Early Edition Autumn - 2020

EarlyEdition AUTUMN 2020

Visit childcareconference.com.au to register for the ACA Qld 2020 National Conference!

Thriving in hard times The environmental essentials when planning spaces for children Leading with Purpose: Casting a shadow for the future

All Children Count

JOIN ACA Qld Australian Childcare Alliance Queensland (ACA Qld) is a not-for-profit, member-funded association representing the early childhood education and care sector across Queensland.

As the peak body we advocate for the interests of children and families and work on behalf of Approved Providers and operators to ensure that families have access to quality, affordable early learning.

ACA Qld represent more than 800 early learning (centre based, long day care) services employing approximately 12,500 educators, who educate and care for around 170,000 children and over 230,000 parents in Queensland as a reputable source of evidence-based advice to policy makers and a trusted source of practical guidance to service operators.

Who is a member?

3

3 3

Early learning (centre based, long day care) services both private and community run Large national providers Supporter members, suppliers of both goods and services to the sector

Why become a member?

ACA Qld membership return on investment:

Membership of Australian Childcare Alliance (National) expert policy & advocacy Heavily subsidised Policies including Procedures and Forms Listing of your service in FindChildcareNow.com.au Discounted professional development including conference pricing Low cost, high quality qualification training through your very own college, CAECE Free subscription to publications, Early Edition and Belonging and much more...

3

3

3 3 3

3

3 3

3

3 3

Industrial Relations information and advice through Employer Services worth over $600 Heavily subsidised Policies including Procedures and Forms, SAVE over $700 Two ACA Qld conference registrations, SAVE $528 1 Diploma qualification with CAECE, SAVE $625

Conservatively that’s over $2000 worth of savings and it’s only the start!

How do I become a member?

Visit qld.childcarealliance.org.au/membership to download the membership application form. Complete the form and return to our office via email qld@childcarealliance.org.au.

Follow ACA Qld

EarlyEdition AUTUMN 2020

Cover Photo: Early Education… An endless adventure

ACA Qld

Contents

Location: 11/6 Vanessa Boulevard, Springwood Mailing: PO Box 137, Springwood QLD 4127 Telephone: (07) 3808 2366 Fax: (07) 3808 2466 Toll Free: 1300 365 325 (outside Brisbane) Web: www.qld.childcarealliance.org.au Email: qld@childcarealliance.org.au

ACA Qld President’s Report

2

ACA President’s Report

3

Thriving in hard times

4

Culture of Grace: Holistic Culture

7

The environmental essentials when planning spaces for children

8

Member in the Spotlight – Abecedarian Approach at Robina First Early Learning Centre

10

Children are concerned about our environment

13

To be human is to be musical

14

What’s going on with our kids and what can we do about it?

16

Leading with Purpose: Casting a shadow for the future

18

Get to know your committee

20

CAECE Congradulates

22

Educator in Profile

24

Building Relationships – An investment for the future of our nation

26

Give your super a healthy boost

27

Supporter Members Directory

28

Disclaimer: Articles published in this magazine are published as a service to readers and should not be substituted for specific advice in relation to any issue.

While advertising in this magazine is encouraged, ACA Qld accepts no responsibility for the contents of the advertisements. Advertisements are accepted in good faith and liability for advertising content, goods or services supplied is the responsibility of the advertiser.

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE Executive

Committee Members

ACA Qld Office

President - Majella Fitzsimmons

Linda Davies

Rosa McDonald

General Manager - Brent Stokes

Vice President - Jae Fraser

Nicole Fowler

Katy Paton

Office Manager - Jen Smyth

Treasurer - Doug Burns

Kerrie Lada

Louise Thomas

Office Admin Assistant - Letitia Murphy

Secretary - Debra North

Pam Maclean

Brent Stokes

Marketing and Communications Officer - Brianna Salmond

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020

1

ACA Queensland President’s Report Welcome to the first Early Edition for 2020!

With the recent significant weather events, I trust you all had a tremendous and safe start to the new year! ACA Qld continues to be busy engaging with the Queensland Government and Department of Education including the new Workforce Qualification Assistance Grant, KindyLinQ, 2020 conference and in conjunction with your College CAECE, we delivered highly successful A&R workshops across the State. We are excited about our two upcoming workshops in March, Building A Team To Inspire The Early Learning Journey and Bringing Out The Best: Early learning behavioural strategies that work. For more information and to register please visit the ACA Qld website at qld@childcarealliance.org.au or contact the office on 07 3808 2366.

The State election on 31 October is potentially our single most important activity and focus for this year. We are excited to engage the team at Executive Counsel Australia, spearheaded by Managing Director, Jannette Cotterell who will collaborate and coordinate all our advocacy activities. Many of you will be familiar with Jannette who assisted with our advocacy activities around the Regulatory Impact Statement and 2019 Federal election.

We are conducting a day of advocacy in Canberra in late March and we trust that none of our policy asks are of a surprise to anyone, these include: • Kindergarten for 3 & 4 year olds, Universal Access funding and KindyLinQ • Greater alignment of the provision of services to support demonstrable need (supply) • Standardised school starting age • Workforce and more.

To ensure we are accurately representing our Members, we are conducting Member meetings across the State from 20 April. To register

2

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020

please visit the ACA Qld website at qld@childcarealliance.org.au.

This year’s ACA Qld National Conference theme is Early Education…

An endless adventure! We have an amazing line up of speakers including Anthony Semann, Dr John Irvine, Toni and Robin Christie, Dr Kaylene Henderson, Alina Dan and many more!

Our conference features our famous Gala dinner with this year’s theme “Under the Big Top”. We can’t wait to see the creative costumes you come up with! For more information including amazing speakers, program and to register, visit our conference website at childcareconference.com. au. Full conference package Early Bird prices start from ONLY $616 for Members, however, to take advantage you must register by 31 March.

I have had the opportunity to represent ACA Nationally on the ACCS (Child Wellbeing) communications group working closely with the Federal Government & Department. It has been rewarding to communicate Members/families concerns, witnessing these being actioned and resulting in communications such as flyers and information sheets for service providers and families.

Your volunteer committee members continue to work tirelessly representing ACA Qld Members in consultations including Fair Work Commission on industrial relations matters, Early Years Forums, Regulatory Authority advisory committee, KindyLinQ video stream, Refugee and Asylum Seeker Early Childhood Pilot, QKFS Requirements, ACA National teleconference, face to face meetings and submissions including Vocational Training, Family Assistance Legislation amendment and working with Supporter Members on Member only benefits.

I would like to thank all Supporter Members who attended our Supporters Evening late last year. It was another

amazing evening recognising the support during 2019. Many of you have supported ACA Qld for many years, and without you, we could not provide the level of support, advice, promotional, consultancy and advocacy work. We look forward to working with you all again in 2020 and seeing you all at our 2020 National Conference.

Membership renewal is fast approaching and we encourage you to renew your membership to continue receiving the amazing ACA Qld membership benefits! Stay up to date with advocacy, and access business support, professional development and training, resources and sector updates. Membership runs from 1 April to 31 March. All current Members should have received their renewal invoice via email, which is due for payment on or before 31 March. If you have any questions regarding your membership please contact our office at qld@childcarealliance.org.au or 07 3808 2366.

The amazing CAECE team has recently undergone some change; it was with both sadness and excitement that we wished Vicky Shearer all the best in her future endeavours. We are pleased to welcome Amanda Walker (Mandy) as our new Training Operations Manager. Amanda has over 20 years of experience in ECEC, starting as an assistant educator through to Area Manager before setting up a college in 2012. We are very excited to have Amanda join the CAECE family and look forward to introducing her to you.

Majella Fitzsimmons ACA Qld President

ACA President’s Report The passage from 2019 to 2020 has been an eventful one for the early learning sector, with the bushfires affecting many centres directly or indirectly, a continued supply shortage of EpiPens, and the possible spread of the coronavirus directly affecting centres in terms of dealing with families as well as staff.

We hope our Queensland members have received the support they needed if affected by these issues, and that our guidance (available at www.childcarealliance.org.au/blog) has been useful over the last few months.

