By CELA 15 Sep, 2022

CELA launches new Micro Credentials self-paced learning

Many of our members say that their team have critical skill gaps – we can help you to fill them today.

CELA’s new Micro Credentials action key recommendations from Shaping Our Future – 10-year National Workforce Strategy. Micro Credentials are online, self-paced workshops that allow you to learn at your own pace and apply what you learn on the job straight away.

By CELA 12 Sep, 2022

Jobs and Skills Summit—Key ECEC takeaways

The Federal Government’s Jobs and Skills Summit was held at Parliament House in Canberra on 1-2 September. Its purpose was to bring together unions, employers, civil society and governments to address shared economic challenges. 

In the lead-up to The Summit, CELA participated in the Ministerial Roundtable on Early Childhood Education and Care Workforce Issues held in Sydney on 8th August, where we shared our recommendations with Minister for Early Childhood Education and Youth, Dr Anne Aly, and other key ministers. At the Summit, our sector was represented by Early Childhood Australia CEO Sam Page, who received contributions from CELA, ELAA (Early Learning Association Australia) and CCC (Community Childcare Association) in advance. Here we summarise key takeaways from The Summit and provide an update on our ongoing advocacy position.  

By CELA 2 Sep, 2022

Implementing The Resilience Project at Raleigh Street Community Children's Centre

The mental health statistics in this country were already confronting before the pandemic, but the impact of COVID, natural disasters and inflation have seen the incidence of people struggling with mental health climb substantially.   

In honour of R U OK Day (this Thursday, 8 September), we share Raleigh Street Community Children's Centre's experience with The Resilience Project, a program providing evidence-based mental health strategies for building resilience and happiness in adults and children.

By CELA 26 Aug, 2022

Should we be approaching digital technology like a trip to the beach?

When it comes to digital technology and children, the media often focuses on the physical, mental, and social well-being risks. This can leave educators and parents conflicted about how and when to support children's engagement with digital technology.  

A recent article from the Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child proposes that approaching children's engagement with digital technologies as we would a trip to the beach could provide an ideal framework for resolving the conflict.  

We speak with Professor Leon Straker, one of the article's authors, to find out what their framework could mean for the use of digital technologies in early education and care spaces.

By CELA 16 Aug, 2022

Workforce—What we are recommending ahead of the Jobs and Skills Summit

CELA CEO Michele Carnegie was one of twelve early childhood representatives invited to meet with Dr Anne Aly, Minister for Early Childhood, at the Ministerial Roundtable on Early Childhood Education and Care Workforce Issues held in Sydney on 8th August. The roundtable will feed into the Jobs and Skills Summit, which will take place in September this year.  

In this article, we share the recommendations that Ms Carnegie continues to put forward to the government and what we will do to keep these issues in focus as the Jobs and Skills Summit approaches.  

By CELA 9 Aug, 2022

Should we be teaching gratitude to the under fives?

Research tells us that gratitude promotes well-being and life satisfaction, but is the practice of gratitude appropriate for very young children?  

To find out more, we speak to gratitude advocates and CELA members Kathy Phipps (Director of Narooma Preschool) and Ying Bean (Director of The Ridge Preschool and Childcare Centre). 

By Deborah Hoger 29 Jul, 2022

Celebrating Children's Day 2022: My Dreaming, My Future

Every year on 4 August, Australia celebrates National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day (Children's Day). This is a national day dedicated to celebrating First Nations children and recognising the importance that culture, family and community play in the life of every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child. 

Deborah Hoger, a proud Dunghutti woman and early years Indigenous educational resources specialist, shares what this year's theme means, and why every service should celebrate this day.  

By CELA 26 Jul, 2022

What does universal pre-kindergarten look like in Ontario, and has it been a success?

In June, the New South Wales Government announced landmark funding of $5.8 billion over ten years to deliver one year of play-based early learning in the year before school.  

We recently interviewed Minister Sarah Mitchell about the initiative. She explained that she had visited Ontario, Canada, a few years ago to learn how similar reforms were implemented. "There are a lot of similarities between that part of the world and NSW, in terms of geographical spread and Indigenous population," Minister Mitchell told us, noting that Ontario offered a good comparison. 

We explore what universal pre-kindergarten looks like in Ontario, including the challenges and successes for children and the workforce.  

By CELA 14 Jul, 2022

What Old Enough! teaches us about child development

Japanese reality TV show Hajimete no Otsukai (My First Errand), rebranded as Old Enough! on Netflix, depicts toddlers being sent on their first complex errand.

We explore what the show says about society’s approach to giving children responsibility, and how its themes fit within a local cultural context. 

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