Welcome again to ECA WebWatch

Early Childhood Australia is proud of its advocacy work; work which has resulted in benefits to the e.c. field – such as this free e-newsletter, ECA WebWatch.

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This issue's links

Documenting and decision-making

Documentation (Supporting Best Practice)
Quality documentation of children's work and ideas contributes to the quality of an early childhood service. These links are from Early Childhood Australia's free web directory, Supporting Best Practice.

Documenting children’s work – a flow chart
This diagram charts ‘a natural decision-making process for documenting standards’, beginning at the point of ‘What is the standard I need to document?’ through to the conclusion when the standard has been achieved and documented.

Curriculum decision-making: Dimensions to consider (PDF)
The educational effectiveness of preschool relies on a program's curriculum, or the content of what children learn in preschool and how it is taught. This article provides a framework for evaluating early childhood programs.

Mixed bag

Peek-a-boo!
Children are explorers. They grab things, examine them, bang them on the floor, and drop them. It’s as if they need to discover the world around them (over and over again). This process, called hypothesis testing, is an extremely powerful way young children learn. It’s so powerful, in fact, that the world’s leading scientists use the same methods.

Myths and realities of Aboriginal life
The current media coverage about Indigenous Australians shows us that this article from 2000 is still highly relevant today. It challenges some common misconceptions about Indigenous issues – particularly in regard to human rights and equity in Australia.

Raising Children Network – parenting website
The new Raising Children website, which aims to provide Australian parents with valuable information, was launched on 17 May 2006 during National Families Week.

Early childhood events

Together a Partnership 2006 Conference
Weaving our children’s voices
7-9 September 2006
Crowne Plaza, Darwin
The three streams of the conference are: (i) Parenting – children’s first educators; (ii) New practices – for carers and teachers; and (iii) A healthy start is a good start. Presented by the Early Childhood Australia Northern Territory Branch.
Call for papers due 9 June 2006.

Males in Early Childhood Summit 2006
Blokes can do it as well
8-9 July 2006
Emma’s Long Day Care, 61a Narang St, East Maitland, NSW
A national gathering of men who are working and studying in early childhood – a first for the field in Australia. Come along and meet other men who are involved in this exceptional work, contribute your own stories and be inspired. Hosted by the Newcastle-based Males in Early Childhood Network Group.

Early Childhood Australia books