The phrase 'children should be seen and not heard' is an old adage drawn from the Victorian era, which unfortunately, is still a common phrase thrown around by parents today with a somewhat antiquated and misguided attitude towards children's rights. In actuality, children's rights could not be more conflicting with that statement.
Forbes Preschool is the 2019 winner of the Narragunnawali Award, recognising exceptional commitment to reconciliation in education. In this article, director Amy Shine talks about the preschool's p...
Having a friend helps children feel like they “belong”. Friends offer support in times of uncertainty, such as starting at school (Danby, 2008). Talk is an important resource for making friends and belonging, and in turn peer interactions positively affect children’s language skills. As one in four Australians have a first language background other than English (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017), educational settings are increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD). Such rich diversity brings the spotlight to the role that gestures, objects and adults might play in children’s peer interactions.
Upskilling the early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce has long been recognised as a priority in Australia (Nailon, 2013). Here we share an innovative approach to professional learning (PL), where educators work alongside long-time early childhood education and other allied professionals to facilitate Skills 4 Kids Cafes. The cafes are designed to offer a contextualised approach to PL through situated learning where educators experiment with changing practices in a knowledge-rich environment. We found that the skills cafes enabled educators to engage in ways that built on their existing knowledge about what works with young children (Nailon, 2013), and make active choices in how they engaged in the skillsbased activities offered during the sessions through 'legitimate peripheral participation'.
The team at Anglicare's Googong Early Learning Centre works cohesively and values the diverse experiences, knowledge and backgrounds its members bring to the pedagogical practices of the centre. The team members are ever keen to learn and improve their pedagogy. So, when it came time to reflect on the planning cycle, they decided to deconstruct it and think deeply about how they could all participate and truly put it into everyday practice.
How quality STEM education can be integrated into family day care through children’s everyday activities. Research shows that young children— including infants—are capable of learning mathematics and science concepts (Baroody, 2003). It shows that learning of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) concepts in the early years is associated with children’s later school readiness and academic achievement (Duncan et al., 2007). There is also consensus among researchers that going beyond surface-level STEM experiences is vital for nurturing lifelong learning dispositions including creativity, curiosity, problem-solving skills, risk taking, resilience and the ability to recognise interconnections and relationships between ideas and concepts...
Children don't necessarily need guidance; at least not as much as we think they do. Watch children in their natural state and you'll see them engaging intuitively in free, uninterrupted play. You'll notice how infants are guided by the sounds, vibrations and sensations of the world around them; how toddlers are guided by an intense curiosity - like a passionate scientist eager to make yet another remarkable discovery; or how a preschooler meticulously crafts something great out of seemingly nothing.
Review(s) of: Strengthening quality through critical reflection and action research, by Linda Newman, Nicole Leggett, Melissa Duffy-Fagan and Kate Higginbottom, Early Childhood Australia (2018), RRP: $16.95, paperback, ECA Product code RIP1804.
Children searching for terms outside of 'girl' and 'boy' to express their gender need openness and understanding from educators.
Review(s) of: Supporting the wellbeing of parents and carers, by Mel Angel, Early Childhood Australia (2019), RRP $16.95, ECA Product code EDL1901.
The end of preschool marks the beginning of a child's journey into formal schooling. How early learning services choose to celebrate this big occasion for the children can result in either formal or less-formal approaches. There are those who choose the formal graduation ceremony with cap and gown, and those who go for a casual end-of-year celebration. These decisions often depend on the children's input.
As you sit calmly and read, what are you breathing with? Is it your nose, your mouth, or a mix of both? If you have a healthy respiratory system you should be breathing gently though your nose.
Visiting a Forest Kindergarten is high on many early childhood educators' wish lists. One can listen to inspirational speakers, such as Claire Warden, talk about the joy of working outdoors, watch a webinar on fire lighting, or be inspired by a social media post; but there is nothing like visiting a Forest Kindergarten and experiencing it first-hand.
Teaching children is an exciting and rewarding profession, but it can also be challenging and exhausting. The goal in out of school hours care (OSHC) is the same as in early years settings: to support children to become their best selves, and to create a learning environment that enables them access, scope, creativity, opportunity and belonging.
There is so much to read regarding the practice of leadership; however, the experience of leaders and followers suggests that there remains a gap in the ways in which leaders lead and followers are expected to follow. Too often followers report a lack of effective leadership, which leaves people demotivated, alienated and, at times, questioning their purpose within organisations.
This article plans to unpack aspects of literacy and learning that can potentially be tapped into through weekly trips to the local library. A local library provides families with an arena of solitude in this busy world. It is a free resource offering a range of services and is accessible for all members of the community.
Ari loved building sites, as well as a picture book at his early childhood centre about diggers, excavators, cement trucks, cranes, etc. His educators knew his knowledge about these machines was extensive - possibly greater than their own - but Ari refused to share the book on machines and they didn't know how to respond.
Quirindi Preschool has a long-standing commitment to sustainable worldviews and this drives the centre philosophy and daily practices of children and educators alike. As part of our centre philosophy, we believe 'sustainability education enables educators and children to promote a sense of responsibility, show respect for their natural environment, to be active participants and bring about change'.
Bubup Wilam for Early Learning Aboriginal Child and Family Centre is an Aboriginal self-determined organisation, managed and controlled by and for Aboriginal people. One hundred Aboriginal children aged six months to six years, and their families, access the service. Self-determination for Aboriginal people underpins the work of the organisation, which ensures that Aboriginal people are the key decision-makers and take the lead role in their own lives. This occurs through a Board of nine Aboriginal people and an Aboriginal CEO.
