Rattler + Broadside Issue 124, Term 1 2018

Rattler + Broadside

COMMUNITY EARLY LEARNING AUSTRALIA QUARTERLY JOURNAL

ISSUE 124 | TERM 1 l 2018

Where are the three-year-olds?

STOP PRESS! Lifting Our Game report released The Review finds that quality early childhood education makes a significant contribution to achieving educational excellence in schools.

OUR MISSING PRESCHOOL YEAR Men at work - Overlooking gifted children - Resilience rises from the ashes - National working with children clearances - Restoring garden soil - Your 8-week PD plan for Inclusion - Lost words, + much more

FROM YOUR CEO W

elcome back to what I hope will be a wonderful New Year for all of our members. I have taken up a new exercise program to get my fitness back on track and I hope you are all able to follow through with your new year’s resolutions too.

We have another bumper Rattler edition to start the year and I would like to begin with one of my biggest concerns “why the Australian Government insists on not seeing the value of quality early learning for two years before school”.

Just as we were signing this issue off for printing, State and Territory governments released a report prepared without the Commonwealth’s involvement, Lifting Our Game. It seems they share our frustration at ECE being treated as babysitting for working parents, and the absence of a long term strategy for funding or workforce support.

‘Our missing year’ was already Rattler’s main feature (see page 3) and with some quick edits and an extra four pages of report highlights, we were also able to include this remarkable challenge from the states to the Commonwealth. We need to throw our combined forces behind this report. Make sure you are subscribed to both Amplify and Shortside email lists with your current details so you don’t miss out.

Those of you who follow us on Facebook and read Amplify will have seen our competition over the holiday period for scholarships to support male educators to attend the MENu

conference in Adelaide this February. So compelling were the nominations that instead of our original plan to send two male educators we chose three – Jesse, Jordan and Sean.

I’ll be attending the conference, created by the University of South Australia and Down to Earth Practical Solutions, taking with me the extra insights into being in a sub-3% minority that our Men at Work story on page 7 illustrates.

And finally, do you enjoy reading your Rattler+Broadside magazine?

Would you like to help shape its editorial into the future? We are calling for CELA members to nominate for our all-new editorial committee and you’ll find the details on page 15.

For many years the Rattler editorial committee comprised only CELA staff and Board members. While they provided valuable input, we think it’s time members had a more direct say in the issues and people featured on these pages.

You don’t have to be in Sydney and you won’t need to attend face to face meetings unless it’s convenient for you. You will be asked to share what’s troubling or inspiring your part of the sector, and to read over articles that we are considering for print. So how about it? Can you help us make an amazing publication even better?

Diane Lawson CEO, Community Early Learning Australia

EDITOR Bec Lloyd

THIS ISSUE

JOURNALISTS Cath Fowler, Justine McClymont, Margaret Paton

BOOK NOOK

PUBLISHER Diane Lawson, CEO, Community Early Learning Australia

ADVERTISING communication@cela.org.au DESIGN Taylah Pitkethley, Express Print and Mail PRINT AND DISTRIBUTION David Chamberlain, Kathryn Henning, Express Print and Mail PRODUCTION Bec & Call Communication CONTRIBUTORS Michelle Carrick, Louise French, Jennifer Ribarovski, Dr Mimi Wellisch CONTRIBUTIONS We welcome your stories. Copyright is held jointly by the publisher and the author.

RATTLER+BROADSIDE | ISSUE 124 | TERM 1 2018

Katrina Roe’s stories tackle tricky topics

WHO’S MISSING? MEN AT WORK GIFTED CHILDREN NEED YOU TOO

@communityearlylearningaustralia @CELAust

@communityearlylearning

ABN 81 174 903 921 Registered by Australia Post Print Post Publication No 100001554 ISSN 0819-9132 ©2017 Community Early Learning Australia Printed on FSC paper with soy-based inks. All print plates and paper waste are recycled.

THANKS Microsoft Corporation provides CELA free software (Community Assistance Initiative).

24-25

CASE STUDY: JANE’S STORY 26 MEET THE MEMBER / 2

28

Tugulawa turns a new leaf

LOST WORDS RESTORE LOST WORLDS 30 32

A common ‘special need’ you might be missing

GET GROUNDED

34

NQF SPOTLIGHT

SUMMER GARDENING HACK

11

14

We ask sector leaders what’s in store for 2018

Mangrove Mountain rises from the ashes

CONTACT CELA 1800 157 818 info@cela.org.au www.cela.org.au Building 21, 142 Addison Road Marrickville NSW 2204

PD PLAN: INCLUSION

STEAM INTO STEM

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE Annual print subscriptions $200 – great for libraries

DISCLAIMER The opinions expressed in Rattler are those of the authors and not necessarily those of CELA.

7

Equal at home but not in the sector?

JOIN THE RBEC!

Annual membership starts at $260 – publications, policies, event specials

3

Where are all the three-year-olds?

COPYING Email for permission to republish any part of this magazine. CELA thanks the children and educators who gave their permission to be photographed.

Annual digital subscription $40 - read on desktop or mobile with the issuu app

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36

Simple, sustainable ways to keep your plants watered

15

We farewell a longstanding editorial committee member

MEET THE MEMBER / 1

Restore your soil, step by step guide

MEET THE AMPLIFIER

38

Doreen Blyth

16

AMPLIFY’S TOP 10 POSTS

38

Most read stories in Term 4 2017

MINI POSTER

BROADSIDE 18

39

Quietness

Are we about to get a national working with children check?

SUPPORT OUR MARKETS

QUARTERLY WRAP

Extracts from new Lifting Our Game report

19

IS YOUR SERVICE TRULY INCLUSIVE? 23

STOP PRESS

40 41-44

AUTHOR GIVEAWAY Pan Macmillan Are healthy hormones the pathway to weight loss, increased energy and improved mood?

Michele Chevalley Hedge treats patients whose busy lives leave them feeling depleted and burnt out, and these symptoms are often linked to hormone imbalances. You could win a copy of this new release by emailing communication@cela.org.au with HEALTHY HORMONES in the subject line and tell us in 30 words why your wellbeing needs a boost.

Include your contact details and get your entry to us by 6/4/18.

Reflections Journal New advertiser Educator’s Symposium and Resource Emporium is giving away two of their new Reflection Journals.

Write to communication@cela.org.au with REFLECTION in the subject line and tell us in 30 words your key reflection on 2017.

Closes 6/4/18.

The Lost Words Check out pages 30-31 for the chance to win a copy of The Lost Words.

RATTLER 124 | TERM 1 2018 | 1

We had a lot of interest in the two Katrina Roe picture books we shared in our most recent issue of Rattler+Broadside. Gemma Gets the Jitters deals with childhood anxiety and Emily Eases Her Wheezes helps children understand asthma. So in this issue we’re sharing two more of Katrina’s books: this time dealing with allergies and ‘visible’ disability.

Katrina is also a radio presenter, who can be heard hosting Hope Mornings each weekday on Sydney’s Hope 103.2 radio. Her growing number of books tackle real-life issues she has faced first-hand.

BOOK NOOK

Katrina is pictured with a translated edition of Emily Eases Her Wheezes.

MARTY

SAME

Marty loved to party. At every party, Marty was the first to arrive and the last to leave.

That was before Marty found out that peanuts make him sick. Really sick.

Parties aren’t so much fun for Marty now that he keeps ending up in hospital. How can Marty and his friends make their parties safe and fun for everybody?

It just wasn’t a party without Marty.

When Uncle Charlie comes to visit, Ivy keeps her distance. He seems different from other people she knows. Can Uncle Charlie find a way to show her that he is not so different after all?

Same is a touching true story about love, acceptance and finding common ground.

“Same is a heartfelt and powerful book which makes important themes - bravery, compassion, acceptance - accessible to young readers.” - Jack Heath, Author, The Cut Out and Countdown to Danger.

Same helps a child relate to what is actually the same, in someone who seems so different.

Short-listed: Speech Pathology Award Australia, 2013. CALEB Children’s awards, 2014.

We will feature an interview with Katrina in a future issue of our Amplify blog.

Do you have a favourite book you’d like us to share with Rattler+Broadside readers? Let us know and we might be able to interview the author in a future edition.

Marty’s nut-free party and Same are published by Wombat Books.

RATTLER 124 | TERM 1 2018 | 2

STOP PRESS!

