'Role for schools' in childcare support

Schools could do more to support child care and early childhood development, federal Education Minister Julie Bishop said yesterday.

The minister urged development of early childhood learning centres at schools.

She said that was frustrated by differences in state-based education systems.

Prime Minister John Howard has backed after-hours school programs, offering supervision for children to do homework.

Ms Bishop said the Government's agenda now was focused on early childhood development - for children and their parents.

"There are a number of models that are emerging in both the public and non-government schools where schools are encompassing early childhood learning centres," Ms Bishop said.

She urged a greater "aligning of early childhood with the education sector", saying her department was working with minister Mal Brough's Family and Community Services department.

Mr Brough on Thursday declared there was "no crisis" in child care because there were about 140,000 childcare vacancies across Australia every weekday.

Early childhood development was discussed at the Council of Australian Governments meeting in Canberra this month, then referred to a reform council.

Ms Bishop was in Adelaide to open the office of Liberal candidate Rita Bouras in Australia's most marginal seat, the west suburban electorate of Hindmarsh.