Many discussions about quality in education and care services include at some point—often as a summary statement—the assertion that ‘in the end, it’s all about relationships’. This is likely to occur whether the topic is pedagogy, leadership, community connections, staff relationships, links with other services and professionals or family partnerships. Is this ‘throw-away line’ accurate? […]
Originally posted in 2015, this post was updated in August 2020. Be You provides opportunity to really explore children’s ability to manage their emotions, and to outline how we as adults and educators can assist them to do this. We know this is a complex and an emotionally-charged area of our work as early childhood […]
Child care features prominently in the news currently. That’s good? Not really. The problem is that the focus is only on the prohibitive cost to families and insufficient supply. There needs to be more child care, and it needs to be cheaper – end of story. The term education and care services began replacing preschool […]
We should all care about the findings of the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Childcare and Early Childhood Learning, recently delivered to the Federal Government, because it affects our future prosperity as a nation. This is a once in a generation opportunity to future-proof Australia against entrenched welfare dependency, inequality and lack of opportunity amongst a […]
While extended hours may provide flexibility for some families, other families may be looking for shorter sessions or greater choice about what hours they use and pay for. Flexible sessions are one way that early childhood services can align service operating hours with the needs of the family. A session of care is ‘is the […]
The opposition to the Paid Parental Leave scheme has been unhelpfully vitriolic at times but the Government’s decision to redirect funds from Paid Parental Leave (PPL) into early childhood education and care is the right one. As an advocate for children, I support full wage replacement Paid Parental Leave –it would make it much easier […]
This blog was originally posted in 2014 and updated in August 2020. Expressing joy, sharing and giving, these are evergreen qualities yet Christmas can look and feel different in different settings. This blog post is a timeless reflection on the end of the year: all that it brings us and all that we bring to it. […]
