Australians love to talk about how we need to give our children the best possible start in life.

Yet when it comes to providing those kids with accessible, affordable, early childhood education, things get sketchy.

And it really falls away when we examine the pay, conditions, and career prospects of the people entrusted with educating children at that crucial early stage of their lives - early childhood educators.

These educators are grossly underpaid and equally undervalued. They love their work and the children they nurture, but as our guest on the pod today tells us - you can't pay the bills with love.

Early Childhood Educators have had enough. This week across Australia, they are taking industrial action to highlight their plight.

We're joined by Helen Gibbons, Executive Director - Early Education, with The United Workers Union, and Talie Mengell an early childhood educator who has been working in the field for 20 years.

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Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFrankly

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