ACA has been in close contact with the relevant government departments to discuss the needs of the sector in light of these external factors, their impact on the sector and how the Australian Government may be able to assist.

Issues with families being able to access the financial support they need in relation to access to early learning such as through Temporary Financial Hardship provisions were a part of these conversations. ACA encourages government support to assist families through any form of community crisis.

Meanwhile the new Bill called the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Building on the Child Care Package) Bill 2019, which aims to streamline the processes around the delivery of the CCS, excluding the increase in the 8 week rule to 14 weeks that took effect 13 January 2020 has not yet taken effect.

ACA submitted formal recommendations to the Government’s Inquiry into the new Bill and we will continue to engage with the government on this important matter, and keep members posted as updates come to hand. We are expecting the Minister’s Rules to be drawn up over the coming months.

In December ACA submitted a Prebudget Submission to Treasury, providing our recommendations on how we would like to see the early learning sector funded by government, along

with two formal submissions to the Productivity Commission.

One of these focussed on vocational training in the context of Review of National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development. Our recommendations aim to ensure that the available training meets the needs of the early learning sector. We’re very grateful to our members who provided their valuable feedback on this topic.

The second submission provided our response to the inquiry into mental health. ACA’s position is that any new government initiatives which require substantial involvement from the early learning sector should be funded appropriately to ensure that services do not have to absorb any new associated costs.

Following ACA’s support of The Little Rockers Red Nose Disco in August last year, which supports research and education for the prevention Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the people at Red Nose Day have reported that the early learning sector raised over $55,000 for this worthy cause in 2019. This is an extraordinary effort, and something we can all be proud of. We’ll provide details about the 2020 fundraiser as details come to hand, but if you’d like to get in early you can register at www.bit.ly/ RedNoseDisco2020.

On a final note I’m looking forward to meeting some of you at the ACA Qld 2020 Conference on the Gold Coast in June. It promises to be two days of valuable learning, engagement and of course fun!

You can access these online at www. childcarealliance.org.au/advocacy/ submissions.

Moving onto new submissions, ACA is currently working on our response to the Australian Government Senate’s inquiry into the services, support and life outcomes for autistic people in Australia and the need for a National Autism Strategy.

Paul Mondo National President Australian Childcare Alliance

In this context we’re keen to hear about whether you have adequate resources for children who may have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and what sort of additional government support might be useful.

We encourage you to complete our quick 5 minute survey at www.bit.ly/ ASDResources, and we thank you in advance for your support.

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020

3

Thriving in hard times Dr John Irvine, Child and Family Psychologist

I’ve been very impressed with the variety of ways early childhood educators have been addressing this increasing need to help kids unwind, slow their breathing and chill. Some do belly-breathing, some do yoga, some do visualizing of some calm scene or waves gently rolling in, many use music ... and the good thing is the kids love it.

In a little book I wrote “Helping young worriers beat the worry bug”, I’ve suggested lots of ways parents and educators can help kids handle anxiety and, in so doing, intercept the worry, anxiety and panic sequence, with ways to stay in control and mindful.

It’s a very buzzy, busy world our kids are growing up in… and the faster life gets, the more stressed we become.

Although we’re equipped with the most sophisticated thinking brain of any species, when we’re threatened, our amygdala in our arousal brainstem system takes over, shuts off the thinking brain and we’re reduced to fight or flight or freeze reactions only (see diagram below).

So here are just a few ideas from my little book “Helping young worriers beat the worry bug” to help children cope with anxiety. Feel free to use or adapt these to your own needs.

• Massage (eg the weather report) - massage on their backs starting with light fingers on their backs to represent light rain, then bigger sweeps over their back and shoulders to represent the wind, then cupping your hands over their back for the thunder claps etc • Music – especially light classical for thinking and concentration or just relaxation music (eg a track from the Smiling minds app) • The worry ladder – have children tell you their biggest worry and work down to their smallest worry – put the biggest worry at the top of their ladder and then start by having success at their smallest and working their way up • Water relaxation – as we all know, water is a great soother • Progressive body relaxation – starting from the toes and working up • The face lifter – a fun activity where you get the children to think of one of their worries, then ask them to smile – this tricks their brain into thinking they’re happy and then they will find it’s virtually impossible to think of that worry seriously

The good news is that by slowing our breathing and heart rate, unwinding and “chilling,” our amygdala gets the message that we’re okay, that we’re not threatened anymore, so it relaxes and allows our thinking brain to resume control – then we can enjoy learning!

4

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020

• Have a quiet or calming corner in your room where children can go and quietly play or read or talk to you about “stuff” But I’ve found that when children are able to share their worries and realize that those are normal, and when they can share ideas on how to manage those worries with other children, it takes an enormous weight off their shoulders.

Children can go and quietly play or read or talk to you about "stuff".

And let’s make no mistake that learning the skills of emotional understanding and management are second to none in equipping children for success in life. In one of the few longitudinal studies on the importance of emotional intelligence, Jones, Greenberg and Crowley, 2015 (American Journal of Public Health, 105(11), 2283-2290) studied 753 children in four study sites within the USA over 13 to 19 years. They reported “statistically significant associations between measured social-emotional skills in kindergarten and key young adult outcomes across many domains of education, employment, criminal activity, substance use and mental health”. The authors plead for more effort into early intervention in these “non-cognitive” areas to improve outcomes for tomorrow’s adults.

In a world that is changing so fast, what will best help our children to thrive will be not how much they know but how well they can adapt, how well they get on with others and how resilient they are after a set-back – in other words how emotionally clever and confident they are. Let’s get our preschoolers off to a flying start that will last their lifetime by giving them the skills to be confident, adaptable, happy and caring human beings.

See Dr John Irvine at the ACA Qld 2020 Conference!

“Mummy only let me pack Teddy and Tiger and I had to leave all my other dolls” Selene sobbed to Marika, her teacher.

One of the features of the WorryWoos program is that it’s so flexible; each week the children can meet up with a different character/emotion and share ideas on their feelings about that character and share ideas on how to handle those feelings, but with the fire worries all around Marika elected to revisit that emotion. The other characters/plush toys cover jealousy (Zelly), confusion (Fuddle), frustration (Twitch), loneliness (Nola), fear of anything new (Squeek) and self-criticism (Rue).

“That would be very sad for you. Did anyone else have to pack up things to get ready to get away from the fires?” asked Marika to her group.

“We had to get out real fast and mum was crying”, Jackson called out.

“Did you have to leave any of your toys behind?”

Marika asked.

“Yeah, but Dad said Buzz (Lightyear) would protect the house and we be safe” grinned Jackson.

This was all part of a program using the WorryWoos to help the children understand and manage their emerging feelings. This week’s character was Wince the worry wort who, in the accompanying story book “Don’t feed the worry bug” by Andi Green, had a tough time beating this little worry bug that grew bigger and bigger. With the fires threatening, there was plenty to worry about.

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020

5

We can’t give you peace and quiet but we can give you peace of mind For over 45 years Guild Insurance has been protecting early learning and childcare centres across Australia; that’s why Australian Childcare Alliance Queensland continues to believe that Guild Insurance represents the best value for their members.

Call us now on 1800 810 213 and we’ll put you in touch with an account manager who can help bring you just a little more peace of mind.

1800 810 213 guildinsurance.com.au Better through experience.

Insurance issued by Guild Insurance Ltd, ABN 55 004 538 863, AFSL 233791 and subject to terms, conditions and exclusions. This information is of a general nature only. For further information, contact us on 1800 810 2013. GLD4587 GIL ACA Advert 05/2018 C= 67 M= 56 Y= 52 K= 30 R= 81 G= 85 B= 88

C= 0 M= 100 Y= 49 K= 20 R= 196 G= 8 B= 75

Culture of Grace: Holistic Culture Alina Dan > Holistic Management and Consultancy

In a world full of many external influences, in particular technology and the dopamine addiction crisis, there has never been a more important time to work, build and develop a holistic culture within our early childhood services.

