When we take authentic steps to embed Indigenous perspectives into our teaching practices, we invite children to construct their own relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges. For educators, this opens a world of opportunities within their professional teaching practices, by examining themes such as art, craft, literature, music, food, sustainability, animals and environments.…
Consider the term early childhood education and care. In my experience, including the word care has produced some strong opinions within our sector. I have heard many times that if we are to strive for professional recognition as a collective group of early childhood practitioners, we need to lose the word care. ‘Early childhood education’,…
Touchscreen devices are becoming more prevalent in everyday life. They feature as a key tool for daily tasks and entertainment for most adults and children. They are especially easy for young children to use, resulting in increased engagement and broader scope for digital play (Lowrie & Larkin, 2020). In fact, it is common for children…
Does early learning matter enough in Australia? Well, it definitely matters for children who thrive when they can learn through play. It matters to families who value the benefits for their children, as well as it because it enables them to work. It matters for our amazing early childhood educators, who’ve been at the frontline…
Industry … it is a word I have heard spoken in and about early childhood education and care (ECEC) since I first began working in ECEC centres 20 years ago. I have never liked it (to the point of visibly cringing mid-way through a conversation if I hear it). Back then, I couldn’t explain why.…
Governments across Australia have engaged Macquarie University, Queensland University of Technology and Edith Cowan University to lead the 2021 National Quality Framework Approved Learning Frameworks Update project. The aim is to ensure the ongoing currency and relevance of the two Approved Learning Frameworks (ALFs): Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia…
Storytelling exists as a vital aspect of every culture and has existed in every corner of the world which people call home. Stories exist to inform, explore and hypothesise as well as to entertain and amuse. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have used stories as their main way of sharing their worldview and understandings…
From the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic, the early childhood sector was tasked with expanding their required health practices to include up-to-date, health information to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among staff, families and children. Despite considerable concern about their own health and safety, educators and providers responded quickly to this new challenge, drawing on their established health knowledge…
Hello from the dark side! With all the talk of using digital platforms in documenting our early learning programs, I feel the need to fly the flag for those with another point of view; those who can’t quite cross over; those who wrestle with the ethics of digital documentation of children; those who wonder about…
The 2021-22 budget includes funding for 15 hours per week of free preschool education for all children in the year before school. Although in his budget speech, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said there would be $2 billion for preschools, the budget papers specify: ‘the government will provide $1.6 billion over four years from 2021-22 (and $589.0 million…