Children are growing up in a world where anxiety levels have increased, self-confidence has dropped and views on healthy body image have been distorted. How can we inspire young children to have the confidence in themselves to be smart, strong and kind on their own terms and plant the seeds of valuing the things that […]
National Child Protection Week runs from September 6-12. This year, event host National Association for Prevention of Child abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) celebrates 30 years of National Child Protection Week with the theme ‘Putting children first’. Early childhood consultant and child advocate Nicole Talarico shares how we can embrace putting children first, and what we […]
Around Australia, many children are having to visit respiratory clinics instead of their regular family doctor. They may need to undertake a COVID-19 test. This can be confronting to young children, who may arrive to see large tents full of unfamiliar people with clipboards, wearing face masks and other protective clothing. After speaking to a […]
Across Australia, hundreds of thousands of children are attending their final year of early childhood education and care, before starting primary school. This is an important year for four-year-olds, where they continue to develop skills that will assist them in transitioning to school. These skills include playing with other children, regulating emotions and participating in […]
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 […]
