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 […]
Professionalism in times of uncertainty—a conversation worth having, writes CATHARINE HYDON, who, among many contributions to the sector in Australia, is a leading advocate on ethics for early childhood education and care. In all of my conversations with colleagues about the ECA Code of Ethics and what it means to be an ethical professional, one […]
It can be hard to keep up with new ideas and early childhood developments during the year, so to help you catch up or for inspiration to start the year on a strong footing, we’ve put together a list of ECA’s top reads from across the last year (2019). It’s a mix of favourites and […]
Meaningful photos in early childhood documentation As early childhood educators seek strategies for managing and creating meaningful documentation, KEETA WILLIAMS questions how photographs can be improved. Karen Hope recently discussed being pressured to produce a high volume of photographs, that may not always demonstrate learning. Keeta continues this topic by exploring how educators can improve […]
With a number of states affected by unprecedented bushfires this week and educational authorities closing more than 300 schools in NSW, the message is: be prepared, decide early. Yet what does this mean for early childhood education and care services? Most emergency fire management plans are designed for individuals, families and households. How do you and your […]
Many children around the world now have a digital footprint before they can even walk! Their pictures and videos are featured on their families’ social media channels or even their own dedicated pages managed by their families. But what are the risks involved? At what point does it become ‘sharenting’? And do educators have a […]
There is not enough darkness in this world to extinguish the light of one small candle—Spanish proverb We reflect on the light, not only the shadow, cast by events to recognise what is possible: educators already have professional approaches, tools and resources that can support themselves and young children in such moments. The devastating events […]
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 […]
Child sleep in the early years is one of the leading reasons families reach out to health practitioners. Sleep is also a hot topic between families and early childhood educators. In this blog PROFESSOR HARRIET HISCOCK from Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) writes about the two most commonly encountered problems: night waking and settling. Why […]
‘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 […]
