Posts

Consent, body safety and the rights of the child

Consent, body safety and the rights of the child

In the past, the word consent has not been commonly associated with young children or the early childhood education sector more broadly. Dictionary definitions of consent emphasise giving permission for something to happen—in other words empowering…
Summing up a professional life #contributiontoecec

Summing up a professional life #contributiontoecec

Catharine Hydon speaks to Jean Eden who is retiring after 44 years in the early childhood sector. A chance conversation got me thinking. How does an early childhood professional sum up their career as they prepare to step into retirement? How…
Kindergarten funding, time for an ongoing commitment

Kindergarten funding, time for an ongoing commitment

Since 2013 children across Australia have been attending kindergarten for 15 hours each week. For eight years they have been the beneficiaries of a funding partnership between the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments. These children…
Why social justice is more important than ever

Why social justice is more important than ever

A commitment to social justice means taking responsibility for working individually and collectively to ensure that everyone has meaningful opportunities to participate in the economic, social, cultural, communal and political life of the nation. The…
ECA’s Federal Budget for early education

ECA’s Federal Budget for early education

Each year ECA prepares a pre-budget submission for the Commonwealth Government to ensure the views of the early childhood education and care sector can be incorporated into the Budget process. In late November 2020, the Assistant Treasurer…
Fostering girls’ interest in STEM

Fostering girls’ interest in STEM

Science and gender equality are both vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Over the past decades, the global community has made a lot of effort in inspiring…
Family trees and belonging walls

Family trees and belonging walls

As educators, we talk about fostering a sense of belonging and identity within our services and communities—one way we do this is through the use of photo displays. Reflecting on this in relation to how we display images of ourselves, our…
Honouring educators

Honouring educators

Each year hundreds of Australians receive Australia Day Honours for the outstanding service and contributions they make to everyday life in Australia. This year, three notable Australians, The Honourable Jay Weatherill, Megan Mitchell and Professor…
Use your voice for change

Use your voice for change

With the widespread acceptance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional custodians of the land comes the simple proposition that we must change the date—the 26th of January is not an inclusive day of celebration…
The 12 days of Christmas (except when it’s more!)

The 12 days of Christmas (except when it’s more!)

‘Being a professional requires you to exercise pedagogical judgment—every day. It does seem though we now have a ‘Christmas’ curriculum and it starts early.’ Karen Hope encourages educators to reflect on more than just the art and…
Facebook reconciliation

Encouraging and courageous; the winners of the Anti-Bias Award

Early Childhood Australia recently had a first row seat to the online 2020 Anti-Bias Awards. The award, now in its fourth year, was created in partnership with MultiVerse, Social Justice In Early Childhood, and Early Childhood Australia.  Congratulations…
Free child care

Where is the child in the debate over free childcare?

This blog brings a practitioner view from the frontline. MEL ANGEL, an Adelaide-based teacher, learner and researcher working in the field of early childhood education writes about what she has seen and what she thinks since ‘free child care’…