Article updated with the February release of the Report of the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools through Early Childhood Interventions - Lifting Our Game - see also pages 41-44

the sum

of the whole

BY JENNIFER RIBAROVSKI

Our missing year of preschool for three-year-olds

When politicians approach ‘child care’ as a mechanism for workplace productivity, they ignore local and international evidence that early education investment would not only help present day parents but create generations of more productive Australians. Extending universal access funding for preschool to include equal access for three-year-old children would lead to more than double the benefit.

It’s a true case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.

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A

ustralia always seems to be playing catch up when it comes to early childhood education (ECE). When other countries around the world are moving ahead on the provision of ECE, we continue to fall behind in everything other than perhaps our National Quality Framework.

You have to ask why, given what we know about the returns on investment in high quality ECE. Government investment in high quality early childhood is an investment in human capital, and provides solid financial returns in the long term. There is much evidence to support this, and other countries around the world have been hearing this message.

The research is especially clear that in the two years leading up to formal school attendance, high quality ECE can make a real difference in the lives of children when it comes to future educational, financial, welfare and health outcomes.

The overarching finding of international research is that two years of quality early education yields moderate and sustained impacts on achievement, with the largest impact on the most disadvantaged children.

Complex landscape The ECE landscape in Australia is complex. We have a broad, market-driven model of ECE attendance, mostly framed around parents’ workforce participation. When children go to school, or to ECE in many other OECD countries, there is a pattern of compulsory attendance for children.

In Australian ECE settings, it is parents who decide how often their children will attend, despite what we know about consistency being a contributor to quality.

(OECD, 2017).

The Australian government responded to this back in 2008 with a National Partnership Agreement (NPA) committing all jurisdictions to a universal access policy. This policy supports states and territories to achieve universal access to 15 hours of preschool education for children for one year before school - generally speaking this includes four-and five-year-olds and excludes three-year-olds. This policy has led to an increase from 12% to 91% of four-year-olds enrolling in preschool programs (see page 43-44).

Australia’s blinkers Research is and should be the evidence-based driver for change, and while it takes governments time to make decisions, some countries have responded to the research more quickly than others.

A growing body of evidence shows that two years of highquality preschool programs is more beneficial than one. As a result, many OECD countries have already invested in two years of quality education before formal schooling, driven by the goal of future productivity and human capital agendas.

But Australia remains at the tail end of OECD countries when it comes to participation in both long day care and preschool programs. Historically, none of our politicians have treated early education as an investment in future generations’ capacity and prosperity rather than a means to manipulate current parental productivity. Can we hope the early February release of the Lifting Our Game report (see page 41) finally signals real reform?

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Evidence everywhere There is no doubt we needed the universal access policy.

Research tells us that children who attend a quality preschool program in the year before school have a better start to their school life and that this advantage stays with them as they progress through school. Year 3 NAPLAN results confirm that children who attended preschool do better than their peers across key learning domains.

Access to quality preschool programs, with consistent attendance patterns, supports long term gains for children academically, socially, and for their overall wellbeing and engagement with their community – sounds a lot like Being, Belonging, Becoming, doesn’t it?

Australia’s leading thinktank on education, The Mitchell Institute, likens this access to a prescribed dosage – the right amount and the right level of quality in preschool programs for children will deliver optimum learning and development outcomes.

To some extent Australia has achieved this, with over 90% enrolment in preschool programs for four-year-olds (Productivity Commission (2017).

Withheld funds Of course, universality is not necessarily universal, and there are significant state by state differences in the cost and accessibility of preschool programs. In late 2016 the NSW government congratulated itself with great enthusiasm on the announcement of $115 million dollars funding to NSW preschools, through the Start Strong funding reforms, to reduce fees to families.

The Start Strong initiative was born in response to the AuditorGeneral finding that the NSW government had for four years been hoarding Commonwealth funds intended to meet the state’s NPA responsibilities.

The reality is that during this period when the NSW government was sitting on Commonwealth funds, the cost of preschool in the state was prohibitive for many families, resulting in the lowest participation rates across the country.

Organisations like CELA worked hard to highlight the disparities and undeniably many benefits have flowed from the Start Strong funding, but let’s not forget how much sooner it could have begun.

Time to catch up Almost 10 years since the first NPA, the Australian Government has failed to deliver a long term strategy. Weary of the Commonwealth’s game-playing, our state and territory governments secretly commissioned and released the Lifting Our Game report. Written by Susan Pascoe AM and Professor Deborah Brennan, the report challenges the federal approach to ‘child care’ as babysitting for working parents and urges funding for two years of preschool programs, with particular emphasis on children from disadvantaged homes.

In England, all four-year-olds have been entitled to a free, parttime early education place since 2000, extended in 2005 with free places for three-year-olds. This has resulted in improved outcomes for children across literacy, numeracy and social domains as they start formal schooling. (MISOC Childcare briefing paper).

This result has been replicated across other OECD countries

that have implemented policy and funding models for three-year-old preschool attendance. So, “the overarching finding of international research is that two years of quality early education yields moderate and sustained impacts on achievement, with the largest impact on the most disadvantaged children.” (Mitchell Institute, 2016)

The NSW government had for four years been hoarding funds intended to meet the state’s National Partnership agreement responsibilities.

Robbing Peter to pay Paul Ariane Simons, the Director of St Stephen’s Preschool in Sydney’s Normanhurst, has been a long-time advocate for three-year-old preschool attendance, and sees the benefits to children of two years of preschool attendance first hand.

Ariane, also a CELA Board member, reports that the Start Strong funding in NSW has created fee relief to some extent.

However, she says it is a complex, retrofit funding system that does little to support standalone community-based preschools. She also argues that it discourages three-year-old attendance at preschool, as many services have responded to this funding model by only enrolling the four-year-olds who attract the subsidies.

Rather than moving closer to increased three-year-old attendance, the current funding model in NSW may do the opposite.

In the longitudinal E4Kids Study, Collette Tayler, who sadly passed away as this article was being prepared, found dedicated three-year-old preschool programs largely remain the preserve of more advantaged families because fees don’t usually attract a public subsidy and hours don’t cover a typical working day.

Pedagogy over pennies Ariane and other like-minded operators manage this by continuing to enrol three-year-olds, as a matter of pedagogical principle, and by finding creative ways to make the funding fit a best practice approach.

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In England, all four-year-olds have been entitled to a free, parttime early education place since 2000, extended in 2005 with free places for three-year-olds.

But why should skilled early childhood practitioners be put in a position where they have to circumvent a system to provide the best educational outcomes for children? And when will the Australian government frame ECEC policy around learning and development outcomes for children as the key driver?

One year good, two years better A shift in thinking to a long-term view is needed now more than ever, especially when you consider the growing educational gap. In the latest UNICEF report, Australia was ranked 39 out of 41 high and middle-income countries in achieving quality education. Only Romania and Turkey ranked lower.

The Program for International Student Achievement (PISA),

which measures students at age 15 across a range of early learning domains, makes a clear connection between early childhood education and the top-performing PISA nations, with students who attended early childhood programs performing a full year ahead of their peers on achievement scores.

A study of PISA science results recently found that those who attended two years of early education outperformed peers who attended for none or one year. This ‘two years is better than one’ outcome is well documented by The Mitchell Institute reports, too.

The remedy is crystal clear. Quality preschool access for threeand-four-year-olds sets children up for lifelong success. We have economists and neuroscientists whose research says so. We have credible international assessment authorities that recommend it, and we have longitudinal early childhood education studies that prove it. Now the states and territories are in open rebellion: could we finally fill the missing year of preschool?

See pages 41-44 for extracts from Lifting Our Game

REFERENCES

AUTHOR BIO

1. Australian Government Productivity Commission (2017) Report on Government Services 2017 Volume B, Chapter 3, Early Childhood Education and Care 2. MISOC (2015) Childcare briefing paper 3. Mitchell Institute (2016) Preschool – Two Years are Better Than One – Mitchell report no: 03/2016 4. OECD (2017) Education at a Glance 2017 – OECD indicators 5. OECD (2015) PISA 2015 PISA results in Focus

Jennifer Ribarovski is a Sydney University ECE lecturer and head of JR Education. She has more than 30 years experience in the sector and played key roles in the implementation of the National Quality Framework first for the NSW regulatory authority, then the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).

