"Closing the Gap." It is a phrase we hear often in education. It appears in policies, professional learning, funding announcements and strategic plans. But what does it actually mean for those of us working with young children every day?
As early childhood educators, we are uniquely positioned to influence some of the most significant years of a child's life. The National Agreement on Closing the Gap recognises that improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children begins long before they walk through the school gates. It begins in the early years, through relationships, belonging, identity and access to high-quality, culturally safe education.
Closing the Gap is not about asking Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to "catch up." It is about addressing the systemic barriers that have created unequal opportunities in the first place. It asks us to examine the systems around children, rather than viewing the children themselves as the problem.
What is the education gap?
When people talk about "the gap," they are referring to differences in educational outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and non-Indigenous children. These differences can be seen in areas such as:
- participation in early childhood education
- developmental outcomes at school entry
- school attendance
- literacy and numeracy achievement
- Year 12 completion and pathways into further education
These outcomes are monitored through national datasets including the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC), the Closing the Gap Dashboard, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
However, the data only tells part of the story.
The statistics do not measure children's connection to Country, their understanding of kinship systems, their cultural identity, multilingual language skills, community knowledge or strengths-based ways of learning. They also cannot fully capture the effects of colonisation, racism, housing insecurity, poverty, limited access to health services or intergenerational trauma.
The gap is not a gap in children's potential. It is a gap in opportunity.
Why the first 2,000 days matter
The first 2,000 days—from conception through to approximately five years of age—are among the most important in a child's life. During this period, children's brains develop at an extraordinary rate, laying the foundations for future learning, health, relationships and wellbeing.
Research consistently demonstrates that when children receive timely support, rich learning experiences and responsive relationships during these early years, the benefits continue throughout adolescence and adulthood.
This is why Closing the Gap includes targets relating specifically to early childhood development and preschool participation.
It is also why early childhood educators play such a significant role.
Every meaningful interaction, every trusting relationship, every culturally responsive learning experience and every conversation with families contributes to children's long-term outcomes.
What does the data tell us?
One of the key sources of information is the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC), completed every three years for children in their first year of school.
The AEDC looks at five developmental domains:
- Physical health and wellbeing
- Social competence
- Emotional maturity
- Language and cognitive skills
- Communication skills and general knowledge
Nationally, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are more likely to be identified as developmentally vulnerable on one or more of these domains.
At first glance, this statistic can feel confronting. However, it is important to understand what these measures do—and do not—capture. The AEDC is based largely on Western developmental expectations.
It does not assess children's knowledge of Country, cultural responsibilities, Aboriginal languages, observation skills, storytelling traditions, kinship systems or community leadership. A child who confidently identifies bush foods, understands seasonal indicators, cares for younger cousins and learns through careful observation may possess extraordinary strengths that simply are not reflected within mainstream assessment tools.
This is why many Aboriginal educators and researchers encourage us to interpret the data with a strengths-based lens.
Rather than asking, "What is this child missing?" we should also ask, "What strengths are we failing to recognise?"
Participation is about more than enrolment
Another Closing the Gap target focuses on increasing participation in quality early childhood education in the year before school. Enrolment alone is not enough. Families may face barriers including:
- transport difficulties
- housing instability
- financial pressures
- caring responsibilities
- health concerns
- previous experiences of racism or exclusion
- services that do not feel culturally safe or welcoming.
Improving participation means creating environments where families genuinely feel they belong.
The hidden gap: Access to early intervention
One area that receives far less attention is access to assessment and early intervention services. As both an educator and a parent, I have experienced this firsthand.
When my daughter was three years old, we suspected she may be AuDHD. Like many families, we knew that early identification could open the door to supports such as speech pathology, occupational therapy and, where appropriate, NDIS funding.
But the wait for a developmental assessment through the public system was simply too long. Knowing how critical those early years are, we made the difficult decision to fund the assessment privately. That decision came with significant financial pressure, but we were fortunate to have the option.
Many families do not.
Now, I find myself in the same position with my two-and-a-half-year-old son. In our area, children who are due to start school are prioritised, meaning younger children can face waits of up to 18 months for assessment.
For families who choose to seek support privately, the costs add up quickly. Speech pathology and occupational therapy sessions commonly cost around $200 per session, often requiring ongoing appointments over many months.
Even for someone who works within early childhood education, understands the systems and knows where to start, the process is overwhelming.
The paperwork is complex. The waitlists are exhausting. The financial burden is significant Most of all, there is the emotional weight of time.
When you know that early intervention can make such a profound difference, every month spent waiting feels important.
My family's story is not unique. Across Australia, many families—particularly those living in rural and remote communities or experiencing financial hardship—face even greater barriers to accessing the support their children need.
If we are serious about Closing the Gap, we must also talk about equitable access to developmental assessments, allied health services and early intervention. Early support should never depend on a family's postcode or their ability to pay.
Cultural safety changes outcomes
Closing the Gap is not achieved through posters, celebrations or occasional cultural activities. It is achieved through relationships. Research consistently tells us that children experience better outcomes when they feel safe, respected and valued.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, cultural safety means being able to see themselves, their families and their communities reflected positively every day. It means:
- genuine partnerships with families
- strong relationships with local Aboriginal communities
- Aboriginal perspectives embedded across the curriculum, not reserved for NAIDOC Week
- educators who critically reflect on their own assumptions
- high expectations alongside high levels of support
- learning environments where children never feel they have to leave their identity at the door.
When children know they belong, they are more likely to engage, participate and thrive.
Ready children, or ready services?
For many years, education has focused on making children "school ready." Increasingly, we are asking different questions:
- Are our services ready for children?
- Are we ready to recognise multiple ways of learning?
- Are we ready to value Aboriginal pedagogies alongside Western approaches?
- Are we ready to see cultural knowledge as an asset rather than something extra?
- Are we ready to listen to families as experts on their own children?
These questions shift responsibility away from children and onto the systems that serve them.
What can educators do?
Closing the Gap is not solely the responsibility of governments or policymakers.
It happens through everyday practice. Every educator can contribute by:
- building trusting, respectful relationships with families
- embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives throughout the year
- creating culturally safe environments where every child feels represented
- recognising children's strengths before identifying perceived deficits
- advocating for families experiencing barriers to assessment and support
- working alongside local Aboriginal communities rather than making assumptions
- reflecting critically on whether our environments, documentation and teaching
- practices truly honour multiple ways of knowing, being and doing.
More than a target
The success of Closing the Gap will never be measured solely by statistics. It will also be measured in children who grow up proud of who they are. Families who feel welcomed and heard. Communities whose knowledge is respected.
Educators who see cultural responsiveness not as an additional task, but as an essential part of quality practice. Because Closing the Gap is not about helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children fit into existing systems. It is about building education systems that are equitable enough, flexible enough and culturally responsive enough for every child to flourish.
