Recently the federal government released the National Framework for Managing COVID-19 in Schools and Early Childhood Education and Care. The Framework sets out six guiding principles to manage COVID-19 in schools and early childhood education and care settings. 

We explore what the framework means for ECEC services. 

Towards the end of 2021, it was announcd that the world's largest sand island is returning to its First Nations name; Fraser Island will now be known as K'gari. The local Butchulla people and indeed many Australians across the country celebrated this significant name-change, which sees Fraser Island renamed to a word meaning ‘paradise’ in the Butchulla language. Local people had been campaigning for this name change for many years.

Regular CELA writer and Indigenous early education resource specialist Deborah Hoger shares why using Indigenous place names can help reconciliation and healing, and how you can initiate this in an ECEC setting. 

Last week saw dramatic changes to how positive cases of COVID-19 are managed in ECEC settings. 

We explore what's driving these changes, what the current outbreak means for young children and ECEC, and share our joint recommendations to reduce the adverse impacts of the pandemic on our sector. 

There are many benefits to loose parts play including the development of fine and gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination, vocabulary building, practicing concentration and applying mathematical and scientific thinking. Combine those benefits with the budget-friendly concept of upcycling and you have the perfect match for an early education setting. 

Mandy Limb of Coonara ELC shares why her centre is passionate about loose parts, and inspires us with a plethora of imaginative uses for the wonderfully versatile cable drum.