Early Childhood Australia


View the html version of WebWatch online.

ECA Website ECA Membership

The latest early childhood news!

In this issue, Early Childhood Australia (ECA) acknowledges Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education and Development, the Hon Kate Ellis MP, who has announced her retirement from federal politics at the next election; the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) has released its Policy Position Statement; the 'stop it at the start' campaign promotes having a conversation about respect with boys and girls today; and a key group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are leading a shift in child protection practice. In other news, ECA supports the immunisation of children to keep them and others safe; and an analysis of the Turnbull Government's Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) apps has found that children are grasping foreign languages quickly. A number of conferences and events are also in the pipeline for this year: the 2017 World Forum in New Zealand from 9–12 May; the Reggio Children's Hundred Languages of Children Exhibition from February to July 2017 in Melbourne; National Ride2School Day this Friday 17 March; the Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) 2017 Early Childhood Conference from 2–3 August in Brisbane; and the 2017 Queensland Early Education and Care Conference from 16–17 June, also to be held in Brisbane. You can also view a special International Women's Day webcast featuring ECA CEO Samantha Page; and a new practitioner resource has been released from Child Family Community Australia (CFCA). And finally, we fill you in on the latest state and territory news.

Jump down to find out what the various ECA teams and projects have been up to and the new resources available for the early childhood sector.

Policy Position Statement

The Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) has released its Policy Position Statement, Achieving Stability for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children in Out-of-Home Care. This resource details concerns about expedited permanent care as well as solutions following a human rights based approach. You can read the full position statement here.

Learning languages in lightning speed

A new independent analysis of the Turnbull Government's Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) apps has found children are grasping foreign languages more quickly using this play-based program rather than conventional measures like flash cards. Languages include Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese and Spanish.

Leaving a solid legacy

Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education and Development, the Hon Kate Ellis MP, has announced her retirement from federal politics at the next election. Early Childhood Australia (ECA) CEO Samantha Page has acknowledged the significant contribution of Ellis, including overseeing the National Partnership Agreement on Universal Access to Preschool.

ACEL 2017 Conference

The Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) 2017 Early Childhood Conference will provide delegates with an opportunity to develop their professional knowledge by engaging with international and national leaders through the themes of 'Inform, Create, Realise'. The conference will be held from 2–3 August at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

World Forum in NZ

Join 800 early childhood professionals from more than 80 nations for a life changing experience at the 2017 World Forum in New Zealand. The theme of the event is Sustainability—sustaining childhoods, families, organisations, the planet, each other and ourselves! The event will be held from 9–12 May in Auckland.

Leading a shift in child protection practice

A key group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders are playing a central role in guiding, monitoring and reviewing progress under the Third Action Plan of the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children 2009–2020. Click here for more information.

National Ride2School Day

This Friday 17 March is Bicycle Network's National Ride2School Day, where at least 350 000 students from more than 2000 schools across the country will be getting on their bikes and going to school the healthy way—it shows students just how fun and easy it is to ride, walk, skate or scoot to school. Register today!

Stop it at the start

The cycle of violence starts with disrespect, and the excuses we make only allow it to grow. It's easy to make casual comments to our kids without realising their impact. Let's 'stop it at the start' by having a conversation about respect with boys and girls today. For more information about the 'Stop it at the start' campaign, click here.

Celebrating children

Taking place in Brisbane from 16–17 June, the 2017 Queensland Early Education and Care Conference attracts more than 700 early childhood professionals. The theme of this year's conference is 'Sparking Curiosity, Celebrating Children and Exploring Leadership'.


	Free webcast! Leading women speak out on how federal laws will impact women and children

	Watch the free webcast of the dynamic discussion between ECA CEO Samantha Page, ACOSS CEO Cassandra Goldie and Professor Marian Baird from the University of Sydney's Women, Work and Leadership Research Group, moderated by Women's Agenda Contributing Editor Georgina Dent. A frank discussion of how the proposed Omnibus Bill combining the Child Care Package with Paid Parental Leave, Family Tax Benefits and other welfare cuts unfairly disadvantages Australian women and children.


	New practitioner resource

	A new practitioner resource from Child Family Community Australia (CFCA), Evaluating the outcomes of programs for Indigenous families and communities, outlines key considerations for community sector organisations and service providers who are thinking about evaluating the outcomes or impact of a program for Indigenous families or communities.


	Exhibition on now!

	Hosted by Guardian Early Learning Group, Reggio Children's the Hundred Languages of Children Exhibition is on display in Melbourne from February to July 2017. Travelling the world for the past 35 years, this exhibition documents the incredible capabilities of children as seen through the pedagogical journey of the infant–toddler centres and preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy.


	Vaccination—ECA’s position

	Following on from Prime Minister Turnbull’s vaccination comments on the weekend, ECA supports the immunisation of children to keep them and others safe. We also support the right of all children to access early childhood education and care. Children should not be excluded or ostracised because of the choices of their parents. We believe that the government should be taking a multi-layered approach to improve vaccination rates through a well-funded public health campaign on vaccination to ensure that more information is available to the community.


	In state and territory news ...

	Tens of thousands of Victorian families will benefit from better quality early childhood services; the State Government has appointed Ms Helen Connolly as South Australia's first Commissioner for Children and Young People; in the Australian Capital Territory, the Children and Youth Services Ministerial Advisory Council has been re-appointed for a further 12 months; the New South Wales Central Coast will be the next community to benefit from an $11 million early intervention pilot aimed at helping children with disruptive behaviour disorders; and the first urban Families as First Teachers (FaFT) program is in action in the Northern Territory.

New modules

The ECA Learning Hub is celebrating the launch of two new modules—'STEM in early childhood' and 'Working with the ECA Code of Ethics'. Coming in April, ‘Literacy in early childhood’ looks at constructing practical literary learning experiences to enhance the development of words and languages in early childhood.

Building relationships

On the Early Learning: Everyone Benefits Facebook page you can view ideas and tips for educators and parents on how to support children to develop the social and emotional skills to form friendships. Tips on how to build relationships between parents and educators are also available. Click here for more information.

Professional development

A large amount of social and emotional learning takes place in the first five years of a child's life, which impacts on mental health and wellbeing. Services play an important role in offering a range of appropriate learning experiences and practice opportunities that promote social and emotional development. Learn more about this topic here.

Building partnerships with families

Tune into the next Early Years Connect webinar, 'Building partnerships with families', presented by Trisha Dean at 12.30 pm (AEST) on Tuesday 21 March. Register today by clicking here. This webinar is free for all staff, approved providers and governance bodies of Queensland-based ECEC services.

ECA's blog

What if? by Dr Luke Touhill explores intentional teaching and how it matters to educators and to the children they work with. It draws attention to children's social development and not assuming that friendships will 'just happen'. Touhill presents a number of questions to readers, including: 'What if we prioritised relationships as central to our curriculum?'

Travel subsidy

ECA's Reconciliation Symposium is fast approaching; we recognise that some individuals and organisations may find it difficult to participate due to limited resources and travel. ECA is offering a subsidy to assist in the cost of travel. To check eligibility and complete the application form, click here to email the events team no later than COB 7 April 2017.

Become an ECA Member today: Learn more

Subscribe to ECA publications today: Learn more

www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au
webwatch@earlychildhood.org.au

You are receiving this because you are a current subscriber.
Subscribe to our list | Unsubscribe from this list

Early Childhood Australia disclaimer
The opinions expressed in the articles and external links are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Early Childhood Australia.

ECA WebWatch—Issue 255, March 2017.