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The latest in early childhood news

Making news this fortnight…Nominate someone you know for Reconciliation Australia’s 2021 Narragunnawali Awards; the federal government opens public consultation on the next National Plan to reduce family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia; and raise awareness and understanding of the importance of our sector during Early Learning Matters Week. SNAICC commences consultations for the next National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children; and ACECQA develops an online calculator for centre-based services to determine educator–child ratios.

Find the latest in state and territory news and jump down to read what ECA teams have been doing.


Narragunnawali Awards
Do you know an early learning service or school that demonstrates exceptional commitment to reconciliation in education? Nominations for Reconciliation Australia’s 2021 Narragunnawali Awards close on Friday 30 April! Click here to access the nomination form and read about award categories, prizes and past winners.
Future for women 
The federal government has opened a public consultation on the next National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children. It is seeking views from family safety advocates, organisations and people with a lived experience of violence through an online questionnaire, available on the Engage website.

Early Learning Matters Week   
From 26 to 30 July 2021, educators, parents, carers and community leaders around Australia will come together to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of our sector during Early Learning Matters Week. Explore how you and your early education service can get involved here.

Respect Matters   
The Australian Government has published online resources to help school students learn about safe, healthy and respectful relationships, including issues around consent and peer pressure. View the resources here

SNAICC consultations 
SNAICC has commenced consultations to inform the development of a new strategy to succeed the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children (2009–2020). The new plan will focus on reducing the numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care. Complete the online survey here.

Online ratio calculator  

ACECQA, working with all state and territory regulatory authorities, has developed a new online tool for centre-based services. It calculates the minimum number of educators a centre-based service must have based on the number and age groups of children.

In state and territory news...

In Victoria, Minister for Early Childhood Ingrid Stitt announced that close to 98% of all funded kindergarten services have signed up for the Free Kinder initiative.

A Queensland survey has found 1 in 4 children experiencing higher than average levels of anxiety symptoms.

Meanwhile, a Charles Darwin University study has revealed that the Northern Territory’s education model is not setting up remote Aboriginal students for success, but instead is keeping them marginalised and significantly behind other Australian students in academic terms.

A new sensory room to delight young children has opened at the Early Start Discovery Space in Wollongong, NSW. The space allows all visitors to engage in activities to stimulate touch, movement, balance, sight, smell and hearing.


Subscribe Now and Save
Don’t miss out on your chance to save on subscriptions to our popular Everyday Learning and Research In Practice publications: purchase before 14 May 2021 to receive 10% off.

New on The Spoke 
Using a ‘play-framework’ helps educators balance open-ended play with intentional teaching. Read more about the benefits in early childhood education in this piece on The Spoke. And check out the 2021 Book of the Year shortlist, which highlights uniquely Australian books to help children see themselves in their world.  

Wellbeing Matters
The ECA Learning Hub offers a two-part interactive webcast series where learners are introduced to embodying the concept of personal wellbeing. Learn about establishing a culture of wellbeing in your service—for yourself and your team.

Critical incidents resources
Educators will play a vital role in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children as they recover from the recent flooding. Our resources help you notice when a child may need extra support and provide strategies for talking with them and their families.

EcoSmart 
A sustainable standard for early education will support your team on its journey to a more sustainable community with the introduction of concepts, actions and resources to inspire all. Purchase it here.

Reconciliation Connect
Reconciliation Connect will give early childhood professionals an online opportunity to participate in sessions promoting dialogue, understanding and engagement and move forward with their reconciliation journey. Register here.


www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au
ECA WebWatch—Issue 353, April 2021.

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