What is a holistic culture? Is a culture based on: • A Strength Based Approach, there is nothing more powerful than profiling the team and understanding what triggers different reactions, level of enthusiasm and the ability to process data.

• Outside the box thinkers and problem solvers, meaning we are active researchers and observers.

• Empowering people without doing it for the people meaning we are always looking at being constant in our leadership towards others and aware of our influence.

• Highest level of performance and efficiency through critical (positive) reflection meaning we constantly ask questions and avoid assumptions or misinterpretations.

• Awareness of Wellbeing - supporting encouraging and reassuring others around to achieve the best they can.

• Being Active thinkers, encourage positive educators to achieve more, reflect and improve connections.

Accountability - starts with Awareness. Accountability is about direction, boundaries, purpose and impact.

Accountability builds ownership, responsibility and fulfilment. Accountability is the belief that you matter in the world and can significantly contribute to others. Such awareness is a great way to build a wonderful platform for a growing team. The main way to build accountability is to use ongoing open ended questions that stimulate the thinking, reasoning and overall connections.

Creativity - is our quintessential calling. We all have a purpose to create a legacy and create through our gifts.

Creativity is compassion, is contribution to others, is our medium of expression and our strongest identity denominator. We are all creators of different things in different ways. Creativity is also the power of choice.

Energy - Energy is everything. Every single cell in our body is energy. It is what makes us vibrate and develop our gift.

Such energy is contagious, magnificent and contributing to others in a positive, life changing way. Energy is enthusiasm and most importantly the fuel that keeps us going.

I am really looking forward to presenting this exciting topic at the ACA Qld 2020 National Conference and having the opportunity to meet and engage with as many of the ACA Qld Members as possible.

When referring to a holistic culture there are a few very important values we want to become aware of and further explore with our teams; Gratitude - An attitude of gratitude brings a culture of value, positivity, and resilience, leading to a motivated and empowered team. Start everything you do with gratitude.

Gratitude is generosity of the spirit and is thinking of what to be thankful of and being appreciative.

Gratitude is not easily achieved and it requires a conscious effort in relation to the language we use as well as training the brain to always find positive aspects to be discussed and reflected about.

Reflection - The greatest learning comes from reflection.

One of the ways to progress is through reflection and rejoicing in the learning that comes from reflection.

Reflection should become one of our main responsibilities.

Furthermore, reflection is our biggest teacher and influencer. Most of the time we avoid reflection because we don’t know how to meaningfully reflect and use such reflections in a way that benefit ourselves, our teams and our settings.

See Alina Dan at the ACA Qld 2020 Conference!

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020

7

Children are miracles.

We can choose to design spaces for miracles, not minimums.

-Anita Rui Olds

The environmental essentials when planning spaces for children Toni & Robin Christie > Inspirational Keynote speakers in the field of early childhood education

In our work designing and building early childhood playscapes alongside New Zealand communities there are a few very simple design ideas we constantly keep in mind. Even better, they seem to work equally well for indoor spaces!

Design essentials Protected spaces – Protected spaces are areas where children’s play can develop naturally without the interruption of foot traffic. These spaces should range from spaces for 1-2 children to groups having a shared morning tea. In our experience, protected spaces are the basic building block of ECE environments.

Empowerment of children – Children should be given as much responsibility and opportunity to contribute as possible. This can include lots of child- movable components, easy access to toilets and other self-help opportunities, and child-friendly storage.

Engagement with natural spaces and natural materials – Natural spaces are: constantly changing, have openended play possibilities, are suitable for all age groups, make excellent socialising spaces, are non-prescriptive (encourage imaginative play), are a home for animals of all sizes, provide

8

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020

sensory stimulation of all the senses, can be a source of healthy food, are a great source of natural play objects, and encourage a love and respect of the natural world.

A sensory wonderland Is your early childhood setting a space which engages all the senses? Think smell, taste, touch, sound and sight.

The sense of smell is one so powerful we imagine every reader can still conjure strong emotions associated with certain smells such as Grandma’s perfume, freshly cut grass or homemade bread. What will the children attending your early childhood service remember of the smells in this place?

And what emotions will they conjure for them?

The tastes in the environment are particularly relevant for our youngest babies as their development leads them to put everything they can into their mouths. Are there natural fibres such as willow, cotton, metal, stone

and sand? Or are most objects which can be mouthed made of plastic?

We need to think about the tactile experiences we are offering children.

Is there a rich variety of textures available for children to explore and are these sensory experiences readily available at the child’s level?

windows and skylights (which can be retro-fitted in most buildings) also connect children to the changing rhythms and cycles of the world.

What are the sounds of this environment? Are there quiet spaces where one can retreat from the busy or noisy play of others? Is there a variety of music and are there teachers who sing and play beautiful music. Are there opportunities for the children to make music and sounds within the environment? Think about simple additions such as hanging bamboo chimes from a tree outside or creating a bonging/xylophone or drum line from upcycled materials.

The physical environment has a huge part to play in developing a child’s sense of their place in the wider community as well as their sense of cultural belonging.

Perhaps the most obvious of our senses is sight. Visually, children naturally bring colour into the environment. The walls, floors and ceilings are best left neutral in colour because once you add children, teachers, artwork, equipment and furniture you will end up with visual chaos unless you started with all but the most neutral of canvases.

Natural light is the single most important factor in how an indoor environment looks and feels. Large, overhead fluorescent lights bring with them a harsh bright light which can be overwhelming to the senses.

Try switching these off and replacing them with fairy lights, floor lamps, or other softer lighting sources. Large

A sense of place and culture

The carefully considered use of local symbols and cultural stories create a learning space that speaks to the whole child and can be thought of as a microcosm of the surrounding world.

Entranceways create an important first impression Entries can speak volumes about who you are as a learning community, what your cultural values include, and help to create a more ‘visible’ child in today’s society.

Remember, even the impression that people gain when passing by your service influences how you are perceived by the wider community.

Entryways act as a kind of ‘portal’, a landmark differentiating between the public/adult-centred world and the more private/child-centred space of your setting. Passing through a welldesigned entryway helps to reset the expectations of both adult and child.

Order brings clarity for children The old adage, a place for everything and everything in its place is one which holds true for great learning spaces for children. When the space isn’t cluttered with toys and equipment then children can think and act creatively.

“What else is in the environment?

If you (the teacher) are the most interesting thing for the children to focus on, this is not a great endorsement of your environment.”

–Anne Stonehouse What is in your space for children?

Is there light and room to move? Are there beautiful things to see and do?

Are there local symbols and cultural stories? Are there pictures and displays that reflect the people who use the space? And are they low on the wall so they can be touched and accessed by the children?

Your physical environment has a huge influence in determining the quality of relationships formed in your learning spaces. It’s well worth the investment.

See Toni & Robin Christie at the ACA Qld 2020 Conference!

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020

9

Member in the Spotlight Abecedarian Approach at Robina First Early Learning Centre Member in the Spotlight aims to share stories of members and the things that make them special.

This is the space to share with the ACA Qld family what you are doing to improve outcomes for Australia’s youngest generation.

Honestly, when I first heard of the Abecedarian approach (known as 3a in Australia), I wasn’t completely sold on the idea. The concepts didn’t seem that new. Once I started to read the evidence and research behind the approach however, I began paying far more attention – the results were too significant to ignore. Soon, I was begging a 3a Coach to enrol me in her training. I sat in the front row every day, curious, eager and ready to learn about this powerful tool used to improve children’s lives.

What is the Abecedarian Approach?

The Abecedarian Approach was founded by American psychology professor, Joseph Sparling, and his partner, Craig Ramey. They were both interested in the work of theorists like Piaget and Vygotsky, and headed up the Carolina Abecedarian Project. Ultimately, this research became a famous longitudinal study of early learning (it even has its own Wikipedia page, you can look it up!).

Two groups of babies from families experiencing vulnerability were recruited for the study. They gave one group baby formula, nappies, social-work assistance, healthcare and childcare. The other group received the same benefits, as well as Abecedarian strategies in a childcare setting.

