Amplify! Blog

A new Australian book called The Big Book of Festivals inspires people to learn more about the different ways people celebrate around the world. Amplify talks to Tasmanian authors Marita Bullock and Joan-Maree Hargreaves about the inspiration behind this new book which covers events from tomato-throwing parties to fire-walking ceremonies, crying baby competitions and the biggest bathing festival on Earth.

Children’s author Victoria Mackinlay shares how developing storytelling skills can benefit young children, along with some practical and inspiring ideas for how to facilitate storytelling in your centre.

We take you through what the NQF CRIS is trying to achieve, and ask for your opinion on the topic of the workforce.

In this article, we explore the pros and cons of personal mobile devices of all kinds being present in early learning environments, and some of the supervision concerns that arise from the presence of these devices.

As we move towards Autism Awareness Day (Friday 2nd April), CELA Research and Policy Manager Megan O’Connell shares what the latest research says about autism spectrum disorder and how we can create an inclusive environment for children on the spectrum.

Journalist Adeline Teoh delves into the challenges we face as a country as we move into Harmony Week, and investigates ideas and resources we can share with young children in order to help move our country forward as a place where ‘everyone belongs’.

Sutherland Activity Centre Director Carena Hawkins (who celebrates 20 years at the service this week) shares learnings from opting into the NSW Department of Education’s online self-assessment process, along with the centre’s recipe for success.

Growing and nurturing a quality ECEC workforce is crucial if we want all Australian children to be able to access quality early learning. Consultations on the National Workforce Strategy are imminent, so the time is right to consider how we can enable our sector to attract, develop and retain a quality workforce.

Working with children and families often means that we are juggling competing demands and expectations, and sometimes this also requires us to deal with complaints when expectations haven’t been met, or when unexpected situations have occurred.

How do you feel about group time? Do you see it as a negative concept that takes away from a child’s autonomy and right to play, or a positive time for collaboration, connections and transition? Perhaps, like many aspects of early childhood education, it’s all about how we approach it.