Early education and care: relationships in focus

The latest issue of Rattler magazine for Community Child Care Co-operative (NSW) has hit the desks of early childhood education and care educators and advocates and, as usual, is full of inspiring, informative and thought provoking articles to stimulate professional development in the sector.

Continue Reading →

Once upon a time in Canberra

The federal election is coming and Labor’s game of musical chairs is over. Eddy Jokovich reflects on the past three years of government and what the sector can expect from the political process in the future.

Continue Reading →

kate ellis and adrian piccoli

Kate Ellis and Adrian Piccoli discuss Early Childhood Education and Care

Rattler had a front-row seat as more than 200 members turned out at the Sydney Masonic Centre to hear Kate Ellis, Minister for Early Childhood and Childcare, and Adrian Piccoli, NSW Minister for Education, tackle the sector’s hottest topics.

Continue Reading →

Facebook: Share, and share a Like

No matter if you use it to share your service’s rich history or to highlight news and events taking place day-to-day, Facebook offers a very affordable tool to stay in touch with your community.

Camille Howard talks to three services embracing the social media tool to stay in touch.

Continue Reading →

Early Childhood Education and Care – no boys allowed?

According to the latest statistics from the Productivity Commission, the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector collectively employs around 140,000 people, of which only 3 per cent are male.

That’s just 4,200 men across the whole country. Practically an endangered species.

Continue Reading →

Q&A with Helen Conway: Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace

As director of Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace, Helen Conway is leading the charge to address gender bias in the workplace.

She talks to Rattler about her efforts to ensure that equality becomes a reality.

Continue Reading →

Asylum seekers – the sad state of affairs

The site of Senators Kate Lundy and George Brandis slugging it out on Monday night’s episode of Q&A on ABC Television pretty much summed up the sad state of affairs in the national political debate on asylum seekers – lots of talk, argument, grandstanding, pontificating, blame, but not much listening.

This, of course, is not an issue that is going to go away quickly, and there are no easy solutions for the ALP, politically speaking.

Continue Reading →

University of Western Sydney: Combine & Conquer

Faced with dwindling enrolments and sagging bottom lines, the University of Western Sydney had to do something pretty significant to turn five campus-based long day care centres into thriving not-for-profit services. By Camille Howard.

When you look at the education and care provided at the University of Western Sydney (UWS) Hawkesbury campus today, it’s a very different picture than the one on show as recently as 12 months ago.

Continue Reading →

The Shadowcatchers arrives at last!

The long wait is over! Our largest project in over a decade, The Shadowcatchers, was released on May 31, and launched at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. The Shadowcatchers is a 288-page large format book, and ARMEDIA designed, produced and managed the publication on behalf of the Australian Cinematography Society.
Continue Reading →

NQF: Reflective journeys

Rattler talks to a DEC preschool, a community-based service and private long day care centre about the long and winding road to quality improvement. By Ingrid Maack.

The past three years has been an era of rapid change and reflection with children’s services using the reform agenda as a road map to raise quality and drive continuous improvement. Even while still in its draft form, many services began engaging with the National Quality Framework (NQF)—turning the mirror inwards, so to speak, and sparking a spirit of self-study and reflection that is effectively reshaping the sector.

Continue Reading →