10

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020

After 2 years, there was a major difference between the Abecedarians and the control group. After 30 years, the Abecedarians were four times more likely to go to university and had far better economic and employment outcomes (Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center (FPGCDC), 1999). They were healthier too, with lower blood pressure and significantly lower risk factors for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases (Campbell, Conti, Heckman et al., 2014). Even the mothers of the Abecedarian children exhibited higher educational and employment outcomes (FPGCDC, 1999). Early intervention and highquality childcare can create a lasting change in children’s lives. Our jobs are important, and the Carolina Abecedarian Project proved it!

The Abecedarian Approach consists of evidence-based teaching strategies for children from birth to five years.

The principles involve enriched caregiving, conversational reading and learning games, with language as the overarching priority. An important part of the strategy is to ‘follow the child’s lead’.

Language priority

Conversational Reading

According to Joseph Sparling, language as a priority means that you’re “intentionally using language to support and enrich what the child is currently doing” (Sparling et. al., 2014). Sounds easy, right? Think you’re already doing this?

Most of us do.

This strategy is about sharing a book with one or two children at a time, while encouraging dialogue and interaction. It’s limited to one or two children so that you can have deep and meaningful conversations, offering the children an active role and frequent opportunities to respond. The old school mentality of reading a book cover to cover is thrown out the window and the child leads the sharing of the book.

The strategy focuses on the concept of high quality, home-like language interactions that focus on the premise of Vygotsky’s theory of learning in the social context. The “back and forth conversation” and one-on-one interaction is used as a driver of connection and educational content.

Here, think of a tennis match. You ‘serve’ the initial dialogue and wait for the response (‘return’), with the aim being four back and forth interactions or ‘serve and returns’.

Now I can already imagine you’re thinking, “that sounds pretty easy, I do that all day”. I thought the same. But trust me, it’s not. I’m an Early Childhood Teacher with many years of experience under my belt, and I soon discovered that this was no walk in the park. On my first attempt, I was struggling after only three back and forth interactions, with the child looking at me blankly wondering why I was asking so many questions. The conversation ended with the child asking me if they could “go now” – it wasn’t my finest teaching moment.

What I realised was that, like most educators, my day was filled with instructional and directional dialogue: “Let’s line up at the door”, “Put your hats away”, “Ok, it’s time to wash our hands” as I sang “wash, wash, wash your hands”. Although I was using a lot of language, I admit it was either instructional, directional or in a group-time setting where I would rarely be having a conversation back and forth with one individual child. This is not uncommon and a study in the United States found that 73% of a child’s day is spent without a teacherchild interaction (Konza, 2016). No comparative Australian studies have been done yet, but it is likely that the statistics would be similar.

The adult also uses the ‘see, show, say’ strategy.

The adult observes what it is that interests the child about the page and uses that to go back and forth in a conversation-style dialogue, introducing new language, supporting comprehension and encouraging the production of words.

Learning Games With 200 learning games in total, this approach involves a number of simple games for ages ranging from birth to 5 years. The games are designed to provide children with opportunities to experience success and adults with a way to add rich, educational concepts into play. Each game has clear instructions and suggestions for extending the learning.

Where can I learn more?

Abecedarian strategies can be used by families to enrich home learning experiences, as well as used in the context of an early childhood centre. The Melbourne Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne runs short courses on 3a. There’s a lot of information on their website and I’ve seen some fairly informative YouTube videos pop up too, if you want to do your own research before committing to the training.

A focus on one-on-one interactions requires you to take a genuine interest in a child, connect with them, be present, and engaged. These days, I can get to a minimum of four back and forth interactions in most conversations (on a good day, even five), but it has taken perseverance and a change in my dialogue with children.

Enriched Caregiving Enriched caregiving strategies are about intentionally adding educational content to routines. It’s looking for those ‘teachable moments’ throughout the day – think lots of rich language opportunities. For instance, this is where you may want to sing the “wash, wash, wash your hands” song. It’s about care, connection and content. Most of us do this in an early childhood setting, but there needs to be a stronger emphasis on frequency, intentional interactions with children, and interactions with the individual something we’re apparently not that great at in Australia.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald (2014), Joseph Sparling has visited a number of Australian early education centres himself and believes “the amount of systemic oneon-one verbal interaction could be better”.

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020

11

RTO: 40933

2020 AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE Do you exemplify the three Pillars of Excellence?

APPLY FOR THE 2020 AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE NOW! The Awards for Excellence promotes commitment to professional development and community spirit. HESTA, ACA Qld and CAECE aim to support the advancement of passionate and dedicated early childhood educators who strive for continuous improvement and excellence.

Three award payments available!

$1000

$750

$500

Plus tickets to the ACA Qld 2020 Conference Gala Dinner

NOMINATIONS CLOSE MONDAY 13 APRIL 2020 Nominate online today by visiting caece.com.au Call 07 3299 5784 or email info@caece.com.au

Children are concerned about our environment Kerrie Wilson > Aspen Community Early Learning Centre

All early learning services are special but at Aspen we feel a special connection to our community.

In November 2019, the Educators, Management Committee and families at Aspen wanted to help a Queensland based, rural fire service during a time of crisis for communities experiencing the potential disaster that is bush fire.

Our great staff, including Educators and support staff, organised a sausage sizzle breakfast. With assistance from the local fire brigade, police and our wonderful families, we raised a total of $950.00 which was donated to the Queensland Rural Fire Brigade Association.

Milton Dick MP, Federal Member for Oxley, also attended and donated to our cause.

Children and parents interacted with police and Durack Fire Brigade, who brought along their extra big fire rescue truck. We had a great morning putting out pretend fires with spray bottles and getting down low through the obstacle course to get out of the pretend smoke.

The children instigated this fundraiser with their questions about the smoke haze and the stories they were hearing on television.

Miss Fiona, our Teacher talked about where the smoke was coming from and the effect bush fires have on wildlife as well as people and their houses. The children were concerned and wanted to know what they could do to help the bush fire brigades do their job in putting out the fires.

Leroy dressed as a Fire Safety Officer and other children made their own fire officer helmets.

The children showed empathy for the community and the animals. They are environmentally aware and their knowledge of what is happening around them is often underestimated.

The children were concerned and wanted to know what they could do to help the bush fire brigades do their job in putting out the fires.

-Kerrie Wilson

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020

13

Vicki Shearer > College for Australian Early Childhood Educators (CAECE)

To be human is to be

musical

Dr Vicky Abad > Founding and Managing Director of Music Beat Professor Margaret Barrett > Professor and Founding Director of the Creative Collaboratorium at the University of Queensland

Music is a part of our very being. We wake up often with a song stuck in our brain (think Baby shark doo doo dododo), we listen to the radio or Spotify in the car on the way to work. It accompanies the movies or shows we love to watch, and the social gatherings we enjoy. It celebrates the wins with us; and supports us through the lows.

Music is a soundtrack to our lives.

We are musical beings. That is to say, to be human is to be musical. We all have the potential to experience music and make music as part of our biology. You could say that music is hardwired in our genes, and consequently, we humans have been using music to soothe, bond and teach our children since time began and across cultures.

As researchers, and in my case also as a mother, we believe that parents are the first and foremost musical teachers of their children, the ones whose voice they know from before they are even born, and the ones that they are hard wired to hear.

And while this has been the case for millennia, this century has witnessed

14

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020

changes to ways that children interact musically in the early years.

Technology and changing cultural

Music is a soundtrack to our lives.

We are musical beings. That is to say, to be human is to be musical. We all have the potential to experience music and make music as part of our biology.

working habits of families have both impacted on this, resulting in children experiencing music both in and out of their homes.

This means that many of the early childhood experiences of music, and by this we mean the ones that are a part of everyday interactions and moments, more so than the more structured music learning, may now be experienced in formal childcare settings. The onus of providing these musical moments and interactions therefore shifts to you, the Educator.

And many of these are provided by you singing or providing instruction and incidental learning opportunities through song and musical moments.

Music is a soundtrack

to our lives.

