Early education and care under review

Right now, the Productivity Commission is weighing up the future of the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector, delivering recommendations for the sector in October this year. Continue Reading →

Amarina’s got talent!

Rattler sees advocacy in action at Amarina Early Learning Centre in Airds, a disadvantaged south-western suburb of Sydney on the cusp of rapid change. The service is operated by Campbelltown City Council—a local government that understands how early education can transform communities and children’s futures. Ingrid Maack reports. Continue Reading →

A walk on the beach

When Karen Anderson visited nature kindergartens in Denmark, educators asked her where her closest natural environment was. Her reply was the beach, where she took the children just once a year. Upon her return, she began taking children once a week. Ingrid Maack profiles Balnarring Preschool, where a beach and bush program is making waves in the local community and beyond. Continue Reading →

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Step outside – why excursions are valuable

Excursions are valuable for everyone — children, educators and the community. Stepping outside the centre gate is not only an opportunity for children to see the world but also for the world to see what children’s services do. Ingrid Maack reports.

These days it is rare to see young children walking hand-in-hand in our streets and public spaces. As young children spend more hours inside children’s services and fewer services travel beyond the centre gate, children are becoming less visible in our communities.

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Connecting with children

Quality Area 5 of the National Quality Standard (NQS) focuses on respectful and equitable relationships between educators and children. Dr Leonie Arthur explores why educator–child interactions should always be respectful, responsible and reciprocal.

Relationships aren’t static; each day, our interactions shape and reshape them’ (Casper & Theilheimer, 2010, p.80). How do your interactions with children shape your relationships with them? Are there changes you can make that will strengthen these relationships?

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