WELLBEING TOOLKIT

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L-R Akash Krishna (student teacher), Dr Martyn Mills-Bayne (MENtor coordinator), Jordan Fisher (student teacher), Greg Morris (student teacher), Taylor Rock (student teacher), Brett Gent (mentor teacher)

men

AT WORK

Equal expectations of men caring for children at home aren’t matched when it comes to being a professional educator: what’s wrong with this manscape?

BY JUSTINE MCCLYMONT

A

marketing asset, or a threat to peace, or just good educators: the men in our early and middle childhood education sector comprise a tiny 3% or less of all educators. In the reverse situation for genders policy makers might fund targeted employment programs but remain strangely silent on the male minority in children’s services.

When Ben Jackson left the corporate world to pursue a long-held passion for education he was excited at the prospect of being able to finally make a difference. But he wasn’t prepared for the response when he first started contacting early childhood centres to organise work placements.

“I was met with coldness and closed doors and was even made aware of petitions to stop male educators applying for work or placements,” says Ben. While many would have walked away, Ben has managed to go on to pursue a rewarding career in the early childhood sector, but it’s

not been without challenges. “There are two options,” says Ben. “You can become part of the percentage that break and leave the business, or you can stand up and be a part of something unique and amazing.”

“As an adult, it’s an incredibly rare opportunity to love what you do professionally,” says Ben. “I have felt in time embraced by the wider community, families and my peers. Every day I wake up and am excited by what the day will bring. The look of wonder on a child’s face when they achieve elements of belonging, becoming and being is indescribably satisfying.”

Despite this passion for making a difference, male educators like Ben represent just 3.9% of the total number of staff working in long day care centres in Australia1. With national policies and strategies calling for the early childhood sector to maintain a diverse workforce that reflects the community, why is this figure still so low?

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Perception and pay

A hard sell

As an advocate for male educators and coordinator of the MANscaping the Male Educator social media page, Ben says that the main barriers are perceptions and pay.

“Males are made to defend their decision, reasons and passion for working in care roles constantly. This takes its toll and is exclusive to men in the sector. I have not seen or heard of a female educator being made to jump through the hoops I have had to with parents, children and services.

“Personally, I have seen some of the worst that men experience in the sector. I have been harassed, excluded and at several points had to seriously evaluate if I had a place within the present and future of education. Nappy changing and nurturing children is all something a dad would do, so why do we widely flip out when presented with a male in this situation away from a home environment?”

Martyn Mills-Bayne, a lecturer in early childhood education at the University of South Australia says that these types of issues are impacting on the tertiary education sector’s ability to enrol and retain men in early childhood education courses.

“If I go out to high schools and talk to young men about what a wonderful career opportunity early childhood is, that’s not necessarily true. What they often come up against is that implicit bias or those sorts of challenges.

There’s a fraught space for male educators in that they’re always on their toes about the possibility of false accusations and suggestions that they may be acting inappropriately. It’s really hard for me to position it as a wonderful choice of career with these looming threats; despite my belief that early childhood education is a great career for men and women,” says Martyn.

In an effort to provide support for students and reduce feelings of isolation, Martyn founded the MENtor Program for Males in Early Childhood Education. This program provides support for male students completing an Early Childhood Education degree or specialisation. Other support and awareness forums around the country also include the National Males in Early Childhood Network, MANscaping the Male Educator and the national MENu conference.

It’s a bit of a blind spot for policy makers.

These fears and gender stereotypes, coupled with comparatively low pay, are the main barriers to recruiting and retaining men in the early and middle childhood sector. “It is essential to have passion for the early years as, unfortunately, widely as a sector we are not paid our value,” says Ben.

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Not just women’s work Despite the challenges, Craig d’Arcy, facilitator of the National Males in Early Childhood Network says that men have a crucial role to play in the education and care of young children.

“People working in the industry can clearly see that

having men around is a positive thing for the children, particularly those children that might not have that positive stable role model in their life,” says Craig.

“It can provide balance and show boys and girls that caring for and educating young children isn’t just women’s work. There’s more father involvement in raising children now and community expectations have changed, but our early childhood services don’t reflect that at all. We expect children to blur the lines of gender diversity in their play but as adults we continue to perpetuate stereotypes,” says Craig.

Positive presence Sharon Graham, a director in southern Sydney, has actively employed male educators and provided placements for male students. She says the response from children and families has been nothing but positive. “We have always encouraged and accepted male students and educators. We employed a male staff member years ago and it was so beneficial for the children,” she says.

“Recently we had a university student and on the completion of his studies he applied for a job at the centre and began working with us. This was embraced by all families.

“In a generally female-dominated environment, male educators are priceless. Early childhood is such an important time and to have the masculine perspective and influence can be a wonderful benefit to children, especially boys.”

Time for change While a supportive workplace culture is essential for men to feel welcome to apply for and stay in roles, there’s a bigger question of what needs to be done at the strategic level across Australia for any meaningful change to occur.

With the predicted workforce shortage in the early childhood sector, Craig also says there’s an untapped opportunity to train and recruit men to boost staffing numbers.

“I think we have a long way to go in the early childhood sector in Australia. We’re so far behind in so many ways, and it’s a bit of a blind spot for policy makers. There’s a lot of work to be done in relation to training, policies and incentives for employers. Men aren’t currently mentioned within the key policy documents,” he says.

When talking about the benefits of increasing the numbers of men, Craig says it’s also about recognising and acknowledging the work that women do in the field. “That’s very important,” says Craig who is also a community preschool director in Northern NSW. “There’s a bit of a feeling that some women feel

threatened by this idea. It’s one of the last areas that women have ownership of really. But there are so many more similarities between men and women. I work with all women and we’re in it together. From my own experience, it’s about making a difference and being a positive male role model.”

It’s really hard to position it as a wonderful choice of career with these looming threats.

Quality or quantity?

Craig suggests that a specific industry target could help to increase numbers of men in the early childhood sector. “Other countries have found that to be a good strategy,” says Craig. “It’s not enough just to hope for men to apply; they need to be targeted.”

“In Scotland, for example, they have men only childcare courses they’ve been running for years. That is a successful initiative where those targets really work,” explains Craig. “In Denmark, they have a 10% goal that they’re aiming towards for male educators with support from the government.”

But while many would like to see more male educators, not everyone is convinced that a specific target is the way to go.

“I think by having a quota for the number of men it opens us up to the possibility of having lower quality educators for the sake of an arbitrary increase in numbers, rather than being concerned with high-quality education,” says lecturer Martyn Mills-Bayne. “First and foremost, regardless of gender, I think high-quality education is critical,” says Martyn.

Sharon agrees. “I’m not a fan of quotas or targets. Filling numbers for the sake of it does not necessarily equate to quality or having people really follow their passion. It’s more about the sector promoting itself and encouraging males to consider it an option. The issue of pay rates across the early childhood industry still needs to be addressed to encourage our sector to grow and flourish.”

The early childhood sector could also look at how women have successfully been encouraged to enter non-traditional roles like science and engineering says Martyn. “We do so well in encouraging women and girls into STEM and into the traditional male subjects. I think CONTINUED OVER PAGE

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we need to learn from that,” he says.

Ben Jackson is also keen to point out that, at a practical level, communication is essential. “Some of the core issues in the sector come from inside our world. Through the gender roles we unknowingly stereotype to a general lack of communication with peers. Part of the solution is to raise awareness through articles like this or participating in advocacy platforms.”

“The challenge that I face most regularly as a male educator is that my desire is to be an exceptional educator; one who is not afraid of actively leading

UPCOMING CONFERENCE 2018 MENu Conference: Male Educators on the Fringe

Saturday 17 February 2018 University of South Australia, Adelaide Tickets $116.04 – $230.99.

Book through Eventbrite.

necessary change across the sector, as opposed to simply being an exceptional male educator,” says Ben. “I want to be held against and considered among the best of the best across the sector regardless of gender, but instead for the standards I hold, the expectations of children I share and a passion for quality education.”

2016 Early Childhood and Education Care National Workforce Census 1

PRESENTERS: • Dr Martyn Mills-Bayne, Lecturer at the University of South Australia: School of Education • Ben, 2017 Australian Family Early Education & Care Awards National Educational Experience Rising Star winner • Professor Lester-Irabinna Rigney, University of South Australia: School of Education • Dr Vaughan Cruickshank, Lecturer in Health and Physical Education University of Tasmania • Molly Rhodin, Down to Earth Practical Solutions

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GIFTED CHILDREN need you too

BY DR MIMI WELLISCH, CLEVER KIDS CONSULTANCY

I

t’s not easy to find the obligations of services to children who are gifted, but they are there: page 197 of the 2017 Guide to the National Quality Standards, under additional needs. In practice this means that services must keep records of any special programming considerations to satisfy Regulation 160(3)(h).

