Your guide to early childhood news on the web!

Welcome to the latest edition of ECA WebWatch. This fortnight, we encourage you to have your say on the draft Early Years Learning Framework Educators Guide.

Also in this issue:

• Kids Breathe Better asthma awareness initiative
• New children's health fact sheets
• The Government's Paid Parental Leave scheme

Plus:

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

ECA WebWatch feature item

EYLF online forum now active
The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) online forum re-opened on 14 September 2009.

This is an exciting opportunity for people in the early childhood sector to share their views with each other and with the Australian Government about the draft Early Years Learning Framework Educators' Guide Using, Belonging, Being and Becoming in Early Childhood Services: A Guide for Educators.

The Educators' Guide will be developed as a series of modules to support implementation of the EYLF. The Guide will explain, interpret and expand the Framework for early childhood educators.

Through the online forum participants will have the opportunity to review and trial the draft modules in their services, participate in online discussions, share ideas and provide feedback on the documents.

The Early Years Learning Framework forum is available online.

Early Childhood Australia strongly encourages you to have your say and share your views on the EYLF Educators' Guide.

KidsMatter State/Territory Facilitator positions available with Early Childhood Australia – Closing Soon

Download the project overview, position description with selection criteria
Applications close 10am AEST, 28 September 2009

The Department of Health and Ageing has funded Early Childhood Australia, working with the Australian Psychological Society (APS) 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.

State/Territory Officers will contribute to the implementation of KidsMatter resources and provide support to pilot services participating in the KidsMatter Early Childhood initiative.

We will be sending out a special issue of ECA WebWatch in the near future, with more information how you can apply to be a KidsMatter Early Childhood pilot centre.

Kids Breathe Better asthma awareness initiative

'Do you know what to do?'
In Australia, one in nine children is diagnosed with asthma.

Helping parents, carers and children themselves understand how to manage asthma is key to ensuring this condition does not stop kids leading a healthy, active and happy lifestyle.

During September and October 2009, children living with asthma and their families from all over Australia are invited to share their personal stories about the importance of 'knowing what to do' about asthma.

Paid Parental Leave scheme

'Supporting working Australian families'
The Australian Government will introduce a comprehensive Paid Parental Leave (PPL) scheme for new parents who are the primary carers of a child born or adopted on or after 1 January 2011. The scheme will entitle parents where the primary earner earns less than $150,000 per year up to 18 weeks of paid leave after the birth of their child.

The payment will enable more parents to stay at home to care for their baby full-time during the vital early months of social, cognitive and physical development.

Early Childhood Australia strongly supports the introduction of this scheme. CEO Pam Cahir says: 'This is the most robust commitment to children's early development the country has ever seen ... a great first step for children and families.'

Award for contribution to Indigenous education

Nominations now open!
The Arthur Hamilton Award for Outstanding Contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education is in recognition of Australian Education Union (AEU) members who are committed to ensuring that all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have the right to high quality education throughout their lives.

The AEU is dedicated to ensuring that all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have local access to a free, publicly funded education system, which affirms cultural identity, and enables Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to contribute to, and participate in, their own, and broader society.

Nominations close Friday 27 November 2009.

SNAICC responds to the National Early Childhood Education & Care Quality Reforms consultation

Submission in response to the RIS
SNAICC has prepared a submission to the National Early Childhood Education & Care Quality Reforms consultation Regulation Impact Statement (RIS). SNAICC's submission was prepared in collaboration with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Early Childhood Training Network.

Download the full SNAICC submission.

New children's health fact sheets available

Read and download new information
The Children's Hospital at Westmead has recently updated their fact sheets, which contain a wide range of free information and translations to help you find information relating to child health. You can also sign up to the mailing list.

Government investment in early childhood education

Making preschool services 'more available and affordable'
The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, and the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Child Care and Youth, Kate Ellis, have announced a new initiative for making preschool services more readily available and more accessible to families.

'The Universal Access initiative will ensure that by 2013, all children will have access to 15 hours a week of quality early childhood education delivered by a university-trained early childhood education teacher for 40 weeks a year, in the year before they start school.'

ECA Greenwatch

Reconnecting the world's children to nature
Take the time to read this paper, a 'call to action' which encourages us to help children reconnect with the natural world:

This document calls for a commitment to action in recognition that children and youth of the world benefit in many ways and across multiple domains of learning and development when they become more connected to the natural world around them.

The 'call to action' beckons families, educators, and community leaders worldwide to take action, to strengthen children's connection to nature – making developmentally appropriate nature education a sustaining and enriching, fully integrated part of the daily lives and education of the world's children.

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.

Positive child guidance (6th edition)
The newly released 6th edition contains updated content, new coverage of inclusion of children with special needs, expanded cultural coverage and updated listings of resources.

The encyclopedia of infant and toddler activities for children birth to 3
Hundreds of learning opportunities for infants, toddlers and two to three-year-olds, selected from a US contest as the best written by real-life directors, caregivers and teachers.

ECA calendar

3rd Australasian early childhood education for sustainability conference
22 – 24 October 2009
Darebin Arts and Entertainment Centre
Melbourne

The theme of this conference is 'Engage, empower, enact: Sustainability and the early years'.

The R.E. Ross Trust Seminar Series: Including Fathers
21 October
9:00am - 2:45pm
Laureate Room
Etihad Stadium (Formally Telstra Dome)
Melbourne

This seminar will consider the rationale for changing the way we deliver our services in order to ensure men are properly supported in their role as parents of babies and young children.

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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Let us know what you think ...
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Past issues of ECA WebWatch are available on the Early Childhood Australia website.

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ECA WebWatch – Issue 81, September #2 2009. © Early Childhood Australia.