Working with children and families often means that we are juggling competing demands and expectations, and sometimes this also requires us to deal with complaints when expectations haven’t been met, or when unexpected situations have occurred. Most of us will have to deal with complaints at some point, but if we have a strategy in […]
Growing and nurturing a quality ECEC workforce is crucial if we want all Australian children to be able to access quality early learning. Consultations on the National Workforce Strategy are imminent, so the time is right to consider how we can enable our sector to attract, develop and retain a quality workforce. CELA Research and […]
How do you feel about group time? Do you see it as a negative concept that takes away from a child’s autonomy and right to play, or a positive time for collaboration, connections and transition? Perhaps, like many aspects of early childhood education, it’s all about how we approach it. Pedagogical Leader Karla Wintle shares […]
By Megan O’Connell, CELA Research and Policy Manager Amongst the many Government reports and inquiries conducted in 2020, one released in late 2020 received little attention. The Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training released a report on Education in remote and complex environments. This report builds on two previous reports, the Independent Review into […]
The biennial Little Scientists Early STEM Award celebrates early childhood services’ achievements in the areas of inquiry-based learning and child-led STEM exploration. In our final article about the 2020 award winners, we share a project focused around the wonder of bees, and one that grew from queries about a dumpling steamer into an exploration of […]
By Renee Irving Lee The language used in children’s books, movies, and TV shows has gradually changed since the turn of the century. Words that were once taboo for a young child’s ears are now commonly heard in popular picture books like The Bum Book, Poo in the Zoo, and No-one Likes a Fart. Have […]
The biennial Little Scientists Early STEM Award celebrates early childhood services’ achievements in the areas of inquiry-based learning and child-led STEM exploration. In this two-part series, we share stories from some of the 2020 winners, along with insights into how the children benefited from the experience, and why the projects stood out to the judging […]
Beth Sebesfi is an early childhood teacher and mother of three daughters aged 6, 4 and 2. From time to time she shares with us the professional insights arising from her personal experiences with children at work and home. Today’s story is a reflection on the impact of a surprise ‘double diagnosis’ of giftedness and […]
The Abecedarian Approach places a priority on high-quality adult-child interactions and children’s language acquisition. Research has shown that the approach can improve IQ and stimulate development in multiple domains. These interactions can even work to counteract the negative impact of growing up in disadvantaged circumstances. This week we speak with two Australian educators who are […]
A reflection by Stephanie Lynn Stephanie Lynn is an experienced early educator who is passionate about promoting meaningful educational experiences for children. She recently created a presentation to help educate teachers and parents about the benefits of process art over product art. Stephanie has kindly agreed to let us share it with you so that […]