Statistically, one in 10 children is mildly gifted.

There are also three elements in QA 6 that relate to parents of gifted children (6.2.2, 6.31 and 6.3.3), yet a recent study of educator attitudes to giftedness found that many didn’t know how to advise parents, and only 27 per cent had some training in giftedness.

Lack of educator training doesn’t prevent the attendance of at least one intellectually gifted child in most services at any one time – often a child with an insatiable appetite for intellectual stimulation that only adults can satisfy.

In our research, one study participant described: “He just always wanted to be around us. It was this continual chatter-chatter to the teachers…great conversation skills [but] he didn’t know how to enter play…”

That’s a gifted child Statistically, one in 10 children is mildly gifted. They are bright but may go unnoticed as they are often polite and able to blend in quite well even when other children and the program bore them. Children at higher levels of giftedness (see descriptors page 13) are more likely to be noticed.

Our study found three specific interwoven areas often misinterpreted by educators in working with intellectually gifted children: ⊲⊲ children were often perceived to have underdeveloped social skills ⊲⊲ social skills were classed as more important than children’s additional need for intellectual stimulation ⊲⊲ parents were advised to hold children back as they were too socially immature for school CONTINUED OVER PAGE

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These mistaken perceptions may mean children are prevented from social interaction with more suitable peers; their intellectual curiosity may wither due to lack of appropriate stimulation ; they may be forced wait a year longer to attend school; they may develop behaviour problems and become educationally disengaged.

Being different from other children can cause a child to feel out of place and anxious. Helen , an early childhood teacher who participated in our study, was unaware of a child’s giftedness and thought there were socialemotional problems.

“She was, I thought, just a normal little girl, little bit clingy… little bit, you know, emotionally immature.”

Sandra, mother of a moderately gifted child, told us, “She wasn’t the kind of kid who could sit on the ground and play with dolls… she needed to have a conversation and have interaction”.

Jane, mother of a highly gifted child (IQ 153) said that the definition of play was too narrow for her child, whose play was to read a book.

Not a social fit for age peers Children who are gifted may act out in frustration at the lack of suitable activities and company. They may isolate themselves from others, and object to attending child care.

Other educators in the study described gifted children as having low attention – flitting between activities – or bossy – insisting on how a game should be played. They described frequent ‘meltdowns’, frustrations and disputes, for example when other children broke rules.

The social problems of the children described above, however, were not due to lack of maturity, empathy, or social skills. It was the context that was wrong: having to fit in with their age group.

What they needed was to be placed with children of their own mental age: to be paired with another child who was also gifted, or accelerated to an older group and readied for early entry to school, a provision that has been in place in NSW since the 1991 Policy for the Education of Gifted and Talented Students.

Anne, an early childhood teacher and study participant, was unable to see that the problem may not have been with the child’s readiness for school.

“Our focus is their social and emotional, so it’s not all those academic skills, it’s actually, are they independent, can they think for themselves, can they socially interact with other children, so that to me would be the benchmark.”

Helen, quoted earlier, admitted that, “what we wanted to try and work on was her social skills and her empathy with others…we never really achieved it…”.

Sandra, who sent her child to school under Early Entry, recalled the difference between preschool and school: “Going from a child who cried, was frustrated, to first day at [school] – I walked in, and she gave me a kiss and cuddle, bye, and off she went to school, happy as Larry, never had any of the tears or trauma we had with preschool.”

Guiding parents

Early Entry

Children who are intellectually gifted have a constant need for information and novel experiences that can be exhausting for parents.

When it comes to guiding parents, educators are well advised to obtain training, review the adequacy of the Early Years Learning Framework and the suitability of the setting. You might also question your usual image of the playing child. Lillard’s review of more than 150 previous studies found pretend play is less crucial to development than generally believed.

Finding the best pathway for gifted children means thinking outside the box: can inclusion funding be applied? Can she join the oldest children for special projects, will this hold her interest?

In fact, should educators, who may believe in ‘holding back’ based on experience with typically developing children, seek information about Early Entry and acceleration through preschool or school entry?

When it comes to gifted preschoolers, take your signal from their speed of learning and their ‘additional need’ to know more and their social-emotional mismatch. A cognitive assessment is needed and if a child is ready for early entry, you may need to reassure parents their child will actually not miss out on anything the service can offer the following year.

Age groups are inappropriate

Question your view of play Some parents told us that their children did not play, but had excellent relationships with their family and a preference for the company of adults and older children.

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REFERENCES 1. Department of School Education (1991). Policy for the education of gifted and talented students. Sydney: NSW Department of School Education.

2. Lillard, A.S., Lerner, M.D., Hopkins, E.J., Dore, R.A., Smith, E.D., & Palmquist, C.M. (2013). The impact of pretend play on children’s development: a review of the evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 139(1), 1-34.

3. Wellisch, M., & Brown, J. (2013). Many faces of a gifted personality:Characteristics along a complex gifted spectrum.

Talent Development & Excellence, 5(2), 43–58.

AUTHOR BIO Dr Mimi Wellisch is a registered psychologist, holds Bachelor and Master degrees in Early Childhood Education, taught preschool for more than 20 years, and is the Director of Clever Kids Consultancy. Mimi’s journey in gifted education began through a chance choice of an elective unit in giftedness during her Bachelor studies. Her passionate interest led to the 1997 Masters degree research of NSW North Coast educator attitudes to gifted preschoolers. Mimi is the author of books and many articles, has presented at local and international conferences, and has been President, Vice President and Treasurer of the NSW Association for Gifted and Talented Children. She was awarded a PhD in Psychology in 2015 in relation to her research on the association between attachment and IQ. She has recently completed a partial follow-up study of NSW educator attitudes to giftedness that was expanded to include Early Entry.

A guide to the descriptors for levels of giftedness in early years. Bear in mind that intellectually gifted children’s physical development, such as eye-hand coordination, will be at ageappropriate levels or even lag behind.

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SPOTLIGHT ON 2018 Predictions for the early and middle years education sector

BY MARGARET PATON Workforce issues, access to care, quality standards and using the outdoors more or playbased pedagogy are strong themes emerging from Rattler writer Margaret Paton’s round up. She spoke with some key sector-watchers about what they expect from 2018.

Workforce, JFF and quality Workforce issues will come to the fore in 2018, says KU Children’s Services CEO Chris Legg.

“As an employer at KU we’re getting fewer university graduates coming into the sector as the majority are going straight into schools,” Chris says.

“It will hit the sector pretty quickly. It means we have to grow internally, encouraging our staff to get their diploma and those who have one, to continue studying,” she says.

In early 2018, the sector will have a better grip on the impact of the Jobs for Families (JFF) package says Early Childhood Australia (ECA) CEO Sam Page. As families make their estimates, this will affect enrolments at services and flow onto the demands for the early childhood workforce.

Sam says the ECA conference in Sydney this September highlights quality and the sector’s future.

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Futureproofing “We’re also looking at what sort of things our sector should do to prepare for future positions that don’t exist,” Chris says.

“What worries me is that as a nation we don’t have a longterm position about early education. We need something that goes beyond the parliamentary four-year term.

We suffer from a lack of status and standing as a profession.

Even though people recognise the research and understand the importance of the early years, the message is not great right across the country.”

CELA CEO Diane Lawson is also concerned about the lack of long term workforce planning, although she sees some small promise in the Northern Territory developing a holistic 10 year plan for children’s services.

“The Australian Government saw the LDCPDP as a blip – but the sector embraced it and made significant advances thanks to the additional support,” Diane says.

“Losing the LDCPDP in 2017 and the long-running Professional Support funding in 2016 is a double whammy. It wouldn’t happen in other crucial workforces like nursing.

We must keep pushing for investment to develop a stronger, better remunerated and better qualified sector.

With the troubles plaguing the family day care sector, and the pressure on OSHC staffing, we want a comprehensive workforce strategy investing in every educator under the NQF.”

Access to care and learning An immediate concern for many in the sector is the impact of the JFF package.

“We’re all very anxious about implementation – what it will mean for providers is a lot of change in terms of winners and losers” Sam says.

Sam points out that services can nudge families to lodge their estimates, but it’s families that need to apply for the new subsidy.

