As the EYLF is rolled out across Australia, early childhood practitioners are reviewing the document and thinking about their curricula and practices. Early childhood centres must look at the Framework in the light of their own communities; families and children; and practitioners. There is no one way of being, knowing and doing, or of interpreting the Framework and its outcomes. This diversity is especially evident in remote Australia with its many Indigenous languages and cultures.

USING THE EYLF IN REMOTE SERVICES

At Mutitjulu Child Care Centre, nestled in the shadow of Uluru, staff are working with Christine Tayler from Charles Darwin University in regards to the EYLF and what it means for planning and implementing programs for children in very remote communities. At the same time, Director Michelle Brownjohn and the childcare team are helping to build and trial a professional learning resource focusing on using the EYLF in very remote childcare centres and preschools.

The EYLF is for everyone, but it has to be meaningful and contextualised to work effectively. Concepts and practices become understandable and relevant when they are interpreted in context. In this case, the context is the very remote community of Mutitjulu.

Most children at Mutitjulu Child Care Centre are just starting to speak English. Their home and community language is Pitjantjatjara. Aboriginal staff at Mutitjulu speak both Pitjantjatjara and English - so most activities, stories and songs are bilingual. Implementing the EYLF must complement and strengthen this bilingual approach to development and learning.

DEVELOPING A CULTURALLY RELEVANT PROGRAM

Mutitjulu's learning activities are planned around the centre's routines. The 12 to 20 or so children who attend the centre on any day start early in the morning. They have breakfast on arrival and later morning tea, and then a hot meal at lunch time. Good health and hygiene is important to everyone. The early start means that the outdoor activities are run in the coolest part of the day. Temperatures soar to the high 30s, or mid-40s most days in the summer.

Mothers and aunties often come to thecentre with the children, and their skills are harnessed to support children's learning and ensure that it is culturally strong. Michelle and the Mutitjulu team plan the centre's program to build on children's culture and strengthen their sense of being and belonging. The EYLF provides plenty of opportunities to build rich relationships, interactions and connections with culture. Mutitjulu children love the usual range of activities designed to promote early learning. These are complemented by and infused with activities that focus on key aspects of community and family ways of knowing and doing. When thinking about how best to implement the EYLF in very remote communities, locally relevant activities provide examples of good practice around each Outcome. For example, Christine Tayler has pinpointed activities growing from a Witchetty Grub digging expedition to illustrate ways children and families can build knowledge together.

THE EYLF SUPPORTS PLANNING FOR LEARNING

Michelle Brownjohn came to Mutitjulu in early 2009 and plans to stay. She loves the community - the children, her staff, the centre and the ever-changing desert landscape. She wants to work with her staff, families and children in the most effective way possible. The EYLF gives a clear structure for this intent. Michelle and her team plan their learning program together. They want children to be confident and competent learners. The ELYF guides and supports planning for learning so children explore their environments, connect ideas and build relevant knowledge in educationally significant ways.

Mutitjulu people have a rich culture with many skills that reflect a close connection with their central desert homeland. They want to pass these on to their children and the EYLF respects and celebrates this goal.

STRENGTHENING RELATIONSHIPS

Working in partnership with families is central to the EYLF. At Mutitjulu, mothers and aunties come to the centre with their children most days. They play and learn together, tell stories, sing and do paintings.

The EYLF focuses on building and strengthening relationships and partnerships with families and communities. It highlights the need to harness local cultural traditions and practices to nurture the skills needed for a smooth start to school. In very remote communities this means using children's home languages for learning new concepts, routines and school ways. The EYLF guides educators in preparing children for the transition to school.

IMPROVING PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

As preschools and childcare centres in remote Australia roll out the EYLF, they are seeing ways it can be linked to certificate courses in children's services. Many of the planning and programming concepts in the EYLF link directly with VET children's services certificate modules. Mutitjulu Child Care Centre staff are planning to improve their qualifications as they unpack and implement the EYLF. In doing this, they strengthen both learning opportunities for children and their own professional skills.

Mutitjulu Child Care Centre is run by Frontier Services, under the auspice of the Uniting Church. Frontier Services is a major provider of community services in remote Northern Australia.

Alison Elliott Charles Darwin University

Every Child magazine - vol. 16 no. 2, 2010, p. 26