There has been a spate of recent media reports concerning appalling conduct by workers in United States early education settings. Many of these reports have been picked up and shared by media outlets in Australia.
Editorial
Regular commentator against the need for investment in early childhood education Judith Sloan has once again questioned the need for Governments to invest in this area.
Continue reading “OPINION: Where access to early education conflicts with conservative values”
A new report card examining a wide range of child and youth health, wellbeing and education data reveals that Australia is doing worse than, or only meeting, the international average in two-thirds of indicators.
Continue reading “New report shows Australia continues to fall behind in children’s outcomes”
A new, national radio station overseen by the ABC represents a huge opportunity to shift the conversation in Australia away from “childcare” to early childhood education.
Questions are vital in our work with children. The Early Years Framework (EYLF) and the Framework for School Age Care (FSAC) encourage us to view children’s learning holistically – not as a block of knowledge to be “transmitted” to each child, but as a complex creation of relationships, interests and meaning.
This has been tough to write, and has taken me many months of thinking to put down. I know that the words I write here will be misinterpreted, misunderstood, or even seen as some sort of grandstanding or attention-seeking.
I can’t help any of that, but I need to quickly say these things.
Over the last couple of years I have turned down opportunities to speak or write about challenges for men working in early childhood.
I want to explain why, and why I will continue to do so.
Continue reading “OPINION: It’s time for men in early childhood to advocate for women”
The long-running pay equity case before Fair Work Australia claiming early childhood educators are underpaid due to gender has been dismissed.
Last week I was speaking with the parent of a child who will be transitioning to a Preschool closer to home this year. This child has been attending the centre I work at, Treehouse in the Park, since she was a baby and it will be very sad to say goodbye to this family.
Continue reading “OPINION: “Teaching of sorts” – valuing teachers in the first five years”
Early childhood educator’s union United Voice have escalated their campaign for professional wages, announcing that educators around Australia will walk off the job on March 27.
Continue reading “Early childhood educators to walk off the job in March, highlight low wages”
It’s hard to tell which part of Simon Birmingham’s announcement that Federal Government funding for Australia-wide preschool causes the biggest eye-roll.
The two clear frontrunners are: 1) That the Education Minister is seriously using the word “commitment” to describe the fifth short-term shot of funding his Government has announced since they took office; and 2) That the Education Minister seriously expects us to believe the Government values the research and evidence on the importance of early education.