By Deborah Hoger 13 Feb, 2025 Mother language day: Bringing First Nations languages to life in ECEC settings International Mother Language Day highlights the importance of linguistic diversity. This year, the 25th anniversary provides a special opportunity to focus on preserving and celebrating First Nations languages, especially in early learning settings. Early education Indigenous resource specialist and proud Dunghutti woman Deborah Hoger explores the topic. Read More
By CELA 10 Feb, 2025 Why beach kindy is the new bush kindy Could the beach be the ultimate classroom? This article explores the emerging trend of ‘beach kindy,’ highlighting new research on its benefits and practical insights from Clovelly Childcare Centre. Read More
By CELA 3 Feb, 2025 How we can create meaningful connections between home and early education Children bring a wealth of knowledge and experiences from home into early childhood settings. When educators recognise and build on these strengths, they create deeper connections that foster belonging, confidence, and continuity in learning. This article explores how educators can strengthen these connections through a funds of knowledge approach, which is described in the EYLF as a virtual 'back pack' of a child's life experiences and knowledge that they bring to a service. Read More
By CELA 17 Jan, 2025 Leadership focus: Setting foundations for success in 2025 January is a great time to lay down the groundwork for a successful year ahead. Experienced approved provider and CELA early education specialist Guita Badaoui shares her expert insights on leadership practices to help your team begin the year with strong foundations. Read More
By Cherie and Natasha Styles Street 14 Jan, 2025 Making culture visible and learning through reflective practice Many services are striving to deepen their respect and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and perspectives, yet this respect may not always be visible to families. Early childhood educators Cherie Longden and Natasha Bell from Styles Street Long Day Care share their journey of making Aboriginal perspectives more visible at their service, guided by Jess Sinnott of Koori Kinnections. They explore how fostering a culture of learning and reflection allowed them to engage children more deeply and meaningfully in the process. Read More
By CELA 16 Dec, 2024 Advocacy wins for early education and care: Government answers CELA's call to action Every day, CELA represents the interests of community and small provider members to local, state and federal decision makers. Our advocacy highlights our members’ issues and creates momentum to deliver solutions that support our five advocacy pillars. Find out about recent major ECEC announcements, and how CELA has helped to shape these transformative changes for the sector, paving the way for a brighter future for children, families, and educators. Read More
By CELA 9 Dec, 2024 The role of behaviour guidance in early education services We explore how behaviour guidance (rather than behaviour management), attuned relationships, and contemporary research can help educators in supporting children to navigate big emotions. Read More
By CELA 5 Dec, 2024 NSW Start Strong Funding 2025 summary Wondering what the Start Strong Funding 2025 means for families and early education providers in NSW? This article pulls out key elements of the NSW Government's Start Strong Funding 2025 initiative, which is part of the Affordable Preschool Program. It gives a summary of key features of the guidelines including fee relief, funding options for long day care and community preschools, and extra support for disadvantaged groups. Read More
By CELA 5 Dec, 2024 Early education employers sign historic 15% pay deal for early childhood educators and teachers Employers, educators and teachers signed the first national supported bargaining agreement with the Federal Government yesterday. Read a summary of what occurred and view the photos. Read More
By Jen Boddy 2 Dec, 2024 Why understanding neurodiversity is important for educators and children Understanding neurodiversity is to appreciate the multitude of differences in our human minds—and to build a world that embraces and supports everyone’s unique brain. CELA Early Education Specialist Jen Boddy explores what neurodiversity is, the benefits of understanding it, and how we can communicate with children about neurodiversity. Read More