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Tribute Vale Betty Davis
Betty Davis, known to so many as teacher, lecturer, Principal of the Kindergarten Teachers' College, Kingston Centre for Adult Education and numerous committees, councils and professional bodies, died on Thursday 12 April. Her funeral was held in Norwood, SA on 24 April. Betty was an Honorary Life Member of ECA, SA Branch. In honour and memory of Betty, her family and companion Rosemary Attwood invite donations to OMEP Australia (the Australian branch of Organisation Mondiale pour l'Education Prescolaire), at Box 356, Burnside, South Australia, 5066. Early childhood news Imaginative play—Playing with loose parts We know that children need the opportunities to take calculated risks—this leads to more engaged play and happier children. This video about playing with loose parts showcases a new program in the UK that is working with these principles and providing ‘loose parts’ for children to play with, transforming the physical play environment in schools. The next five issues of ECA WebWatch will include a series of videos featuring innovative play programs and spaces. Check this space in the next issue for more ideas and inspiration. National Reconciliation Week is coming soon 27 May–3 June is National Reconciliation Week, and now is a great time to start thinking about what Reconciliation means for you, your service and your community. This video featuring Carmel Richardson in the Have you thought about ... ? series, part of ECA’s National Quality Standard Professional Learning Program, discusses ways to include Indigenous perspectives in early childhood environments. See the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNIACC) website for more information and resources. Brain development study puts the focus on the first three years New research into brain development continues to provide further evidence that education in the first three years is crucial to children’s success. Read or listen for the latest findings. Following the publication of this research, Lateline reported on its significance for intervening early with all children, but particularly vulnerable children under three years of age. An interview with Judy Willis, neurologist and teacher, further discusses the gains that can be made in early years. Lateline also interviewed Peter Garrett about what this means for government policy. Minister Garrett made it clear that importance of early brain development was part of the thinking behind both the Government’s early childhood reform agenda and the commitment to universal access to preschool for four year olds. One of Australia's biggest companies will pay the equivalent of 20 weeks' parental leave including a bonus payment for the first six weeks on returning to work, as part of efforts to keep more of its women staff in senior roles. Read more here. Italian politician takes her baby to work An Italian member of the European Parliament, Licia Ronzulli, has made news by taking her seven-week-old baby to work. Photos taken of her while she took part in a vote with baby Vittoria slung close to her body have generated discussion about women’s working rights and opportunities around the world. Ronzulli said, ‘It's a very personal choice. A woman should be free to choose to come back after 48 hours. But if she wants to stay at home for six months, or a year, we should create the conditions to make that possible.’ Read more here, or see the photos. National Families Week To coincide with the UN International Day of Families on 15 May, National Families Week will be celebrated around the country from 15—21 May. For information and resources, check their website. Latest Policy Brief: children’s mental health Recent years have seen a significant increase in mental health awareness in Australia. While this has seen changes in policy and funding relating to adult mental health, new attention needs to be focused on childhood mental health. The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne has released its latest policy brief, focusing on the mental health of young children here. What's new at KidsMatter Early Childhood A range of new mental health resources are available for educators and families on the KMEC website. These can be distributed through newsletters, emails, handouts or as displays in your service. Go to the main page to listen to what educators and families are saying about their experiences with KidsMatter Early Childhood. National Quality Framework First services are assessed under the NQF Assessments of services under the new NQF have begun—read about it here. New assessment and rating resources are also available from the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). Long Day Care NQF transition support The Australian Government’s Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations has announced that $5 million will be made available to Long Day Care services as an NQF Transition Support One-off Grant. 1000 grants of $5000 will be available to support services in disadvantaged areas to meet the requirements of the NQF. Read more here, or check the list for your state or territory to see if your service is eligible. NQF Listening Tour continues As the NQF Listening Tour moves around the country, ACECQA CEO Karen Curtis is hearing from educators in many kinds of services. To add your voice to the discussion, check the dates and find out when the Listening Tour will be near you.