“Look out for correspondence from the education department and take action – don’t leave it until the last minute.”

Both Diane and Sam have raised the issue of JFF disadvantaging already vulnerable children.

“Disadvantaged families who most need access to quality early learning for their children will be worse off – as many as 270,000 children according to the Department” Diane says.

“But the Government’s view is that it’s funding a successful babysitting program for working parents.”

Diane urges members to contact CELA for support with JFF implementation.

She hopes to see mandatory PD hours introduced for educators, supporting the new licensing regime for early childhood teachers and expanding to cover all staff.

However, Diane urges caution on mandating poorly paid workers to complete PD without an evidence base to back it up.

The outdoors – on trend Bush preschools will continue to gain in popularity, says Dr Sue Elliott, a University of New England expert in early childhood outdoor environments.

“The focus on nature-based outdoor play is growing exponentially, whether it’s in a centre or out the gate,” says Sue. She wants educators to have a deeper pedagogical understanding of how to engage with children in nature and promote sustainability.

“It’s more than going out into the bush and saying, ‘let’s hug a tree’. Bush kinders also open up a potential for building connections with community, country and with local Indigenous people.”

New National Quality Standards The sector will “rise to the challenge” of meeting the revised NQS, says National Education Leader, Rhonda Livingstone, of the Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).

“The changes provide a vehicle for continued professional growth, critical reflection and continuous quality improvement,” Rhonda says.

She sees the sector collaborating with universities and other training providers, peak organisations, governments, ACECQA and other key stakeholders so “2018 is the best ever for education and care, children and families”.

ACECQA is on the reference committee helping strengthen the training package for early childhood.

Rhonda says the revamped package will also help regulate underperforming RTOs.

Raising the bar Services will have to reach deep into their pockets to fund professional development to meet quality standards, say Michelle Rogers, who runs the Brisbane-based Sustainable Childcare Consultancy.

The revised NQS effectively “raises the bar” on quality and Michelle predicts ratings will grow more consistent as it becomes clearer what “Exceeding” means.

Like Diane, Michelle points to the end LDCPDP in 2017 as a negative milestone.

“Services that aren’t meeting the standards may not have a budget to do PD so they’re stuck. Things won’t change without that investment in PD,” Michelle says.

“Providers may have to raise fees to keep up with the standards, yet parents are already struggling to afford the fees. It’s difficult.”

Make 2018 the year you join Rattler+Broadside’s editorial committee If you love your Rattler+Broadside and you’d like a chance to shape its future, visit http://bit.ly/RBECTOR and consider joining our all new editorial committee. The Rattler+Broadside Editorial Committee (RBEC) will have up to 10 members who must be members of CELA (or employees, like the CEO).

The committee meets by teleconference four times a year and you will be asked to share your story ideas, review draft articles, and discuss trends in the sector. Participation is voluntary and requires you to accept the terms of reference you will find at the above link.

CELA would like to take this opportunity to thank one of its longstanding Board members, Gerard Moon, (pictured below) for his many years of service to the former editorial committee. Gerard is leaving the CELA Board and pursuing new challenges, but his professional experience and story insights have been extremely valuable to past Rattler editors and writers and we wish him the very best on this next stage of his career!

Meet the MEMBER

Mountain Community Children’s Centre Inc

Mountain Community Children’s Centre, a non-profit 100-place long day care service in Mangrove-Mountaincome-Somersby and a CELA member since April 1996.

Rattler writer Margaret Paton spoke to director Louisa Foxford about the centre’s quest to reopen after a fire destroyed their former centre in early November.

What do you do if fire destroys your centre’s administration building, and with it pretty much all of your resources? We’re talking about $2 million worth of resources and structures gone. Giving up wasn’t an option for Director Louisa Foxford whose centre’s catchment area is huge.

“We’re the only childcare centre in our area with some families travelling 50km to get to us. We’re quite special,” says Louisa. She’s speaking from the centre’s temporary base at a grandparent’s house. Forensic investigators believe an electrical fault or lightning strike caused the pre-dawn 6 November fire.

“I live an hour’s drive away from Mangrove Mountain, so by the time I got there, I saw about seven fire trucks, lots of firies and police and I broke down into tears. That was 34 years’ work of grants and fundraising ... so much hard work.

“We had beautiful resources we’d saved money for – good quality wooden toys. Our early childhood teacher had 37 years’ of resources including puppets. You can’t replace that. It broke our hearts.”

Making matters worse, the next night a hot spot in the administration building “lit up” and the centre lost all the children’s storybooks.

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Like a phoenix from the ashes “We saved one building including all the furniture from our zero to three room. We lost all the children’s sign in/out sheets and some staff lost their digital documentation that wasn’t on Dropbox.”

Luckily, Louisa says they had the “Rolls Royce” of insurance policies. Apart from documentation safely stored in online, they saved the children’s profile and developmental books. However, an enormous amount of work is required to re-open for business.

“The Department of Education’s early childhood director was so amazing and supportive,” Louisa says.

“We were able to inspect an alternative site four days after the fire. We had to do a bush fire assessment of the area for the new site and the local council approved it with all the waivers. The mayor, local council and parliamentarians have been amazing, too.

One family gave us $60 for a $2.50 sausage sandwich.

“I’ve been here for 22 years, director for 15 years. I supported all our families in all those years and feel now that everyone’s supporting us back and giving back to us.”

One of the centre’s management committee members set up a GoFundMe page, which raised about $9,000.

Community members have donated cash or deposited money into the centre’s bank account. The centre received 10% proceeds from the local golf club’s raffle, had donation tins around the community and they raised $4,000 from a Bunning’s barbecue stand at Tuggerah – “one family gave us $60 for a $2.50 sausage sandwich”. Another fundraiser was a big community Christmas concert.

Rattler spoke to Louisa on the cusp of the December reopening at a leased site at 30 Lutana Road, Somersby (15 km away), ahead of the preschoolers’ graduation.

It’s a property with former lives as an art gallery, retreat centre and more recently as a weekly Catholic chapel for services. The centre will operate in two rooms with parquetry flooring, a kitchen and a “beautiful magical garden” with a peaceful view.

When asked if she’d do anything differently, Louisa said she’d compile an inventory list of everything and check their insurance policy had it all covered. Thirty-four

years in business delivers a lot of resources.

Louisa had a long association with the centre. She began there at age 16 doing Year 10 work experience, then picked up casual work while studying for her diploma and soon after took on a full-time role.

“Early childhood education is not a job for my staff and me. It’s our life, our passion, our home. None of us are there just for the pay cheque.”

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Broadside NATIONAL WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECKS

Why can’t we have a single, national clearance for working with children? Rattler editor Bec Lloyd looks at the turf wars that stopped consistency, and the Royal Commission recommendations that may force it to happen this year.

Who am I? ⊲⊲ I’m blue in Queensland, ochre in the Northern Territory, and various unwieldy acronyms everywhere else. ⊲⊲ My price might be $69 or $121.40, or anywhere in between. ⊲⊲ I might last you two years, or three years, or five, and my renewal is a whole other set of arrangements again. ⊲⊲ I’m a working with children check - one of the most important policy devices to keep children safe in Australia.

You can call me WWCC for now.

Waiting too long We know it’s important to ensure people working with children have no history of offences relating to young people. The research, evidence-based, shows that people who have offended once are more likely to offend again, and that abusers may seek out jobs where they can be alone with children. One of the simplest mechanisms for child protection is screening for relevant offences (including animal abuse) and stopping those people from ever working with children directly.

Six years ago the Council of Australian Governments’ Attorneys General Council (AGs Council) agreed to take a nationally consistent approach to WWCC. All they achieved, however, was some improvement in information sharing and some consistency in exemptions for temporary cross-border work.

Despite governments’ commitment to achieving greater consistency across the WWCC schemes, progress is slow and inadequate.

- Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

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The AGs Council may have been waiting on the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, although the Commission made it clear in a 2015 side report on WWCC that it could not understand why consistency was causing governments such problems.

We are concerned that, despite these efforts, action to improve consistency has been insufficient. We recognise that this is in part due to a lack of evidence upon which to base a best-practice approach to WWCCs, which has made it difficult for the jurisdictions to agree…

Hard as it is to believe, the AGs Council has continued to risk children to WWCC ‘shoppers’ (who exploit loopholes, exemptions and varied definitions across jurisdictions) because they can’t decide whose check is the best.

