The piece ‘Maybe childcare staff need fewer degrees?’ by Aaron Patrick in the AFR 12 July 2023 is both ill-informed and misleading. If you haven’t seen it, here is the abridged version – the commercial childcare industry is charging inflated prices hurting families because of rules that ‘force centres to hire more, better-educated staff’ and ‘ratio rules […]
Skye Children’s Cooperative (Skye) is an early childhood education and care (ECEC) service built on the homeland of the of the greater Kulin Nation. Opened in 1988, Skye has always operated as a community not-for-profit service with all profits reinvested back into the centre for the benefit of the children and the community. For more […]
I have worked in the early childhood profession for many years. First, as an educator in a variety of different settings and now as a university lecturer and researcher. I have always valued the importance of relationships with children and always worked hard to build and nourish these with children, families and co-workers. However, the […]
A Community of Practice (CoP) is best defined as a space for individuals to interact and learn from one another in partnership with an understanding of sharing knowledge. Engaging in a CoP will allow you to not only deepen your knowledge on a subject or topic area, but it will also allow you to network […]
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. […]
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 […]
‘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 […]
A commitment to social justice means taking responsibility for working individually and collectively to ensure that everyone has meaningful opportunities to participate in the economic, social, cultural, communal and political life of the nation. The year 2020 was challenging. We experienced devastating bushfires and the COVID-19 crisis, and there are still ongoing issues related to living, […]
Each year hundreds of Australians receive Australia Day Honours for the outstanding service and contributions they make to everyday life in Australia. This year, three notable Australians, The Honourable Jay Weatherill, Megan Mitchell and Professor Lester-Irabinna Rigney, were honoured for their contributions to early childhood education. The Honourable Jay Weatherill, AO, received his Officer of […]
Among the sacrifices made by firefighters, and those who support fire-affected communities, is precious time spent with family. In California, thousands of firefighters and community support workers or volunteers have missed important moments such as birthdays, school events or family gatherings. In Australia, where bushfire season includes December-January, thousands routinely miss out on Christmas, New Year’s Eve […]
