Many hands over each other as a symbol of cohesion In the past, the word consent has not been commonly associated with young children or the early childhood education sector more broadly. Dictionary definitions of consent emphasise giving permission for something to happen—in other words empowering children to understand their own rights in regard to…
Catharine Hydon speaks to Jean Eden who is retiring after 44 years in the early childhood sector. A chance conversation got me thinking. How does an early childhood professional sum up their career as they prepare to step into retirement? How does the legacy of decades of hard work and dedication to the wellbeing of…
‘Mesmerised. Excited. Engaged. Amazed.’ These were the words early childhood educator Kristy Edwards used to describe the childrens’ reaction at her early learning centre when they took part in their first Conceptual PlayWorld. It was based on The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and after reading it, the children ventured out into their imaginary world. There they…
ECA recently launched a new series of Learning Hub modules on Digital Documentation and Technology in collaboration with Storypark. In this co-authored blog piece, we pose questions for services to reflect on their approach to documentation. Without any checklists or strict guidelines, the requirements of documenting children’s learning are largely open to interpretation. What’s certain…
‘Children leave the caregiver; the caregiver does not leave the child.’ Who would have thought that a global pandemic would lead to a world where social normality and early childhood practice was completely transformed? In early childhood, the ‘gate drop off’ quickly became one of the most significant socially normal practices emerging during COVID-19. The practice…
Since 2013 children across Australia have been attending kindergarten for 15 hours each week. For eight years they have been the beneficiaries of a funding partnership between the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments. These children are now teenagers in their first year of secondary school! It’s a partnership that has enabled more children to engage…
Educators are in positions of enormous privilege in the relationships they share with young children and their families. Such relationships are built on trust and respect, even when early childhood education and care may also be a necessity for the family concerned.—Jackie Brien For many families of young children with disabilities, their experience of the…
Through Australia’s bushfires, COVID-19 and a number of other highly stressful events in the past few years, educators, learning communities, families and children have shown resilience and supported each other’s mental health and wellbeing. However, the uncertainty, rapid change and accompanying feelings we might have experienced—anger, grief, loss, shame or the feeling of being overwhelmed,…
A play-framework for play-based learning and intentional teaching in early childhood education Balancing open-ended play and intentional teaching in early childhood education can be difficult. Open-ended play can appear to be at odds with intentional teaching. Open-ended play provides children with important opportunities for exploring materials and experimenting with ideas. Intentional teaching considers the role…
Books and the stories they contain have the power to connect communities and help children learn and grow values and empathy. There are hundreds of wonderful books for children written and published each year. Sometimes as educators and as parents, it can become overwhelming to figure out what books to buy or which books will…