High
sugar content
in commercial
baby food may
be a threat to
first teeth
and affect
food
preferences in
adulthood. The
World Health
Organization
(WHO) is
seeking a ban
on added
sugars in
foods for
children under
three years of
age. Read
more.
Mandatory
vaccinations
Parents
in Germany who
fail to
vaccinate their
children before
enrolling them
in early
childhood
education and
school could
face a $4000
(AUD) fine. If
the proposed
bill is
approved, all
children will be
required to
receive a
measles
injection. Read
more.
Family
tax surprise?
Families
filing tax
returns may be
hit with a
surprise debt.
The federal
government
began
reviewing
parents’
incomes to
check they
received the
correct amount
of childcare
subsidy. It is
anticipated
about a third
of the 1.1
million
families who
receive the
childcare
subsidy have
been overpaid
for the
previous
financial
year. Read
more.
Autism
treatment
research
New
research
suggests early
intervention for
suspected autism
at 12 months of
age can boost
language
abilities. While
autism is often
not diagnosed
until at least
two years of
age, the theory
is that if
responses are
made early
enough the
trajectory of
autism can be
aletered. Read
more.
Research
truths
A
recent report
showed quality
preschool would
deliver a
two-for-one
return on
investment for
Australia.
However, a chain
of events needs
to be in place
before the
economy gets a
return. Read
more.
Educator
shortfall
Currently,
half of all
early childhood
teachers in
Australia have a
bachelor degree.
However, new
modelling from
the University
of Melbourne
shows that
one-third of
preschools may
lack a qualified
teacher by 2023.
Read
more.
UPSTART
on TED
Millions
of children across the
United States don’t have
access to early learning
programs that prepare
them for kindergarten
and beyond. The UPSTART
Project plans to bring
early learning into the
homes of children in
disadvantaged
communities, at no cost
to families. Education
innovator Claudia Miner
shares how UPSTART is
setting four-year-olds
up for success. Listen
to her TED Talk here.
Drought
affecting early
learning
Parents
of children enrolled in
rural Queensland and New
South Wales early
learning settings and
schools say the ongoing
drought is putting the
future of rural
education at risk. Early
learning settings and
schools in
drought-affected areas
are beginning to
struggle financially,
and parents are worried
that if closures occur,
they won’t be able to
re-open. Read
more.
Long
term benefits of early
learning
A
study undertaken by
Price Waterhouse Cooper
(PwC), has found early
childhood education
plays a vital role in
short-term and long
term-development for
children. This research
confirmed children who
attend one year of early
childhood education are
more likely to achieve
better NAPLAN results in
Year 3 than those who
don’t attend early
childhood education. Read
more.
Have
your say on the future
of STEM education!
Are
you interested in
sharing your views and
experiences in an online
focus group on STEM
education programs? You
are invited to be a part
of the evaluation (even
if you haven’t completed
these programs) of
government-funded STEM
education programs
(including Little
Scientists, ELSA and
Let’s Count). The
evaluation process is
being managed by
dandolopartners, and
participants will be
informed of future
policies and funding
decisions. Learn
more.
Baby
equipment review
The
Australian Competition
and Consumer Commission
(ACCC) has commenced a
thorough safety review
on baby bouncers,
rockers and inclined
sleep products. The
review was prompted by a
United States Consumer
Product Safety
Commission report
showing that at least 74
infant fatalities in the
United States were
caused by bouncers,
rockers and
recliners—some of which
are available on the
Australian market. Read
more.
Did
you know ECA is
endorsed to
provide NSW
Education
Standards
Authority
(NESA)-registered
professional
development (PD)
for teachers
accredited at
Proficient and
Highly
Accomplished
Teacher? To
explore all
NESA-endorsed PD
available on the
ECA Learning
Hub, click
here.
Professional
love
Be
You shares
the importance
of baby
and toddler
mental health
in the early
years and how it
has lifelong
impacts.
Researchers Liz
Rouse and Fay
Hadley discuss
the
hotly-debated
topic of ‘Professional
love’, as
part of a series
on love and care
in early
childhood
education and
care settings.
Join
us virtually
If
you cannot be
in Hobart for
the 2019 ECA
National
Conference you
can still join
us online. We
are thrilled
to announce
that ECA is
offering
virtual access
via
live-streaming.
With our
virtual
delegate pass,
you can view
live-streamed
keynote and
workshop
sessions and
enjoy special
access to our
digital
exhibition
hall. Click
here to find
out more.
Share
how children
learn
Share
your great early
learning
activities and
provocations–to
promote Early
Learning Matters
Week. Take a
photo (that does
not identify any
children) and email
OR post it on
Facebook with
the hashtag
#EarlyLearningMatters
and tag Early
Learning
Everyone
Benefits. Read
more here.
Children’s
resilience
One
in 14 children
and young people
experience
anxiety.
Supportive
adults are a
protective
factor. Use the
Be You Anxiety
Fact Sheet for
ideas about how
you can help to
build children’s
resilience and
coping skills. Click
here for the
fact sheet
or explore
our Learning
Resilience
domain.
ECA
Events–save the
date!
2020
AJEC Research
Symposium
will be held
on 13–14
February 2020,
at Macquarie
University,
Sydney NSW.
Merimbula
Ethics in
Action
Workshop:
This half-day
workshop will
be held on
Thursday 24
October in
Merimbula,
NSW. Costs
start from
$148.50 per
person. Click
here to
register.
