The many gatherings of family and friends during the holiday season give parents a special chance to teach their daughters an empowering lesson: you don’t owe anyone your physical affection. “The ritual of demanding affection from children on cue is one of those tiny, everyday little lessons in which we teach children—especially girls—that they are […]
‘No-one is born a good citizen’ said Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary-General. But children are born with rights. This blog explores children’s rights and how they are identified in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children’s rights to rest, leisure, recreation and play appropriate to their age, are recognised under Article […]
The words ‘moral courage’ echoed through the 2018 ECA National conference after international keynote Dr Cindy Blackstock challenged educators and carers to consider how they can and do advocate for children every day through their work. Anti-poverty Week seems a good time to think about focusing on children’s needs, especially as one in six children […]
‘Children have taught me the most important lessons about advocacy’ says DR CINDY BLACKSTOCK. They are ‘experts in love and fairness’ yet ‘we often view children in ways that reduce their dignity and development’. Dr Blackstock, an international keynote speaker at the 2018 ECA National Conference in Sydney (19–22 September), spoke with ECA about moral courage and […]
We consent to and ask permission about many things every day, writes DEANNE CARSON, yet consent remains controversial. In this blog Carson explores what an understanding of each other’s rights, and of consent, can bring to daily interactions with young children. Carson attracted worldwide attention earlier this year when interviewed about young children’s capacity to […]
With days growing shorter and Earth Day and Nature Play Week behind us, a recent trip to the other side of the planet came to mind, where dark winter days and extreme weather showed how differently humans live with and in nature. The fog had cleared by the time we landed at Oslo’s Gardermoen airport […]
‘Children’s education should develop each child’s personality, talents and abilities to the fullest. It should encourage children to respect others, human rights and their own and other cultures’ (Article 29, United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child). Years ago, Children’s Week used to look a particular way in all of our early childhood […]
The OECD’s latest Starting Strong report provides an update on early childhood education opportunities across the developed world, and a fresh insight into how Australian children are faring. The Starting Strong series, which began in 2001, provides valuable comparisons and analysis of early childhood education systems, and has been highly influential in the development of early years policy […]
National Science Week is next week (15-23 August) and this blog highlights women in science. Kirsty Costa, from Cool Australia, says children learn to associate science with men from an early age, and educators and families can do something about that. Read on for more and see the links below to Cool Australia’s free early childhood science […]
At the end of January 2017, more than 320,000 children will have their first day at kindergarten. Over the course of the year, early childhood teachers and educators will use their expertise and knowledge to build those children’s social, emotional, literacy and numeracy skills, their critical and creative thinking, their perseverance, sociability and self-esteem. These […]