Generally speaking, music supports the development of so many wonderful learning opportunities for children. Participating in making music supports little people to learn and develop their cognitive, social, emotional, physical and behavioural skills. Music is one of the few activities that engages the whole brain, when we make it. That is to say, when children make music, with their voices and bodies, their whole brain is engaged in the activity.

This is exciting news indeed.

One study found that children under the age of 4 who were involved in active (so live) musical experiences showed superior prelinguistic communication skills and social behaviour, as well as accelerated acquisition of culturespecific knowledge of tonality when compared to infants randomly assigned to a passive music experience (Gerry et al., 2012). The researchers suggested that “the infant brain might be particularly plastic with respect to musical experience” (Gerry et al., 2012, p.404).

One of our studies also found that frequency of shared music between a parent and child (aged 2-3 years) in the home was associated with statistically significant improvements in prosocial and cognitive skills when

the child was older (4-5 years). The more children shared music with their parent in the home the better their social and cognitive skills (Williams, Barrett, Welch, Abad, & Broughton, 2015). So the more time the child spent sharing music with an adult (parent), the greater the cognitive and social gain for that child.

Music really is a magical tool when working with children. One at your very finger tips, or more to the point vocal tips – because the best news of all is we all have a voice, and as humans we all have the capacity and potential to make music. And for little people, voice led musical interactions are the best way we can support the incidental inclusion of music in their everyday experiences.

But not all educators feel adequately trained or supported to embed musical practices into these everyday interactions with the children. There has been a documented decline in educator preparation to teach and use music in early childhood education and care in Australia in recent years (Letts, 2015).

We conducted research with childcare educators to identify their music beliefs and values concerning music in children’s learning (Barrett, Welch & Flynn, 2018). We found that educators

held positive attitudes toward music despite the majority having no formal qualifications in music or a history of instrumental performance and/ or singing. Given the overall positive attitudes toward music we suggest there is enormous potential for further professional learning and development targeted at music and its potential wider benefits in young children’s learning and lives.

In June this year, we will present a workshop at the conference that explores this research followed by practical step by step instructions on how to support educators to a/ feel confident to use music and b/ actually use music as a part of their everyday interactions and incidental teachings in the childcare settings. This will be in the form of tips and ideas and take home messages. The presentation will also briefly outline the importance of music ‘education’ and how this differs from musical moments imbedded in everyday practice. We hope you can join us in June.

See Vicky Abad & Professor Margaret Barrett at the ACA Qld 2020 Conference!

Reference list Barrett, M. S., Flynn, L. M., Brown, J. E., & Welch, G. F. (2019). Beliefs and Values About Music in Early Childhood Education and Care: Perspectives From Practitioners. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 724. https://doi.org/10.3389/ fpsyg.2019.00724 Gerry, D., Unrau, A., & Trainor, L.J. (2012).

Active music classes in infance enhance musical, communicative and social

development. Developmental Science, 15, 398-407. Doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01142.x.

Letts R. (2015). Tertiary pre-service courses for primary school specialist music teachers.

Music Trust of Australia. Retrieved from http://musicinaustralia.org.au/index. php?title=Tertiary_Preservice_Courses_ for_Primary_School_Specialist_Music_ Teachers#Author (accessed April 2, 2019).

Williams, K., Barrett, M., Welch, G., Abad, V., & Broughton, M. (2015). Associations between early shared music activities in the home and later child outcomes: Findings from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 31, 113-124. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j. ecresq.2015.01.004

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020 15

What’s Going On With Our Kids and What Can We Do About It? Sam Jockel > Founder ParentTV

Over the past few years, while we’ve been building ParentTV, we’ve spoken to hundreds of educators, teachers, parents and families. We’ve spoken to psychologists, parent educators, occupational therapists, paediatricians and neuroscience professionals.

You know what we’ve learned?

That we’ve got a big problem.

According to Beyond Blue, around one in 35 young Australians (aged 4-17) will experience a depressive disorder, and one in seven will experience a mental health condition in any given year. Half of all lifetime cases of mental health disorders start by age 14 years. Suicide continues to be the biggest killer of young Australians and accounts for the deaths of more young people than car accidents.

The kids are not alright. We know this for sure.

So, how can we help them?

In many Australian families, parents are struggling to meet the needs of their children and sustain employment at the same time. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 2017, formal or informal early childhood education and care was a usual form of care for 49% (or 2.0 million) of children aged 0–12. This means that the task of raising children is not only undertaken by families, but by educators. As such, educators have a big opportunity to change the lives of our kids, and help turn back the tide of mental illness that so many of them are struggling to stay afloat on. As Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child says, ‘Science tells us that the foundations of sound mental health are built early in life. Early experiences— including children’s relationships with parents, caregivers, relatives, teachers, and peers—interact with genes to shape the architecture of the developing brain.’ In other words, we’re in this together.

Educators have told us time and again that parents are coming to them for advice, but it’s often with issues that are beyond the scope of the educator’s role, experience and training. But, what if educators had an easier way to upskill and deepen their knowledge as they worked and built their experience? As neuroscience and research rocket on, we’re understanding more and more about children and what they need to grow and thrive. Every day, another myth about behaviour or brain development

16

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020

is thrown out the window, replaced with new and updated insights and information. And when we know better, we can do better. We created ParentTV to sit in the space between parents and educators, supplying this current, credible, research-based insight and information to everyone involved in raising small humans.

But, instead of asking people to read long-winded journal articles or sit down with a textbook and highlighter, we’re using video and social media to communicate expert advice, on demand, on the specific topics that are relevant right now.

The world is changing, and we all have to change with it, in order to support our kids. More than ever before, we need educators to keep learning and growing as professionals. We need new understanding and new strategies to teach children how to cope with the stress, stimuli and sensory overload of the environments they’ve been born into. We need to be responsive to the changing nature of the social and emotional experiences that shape them, and we need to keep examining whether they’re getting the conditions they need to flourish. Our kids need us to form an alliance with parents, and they need us to up our game.

We’re the adults.

This is on us.

We’re proud of the difference ParentTV is already making in the lives of educators, parents and kids.

Want to find out more? Sam Jockel, ParentTV founder, will be presenting at the ACA Qld Conference this June, and you can find out more about subscribing to ParentTV for your centre by visiting www.parenttv. com/school-childcare/.

See Sam Jockel at the ACA Qld 2020 Conference!

NATIONAL CONFERENCE Early Education...An endless adventure 19 - 21 June 2020 - The Star Gold Coast #ACAQld2020

Join us for an incredible conference weekend which includes a standout line-up of speakers including Anthony Semann, Dr John Irvine and Toni and Robin Christie from Childspace, dedicated Approved Provider Panel Discussion, Workshops and our ‘Under the big top’ Gala Dinner!

All ACA Members receive Member pricing to the ACA Qld National Conference.

EARLY BIRD DISCOUNTED REGISTRATION UNTIL 31 MARCH! childcareconference.com.au

Leading with Purpose: Casting a shadow for the future Kelly Goodsir > Managing Director of KG Learning

Leading with purpose is all about recognising that what you do and say today, has a direct impact on your tomorrow. A team culture is built over time, often through the accumulation of day to day interactions, not through one meaningful or heroic moment. For example, the way you start your day sets a tone.

Take the leader who goes straight to their office to check their emails every day and their team always approaches them versus the leader who drops their bag and spends time walking through their service to say good morning and interact with the team, children and parents. It might not seem much in one day or moment but over time it creates a statement of purpose to a team: that relationships matter and their relationship with you matters. It seems simple enough but this everyday act requires purpose when leaders deal with a number of competing demands.

Leaders with purpose see the potential in people and look to find ways they can realise their potential in the workplace. Leaders with purpose resist using power to bring about change. Instead they lean into their teams and

18

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020

gain influence as they lift people’s gaze to the possibilities.

Leaders with purpose recognise potential and lend strength to ensure their people are able to live out that potential with as few hurdles as possible.

They will find ways to bring their teams together and to share in that common purpose recognising that each person brings with them an opportunity to see the problem or project from points of difference. This type of collaboration is rich in inventiveness and innovation. It is also layered in complexity. We can mislabel innovation as ‘risky business’ and avoid trying new things for all the wrong reasons.

