Biography: Professor Tony Dreise ( drice) is a proud member of the Guumilaroi and Euahlayi First Nations of north-west New South Wales and south-west Queensland. Professor Dreise has over 30 years’ experience in education, public administration, and Indigenous policy. Internationally recognised as a First Nations leader in policy, evaluation, and research in education and Indigenous affairs, Tony has been at the forefront of several cutting-edge national reforms and regional innovations. He started his career as a teacher before moving into public policy (including obtaining an Executive Masters of Public Administration with the Australia and New Zealand School of Government) and later into research and tertiary education (including graduating with a PhD from the Australian National University). He served as the inaugural Professor of Indigenous Policy at ANU. Tony is a passionate advocate for lifelong and life-wide learning. He has volunteered as the Chair of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation and a Board Member of Adult Learning Australia. He currently serves as Pro Vice-Chancellor of First Nations Engagement at Charles Sturt University.

Abstract: With its deep origins in Africa, the wise proverb ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ is perhaps the most important tenet in thinking about positive change in early childhood development. Such an ethos has rung loud, long, and clear for First Nations peoples and cultures in Australia. Extended familial and communal approaches to child rearing and well-being in Indigenous communities are deeply rooted in traditional cultural practices. Children grow up in extended family, clan, and ‘Country’. To illustrate, children in the Torres Strait will speak of having more than one ‘mother’. While an ‘Aunty’ or an ‘Uncle’ in Aboriginal communities have a special and elevated status in raising children. And yet familial models for ‘growing up’ children in post-colonial times have, by necessity, taken on new significance. The alarmingly high rates of child protection and incarceration among First Nations communities often mean that family or community members beyond parents, such as grandparents, are called upon to raise children. For instance, a study in 2017 found that an estimated 20 per cent of Indigenous children in Australia had at least one parent in prison at any time. This truly horrifying figure demonstrates that too many families are under pressure, which means children are too. AEDC and other data indicate that First Nations children are more likely to be developmentally vulnerable. Tough starts in life too often result in rough finishes. These harsh realities highlight the critical importance of investing in young children to get them off to stronger starts. In Indigenous contexts, this means both access to universal opportunities (such as preschool) and the provision of unique services such as culturally responsive and joined-up early learning and holistic health and well-being services. Raising healthy and happy children who are ready to learn takes villages, which means policymakers need to invest wisely and heavily in place-based approaches. This means funding place strategies that support ECEC sector development, whole-child support infrastructure, First Nations voice in early childhood development and care, learning on ‘Country’, data sovereignty and collective impact thinking so ECV2024 | Early Childhood Voices 2024 Conference Proceedings Charles Sturt University Early Childhood Interdisciplinary Research Group Page 16 of 216 that parents, guardians, and providers alike are working from the same information, listening deeply to ‘Country, and giving voice to the collective (institutional and informal) work in our shared villages.

Key words: First Nations, Indigenous, policy

This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 17: Partnerships to Achieve the Goals