Pleasurable food education sparks a sense of wonder and connection among children and young people, helping them explore the world of delicious, wholesome food through enjoyable, interactive experiences. This journey equips children and young people with useful abilities, a fondness for seasonal ingredients, and a joyful, self-assured, and nourishing bond with food. It starts with […]
Children will benefit from the new laws that enable their parents to access up to 10 days of paid leave if they are experiencing domestic violence. Police are now recording more than 10,000 cases of domestic violence a year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The number of children this involves as either victims […]
When the educators at C&K Salisbury Community Kindergarten set themselves a challenge at the start of 2022 to explore Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) through play, it led to the inspiring culmination of the children writing to the Prime Minister about climate action. Article 12 of the UNCRC […]
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 […]
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 their own bodies. This is a basic right of each […]
‘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 […]
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 […]
As educators, we talk about fostering a sense of belonging and identity within our services and communities—one way we do this is through the use of photo displays. Reflecting on this in relation to how we display images of ourselves, our educator teams, and the children and families within the service, I wonder what impact […]
Attuned routines give us the chance to reconsider our interactions and focus on pausing to be truly with a child. One opportunity for an attuned routine experience is nappy changes. Here Dr Katherine Bussey and Michelle Richardson share some insights for us as we reconceptualise this routine task. Reconceptualising nappy changes and toileting key times for learning requires […]
We caught up with DR MELINDA MILLER who will be presenting at ECA’s 2020 AJEC Research Symposium next week, sharing outcomes from a collaborative research project with G8 Education and Phoenix Support for Educators. In this piece, Dr Miller explains how everyday curriculum practices, when mapped to research processes are central to action-research that involves […]