Leaders with purpose understand that when you combine a strong and clear plan with respect for your team’s psychological safety, innovation is just around the corner.

If our teams are going to feel safe enough to try new things we need to provide clear purpose and flexibility.

It’s the people that propel projects into success. It is their ownership over a project that will ensure it is long lasting and stand the test of time.

Leadership is well documented and potentially an overused and misunderstood word in early childhood. It holds particular frameworks that require deconstructing so that there is confidence to embrace a humanising of our leadership practices.

Michael Fullen (1997) states people spark new ideas off each other when they debate and disagree – when they are in tension, confused and searching for new meaning – yet remain willing to discuss and listen to each other. A leader with purpose appreciates the paradoxes that they work within to engage a team where curiosity, mistakes and autonomy can be cultivated.

I try more now than ever before as a leader to ‘let go’ and ‘let others’ and when I am faced with complexity or uncertainty as a leader I take my then 6-year-old son’s advice to “take a deep breath and just try your best”.

Authentic critical reflection requires robust dialogue about the things that matter to our teams, children, families and communities. It requires trust and systems that support relationships over time. Leaders with purpose will make every effort not to fall into the trap of creating a template that gets filled in for the purposes of A&R but rather look to find ways to bring their teams together in relationship for real authentic conversations.

Charles Feltman (2009) shares that whether you tend to extend trust more or less easily, you do so by assessing the probability that the other person will support or harm what you value in the future. In this sense, choosing to trust or distrust is a risk assessment. Building creditability and reliability is essential to trusting relationships. We cannot do this through hallway conversations, an annual performance review or from an office. Leaders with purpose know that bringing their teams together to establish trusting relationships over time is paramount to their ability to ‘think big’.

References Feltman, C. (2009). The thin book of trust: an essential primer for building trust at work. Thin Book Publishing.

Fullen, M. (1997). The challenge of school change. Hawker Brownlow Education.

See Kelly Goodsir at the ACA Qld 2020 Conference!

Leading with purpose means having the capacity to coexist with: • • • • •

Being courageous and predictable Showing kindness and accountability Giving autonomy and direction Being humble and assertive Intentionally speaking and wholeheartedly listening • Showing vulnerability and strength

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020 19

Get to know your committee Pam Maclean > Child’s Play Consultancy

Hello ACA Qld Members, my name is Pam Maclean. I am married with two adult children. I have been involved in the early childhood sector for over 35 years, as an Educator, Director of centres, an NCAC Validator, Lecturer, Trainer, and most recently as Approved Provider of two Sunshine Coast centres. Along the way, I have earned a Degree in Teaching and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership amongst other relevant qualifications. I operate Child’s Play Consultancy Services, supporting Approved Providers in new or existing services with, centre and play space design, development project management, team training and other related areas.

Families and young children are the building blocks of our communities and I take pleasure in supporting their learning and development. I have always found myself drawn towards understanding and supporting young children and their families and this is reflected in my professional life. Working in the early childhood sector has allowed me to grow and learn, building knowledge, understanding and confidence in my work, and I enjoy sharing knowledge and skills with others. Being a positive and supportive mentor of colleagues has been a recurring feature of my career and being a member of the ACA Qld committee continues that theme.

Benefits of ACA Qld membership are numerous. My educator teams have reaped the rewards of ACA Qld membership with instant access via the ACA Qld website to helpful links with partner organisations for accurate advice, and fabulous supporter deals on resources and equipment that more than cover the cost of membership.

ACA Qld’s annual conference, the best in Australia, is an event we all enjoy and benefit from. The eNewsletters offer information, new offers and important information updates necessary for our continued success as operators. ACA Qld membership has been a positive presence in my professional life, and I encourage all centre operators to join and find the support and understanding you need. ACA Qld is an essential organisation that advocates for all Members’ benefit.

Our sector needs a strong voice, capable of reaching the highest levels of government, and advocating for positive change. We face challenges in many areas of the evershifting political landscape and ACA Qld plays a vital role in providing a voice for its members.

20

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020

Being part of the ACA Qld committee has been another constructive experience, affording me opportunities to have a positive impact on the landscape of the early childhood sector. I also encourage Approved Providers to consider becoming a committee member. The amazing team at ACA Qld, ably led by General Manager Brent Stokes perform this aspect of Member support superbly, backed by the fabulous office team, CAECE team and the volunteer members of the committee.

It is a privilege to be an active participant in the hard work performed by the ACA QLD committee and I thank our Members for the opportunity to do so. I look forward to seeing many of you at the annual AGM in September and other important sector events to come.

Pam Maclean

Change the way your employees grow their super With Child Care Super, your employees can make additional contributions into their superannuation account each time they shop at participating retailers.

1800 060 215 childcaresuper.com.au/supersuper

Guild Trustee Services Pty Ltd. ABN 84 068 826 728. AFSL 233815. Trustee for the Guild Retirement Fund (which includes GuildSuper and Child Care Super) ABN 22 599 554 834. RSE Licence Number L0000611. You should consider whether Child Care Super is right for you by reading the Product Disclosure Statement www.childcaresuper.com.au/pds

CAECE

Congradulates...

CAECE congradulates highlights recent CAECE graduates having completed their Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care and Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care.

Over the last quarter we have had the opportunity to congratulate CAECE graduates from both our Diploma and Certificate III qualifications. With the ongoing support from our lovely CAECE trainers, students have been guided to achieve their goals in becoming fully qualified educators.

If you or someone you know may be interested in studying and working towards their qualifications in early childhood education and care, our friendly staff and trainers are willing to guide and support your early learning journey! For more information please contact our team on 07 3299 5784 or email support@caece.com.au.

CAECE would like to congratulate the following graduates and wish them all the best for their future as an early learning educator!

Nicola: Albert Waterways Children’s Centre – Diploma (Trainer Karla Mooney)

CAECE graduates for the last quarter: Paige: Coomera Clubhouse for Early Childhood Learning (2) – Diploma (Trainer Karla Mooney) Samantha: Okeedokee Early Learning Centre Norman Park – Diploma (Trainer Lauren Turrell) Chloe: Petit Early Learning Journey – Burdell 2 – Certificate III (Trainer Lainie Randell) Anntez (Tez): Algester World of Learning – Diploma (Trainer Karla Mooney) Kathryn: Lady Gowrie Kennedy Place Early Childhood Centre – Diploma (Trainer Lainie Randell) Emily L: Mosaic Christian Early Learning Centre – Diploma (Trainer Karla Mooney) Emily G: Tiny Tiger Early Learning Centre – Diploma (Trainer Karla Mooney)

NICOLA

22

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020

EMILY L

SAMANTHA

CHLOE

SABINE

SARAH

KATHRYN

EMILY G

PAIGE

ANNTEZ (TEZ)

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020 23

Educator in Profile: Raelyn Emelio 24

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020

Meet Raelyn Emelio, who works at Cubby Care Early Learning Centre – Beenleigh.

What is your role within your service and what do you want to achieve in the next five years?

What is your biggest challenge as an educator and what strategies do you put in place to manage these challenges?

I have spent 2 years working at Cubby Care Beenleigh thriving to be the best educator that I can be to develop and extend the children’s learning experience in the service.

I have been challenged with the opportunity to engage with multiple age groups throughout my experiences and I am currently assisting as an assistant educator in the Kindergarten room. In the next five years I would want to accomplish my studies and hopefully gather every experience and ideas to take on a role of being an Early Childhood Teacher.

Working in early learning can have its challenges that can cause frustration and barriers to overcome. Many people have the perception that working with children is easy when in fact this is the complete opposite. It can have its rewards and challenges sometimes but what would I say is a big challenge as an educator to me is not having enough time in the day to do everything that I planned for. Having to be there and interact with the children as well as not having enough educators on the floor is quite challenging when you have plans to improve and to introduce new resources or ideas into the room.

What/who inspired you to forge a career in early learning?

