The Minister's Early Childhood Advisory Forum
Bringing sector voices together
The Minister’s Early Childhood Advisory Forum (MECAF) was formed in April this year to support the Honourable Blair Boyer MP, Minister for Education, Training and Skills on early childhood matters in South Australia.
MECAF seeks to engage sector voices and early childhood experts to advance the government’s long-term ambition to help all South Australian children to thrive.
MECAF meets 4 to 6 times a year. Participation in the MECAF is by invitation from the Minister. Current MECAF members include representatives from:
- Association of Independent Schools SA
- Australian Association for Infant Mental Health (SA Branch)
- Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA)
- Australian Education Union (AEU)
- Catholic Education SA
- Child and Family Focus SA (CAFFSA)
- Community Children's Centres SA (CCCSA)
- Department for Education
- Early Childhood Australia (ECA)
- Early Learning and Care Council of Australia (ELACCA)
- Educators SA
- Family Day Care Educators Association SA
- Independent Education Union (IEU)
- Isolated Children's Parents' Association (ICPA)
- Local Government Association of SA
- Lutheran Education
- Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) SA
- Playgroup SA
- Preschool Directors Association SA
- SA Council of Social Service (SACOSS)
- SA Primary Principals Association
- Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC)
- South Australian Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation Network (SAACCON)
- United Workers Union (UWU)
The Minister invited 5 expert members with a track record in research, scholarship, policy development or system reform related to early childhood to join MECAF. The MECAF expert members include:
Dr Anne Glover
Adjunct Senior Research Fellow
Education Futures UniSA
Dr Rhiannon Pilkington
BetterStart
University of Adelaide
Professor Sally Brinkman
Education Futures UniSA
Professor Sharon Goldfeld
Director, Centre for Community Child Health, Royal Children’s Hospital
Theme Director, Population Health
Murdoch Children's Research Institute
Associate Professor Yasmin Harman-Smith
Head of Early Years Systems Evidence
Telethon Kids Institute