By CELA 27 Mar, 2022

Our 6 point plan for education and care, and how to have your say

Last week, peak bodies CELA, ELAA and CCC launched an ambitious 6 point plan designed to inform Government around how our sector can be reformed. The plan calls for better wages and conditions for our workforce, access to quality, inclusive care for all children, and a national workforce strategy. 

“Our 6 point plan supports children, families and early educators.” says Michele Carnegie, CELA CEO. “The cornerstones of our plan are two fully-funded days of early education and care each week, an investment in quality and higher pay for the education and care workforce. Our plan is a blueprint for the government to ensure every child gets the best possible start in life. It means every child has the same opportunities, regardless of what their family earns or where they live."

Find out what our plan entails, and how you can get involved via our upcoming forum to help amplify the solutions we’ve put forward. 

By CELA 14 Mar, 2022

Understanding and responding to trauma following a natural disaster

So many of our members are dealing with devastating floods across communities. Members have shared harrowing stories of personal and material loss, fear and trauma. And we know many are now beginning to clean up and re-open.

CELA knows the important role your service will play in community recovery. We are here to support you through advocacy, by linking you with support services and resources, and by being an understanding voice on the end of the phone. This week we share insights from counsellor Jan Ryan on how to understand and respond to trauma following a natural disaster. We hope that this may be of use to you when you are ready. 

By CELA 8 Mar, 2022

Enough is enough - on IWD we call for urgent change in our sector

On International Women's Day we call for free access to early childhood education and care for families when they need it, in addition to improved pay and conditions for our sector. Find out how this can be actioned, and sign our petition to help bring about long overdue changes that will benefit all Australian women into the future. 

By CELA 21 Feb, 2022

How we can really hear children's voices using the power of active and reflective listening

Outcome 4 of the EYLF mentions the importance of listening carefully to children’s attempts to hypothesise and expand on their thinking through conversation and questioning, in order to help children to become confident and involved learners.

We take a look at how active and reflective listening can be used as tools to help us to hear what children are really telling us, in order to build even better and more trusting relationships. 

By CELA 21 Feb, 2022

Setting up an open playroom - why it's not about the 'things'

Have you heard about the concept of an open playroom and wondered how to get started? 

We spoke to Ruth Harper, Education Lead at East West Childcare and Kindergarten in Fitzroy, to find out about her view on open playrooms, and how her service has adapted to a more flexible approach over the past 5 years in order to empower children to make as many decisions for themselves as possible. 

By CELA 15 Feb, 2022

What our survey says: The impact of Omicron on long day care

Last week CELA launched a Pulse Check (a brief online survey) of long day care services, in order to find out how Omicron is affecting their service, teams and families. 

The survey asked about how the outbreak has affected enrolments, attendance, operations and staffing, what the current situation is with regard to staff vacancies, as well as seeking opinions  around RAT testing and how the outbreak is affecting team fatigue. The results will be used to inform our advocacy around these matters.

This week we share a topline summary of the results and make a plea to Government to address the ever present workforce issues that have only been exacerbated over the past two years. 

By Renee Irving-Lee 14 Feb, 2022

Is stranger danger still a concern? Where to put our focus when it comes to child protection

Every day, the safety and wellbeing of many children across Australia is threatened by child abuse and neglect. The evidence clearly shows that children are more likely to be abused by someone they know, rather than a stranger, which has led to discussions around stranger danger talks being outdated.

As educators, we play a vital role in the education and intervention of child abuse. So, should we still be talking about stranger danger? Or should we be focusing more on people within their family and social groups?

Award winning teacher and children's author Renee Irving-Lee shares her thoughts on the topic. 
 

By CELA 4 Feb, 2022

Australia-first STEM hub launched at Sydney preschool

CELA member Rise & Shine Kindergarten recently launched an exciting new initiative called the Orbit-Centre of Imagination, a children’s interactive STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) hub located behind their Summer Hill service in Sydney.

Children can explore ten exciting areas which include a 3D printer, microscope, discovery centre, lego zone and interactive sand box.  

We spoke with Curriculum Practice Manager Debbie Andriopoulos to find out more about the hub, which incorporates the principles of inquiry based learning and has been developed in conjunction with STEM PD provider Little Scientists. 

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