The best of early childhood news!

Welcome to the latest issue of the award winning ECA WebWatch. Our feature item this week is children’s brain and behavioral development.

In this issue:

• quality childcare more important than cost
• Peter Garrett opens the Early Childhood Australia National Conference
• Kate Ellis addresses the early childhood sector at the Early Childhood Australia National Conference
• back to the great outdoors
• take part in Early Childhood Australia’s early childhood education and care survey!
• negative childhood experiences impacting in the brains of Indigenous children
• fish oil can boost children’s brain development
• use your words: do expressive language skills help toddlers self-regulate?
• new study claims ADHD 'has a genetic link'
• protect, nurture your baby's brain
• 'five-minute scan' to check child's brain development
• National Children’s Week
• National Nude Food Day—13 October.

Plus:

• your ECA Conference update
• your Early Years Learning Framework Professional Learning Project (EYLF PLP) update!
• ECA Greenwatch
• quality-assured early childhood resources

Your ECA Conference update

Early Childhood Australia would like to send a big Thank You! to all who attended, presented and helped organise the ECA National Conference. It was a successful event and we hope you all went home feeling inspired and supported. Please join our discussion board on Facebook if you would like to offer feedback from your experience, we would love to hear your thoughts.

If you haven't already found Early Childhood Australia on Facebook, you can join here, and help us create another way in which we can advocate for Australia’s children, raise awareness and recruit more supporters.

Quality childcare more important than cost

A new poll has found that 92 per cent of Australians think that the quality of early childhood education and care is more important than cost. Read the full media release.

Peter Garrett opens the Early Childhood Australia National Conference

Read Minister for Early Childhood Education, Peter Garrett’s opening speech at the Early Childhood Australia National Conference, in which he reaffirms, ‘all the major priorities commenced over our last term [in Government] will continue to be high on our agenda’.

Kate Ellis addresses the early childhood sector at the Early Childhood Australia National Conference

Minister for Child Care, Kate Ellis, takes the opportunity at the Early Childhood Australia National Conference to reiterate the Gillard Government’s commitment to the Early Childhood Reform Agenda, and to clarify the reasoning underpinning the Government’s manoeuvre to appoint two Ministers to the early childhood education and care sector. Read on here.

Back to the great outdoors

Scottish educational consultant and author Claire Warden, advocates for children to reconnect with nature rather than living second hand lives in front of the television or computer. Read Adelaide Now’s article, following the delivery of her keynote speech at the Early Childhood Australia National Conference.

Your Early Years Learning Framework Professional Learning Project (EYLF PLP) update!

Stay updated on the Early Years Learning Framework Professional Learning Project (EYLF PLP) by visiting our EYLF PLP site or look for the banner at the top of the Early Childhood Australia homepage and click through. Our forum has begun so come and be a part of the important discussion taking place!

Take part in Early Childhood Australia’s early childhood education and care survey!

We’re giving you a chance to win an iPad by taking part in our online survey from 30 September to 14 October. We want to hear your views about early childhood education and care, and the work of Early Childhood Australia. You can also take part in the survey by going to the link on the home page of the ECA website. Have your say!

Negative childhood experiences impacting in the brains of Indigenous children

Findings from the Koori Growing Old Well study have suggested that ‘negative early life experiences and lack of educational opportunities are having a major impact in the brains of Indigenous children, leading to a range of health and socio-economic problems in later life.’ Read the full article.

Fish oil can boost children’s brain development

This research at the University of Cincinnati revealed that fish oils boost brain formation and help with behavioural problems. The research found that Australian children are not getting enough fish oils, which may be affecting concentration and learning!

Use your words: Do expressive language skills help toddlers self-regulate?

Have a look at this study carried out at the Michigan State University, which suggests that in children, ‘symbols, particularly words, serve as mental tools to be used in service of self-regulation.’

New study claims ADHD 'has a genetic link'

This article provides a glimpse into a study which has found the first direct evidence of a genetic link to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Protect your baby’s brain

A study carried out by the Carnegie Corporation of New York found that brain development in children under 12 months is much more prolific and subject to the baby’s environment than previously understood. Read on here.

'Five-minute scan’ to check child's brain development

Thanks to a team from Washington University, children’s mental development can now be recorded using an MRI machine and a mathematics program, monitoring ‘maturation’ just like we do with height and weight. Read more here.

National Children’s Week

National children’s week is 23—31 October and celebrates the right of children to enjoy childhood. Find more information here. The Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development website offers a wealth of information, and lots of links to events and activities happening around Victoria during childrens week. Find out what's happening in your state!

National nude food day—13 October

Get your service/school involved in National Nutrition Week 2010 (10—16 October) by hosting a ‘Nude Food Day! Click here to register—it’s not too late!

ECA Greenwatch

Walking school bus

Start a walking school bus at your service or school—fight pollution and child obesity, and teach kids about road safety!

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.

Here are some book suggestions for those of you interested in reading more about inspirational ECA conference presenter Claire Warden’s outdoors approach, or for those of you interested in topics about behavioural and emotional difficulties:

The potential of a puddle

A celebration of excellent practice, The potential of a puddle defines the factors that create exciting and dynamic play areas that are used all year round, through a framework of opportunities based on a high-level of child consultation.


Understanding and supporting children with ADHD

Drawing directly from personal experience, this book suggests ways to improve behaviour of children with ADHD both in the classroom and at home.


A mind apart

A compassionate book which tells the stories of children with autism or Asperger syndrome, in order to help you gain a stronger sense of your child's experience, and support their growth and learning.


No biting: Policy and practice for toddler programs

A practical support for staff in handling biting amongst young children. The strategies given are for working with children, parents and other staff about this age-old but very challenging behaviour.


Everyday learning about getting your buttons pushed

This book shows you how to defuse buttons so you can be the caring, nurturing parent you always expected to be. It is about understanding what happens to you in the parent-child conflict, and provides advice on how to change your reactions so they stop interfering with your parenting.

ECA website usability survey

We need your help! We are asking people who use the ECA website for their opinions. Can you please spare a minute and answer our four simple questions? We'll use this information to make a better website. Please help us out with ECA's website usability survey.

Help us expand the ECA WebWatch community
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ECA WebWatch - Issue 99, October 2010. © Early Childhood Australia.