spokesperson for the Federal Department of Education said approved learning frameworks “always include respect for diversity and the continued learning and sharing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures”.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department of Education for further comment.