Welcome to our network

QECSN believes early childhood learning for sustainability is:

• about having a vision, thinking for the future, empowering change
• positive and practical
• learning for and about sustainability

QECSN aims to:

• provide a network of support throughout the state for the many individuals, groups and organisations working with young children
• provide professional development opportunities
• encourage sustainable practices in home and work environments
• advocate and influence policy development and legislation at all levels
• inform and promote sustainability in the design and content of tertiary education programs
• develop a recognition or acknowledgement of children as active citizens who are responsible for the present and future sustainability of the world

Background

Locally, the network serves as an exchange for teaching ideas and resources, conducts professional development and provides 'expert' advice to groups and individuals. Nationally, it is part of a larger network and is a respondent to national environmental education initiatives such as Sen Robert Hill's 1999 discussion paper Today shapes tomorrow: Environmental education for a sustainable future. Internationally, members of the network respond to requests for information from a growing range of postgraduate students.

QECEEN recently underwent a name change, and is now known as the Queensland Early Childhood Sustainability Network (QECSN).

New Events

QECSN Competition

Download the QECSN Competition Flyer - August 2011 to enter.

What's new?

Saturday 17 September, 2011

Mt Gravatt Kindergarten

Join us for an informative, practical and inspirational early childhood education for sustainability event. A dynamic program with engaging speakers and leaders in the profession.

To join us, please complete the payment and registration form and send the form to qecsn@earlychildhood.org.au

Links

Charters, Documents and Position Statements

Professional Organisations

Ecological Footprint Calculators

Sustainable Living Initiatives

Nature and Gardening

Museums, Botanic Gardens, Community Gardens and Environmental Centres

Green Cleaning, Green Homes and Fair Trade Organisations

Energy Conservation: Self Audit Information and Tools

Recycling and Composting

Water Conservation

Sustainable Transport

Australian Government Departments

Our Patron

QECSN is please to announce that Julie Davis has accepted the position of QECSN Patron. Julie has made significant contributions to sustainability in early childhood.

More information about Julie Davis can be found here.

Newsletters

QECSN Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 1

QECSN Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 2

QECSN Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 3

Conference/workshops

Creating Cultures of Sustainability: The power of early childhood education and young children to make a difference

QECSN professional development day.

The day started with an amazing and very moving Welcome to Country by Aunty Joan Hendriks. Aunty Joan came over from Stradbroke Island for the morning – she is the Chair of the Quandamooka Forum which represents the Quandamooka people who are the local Traditional Owners.

Our speakers were both provocative and inspiring and created a real balance between practical information, such as the presentations on ecological audits and indigenous planting to attract wildlife, and more theory based presentations that had a strong connection with curriculum and embedding education for sustainability in the curriculum and approach.

The professional development day was held at C&K Redlands Community Kindergarten. This was a supportive and inspiring venue for the event.

We also were also supported with grants from the Redland City Council (Mayors Small Grant), Moggill Markets and P&O Trans Australia (Queensland).

Centre's expressions of interest

Are you interested in sustainable environmental practices with young children? We would like to invite you to be part of a dynamic sustainability network group affiliated with Early Childhood Australia, the Queensland Early Childhood Sustainability Network- QECSN.

There have been a growing number of people involved in Early Childhood Education who are passionate about environmental issues, concerned about the effects of global warming and climate change, and who are engaging children and families in exploring and thinking about practical ways to make a difference.

If you are implementing sustainable practices in your centre (such as energy and water conservation, reducing waste, gardening and composting), or if you simply have an interest in sustainability and would like to learn more from like-minded colleagues, we would love to hear from you.

Contact us at qecsn@earlychildhood.org.au

Our aim is to build a strong collaborative network of support and inspiration for those who are working with young children by providing opportunities to share and learn together. We are planning to organize formal get-togethers, centre visits, workshops, and share initiatives, resource development and an informative quarterly newsletter.

We are currently inviting services to contribute to a professional development CD. If you are implementing sustainable practices and are willing to share your achievements with other services across Queensland, whether big or small, established or beginning, we would like the opportunity to visit your service to photograph your achievements. If you are happy to share your journey please contact the above email address.

We look forward to including you in these opportunities and celebrating your sustainability practices with the Early Childhood Community.

Anne Taylor
Secretary
QECSN Committee

Join the network

The Queensland Early Childhood Sustainability Network is for everyone who relates with young children (birth to eight years). It is for parents, teachers, group leaders and assistants, directors, owners of childcare centres, administrators, volunteers, play groups and any others interested in the early childhood years.

You can make all the difference! We are living in a time of heightened environmental awareness. The extent of our environmental problems has grown steadily more alarming to the point where many now agree that the natural world is threatened. Positive action is needed to ensure a desirable future for our children and grandchildren.

There are many ways we can effect positive change in our personal, family and working environments. Changes of attitudes and behaviours lead to savings for the environment, the community and dollars in the pocket. We can all effect changes in our homes, communities and in our workplaces through environmental education programs and through continual advocacy for environmental change. It is through re-educating ourselves and nurturing our young children that we can positively contribute to improving the state of the natural systems on which all life depends, thus ensuring healthy, sustainable futures for generations to come.

We have not inherited the earth from our parents ... we have borrowed it from our children.

What does membership include?

• Quarterly newsletter
• Opportunities to visit a variety of early childhood venues, preschools, green childcare centres, environmental education centres and resource centres throughout south-east Queensland or your regional network
• The collective expertise and experience of members
• A voice for lobbying for environmental education in early childhood
• Sharing environmental resource ideas, new products and events

Make the first commitment to change:

Membership costs per year:

	Individual	Service	Student
ECA members	$45.00	$80.00	$20.00
Non ECA members	$50.00	$90.00	$25.00

Join the Queensland Early Childhood Sustainability Network now

We also invite you to join our free email list so that you can 'talk' with others in our community and take part in discussions. Once you are subscribed, send messages to the list using the following email address: qecsn@earlychildhood.org.au

Twitter and Facebook

QECSN now has a page on both Twitter and Facebook. Look us up on Facebook or go to our twitter page at http://twitter.com/QECSN

Contact details: