Right now about 23% of Australian children are not developmentally on track to start school. That's about 1 in 5 children who are behind before they even start. 

Did you know Australia does not have a national strategy to support children’s language and literacy before they get to school?

Currently about 44% of Australian adults today have low literacy and struggle with everyday tasks. We need to give children the best start so they can read and write as adults and reach their full potential.

Competent language and literacy is one of the fundamental factors affecting social and economic outcomes for all Australians.

In signing this petition you are helping the National Early Language and Literacy Coalition (NELLC) to lobby Commonwealth, state and territory governments to adopt this initiative, to take it to the next level and confirm that development of our childrens' language and literacy skills are a national priority.

The Proposed National Early Language and Literacy Strategy sets out the scale of the issue; describes what is happening on the ground, in different communities, and puts forward a framework for action. It is condensed into four essential priority areas – family support within communities, early education and transitions, specialist support, knowledge production and dissemination.

The Proposed National Early Language and Literacy Strategy is just that – a proposal. Please add your voice to ours and help make the ambitious goals described in the proposed strategy a reality.

The NELLC is made up of 10 organisations who joined together to develop the proposed strategy, and who are committed to enhancing the lives of all Australians through better language and literacy. 

Read the full proposed strategy at www.earlylanguageandliteracy.org.au