Posts

No Jab, no p(l)ay

No Jab, no p(l)ay

No Jab, no p(l)ay: The ethics of vaccination for early childhood educators Catharine Hydon in Conversation with Trent Moy Over the past 18 months of this global pandemic, early childhood educators have navigated a myriad of ethical challenges.…
Music in early learning

Music in early learning

Inspired by the comments on my previous post, I wanted to write about the practical ways in which educators can facilitate teaching of music in early learning settings. There is growing evidence about the numerous benefits of teaching children…
Indigenous food nourishes connections

Indigenous food nourishes connections

When we take authentic steps to embed Indigenous perspectives into our teaching practices, we invite children to construct their own relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges. For educators, this opens a world of opportunities…
Does early learning matter enough in Australia?

Does early learning matter enough in Australia?

Does early learning matter enough in Australia? Well, it definitely matters for children who thrive when they can learn through play. It matters to families who value the benefits for their children, as well as it because it enables them…
The industrial worth of early childhood educators

The industrial worth of early childhood educators

Industry … it is a word I have heard spoken in and about early childhood education and care (ECEC) since I first began working in ECEC centres 20 years ago. I have never liked it (to the point of visibly cringing mid-way through a conversation…
It’s time for us to have our say in the Approved Learning Frameworks update

It’s time for us to have our say in the Approved Learning Frameworks update

Governments across Australia have engaged Macquarie University, Queensland University of Technology and Edith Cowan University to lead the 2021 National Quality Framework Approved Learning Frameworks Update project. The aim is to ensure the…
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…
Documentation: Do you document too much, too little or too late?

Documentation: Do you document too much, too little or too late?

ECA recently launched a new series of Learning Hub modules on Digital Documentation and Technology in collaboration with Storypark. We note here that there is no requirement to use digital documentation and if settings choose to engage in digital…
Empowering the child in 2020

Empowering the child in 2020

‘Children leave the caregiver; the caregiver does not leave the child.’ Who would have thought that a global pandemic would lead to a world where social normality and early childhood practice was completely transformed? In early childhood,…
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…
Partnerships with families of young children with disabilities

Partnerships with families of young children with disabilities

Educators are in positions of enormous privilege in the relationships they share with young children and their families. Such relationships are built on trust and respect, even when early childhood education and care may also be a necessity…