Supporting ECEC practitioners Funding qualifications: what, why, how and when? Many employers facing the new qualifications requirements of the NQF may be wondering how to fund skills recognition or training, and where to go for more information about their options. The Australian Government Skills Connect Initiative provides a range of funding programs, offering organisations the opportunity to look at the big picture to decide which programs suit their requirements. The Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council works alongside the Australian Government to help support employers to access these programs. For more information and support contact workforcedevelopment@cshisc.com.au or call (02) 9270 6649. Recognition of Prior Learning grant applications open Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) is responsible for the implementation of the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) initiative for early childhood educators in rural and remote locations. Click here to see if you are eligible for a grant, or contact DEEWR if you have questions. Website transition to NQS PLP The EYLF PLP website has been rebranded and refocused to become the NQS PLP website. The changes taking place are part of the expansion of the Early Years Learning Framework Professional Learning Program into the National Quality Standard Professional Learning Program. The program expansion will encompass the broader parameters of the NQF, namely the NQS and the EYLF. What do you think? Anne Stonehouse’s What do you think? feature pieces surrounding National Quality Standard (NQS) topics are posted on the Facebook Notes tab every Friday. Read and share the latest opinion article ‘Celebrate bias!’, posted last Friday (20 April 2012). We welcome you to leave your comments on her postings. Have you thought about ... ? The Have you thought about ... ? series takes us around Australia in search of ways we can think about implementing the EYLF and approaching the NQS. ‘How does your environment provide the opportunity to run?’ is the latest vodcast in this series and is available now for viewing in the Facebook Videos tab.
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ECA Greenwatch ECEC educators go green together ECEC educators from all over northern NSW have recently gathered together at the University of New England for a weekend of workshops discussing green action in the ECEC sector. If you are in the area and interested in becoming involved, futher one-day symposiums will be held at Inverell in July and near Armidale in October, at which educators will share stories of their progress and dilemmas. Read more here. Funding for children’s gardening projects Are you interested in creating a garden in your service? You may be eligible for one of Junior Landcare’s Garden Grants of up to $1000. Applications close Friday 4 May, so get in quickly! For more information or to apply, visit www.juniorlandcare.com.au. It must be the time to think about gardens: 7–12 May is also International Composting Awareness Week! Trees for Mum this Mothers’ Day Planting a tree is a loving, meaningful and green way to celebrate Mothers’ Day. To find out about Trees For Mum or attend a planting site in your area, visit their website. Quality-assured early childhood resources Available through ECA is a variety of quality-assured books that will support your service’s journey toward cultural inclusion and a genuine contribution to Reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. The following is a selection of ECA’s newest and bestselling titles to provide you with guidance in this area. All of ECA's publications are peer-reviewed by early childhood experts, so you can be assured that all our publications are of the highest quality, and relevant to you and your work. Dreaming Stories: A springboard for learning—book and DVD set Building bridges: Literacy development in young Indigenous children—book and DVD set Conferences and dates Linking schools and early years: Supporting a positive transition to school—30 April 2012 The ECA Events Calendar has been disabled until further notice due to technical difficulties. Contact us to have your conference or event added to the ECA WebWatch calendar. The ECA Values Statements Early Childhood Australia is guided in its work by endorsed values. These sit alongside ECA’s Principles, Positions, Code of Ethics, Scope of Activities and Governance Guidelines as our Foundation Materials. With the other Foundation Materials the ECA values inform ECA’s Strategic Directions and all our day-to-day work. View the ECA Values statements. ECA website usability survey We need your help! We are asking people who use the ECA website for their opinions. By taking part in our usability survey, you are helping us to make a better website. Help us expand the ECA WebWatch community Please pass this e-newsletter service on to friends and colleagues with this link to subscribe: www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/mail Early Childhood Australia's strength is determined by the strength of its members and supporters. It is only through your support that we can advocate for and on behalf of the sector. As a reader of ECA WebWatch you can make a big difference to the sector. By forwarding this newsletter to colleagues and inviting them to subscribe, you extend our advocacy chain — increasing our ability to communicate and work with the sector. Let us know what you think ... Past issues of ECA WebWatch are available on the Early Childhood Australia website. Sign up Unsubscribing Change of address (Please remember to add webwatch@earlychildhood.org.au to your safe senders list to ensure that you receive your copy of ECA WebWatch promptly.) ECA WebWatch—Issue 137, April 2012. © Early Childhood Australia.
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ECA WebWatch – Issue 137 April 2012
Last updated: (June 13, 2013 at 10:34 am)
