Kate Reading to Kindy Children

Why I will always choose to teach in early childhood

Recently I was asked to speak at a career expo for pre-service early childhood teachers preparing to transition to the field. I guess the universe heard me loud and clear when I said I was ready to say ‘yes’ to new challenges and things…
The Leap

The Leap

Imagine traveling 2 plane flights and over 8 hours to your first teaching job- with little people who spoke a different language and who were from a different cultural background to you. You might be forgiven for thinking that the scenario…
‘Professional love’ in early childhood education: The transformative power of emotional connections

‘Professional love’ in early childhood education: The transformative power of emotional connections

The concept of ‘professional love’ in early childhood education and care has been gaining momentum as educators and researchers recognise its profound impact on young children’s development and wellbeing. Dr Jools Page, a respected expert…
Setting the record straight on misguided claims about ECEC and the value of qualified educators

Setting the record straight on misguided claims about ECEC and the value of qualified educators

The piece ‘Maybe childcare staff need fewer degrees?’ by Aaron Patrick in the AFR 12 July 2023 is both ill-informed and misleading. If you haven’t seen it, here is the abridged version – the commercial childcare industry is charging…
Early educators around the world feel burnt out and devalued. Here’s how we can help

Early educators around the world feel burnt out and devalued. Here’s how we can help

South Australia’s royal commission into early childhood education led by Julia Gillard has released an interim report. The key recommendation is preschool for all three-year-olds  (in a move similar to other states). But the report notes…
A story of self-care within early childhood education and care

A story of self-care within early childhood education and care

I was very fortunate to attend the Early Learning Summit hosted by The Front Project in Canberra late last year. On the journey home, I found myself reflecting on the conversations and future visions for our sector along with a lingering question:…
Empowered to impact change: Learning together through Communities of Practice

Empowered to impact change: Learning together through Communities of Practice

Early childhood education is a constant revolving door of new information, insightful understandings, complex perspectives and thought-provoking research. Our role as early childhood educators and teachers is to dive headfirst into this pool…
The voice of educators: Exhausted but hopeful

The voice of educators: Exhausted but hopeful

Early Childhood Australia (ECA) was invited to participate in the federal government’s Jobs and Skills Summit in Canberra from 1–2 September 2022 to represent the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector. Ahead of the summit, we…
ECA Communities of Practice: A unique learning experience

ECA Communities of Practice: A unique learning experience

A Community of Practice (CoP) is best defined as a space for individuals to interact and learn from one another in partnership with an understanding of sharing knowledge. Engaging in a CoP will allow you to not only deepen your knowledge on…
Words matter

Words matter

How do you talk about early childhood education and care? The words we use daily to describe early education matter. Professional language is one way to advocate and begin the changes necessary to support the work we do every day. If we…
AJEC 2022: Embracing challenge in early childhood research

AJEC 2022: Embracing challenge in early childhood research

It has been a busy and sometimes challenging year for many in the early childhood field. Educators have supported children and families through periods of lockdown, restrictions and uncertainty, while researchers, policy-makers, students and…
In the defence of care

In the defence of care

Consider the term early childhood education and care. In my experience, including the word care has produced some strong opinions within our sector. I have heard many times that if we are to strive for professional recognition as a collective…