Posts

Body, gender, and sexuality diversity in early years education

Body, gender, and sexuality diversity in early years education

At the 2022 Early Childhood Australia National Conference, there was a noticeable interest in body, gender and sexuality diversity (BGSD). BGSD interests are relevant to all early childhood education and care settings. Identity, including…
Dear Prime Minister: Raising the child’s voice in early childhood education and care

Dear Prime Minister: Raising the child’s voice in early childhood education and care

When the educators at C&K Salisbury Community Kindergarten set themselves a challenge at the start of 2022 to explore Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) through play, it led to the inspiring culmination of the…
Listen to young people: The impact of our voices

Listen to young people: The impact of our voices

Dean Parkin is from the Quandamooka peoples of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) in Queensland. Dean was closely involved in the process that resulted in the historic Uluru Statement from the Heart and continues to advocate for constitutional…
Leading play-based pedagogies

Leading play-based pedagogies

In this article, Lennie Barblett, Sandra Cheeseman and Catharine Hydon emphasise children’s right to learn through play no matter the age. Additionally, they suggest that all educators lead and be articulate in their advocacy of play-based…
Creative arts in early childhood

Creative arts in early childhood

Artistic pursuits such as music, dramatic play and the visual arts contribute to how children understand creativity and develop their own sense of identity. Popular theories in this field suggest that children’s artistic abilities are often…
Agency is so much more than choice and voice

Agency is so much more than choice and voice

Agency is a concept that is familiar, but not always well understood in early childhood education and care (Burr & Degotardi, 2021). Whenever agency is made reference to in early childhood publications, the standard definition in the Glossary…
Being aware of what children hear and see

Being aware of what children hear and see

Since 2017, more than 110 countries have experienced significant protests[i] and Australia is no exception. As COVID-19 vaccination rates continue to rise in Australia, anti-vaccination mandate protests have been growing in response to a perceived…
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…
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…
2020—the year that wasn’t…

2020—the year that wasn’t…

Has 2020 had an impact on children’s learning? Catherine Beckingham, an early childhood teacher from Melbourne talks about the interruption of children’s learning this year, what they’ve learned from spending time at home and what’s…
Ethics blog

Deconstructing early childhood practices

In this one blog, we bring you three perspectives on translating research into practice. Dr Andi Salamon, Leanne Gibbs and Mandy Cooke share their insights about using the ‘theory of practice architectures’ in three very different early…