Being raised in a family of 10 and being an aunty at the age of 2 has given me the responsibility and inspiration of pursuing a career in early learning. In saying that I have started my experience with children at a very young age with all my little nieces and nephews. Watching them grow and implement these gained skills from myself into their daily routines is honestly the best feeling you could ever feel as a proud aunty, knowing that the children have accomplished a set goal for themselves and also gained self-confidence to belong anywhere and everywhere. Now that they have grown, I want to continue that fire and passion I had with my nieces and nephews to my local community centre.

What do you find rewarding about working in the early learning sector?

Being able to witness their achievements and guiding their young minds to grow is such a rewarding feeling. To see that I’ve impacted children emotionally and mentally in a way that will assist them in their daily lives and future is a big reward not only for me but for them as well.

How do you engage the families in your service?

At Cubby Care Beenleigh we have outstanding lines of communication with our parents and families. We as a centre ensure that the parents and families are collecting as much information about their child as if they were attending the centre.

We have a remarkable program called Storypark which helps record and communicate learning as it happens via photos, video, audio and observations within a secured online environment which is easily accessed through your phone, computer/laptop, iPad etc. You can also receive instant feedbacks from the educators and plan new ways to extend children’s unique interests and abilities. We also encourage parents and families to arrange a meeting time that is suitable for them at the centre or a phone call to communicate with them. In saying this we do have an open-door policy which allows the parents and families to explore the child’s room and their routines and also spend time with them. We have many other lines of communication like Facebook which keeps locals and families updated and reminds the community of an event happening at the centre, via email and of course newsletter and daily write ups of the child’s day or just a simple warm greeting as they enter the gates in the morning.

How have the challenges you faced helped you to grow as an educator?

Having the opportunity to work and share experiences with the workers and children here in Cubby Care Beenleigh has helped me as an educator face challenging obstacles and developed new skills. With the help and support from educators and from my trainer Sonja from College for Australian Early Childhood Educators (CAECE) with my studies has definitely helped me grow and expand my knowledge in early learning.

What is the most important skill you hope to develop in the children you educate and care for?

It is impossible to want or expect every child in our care to take on every skill we desire them to gain. Every individual is different, they have their own pace of learning and understanding. But if there was one important skill, I would want them to develop it would be cognitive development skills. I would want my children to have the ability to form complex ideas and problem solve independently as they explore the world.

What advice would you give to someone who wishes to start a career in early learning?

My advice to anyone who decides to take on this career in early learning is to have a big bowl of patience. Every educator you ask will agree to this advice 100%. There will be times where you’ll test how well your patience is, but it will never compare to all the abundance of joyful days spent together. As long as you reflect through the week and remind yourself that you are an advocate for the children and the families you will find it easy but challenging and fun. Always get plenty of rest and don’t forget to hydrate (trust me these kids are full of energy and are hard to keep up with sometimes). Finding a centre that will stand for what you believe in will definitely see the children bloom and improvements within management and educators collaborating together to make an enriching and safe environment for both children and staff.

Finally, what’s your fondest memory from your own childhood?

My fondest memory from my childhood is waking up every Sunday morning and having a big breakfast with my family before going to church. Although several members have moved on to be with their own family, Sunday morning breakfast is still a tradition that my family continues to uphold.

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020 25

Building Relationships -

An investment for the future of our nation Rebecca Mills, Bright Buttons Currumbin

Relationships are a critical resource for development.

(Pianta, 1999, p. 21) Bright Buttons are extremely proud of the responsive, respectful and warm relationships our educators form with the children they educate and care for. We acknowledge the significant importance of identifying educators that are capable of creating safe and predictable environments that promote children’s sense of belonging and security, are willing to develop collaborative relationships with families and encourage both children and families to actively engage in the learning program which is fundamental to achieving quality outcomes.

The quality of relationship and interaction between educators and children will impact what children learn in their early education and care environment and future development and learning outcomes.

When relationships are respectful and responsive, children will interact more positively in their environment allowing numerous learning opportunities to be achieved. The experiences children have in their early childhood years are intrinsic to their health, development, education and social wellbeing throughout life (McCain & Mustard, 1999; Ochiltree & Moore, 2001).

The Early Years Learning Framework was developed to extend and enrich children’s learning and maximise their potential to develop a foundation for future success in learning.

26

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020

Theories and research evidence relevant to children’s learning and progression is focused on educators who engage with children in secure, respectful and reciprocal relationships which promote children’s competence, self-efficacy and confidence to learn and are responsive to children’s strengths, abilities and interests.

Curriculum content affects how children learn, develop and understand their world. Educators weave together knowledge attained from the child, family and community, their expertise on child learning and development, and experiences in teaching practice to accomplish optimal learning experiences and improved outcomes for children to acquire the expertise and skills to become productive contributors to society and future prosperity.

Relationships with children, families, team members and the wider community will lay the foundation for further development, wellbeing and learning success now and in the future.

It is evident that as professionals we must all place our focus on building these relationships before any learning content can be attained.

Children deserve the right to be exposed to quality education and care in their foundation years. It is paramount the above aspects are understood, implemented and achieved in order for our future generations to become successful learners, confident and creative individuals and active and informed citizens. Early Childhood Education and Care will have great future success if all practitioners that enter into the profession recognise the importance of their role and responsibilities and acknowledge that learning can be endless if exposed to positive relationships in their early years.

Give your super a healthy boost Dean Ireland > Strategy Adviser, Elston Private Wealth

If you want to boost your super, concessional contributions might be the answer. Super laws now allow you to put extra into super where you haven’t fully used your contributions cap in the previous year.

This applies only to concessional contributions. These are tax deductible contributions made either by an employer, or by an individual who then claims a tax deduction. Normally, your concessional contributions are capped at $25,000 per annum. However, where you haven’t fully used that cap in the 2018/19 tax year, any unused amounts can be added to your cap for this year.

For example, if you made $10,000 worth of concessional contributions last year, you would have an unused cap amount of $15,000 plus this year’s cap of $25,000 available in 2019/20.

To be eligible to make a catch-up contribution, you must have a total super balance (at the previous 30 June) of less than $500,000. You also need to be under 65 or, under 75 and have done some work.

Neither member of the couple made concessional contributions in the previous year. As a result, each of them can put $50,000 worth of concessional contributions into super. This results in their taxable incomes reducing from $70,000 to $20,000. This lowers their combined income tax from $31,394 to nil. As concessional contributions are taxed within super at 15%, the tax payable within super is $15,000 on the $100,000 contributed – still a net saving of $16,394.

There are many other situations where taking advantage of this new allowance could be beneficial. So, please speak to your Elston adviser to determine if this might be appropriate for you.

At this stage, you can only catch up on unused contributions from the 2018/19 year. Going forward however, unused contributions will continue to accrue from that point. By 2023/24, it will be possible to catch up contributions from the previous 5 financial years.

Beyond this point, you will be able to catch up on unused contributions from the previous rolling 5 year period.

Potentially, this means that someone in 2023/24 could make $150,000 worth of concessional contributions, had they not made any in the previous 5 years.

In the current year however, any unused cap amount from last year can be added to the $25,000 concessional cap. This will be useful for those that have lumpy incomes from year to year, or those that might have a big one-off tax bill.

For example, let’s assume a retired couple, both aged 64, have sold an investment property. The taxable gain from the property is $140,000. This is their only taxable income, as they live off tax free super pensions (with a balance of under $500,000 each).

