New Report: Early Learning Needs Assessment — Key Findings

Ngarrngga and Early Childhood Management Services (ECMS) have released the Early Learning Needs Assessment (ELNA) Key Findings Report which provides clear pathways to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in early childhood education.

Ngarrngga commissioned the Assessment and Evaluation Research Centre (AERC) to investigate how ECMS staff are embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, histories and cultures in early childhood education.

The report examines three themes — current understanding, current practice and needs — and offers clear, practical recommendations for professional development, resources and partnerships.

Key findings

• Strengths in educator commitment and local activities

• Gaps in consistent pedagogical approaches and access to diverse, quality resources

• The need for professional development, age-appropriate curriculum resources, greater clarity of structural supports from the sector, and improvements to initial teacher education

Read the full report here.

The ELNA report was formally launched at the ECMS national conference on 11 September 2026. Professor Melitta Hogarth (Ngarrngga) and Emma Forsyth (ECMS) took part in a focused conversation about what the report says, what educators can do now, and future opportunities.

Contact: Ngarrngga-team@unimelb.edu.au to learn more.