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 […]
Senator the Hon Dr Jess Walsh Minister for Early Childhood Education Minister for Youth Labor Senator for Victoria Senator the Hon Dr Jess Walsh, Federal Minister for Early Childhood Education, delivered an address at the Early Learning Matters Week Wrap Up Event at Australian Parliament House in Canberra on August 27, 2025. In the room […]
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 […]
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 […]
Have you had that experience where a colleague shares a topical link, and the group chat goes wild? Constructive and rich discussion filled with critical reflection follows and then slowly it fizzles out, lost to the group chat ether forever. Recently, we had that exact experience when a provocation about generative artificial intelligence (Gen-AI) in […]
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 […]
Recently I was asked to speak at a career expo for pre-service early childhood teachers preparing to transition to the field. I guess the universe heard me loud and clear when I said I was ready to say ‘yes’ to new challenges and things that terrify me (like public speaking and playing team sports) in […]
ACECQA data show us that the most challenging quality area for ECEC services to meet is QA1: Educational Program and Practice. Within QA1, Element 1.3.1, Assessment and Planning Cycle is the most likely element to be awarded a ‘not met’ rating[1]. In Australia, educators and teachers are required to implement the principles of curriculum planning […]
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 […]
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 […]