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020 27

Supporter Members Directory Service

Contact

Area

Phone

Web

Accounts Advantage

Wanda Reynolds

Beenleigh

07 3209 8266

www.accountsadvantage.com.au

Elston

Ben Greenwall

Gold Coas Mct

1300 357 866

www.elston.com.au

Ezidebit Pty Ltd

Nathan Mullan

Newstead

07 3124 5500

www.ezidebit.com.au

Make it Cheaper

Lucy Block

Sydney

02 8077 0005

www.makeitcheaper.com.au

Peter Price & Associates

Peter Price

Mt Ommaney

07 3376 3411

www.peterprice.com.au

ShineWing Australia

Jeremy Wicht

Brisbane

07 3085 0888

www.shinewing.com.au

Lyn Lange

Brisbane

0401 992 583

www.anz.com

Childcare Concepts

Hilary Knights

Fortitude Valley

0407 572 725

www.childcareconcepts.com.au

JDS Childcare Sales

Jason Stephenson

Miami

1300 537 227

www.jdschildcaresales.com.au

Bikerton Masters

Mason Harrop

Fortitude Valley

07 3257 3622

www.bickertonmasters.com.au

Cyber Drafting & Design

Jodie Mark

Tingalpa

07 3393 9159

www.cyberservicesgroup.com.au

Jani King

Toni Jennings

Kenmore

07 3870 9966

www.janiking.com.au

Mathiou Services

Justin Miller

Burleigh Heads

1300 363 423

www.mathiouservices.com.au

Sensus Building Group

Zane Taylor

Brendale

0409 498 429

www.sensus.com.au

Surface Pro

Janet Osbourne

Nerang

0418 741 507

www.surfacepro.net.au

Timberplay

Sally Alderton

Chirn Park

07 5563 3755

www.timberplay.com.au

Wearthy

Caitlin Murphy

Mudgeeraba

0456 780 201

www.wearthy.co

X-Alt Solar

Brian Mills

Ormeau

0402 658 313

www.x-altsolar.com.au

Absolute Support Training & Resources

Darlene Wadham

Wynnum

0488 666 455

www.absolutesupport.com.au

Early Learning Management

Naomi Freney

Gold Coast Mc

07 5592 5800

www.elm.net.au

Elite Childcare Management

Debbie Thompson

Cannon Hill

0435 743 212

www.elitechildcaremanagement.com.au

G8 Education

G8 Education Team

Varsity Lakes

07 5581 5336

www.g8education.edu.au

Giggletree Pty Ltd

Samantha Ahearn

North Lakes

07 3482 2490

www.giggletree.com.au

Guardian Early Learning Group

Helen Baker

Kelvin Grove

07 3832 7933

www.guardian.edu.au

Kids and Adults Learning

Annette Cunado

Northgate

1300 783 880

www.kal.net.au

QLECS (Qld Lutheran Early Childhood Services)

Maryann Sword

Milton

07 3511 4079

www.qlecs.org.au

Ready Now Resources

Louise Thomas

Helensvale

0410 456 607

www.readynowresources.com.au

Scholars Consulting

Jae Fraser

Labrador

0408 872 492

www.thescholarsgroup.com.au

Care For Kids

Mark Elliott

Balmain

02 9235 2807

www.careforkids.com.au

New Neighbours

Gregory Neumann

Mitchelton

0439 880 877

www.newneighbours.com.au

CaterSafe - Food Safety Programs

Glenn Raine

Port Curtis

0409 685 344

www.catersafe.com.au

Kids Dig Food

Deb Blakley

North Lakes

0413 433 144

www.kidsdigfood.com.au

Wholesome Child

Ricky Rosettenstein

Rose Bay

02 8959 5730

www.wholesomechild.com.au

Yummies for Little Tummies

Darlene Clark

Sumner

07 3161 8063

www.yummiesforlittletummies.com.au

Peter Jarrett

West End

07 3230 8501

www.guildgroup.com.au

Accounting, Bookkeeping & Financial

Banking Services ANZ Business Bank Brokers

Building & Property Services / Consultants

Consultancy / Management

Directories/Marketing

Food & Nutrition

Insurance Guild Insurance

28

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020

Service

Contact

Area

Phone

Web

Giovanni Porta

Geebung

07 3265 3888

www.portalawyers.com.au

1Placechildcare.com

Martin Bing

Auckland

6495 200 612

www.1placechildcare.com

ChildCareCRM

Chuck Gibbs

Brisbane

02 8880 0404

www.childcarecrm.com

ChildHR

Barry Lehrer

South Yarra

03 9098 4317

www.childhr.org.au

Kidsoft

Kidsoft Team

Broadbeach

1800 827 234

www.kidsoft.com.auÂ

MiCare Global

Sharyn Fewster

Brisbane

1300 393 359

www.micareglobal.com

Penelope QIP

Steve Collier

Toowoomba

1300 435 962

www.penelope.com.au

QK Technologies - QikKids

Sean Murphy

Morningside

1300 367 770

www.qikkids.com.au

Kayleen Tolley

Cannon Hill

0414 559 997

www.physikids.com.au

Child Care Super

Melinda Di Vita

West End

1800 810 213

www.childcaresuper.com.au

HESTA Super Fund

Joanne Fenton

Brisbane

07 3223 4906

www.hesta.com.au

QIEC Super

Kate Graham

Fortitude Valley

0437 516 830

www.qiec.com.au

ABC School Supplies

Graham Bone

Capalaba

07 3823 2999

www.abcschoolsupplies.com.au

Bellbird Kid-z Educational Resources

Leah Brooks

Lynbrook

1300 365 268

www.bellbirdkidz.com.au

Bright Spark Enterprises

Keith Garrett

Samford Valley

07 3289 2800

www.brightsparkenterprises.com.au

Bunnings

Gerard Brewty

Mansfield Bc

0447 032 873

www.bunnings.com.au

Modern Teaching Aids (MTA)

Marco De Geus

Frenchs Forest

02 9938 0411

www.teaching.com.au

Officeworks

John Rizk

Brisbane Airport

0439 284 173

www.officeworks.com.au

Pre-School Equipment

Karen Clark

St Kilda

1300 555 972

www.preschoolequipment.com.au

Step 4

Katie Kennard

Lisarow

1300 720 353

www.steplearningresources.com.au

AFS Group

Matt Harrison

Caringbah

1300 660 164

www.afsgroup.net.au

ACE Community College

Robyn Keenan

Burleigh Waters

07 5520 3026

www.acecolleges.edu.au

Australian College of Teacher Aides and Childcare (ACTAC)

Admin Team

Bowen Hills

1300 511 455

www.actac.com.au

Child Wise

Paolo Piccinno

Carlton

03 9079 0427

www.childwise.org.au

College for Australian Early Childhood Educators (CAECE)

CAECE Team

Brisbane

07 3299 5784

www.caece.com.au

ECTARC

Melissa Moutia

Warrawony

02 4223 1111

www.ectarc.com.au

Fluid First Aid

Gayle Guthrie

North Lakes

1300 976 276

www.fluidfirstaid.com.au

In Safe Hands Educators in Safety

Michael Pecic

Arana Hills

1300 794 644

www.insafehands.net.au

Inspire Education

Kirsten George

Brisbane

1800 506 509

www.inspireeducation.net.au

National First Aid Institute (NFTI)

Liz Bryant

Maroochydore

07 5443 1966

www.nfti.edu.au

ParentTV

Sam Jockel

Albany Creek

0401 198 625

www.parenttv.com

Phoenix Support for Educators

Sandi Phoenix

Wellington Point

1300 361 243

www.phoesnix-support.com.au

Safe Sleep Space

Cindy Davenport

Collingwood

1300 775 337

www.sleepsmarteducation.com.au

Herron Todd White

Simon Fox

Brisbane

07 3002 0900

www.htw.com.au

m3property

Craig Berridge

Fortitude Valley

07 3620 7900

www.m3property.com.au

Trivett Property Group

Darren Trivett

South Brisbane

07 3216 1011

www.trivett.net.au

Legal Porta Lawyers Software / IT Support

Sports and Fitness Physi Kids Superannuation

Toys, Resources & Suppliers

Training Providers & Consultants

Valuers

EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2020 29

Join the ChildHR Revolution Consolidate your HR processes on a single system NOW ENGAGING WITH

260+ +

6000+ +

SERVICES EMPLOYEES

Discover ChildHR software by taking the opportunity to trial ChildHR for FREE for 30 days Set up your free trial at childhr.org.au/ACA or call 1300 410 340

*If after the 30 day trial experience you do not wish to subscribe to a paid plan, you will be entitled to access the Entry plan at no ongoing cost.

7666/0120