While life is slowly returning to normal in many Australian states, there is still a high level of uncertainty. Early childhood professionals have navigated a pandemic, employment changes, extra duties and major funding changes. Educators may continue to feel stressed during this time. Mental wellbeing is even more important now than ever. Amanda Abel, a […]
Early childhood educators understand the importance of outdoor play: fresh air, vitamin D, gross motor development and connecting with nature. Health precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic have made outdoor play even more desirable, but getting outside in the winter months can be challenging. Children benefit from being outdoors in all but the most extreme weather […]
What was your childhood comfort item? For ECE Operations Manager Liz Pennings’ son Logan, it was his single bed-sized blanket. “Logan carried his single bed-sized blanket into the sandpit, around the classroom and even into the bathroom in his early learning setting. In his own time, he began leaving it behind. This was once he […]
Community Early Learning Australia has released a report that highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children, and the importance of early education in the nation’s recovery. We are calling for childcare support to continue to ensure vulnerable children do not miss out on vital care. “With so many families losing jobs and income, […]
In Australia, one in 10 infants now have a confirmed food allergy, with food-related anaphylaxis having doubled in the last 10 years. Food allergy week runs from 24 to 30 May, so we asked the team at Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia (A&AA) to share some key ways that early education services can manage food allergies […]
Opinion By Michele Carnegie, CELA CEO Early childhood education needs to be at the centre of governments’ economic stimulus package. During the height of the COVID-19 crisis we saw how vital early childhood education and care was to the essential workforce – it is now vital to the recovery. We want to ensure all children […]
How we can help families to facilitate learning through play while learning from home During the pandemic, many parents have been feeling stressed by the thought of having to continue their child’s early learning while in isolation. Some are trying to juggle work commitments while homeschooling children of multiple age groups, while others are becoming […]
The government has provided information about COVID-19 for NSW schools, universities and childcare centres including how to encourage good hygiene, social distancing, preparing for illness and communicating changes. But what does that look like in reality in an ECEC setting? In the second of our two-part series, we speak with a service in Lismore on […]
The government has provided information about COVID-19 for NSW schools, universities and childcare centres including how to encourage good hygiene, social distancing, preparing for illness and communicating changes. But what does that look like in reality in an ECEC setting? In this two-part series, we speak with services in southern Sydney and Lismore to find […]
“The longer that Australian schools remain closed or partially closed, the worse our gap between advantaged and less advantaged students will become.” Dr Leila Morsy In last week’s Amplify we shared why vulnerable children need ECEC now more than ever, but that need is not limited to early childhood. As Term 2 starts in NSW, […]