Royal commission Consistent standards and terminology are highlighted as a requirement in the nine pages of recommendations for WWCC in the Royal Commission’s final report. They give governments 12 months to agree and implement the changes, which look common sense to the outside reader.

In general, the Commission recommends all governments adopt its national standards (see box page 19) within 12 months of its report, and, within 18 months, amend their WWCC laws to enable clearances from other jurisdictions to be recognised and accepted.

A central database, operated by CrimTrac, will be used to screen for offences and the screening agencies in each state will share information and make consistent decisions.

COAG councils rarely share details from their discussions but we found this from the AGs Council’s December 2017 communique: ⊲⊲ Working with Children Checks ⊲⊲ Participants noted progress and next steps for considering the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse’s recommendations from its Working with Children Checks Reports.

Why were there ever differences?

No one set out to create a national working with children check. Each state built the systems and policies it could afford and best suited its police, courts and employers.

Once some big states had systems in place, like NSW and Victoria, they were reluctant to compromise on their standards or hold back advances in order to let other states catch up. At the same time, states that had the advantage of watching WWCC develop in other jurisdictions then developed their own ideas of what a better, newer system would look like. And throughout, complicated funding arguments occurred between the states and the Commonwealth, and within each state between individual departments like Police and Justice and Education.

In other words: it’s a typical Australian political and bureaucratic shemozzle such as we see every week in

SUMMARY: THE RECOMMENDED NATIONAL STANDARDS Please read them in full in the report under ‘Sources’.

Child related work – Defines ‘contact with children’ as physical, face to face, oral, written and electronic contact. No distinction between supervised/unsupervised contact.

Exemptions - Only six WWCC exemption categories, including parents and guardians (except for overnight stays or contact with children with disabilities).

Offences – Jurisdictions must agree on a simplified, consistent list of offences.

Criminal history – Jurisdictions must agree on legal definitions such as ‘spent conviction’.

Disciplinary/misconduct information – All professional bodies must report relevant misconduct actions to screening agencies.

Response to records – The Commonwealth (or AGs Council) decides how each type of offence record is treated and this is applied nationally for automatic clearances or refusals (or flags for further assessments).

Assessing risk – The same risk assessment criteria will be used nationally and jurisdictions must agree that the paramount consideration in risk assessment is the best interests of children’s safety and protection.

Eligibility to work while application is assessed – Applicants can start work if

their application is already submitted and the employer can see proof of receipt. Screening agencies will ‘impose interim bars’ on

news reports about national infrastructure or education.

But at the same time, it’s almost unimaginably irresponsible because the safety of children – rather than the ownership of highways or topics in Year 10 History – is what is at stake.

The AGs now have less than 12 months to prove they can put children ahead of turf wars, and adopt the standards, terminology and actions of a nationally consistent working with children check.

SOURCES 1. Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse: Final Report Recommendations, December 2017 2. Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse: Working With Children Checks Report, August 2015 3. COAG Attorneys General Council Communique, December 2017.

4. For a full description of the current differences in WWCC between states and territories, see http://bit.ly/WWCCamplify

employment a risk is flagged that needs further assessment.

All agencies must use online application processes and commit to process within five days (up to 21 days for complex cases).

Clearance types – There will be one type of clearance and no conditional approvals. There will be no difference between volunteer and employee clearances.

Appeals – There will be no right of appeal on WWCC refusal for people with custodial or restricted movement sentences for murder of a child, indecent or sexual assault of a child, child pornography-related offences, or incest where the victim was a child.

Portability – When national standards are adopted, each person’s WWCC clearance will be accepted in every jurisdiction.

Duration and continuous monitoring – Provided all governments proceed with

centralised online monitoring of offences, all WWCC should last for five years. Employers and screening agencies must inform each other of any changes in the person’s status during the approved clearance period.

Monitoring compliance – State laws will be amended to require compliance if necessary.

Governance – COAG (or AGs Council) must adopt the standards in every jurisdiction, amend relevant laws, and provide an annual report on the WWCC progress to be tabled in all nine parliaments for the next three years. There will be a review after 2020 to assess the level of national consistency.

QUARTERLY WRAP National: One of the Jobs for Families Child Care package reforms is the Child Care Enforcement Action Register, which publicly names and shames services sanctioned for breaches including fraud. The government also encourages whistleblowers to ‘dob in a defrauder’. See www.education.gov.au/ child-care-enforcement-action-register.

New South Wales: Following advocacy by CELA on behalf of distressed members, the Department of Education clarified its process for educating and assessing new providers and responsible persons. Smaller, volunteer managed services and those based far from metropolitan centres will be considered on a case by case risk assessment and alternative assessments might be arranged.

Victoria: The state government set a new standard for kinship care when the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) commenced transferring Guardianship of Aboriginal Children on Children’s Court Protection Orders to the CEO of an Aboriginal Controlled Organisation—a program the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency has been working on for more than a decade. It was the only highlight of an otherwise devastating report from Family Matters.

Tasmania: The Education Minister announced free preschool for vulnerable and disadvantaged three year olds from 2020. The announcement came as he finally cancelled his Government’s long and controversial attempt to lower the school starting age to three and a half years, diverting some of that budgeted funding to the new three-year-old preschool program instead.

Western Australia: Ray White Commercial report, Between the Lines: WA Child Care November 2017, confirmed the heat of property investment in WA now matches the eastern states. A spokesman said

We take a look at what’s been making news around Australia.

centres were higher-yield, low-risk investments, creating a “growing pool of buyers hungry for childcare investments”.

CELA will be announcing its next oversupply research shortly and urges members concerned about oversupply (and its nemesis, long waiting lists) to get in touch.

South Australia: Continuing a long line of SA based federal politicians responsible for early childhood education, Amanda Rishworth was named successor to the popular Kate Ellis in Bill Shorten’s latest Labor Shadow Cabinet in October 2017. It’s a promotion for Rishworth, who is yet to make her public mark on the sector from her Kingston electorate on Adelaide’s southern shores.

Northern Territory: Meningococcal vaccines were distributed to Aboriginal children (aged one to 19) from late September following an unprecedented outbreak of the potentially fatal disease (one infant died in October). Those worst affected were indigenous children in Central Australia. The Centre for Disease Control was working to have a vaccine for the W Strain of Meningococcal available to every NT child aged 12 months from the start of 2018.

Queensland: While not confined to the Sunshine State, Queensland – and particularly Brisbane CBD – has been the source of stories raising alarm about evacuation of children from newer ‘mega’ early learning centres catering for city workers’ families.

Engineers Australia’s Society of Fire Safety warned it would be impossible to remove 100-200 children from a high rise building in time to meet standards.

Australian Capital Territory: Canberra early intervention services criticised the way the National Disability Insurance Agency relates to clients. Kalparrin’s chief executive, Mark Baigent, told an inquiry the NDIA was the exact opposite of the very sector that the scheme is designed to service, and instead was a highly systemised, highly protective and very difficult to engage with system, based on telephone calls and rigid procedures.

CREATE 2018

Saturday 24 March 2018 9.30am-3.00pm Marrickville, Sydney

What could be better than creativity and sustainability coming together in one exciting, hands on event?

If you’re a director or educator looking for new creative ideas, this is the event for you! We’re bringing together the best in creative and sustainable workshops from Reverse Garbage, The Creative Teacher and Drum Beats. Join us for a day filled with creative inspiration that you can share with colleagues and the children in your service for months to come.

The event comprises of six hands on, interactive workshops and you get to experience them ALL for the single ticket price of only: $150/$175 member/non-member

TO FIND OUT MORE VISIT CELA.ORG.AU OR CALL US ON 1800 157 818

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 Community Early Learning Australia 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.

RATTLER 124 | TERM 1 2018 | 22 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. GLD4395 GIL Rattler Advert 12/2017

YOUR 8 WEEK

PD PLAN: INCLUSION BROUGHT TO YOU BY OUR CELA L&D TEAM AND INCLUSION EXPERT, LOUISE FRENCH

ARE YOU A TRULY INCLUSIVE SERVICE? A truly inclusive early education environment has a profound benefit on children for life. Not only for the confidence and respect it creates for children with additional needs, but also for their peers who participate in the richness of an inclusive community from an early age.

The foundations for quality inclusion practices are built on the pedagogy of individual educators, service philosophy, policies and procedures. But are you truly living inclusion in your service?

Your practice should aim to support a child’s sense of belonging. It should give them a genuine consciousness of respect and allow them to express their individuality.

