Your guide to early childhood information on the web!

Welcome to this fortnight's edition of ECA WebWatch. Our feature item is an opinion piece from ECA National President Margaret Young to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).

Also in this issue:

• Australian awards for teaching excellence
• Accomplished Teaching Standards NSW Forum
• Racial Discrimination Act to be reinstated

Plus:

• ECA calendar
• Quality-assured early childhood resources
• ECA Greenwatch

ECA WebWatch feature item

'Young children are our future' - Margaret Young
Read this reflection on the Early Years Learning Framework from ECA National President Margarent Young.

'To want a caring, non-violent society in which everyone is treated with respect is neither 'social engineering' nor 'political correctness' – it is a vision we should all strive to achieve.'

NSW - Accomplished Teaching Standards Forum

Get involved in the NSW forum
11 June 2009

This forum will be an opportunity to review and discuss the development of Accomplished Teaching Standards for Early Childhood Teachers.

Information on forums in other states will be available soon on the ECA website.

Paid parental leave

Read Maxine McKew's speech from the Family Day Care Australia National Conference
'Paid parental leave is the jewel in the crown of the Rudd Government's commitment to children's early development.

'If the parents of a newborn have income certainty in those critical first few months there's less stress in the home. Low stress is a building block of a quality environment.'

You can also read Maxine McKew's speech: Getting it right in the early years from the Sydney Institute, 7 April 2009.

National Project Officer position available with Early Childhood Australia

National Project Officer
The Department of Health and Ageing has funded Early Childhood Australia, working with the Australian Psychological Society (PSA) and beyond blue: the national depression initiative, to create and trial a framework to improve the mental health and well being of children aged birth to school age in preschools and long day care centres.

The National Project Officer will contribute to the development, implementation, review and monitoring of the implementation plan including a strategic approach to the long term sustainability of KidsMatter Early Childhood.

Download the position description and selection criteria.

Applications close 5pm, 5 June 2009.

Racial Discrimination Act to be reinstated

Government to reinstate Racial Discrimination Act in October
ECA congratulates the government on the decision to re-instate the Racial Discrimination Act.

The act was suspended in the Northern Territory in mid-2007 to allow for the federal intervention to take place.

National Reconciliation Week: 27 May – 3 June 2009
Each year National Reconciliation Week (NRW) celebrates the rich culture and history of the First Australians. It is the ideal time for everyone to join the reconciliation conversation and to think about how we can help turn around the disadvantage experienced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Australian awards for teaching excellence

Help Teaching Australia celebate the best teachers
The Australian Awards for Teaching Excellence recognise and celebrate the exceptional achievements of teachers, principals, support staff and schools from early childhood through to senior secondary. The award categories of Excellence by a Teacher and Excellence by a Beginning Teacher are of particular relevance to registered teachers working in early childhood settings.

Nominations close 19 June 2009.

Australia commits to better treatment of people in detention

Australia agrees to make sure that all people in detention are treated well
There are many places of detention in Australia – including prisons, juvenile detention institutions, police stations, locked psychiatric wards, immigration detention centres and aged care hostels where residents are detained involuntarily.

The Australian Human Rights Commission welcomes today's announcement by the federal Attorney-General that Australia has signed the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

New book release from Deaf Children Australia

'Breaking the Sound Barriers'
Deaf Children Australia has just released an inspiring new book, Breaking the sound barriers: 9 deaf success stories. This is a unique collection of real life stories shared by parents of deaf children and successful deaf and hard of hearing adults from around Australia.

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.

Dealing with bullying together: Prevention and resolution
Bullying can have a significant impact on children's lives, whether they are the instigator or the victim of the bullying. However, early childhood educators can help children, and their parents, to deal with bullying.

Science play!
Children are naturally curious and inquisitive. This book will help them explore the world around them and discover new things.

ECA Greenwatch

World Environment Day
5 June

Your planet needs you - UNite to combat climate change!

World Environment Day (WED) was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.

ECA calendar

2009 Birth to Three Matters Conference
28-29 May 2009
The Gold Coast International Hotel
7 Staghorn Ave
Surfer's Paradise

The Birth to three matters conference is being held as part of Under Eights Week 2009. The key themes of the conference are: early childhood development and practice, social inclusion, and child protection.

C&K Early Childhood Conference 2009
30-31 May
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
Cnr Merivale and Glenelg Streets
South Bank

This conference will feature a variety of speakers, sessions and panel discussions around the theme of Ponds, puddles and water treatment plants - who has input into early education?

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

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ECA WebWatch - Issue 73, May #2 2009. © Early Childhood Australia.