At the Tech Speed Dating Hub later this week, host Dan Donahoo, and Digital Business Kit’s Clare McHugh, look forward to talking with all-comers about technology for early childhood. Some great sessions and presenters are planned but there’s also room to drop by. Lunchtimes on Friday, Saturday and Sunday if you’re at the ECA Conference will […]
When opening hours and the needs of families align, this can support parents’ workforce participation and support children’s best interests. Only 0.8% of long day care centres open after 6:30pm according to ECA’s Long Day Care Flexibility Survey Report. Yet, most approved early childhood services actually have considerable discretion to open earlier or close later. According to […]
I had a familiar sense of anticipation recently as I started to look at the program for the Melbourne Writer’s Festival. What wonderful opportunities were on offer to be in the presence of icons, idols and personages! It reminded me of a lesson I learned, or should have learned, a long time ago. I say […]
When a parent enrols their child in early childhood education and care for the first time orientation interviews are often conducted. These may include information about the parents work hours, and preferred pick up and drop of times, as well as other enrollment information. Ideally the flow of information continues beyond that first day. Regular […]
Bad practice in education and care services for babies and toddlers hopefully no longer exists. When I began working in Australia in 1978, I visited students on placement in centres where babies and toddlers were force fed, allowed cry because ‘they had to learn’ and where young babies were given bottles in their cots and […]
Dan Donahoo, educator, technology reviewer and author, has been thinking and talking about technology and young children for some time. And in less than a month he’ll be sharing and exchanging tech tips at the Early Childhood Australia conference in Melbourne. It’s no longer a matter of should technology be used in early childhood settings, Dan says, but […]
Our Learning Hub recently received this email from a preschool. We’re not sure that the preschool knows they have sent the message yet. From the content we guess they have been in touch with us before or had ECA’s Learning Hub in their contact list, which is nice to know. The message shows certain skills too. Cap lock had been deployed […]
Titling this collection of opinion pieces Outside angle doesn’t mean that they are about including geometry in the curriculum or positioning equipment to optimise learning in outdoor environments! I enjoyed writing the 99 (yes, 99) What do you think? pieces for ECA’s NQS Professional Learning Program. I liked the freedom to choose topics and content. […]
Are screen-based media ‘bad’ for my child? Will too much screen time affect my child’s social skills? A new UK report by University of Edinburgh academic, Lydia Plowman, and colleague, Jonathan Hancock, responds to six questions parents and educators most want answered. Readable, informed and clear-eyed Six questions that parents ask about children’s use of digital media was […]
In some circles smart phones are the new car keys. They are fascinating distractions handed to babies and toddlers while parents finish a sentence, wait on a queue, click children into car seats. Recent media coverage has brought attention to children under one year of age using smart phones and tablets. It highlights how quickly […]