Inclusive services ensure children are viewed as capable and valuable contributors. Barriers to inclusion are

The ECA Code of Ethics anchor points support inclusive practice ⊲⊲ ⊲⊲ ⊲⊲ ⊲⊲ ⊲⊲ ⊲⊲ ⊲⊲ ⊲⊲ ⊲⊲ ⊲⊲

Respect Democracy Honesty Integrity Justice Courage Inclusivity Social responsiveness Cultural responsiveness Education

overcome so all children can participate meaningfully in your overall program.

Inclusive practices have a strong theoretical base. They are underpinned by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and Australia has agreed to uphold these rights of every child in our care.

The National Quality Standards and Learning Frameworks are influenced by the UNCRC in recognition of the importance of all children’s rights to: ⊲⊲ have their voices heard ⊲⊲ feel a sense of belonging ⊲⊲ have free access to safe and appropriate play environments and resources ⊲⊲ engage daily in social interactions with their peers and supportive adults ⊲⊲ develop at a pace that is right for them.

As educators we are also guided by the Early Childhood Australia Code of Ethics which provides anchor points for thinking about our professional practice (see box, left).

Inclusion in its truest form is part of an ongoing continuum and is responsive to our families, our beliefs and values and our practices. Families and their children have changing needs, strengths and directions. One common way of thinking about outcomes for inclusion is that we want all children to reach their potential, in a helpful way we can think of this as we want all children to have the functional capabilities to participate meaningfully in all aspects of their lives.

Our approach in this PD plan is based on a very simple question.

What are people actually able to do and to be? What real opportunities are available to them? (Nussbaum, 2011)

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T

his eight week program challenges your thinking and practice around inclusion. Follow it and you will gain greater understanding of how children learn, where we have come from and where we are heading in the continuum of inclusion.

Whether you work through the plan as a staff group or as an individual, you will reflect on current practices, review what inclusion can look like and plan your shift towards the desired outcome.

Week 1

Week 2

Foundations

Perceptions

1. Look at statistics in your state and region of children with additional needs. How does this compare with the percentage of children in your service with additional needs?

2. Consider your definitions of additional needs – write them down, then look up the definition of additional needs under the National Quality Framework regulations and in health department advice. Do you need to reflect on your version of ‘ability/disability’?

3. Share what inclusion means to you in words, drawings, photographs, an anecdote from your career, or quotes from theory.

1. Watch this 13 minute talk, Inclusion, Exclusion, Illusion and Collusion http://bit.ly/HelenTurnbullTedTalk. What is one way you might show unconscious bias? Is your practice influenced by your perceptions.

2. Consider the difference between equality and equity.

Where does your service’s inclusion practice fit – are you trying to create an equal playing field, or an equitable environment?

3. What does fairness mean to you? What does it mean to children? Does it feel fair if a child with additional needs takes up more of your time than other children?

4. Can inclusion be seen as well as perceived? Can you photograph it? Try to capture an image of inclusion as you perceive it this week.

Week 5

Week 6

Key elements of Inclusion

More reading!

Review the Early Childhood Intervention Australia Elements of Inclusion found in the paper here http://bit.ly/eciaelements Using a chart or group discussion, work through each element and consider how well your service is meeting each one.

You can extend your reading with the ECIA Inclusion Tool, a practical set of support resources, here http://bit.ly/InclusionTool.

⊲⊲ Strengthening the parent- professional partnership, Janice Fialka, http://bit.ly/partnershipdance ⊲⊲ Students with and without disability: it’s always better when we’re together.

Kathy Cologan http://bit.ly/kathycologan1 ⊲⊲ Inclusive education means all children are included in every way, not just in theory.

Kathy Cologan http://bit.ly/inclusionintegration ⊲⊲ Can inclusive education do more harm than good?

Rachel Sharman http://bit.ly/inclusionharm

Inclusion means that all children, regardless of their background and abilities, are given the chance to play, learn and interact together. Inclusion is an approach to early learning where each child is valued, supported and given access to equal opportunities and learning experiences. www.inclusionnow.org.au

RATTLER 124 | TERM 1 2018 | 24

WHY DO WE PRACTICE INCLUSION? Inclusion is a right. Sources that describe this right include:

⊲⊲ United Nations - Rights of the Child ⊲⊲ Anti-discrimination legislation ⊲⊲ Policies such as the NSW Disability Standards for Education (2005) ⊲⊲ National Quality Standard and regulations ⊲⊲ Early Years Learning Framework and My Time Our Place curriculum documents professional ethics.

Week 3

Week 4

1. What does exclusion feel like? When have you been excluded from an activity or group?. Share or write down your experiences and how they made you feel and behave as a result.

2. Reflect on how a child would feel: ⊲⊲ to be present but not included? ⊲⊲ to be defined by only one of their characters ⊲⊲ to have lots of ideas and not express them? ⊲⊲ to always have someone to help them do what other children can do themselves? ⊲⊲ to have someone always assume they can’t do things? (Claire Boschetti and Anne Stonehouse, 2006)

1. Read Jane’s case study on page 26 and consider the questions.

2. Have a group discussion and/or make a mind map tracking the consequences for a child and family of feeling included and ‘belonging’.

3. List the ways your behaviour changes when: ⊲⊲ you are heard/when no one listens ⊲⊲ you belong/you feel left out ⊲⊲ you have the same freedom as your peers/you are stopped from participating ⊲⊲ your life pace is recognised and accepted/you are rushed or held back ⊲⊲ you are valued as an individual/you are neglected

Week 7

Week 8

Exclusion

Readings feedback

What was the reading about? Did it trigger a change in thinking? What would you do in the writer’s place?

How might you react differently?

Now is a good time to bring back your notes, memories and photos from the first weeks of this PD. Have your thoughts on inclusion changed much? Are you more aware of inclusion as a professional practice? Do you have a different view on what it means to be truly inclusive in your service?

What does inclusion feel like?

Implementation

Time to make some changes! Update your service’s Quality Improvement Plan to reflect the work you have done in this past eight weeks. Write up how you intend to change your philosophy, policies and procedures and what additional training or resources you need to ensure the change is a success.

Commit to a testimony of inclusion or a statement for change. Display it, live it, write about it, photograph it and celebrate it with your service’s whole community.

CELA can customise inclusion training at your service, call or email us today.

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A Case Study for Inclusion

Jane’s Story

BY LOUISE FRENCH

J

ane's parents enrolled their three-year-old daughter at the local community preschool. The goal is for Jane to spend time with children her own age and separate from her mother for some time.

Jane is diagnosed with a moderate to severe global developmental delay. She is non-verbal, cannot walk independently and has vision problems. Jane loves music but can be tactile defensive. She is transported in a stroller, has a walker at preschool and is dependent on adults for all self-care.

On this day, the classroom is happy and active with children engaging in a range of activities set up in the indoor classroom.

Jane is on the floor with her aide. They are together on a mat, away from the running feet around them. Jane is sitting with the support of the aide’s body and the aide is attempting to engage Jane with some age-appropriate squeezy toys without success.

Some routine music plays and, without thought, the children begin to pack up their tables and move to the large circular mat for group time.

Today group time is music based. Jane is lifted by her aide and is moved to the back of the group in her stroller, furthest from the educator. The session goes well, with children hopping up and down, stamping, swaying, and rocking to the music as instructed. Small shakers, tapping sticks and tambourines are shared but Jane remains strapped in her stroller.

Before group time is finished, Jane is wheeled over to the lunch tables. Her stroller does not fit under the table so is pulled in sideways. Her aide organises Jane's food feeds her. The other children finish group time and go to

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their toilet/ handwashing routine before sitting at their chair, which they find with a picture and name tag. The lunch boxes open and chatting begins.

Reflection questions Is this integration or inclusion?

Is this what Jane’s parents hoped for?

What would make this a more inclusive experience for Jane?

What are the key routines in this snapshot of the day?

How can we embed inclusion into these routines?

Practice questions 1. Staffing. Is it reasonable to have a 1:1 aide with Jane? What role could other staff have in this child’s day?

2. Group time. Can Jane be positioned on the floor?

Can she be near the front of the group close to the educator? Can Jane’s equipment give her the opportunity to engage in movement? Can she hold the musical instruments in her hands with elastics or other assistance?

3. Meal time. Can a hi-lo be used so Jane sits at table with other children? Can she feed herself with her aide’s support?

