Your early childhood source of knowledge!

Welcome to the latest issue of ECA WebWatch. This fortnight we are focusing on the DoHA Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Guidelines for Early Childhood Settings.

Also in this issue:

• Funding for Indigenous housing
• Wakakirri national story festival
• Influenza health warning
• Accomplished teaching standards

Plus:

• ECA calendar
• Quality-assured early childhood resources

ECA WebWatch feature item

DoHA Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Guidelines field testing soon

DoHA Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Guidelines for Early Childhood Settings

Be involved in the field testing of the Guidelines and Resources
The Draft Guidelines and Resources will be available to look at online in early April 2009. We encourage ECEC practitioners and parents to have your say about the Guidelines and Resources either by participating in focus groups or completing an online survey.

Participate in a focus group
Focus groups for ECEC practitioners and parents will be held in April and May 2009. Participants will be asked to review the Guidelines and Resources and provide feedback via a guided discussion and one-page survey.

Click here for more information about focus group dates and locations.

Complete an online survey
Practitioners, parents and carers will also be able to review the Draft Guidelines and provide feedback via an online survey. This survey will take about 15 minutes to complete.

Please email focus.testing@rch.org.au for further project details or to receive an email when the online survey is available.

Useful links and information

Peer interactions and friendships
Useful articles to help you understand children's social development, and how they interact with their peers and friends.

Teaching strategies
Develop and extend your understanding of the ways in which you can help children grow and learn.

Visit ECA's Supporting Best Practice link directory, which has been developed to help you extend your knowledge on many topics relating to early childhood. Take advantage of the wealth of resources we have collected, which are relevant to early childhood professionals, parents, other caregivers and early childhood knowledge brokers.

Accomplished teaching standards: A foundation for public confidence

Teaching Australia Network release teaching standards
The teaching profession has taken the lead in defining its own standards of accomplished practice.

Standards for accomplished teachers and principals can be used to recognise excellence and expertise, frame professional development and reinforce national curriculum developments.

Teaching Australia is working with professional associations to develop national professional standards of accomplishment, initially in the specialist areas of science, early childhood and primary teaching, and for principals. This builds on a considerable research base and platform of work undertaken over the past few years by professional associations and school authorities.

Read the Advanced Teaching Standards statement (PDF).

Influenza health warning

Influenza Specialist Group encourages influenza vaccination before winter
According to new data just released by the Influenza Specialist Group (ISG), influenza is the leading cause of hospitalisation in children under five years of age.

Current Australian immunisation guidelines recommend annual influenza vaccination for anyone who wishes to protect themselves.

Download the Influenza Specialist Group influenza fact sheet for more information on influenza and vaccination.

National partnership on remote Indigenous housing

Funding for housing a major step forward to close the gap
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma has welcomed the $5.5 billion National Partnership on Remote Indigenous Housing announced by the federal government.

Commissioner Calma said running water, functional cooking facilities and protection from the elements were necessary to improve the life chances of current and future generations of Indigenous people.

Wakakirri national story festival

Participate in Australia's largest storytelling festival
Wakakirri is a performing and visual arts festival created specifically for primary schools. Wakakirri aims to teach students about themselves and others through the creation and sharing of stories. Wakakirri challenges students to create a story, make a positive impact and share it with Australia.

Wakakirri, an initiative supported by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, is free to enter, and is now calling for schools to register by 3 April 2009.

Call for papers and presentations

'Natural neighbourhoods, real communities' National Conference
This event is a national networking and development conference for people interested in building and strengthening natural neighbourhoods. Proposals are invited for papers, presentations, workshops and action proposals.

Advocacy progress planner

An Advocacy & Policy Change Composite Logic Model
Explore the Advocacy Progress Planner, an online 'logic model' for planning your advocacy effort. It is designed to give you and your team an at-a-glance look at the ingredients of advocacy efforts.

ECA Calendar

2009 WA Child Care and Early Childhood Education Conference
3–5 April 2009
Sheraton Perth Hotel, WA

The theme of the 2009 conference is 'Quality and collaboration'. It focuses on the quality of care in early childhood, and the importance partnership, cooperation and collaboration.

Visit Early Childhood Australia's online calendar – it's the easy way to keep track of important events, conferences and dates.

Quality-assured early childhood resources

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.

Everyday learning together in the garden
Help children discover the wonders of the natural world and explore the possibilities that can be found in the garden.

Every Child magazine (Vol. 15 No. 1)
In this edition the focus is on quality improvement, and how we can create better environments for children – at both a policy and individual level.

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ECA WebWatch - Issue 69, April 2009. © Early Childhood Australia.