Amplifying Quality Education & Care

Research tells us that gratitude promotes well-being and life satisfaction, but is the practice of gratitude appropriate for very young children?  

To find out more, we speak to gratitude advocates and CELA members Kathy Phipps (Director of Narooma Preschool) and Ying Bean (Director of The Ridge Preschool and Childcare Centre). 

Every year on 4 August, Australia celebrates National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day (Children's Day). This is a national day dedicated to celebrating First Nations children and recognising the importance that culture, family and community play in the life of every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child. 

Deborah Hoger, a proud Dunghutti woman and early years Indigenous educational resources specialist, shares what this year's theme means, and why every service should celebrate this day.  

In June, the New South Wales Government announced landmark funding of $5.8 billion over ten years to deliver one year of play-based early learning in the year before school.  

We recently interviewed Minister Sarah Mitchell about the initiative. She explained that she had visited Ontario, Canada, a few years ago to learn how similar reforms were implemented. "There are a lot of similarities between that part of the world and NSW, in terms of geographical spread and Indigenous population," Minister Mitchell told us, noting that Ontario offered a good comparison. 

We explore what universal pre-kindergarten looks like in Ontario, including the challenges and successes for children and the workforce.