Senator Steph Hodgins-May Australian Greens Spokesperson for Early Childhood Education Senator for Victoria Early Childhood Australia is grateful to Senator Steph Hodgins-May, Australian Greens Spokesperson for Early Childhood Education for her support of Early Learning Matters Week 2025, and for sharing with The Spoke readership prepared comments for the Early Learning Matters Week Wrap Up Event […]
Zoe McKenzie MP Shadow Assistant Minister for Education and Early Learning Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health Federal Member for Flinders Early Childhood Australia is grateful to Zoe McKenzie MP, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education and Early Learning for providing her comments from last week made at the Early Learning Matters Week 2025 Wrap Up […]
Recent events concerning young children’s safety and wellbeing in Australian early childhood education and care (ECEC) services have raised important questions about how we engage children and hear their voices. Actively involving children and young people in policy and practice can support them to gain essential skills and improve the quality, relevance and safety of […]
As the CEO of the leading national peak body dedicated to the best interests of young children, the focus on early childhood education and care (ECEC) in this election is very welcome. To hear the Prime Minister say during the recent leaders’ debate that he wants universal childcare to be his economic legacy indicates that […]
Sometimes a question can stay with you: ‘Are we making the best use of children’s time?’ This was Chloe Kerr1’s question after an In Service day in Shetland last year about slow pedagogies. Chloe’s question is key to reconsidering the relationship with time in early childhood education and care (ECEC). This has been the focus […]
The words we use daily with children matter. How we communicate and the words we use with children has a great effect on the relationships we build with them. UNICEF (n.d.) explains that ‘Every interaction you have with your child is a form of communication. It’s not just about the words you say: The tone […]
The date 26 January holds a complex place in Australia’s history. While some celebrate it as Australia Day, this date also marks a day of mourning for First Nations people as the date the first British colonies landed, starting centuries of mistreatment and displacement for Aboriginal people. In early childhood education this day presents an […]
Early childhood is an undeniably critical life stage. Decades of research and neuroscience supports this and the knowledge that quality early education and care (ECEC) programs are beneficial for children’s learning and development (OECD, 2017; Shonkoff, 2010). We also know that, alongside academics, we can (and should) be working towards wellbeing outcomes for children in […]
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 […]
If we see learning as a consequence of thinking, then it is paramount that children have the opportunity and are supported to explore their ideas and thinking during the learning experience. This allows children to then understand their own thinking process. Meaningful learning takes place when children are fully engaged in the ideas of the […]
