The future of Australia relies on developing a strong vision for the early years. This vision should reflect the needs of children, families and the community, focusing on improving positive outcomes for all children. As a signatory to the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989), Australia is bound by a profound […]
Last week I attended the launch of a NSW Government initiative to provide a visual guide to existing National Quality Standard (NQS) ratings. The graphic, to be displayed at the entrance to early childhood education and care services from January 2020, would reflect the existing rating of each service; information that is already public and […]
Two important papers about Australia’s First Nations children were released in the same week in February. Both have implications for young children in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The joint ECA and SNAICC—Voice for our Children position paper reflects both organisations’ commitment to ensuring that First Nations children get equal opportunities in Australia and […]
The future of Australia rests on early education. Early Childhood Australia’s (ECA) National President, Christine Legg talks about children’s early development and why Australia needs to invest in and support a high-quality early childhood education system. If you imagine a child’s brain as a five-drawer filing cabinet, research indicates that the majority of those drawers […]
‘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 […]
Why is guidance on young children and digital technology needed now? As a Discussion Paper is released—Towards a Statement on young children and digital technology—co-chairs of ECA’s Digital Policy Group (DPG), Professor Susan Edwards and Professor Leon Straker, address this question and reveal some of the findings from work so far. You may have heard or […]
This article was first published in Every Child, Vol. 22, No. 4, 2016. For more information, click here. In 1948, the international community, through the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights, affirmed that each and every one of us should have access to a number of fundamental human rights. Decades later they agreed that children, by […]
When I first became an educator the idea of being a professional was seldom discussed, much less the concept that when you work with children and their families and your colleagues there would be agreement about how we would be expected to behave. Don’t get me wrong—there were subtle and implied statements about how we […]
Written before the 2016 Federal Election, this blog post by Early Childhood Australia’s CEO Samantha Page calls on all early childhood educators to be involved in advocacy for young children. As the CEO of Early Childhood Australia I feel very proud of our organisation’s long tradition of advocating for the rights of children, parents and […]