4. Indoor time. Brainstorm ideas of including other children in activities that Janes loves and where her strengths are. Can the children suggest ways to include Jane more?

5. Partnership. How good is the communication with Jane’s family about what she does at home?

Parents can teach us a lot about their children.

Director’s Retreat SAVE THE DATE! 22-23 May 2018 Byron Bay An event of professional growth, networking and a chance to recharge for directors and leaders in the Early Education sector.

The 2018 Director’s Retreat in Byron Bay builds on previous success, welcoming you to a learning environment focused on wellbeing and mindfulness where you will be supported to identify your professional strengths and develop your leadership skills. Please join the many educators that have left our retreats feeling revitalised and inspired.

More details and booking information to come! If you would like to be placed on the mailing list to be the first to hear more about the event email: training@cela.org.au CELA.ORG.AU | 1800 157 818

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Meet the MEMBER

GOODBYE PLASTIC,

Member profile Tugulawa Early Education

HELLO ROCKS

BY CATH FOWLER She is now a much sought-after playground consultant.

Her work has seen her travel all over Australia and the world, designing hundreds of play spaces in early childhood centres, schools and public areas.

Collaboration the key to success

One little word springs to the lips when you first see the outdoor space at Tugulawa Early Education in Brisbane: ‘wow’. But it was not always that way.

Going back five years, the area had no open space to run around, it was dark under its covering roof, and usage was segregated by age.

There’s been a lot of change at the Brisbane suburban service, established in 1942 and formerly known as Bulimba Child Care Centre. The new name, Tugulawa (tuh-goo-la-wa) is an indigenous word, meaning ‘place of the heart’, which connects to the original owners of the land as well as its inclusive and caring philosophy in education.

Expert help With a lot of time, effort, commitment and planning Karen Broomfield, Co-Director at Tugulawa and Prue Walsh, an award-winning Play Environment Consultant, and a dedicated team, have created an amazing playground that not only looks superb but is functional and designed for children.

Prue Walsh, an early childhood graduate, recognised while her own children were young that a multidisciplinary approach was needed to design spaces for children to learn.

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Set on a long, thin urban block on a steep embankment, Tugulawa had a challenging space to work with.

Sparked by the National Quality Framework, the educational team say they looked at children differently and realised the outdoor space was no longer the right ‘fit’.

Karen was supported by Tugulawa’s parent management committee and Prue’s expert guidance.

Planning and construction took three long years but was worth every moment.

Karen says the most important element of bringing the space to life was the collaboration of everyone involved.

If you cannot work out 30 different ways to use something, don’t put it in.

Plastic fantastic begone!

The old ‘plastic fantastic’ equipment surrounded by sand and artificial grass was replaced with open space and lots of different textures for children to explore. The steep embankment and long, narrow space influenced the tiered finished design.

Natural timber, a rock staircase, rope, bamboo, and trees: the new area was created to stimulate children’s imaginations and senses.

“If you cannot work out 30 different ways to use something, don’t put it in,” is one of Prue’s favourite rules.

The roof was removed and the area is open to the sky.

Mature trees offer shade and constantly provide new

elements to explore with their leaves and twigs falling onto the ground.

Adding elements of risk Central to the play spaces design was adding in elements of risk.

Elements such as the rock stair case and a large ramp that the children slide down in boxes create deliberate opportunities to take risks and feel accomplished when they succedd with something new.

Karen says most parents were excited about the new space although a few needed reassurance about the increased risk of injury. The centre tracked outdoor accidents to learn where the hot spots where, and to assess whether any elements needed modification.

“The interesting thing was that the most frequent injury was nothing that we had predicted that would pose a risk,” Karen says.

“Not the rocky stair case, or the sloping ramp - the most common injury was to scrape the back of a heel on a small set of concrete stairs!”

A good playground is never finished Prue’s initial framework allows for ongoing building and extensions.

Shelving and gardens have been added and more plans will emerge based on what the children explore and educators observe.

“A good playground is never totally finished. You must always keep on adding to it if you are going to meet children’s needs,” Prue says.

Don’t let challenging spaces hold you back Karen says the project certainly had challenges. It was a difficult site that required a collaborative mix of education and design, children’s interests and parental concerns, smart building and good funding.

But what the experience has shown Karen is that anything is possible.

“It might not always be possible to have a bush block, or a beach block, but you can still provide a beautiful outdoor space for children,” she says.

“If you pay attention and use expert advice you can have a space that provides all those things, even in an urban environment.

“If you have a big challenging space to deal with, know that you can create a wonderful place for children to learn with the right people and the right dream.”

“A good playground is never totally finished” RATTLER 124 | TERM 1 2018 | 29

Consulting The Lost Words as this article developed from opposite sides of the globe.

LOST WORDS RESTORE LOST WORLDS We came across a magical new book, The Lost Words, written by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris. A stunning work for children and adults alike, it was inspired by public outrage that the Oxford Junior Dictionary had culled words to make room for more modern terms – blackberry gave way to block graph, for instance. The Lost Words turns those culled words into acrostic poems with artwork that conjures up the magic of nature.

Rattler editor, Bec Lloyd, in a sub-tropical summer, found Robert Macfarlane on a wintry, wild, Scottish coast, and asked him these questions.

1. Your book is described as a ‘spell of words’ – how large a magic wand do we need to return an eagerness for the outdoors to most modern families?

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Well, the book itself is nearly two feet high and a foot wide, so I guess that’s a fairly large wand to begin with... It has also become a bestseller beyond our wildest dreams in this country, and led to all manner of unexpected stories, outcomes and actions.

It’s being taught in schools and nurseries up and down the country already, from inner cities to remote islands.

The ‘national conversation’ (dread phrase) it seems to have begun is taking on energies and leading to a change that is exciting to watch.

Part of the proceeds from the book are going to Action For Conservation, a charity working dedicatedly with socially excluded children, those young people least likely to gain access to nature, so there’s a practical outcome right there.

That all said, our big book possesses small magic compared to the systemic and cultural powers it’s battling. But I’d rather struggle hopefully than not

struggle at all, and perhaps the book will in some minor way push the changes we need to build into future society. It may help put nature at the heart of the way we think about life, both human and more-than-human.

2. We’ve been assured by Australia’s Macquarie Junior Dictionary that the publisher has not culled any words, which is good news. But given the inspiration for your book, how much does it matter that dictionaries keep recording words if they have fallen out of everyday use?

I’m a huge admirer of lexicographers. I love specialists of almost all kinds, and lexicographers in particular (also stratigraphers*, for that matter).

The basic principle of modern lexicography is that mainstream dictionaries should be descriptive rather than prescriptive, recording language as it is used rather than declaring how it should be used.

I’m wholly in sympathy with that principle. The ‘lost words’ were omitted from one widely used junior dictionary on the basis that the frequency of their usage had fallen below the level required for continued inclusion.

Their omission was therefore a symptom rather than a cause of a much wider cultural situation. So the need is not to vilify dictionaries, but rather to get words back into circulation, and in this way perhaps reinvigorate a relationship with the nature that they name.

3. Many of our educators in early and middle years carry a huge passion for outdoor learning and risky play, how important is it that they not only instigate outdoor activities but also learn and share the names of the flora and fauna the children observe?

I am unconvinced that children need names to need nature. Given the chance, children will new-mint stories for nature and coin gleaming names for it. Given the chance, they will meet the living world eagerly with their bodies and minds, touching and eating and dreaming it: no Linnaeus necessary.

But I also believe that names matter, and the ways we address the natural world can actively form our imaginative and ethical relations with it.

As George Monbiot wrote recently, calling for a new language to vivify conservation, “words possess a remarkable power to shape our perceptions”.

Without names to give it detail, the natural world can quickly blur into a generalised wash of green – a disposable backdrop. Good names, well used, open onto mystery, grow knowledge and summon wonder.

4. Finally in Australia, even indoors-focused children tend to be able to name a few deadly insects, fish or reptiles and know roughly what to do if they see one. What creature were you afraid of as a child?

Ha! Great question. Without a second’s hesitation - the Scottish midge, which descended in clouds of hundreds of thousands upon me during my childhood summers in Scotland, and sucked pints of my blood. Truly a ghoul of the Highlands... *Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification).

Thanks Rob, we had to look that one up!

The Lost Words giveaway We have one copy of The Lost Words to give away. To be in the running, send us an Australian word or phrase that you used in your childhood but don’t hear often today. It might be an animal, a plant, a type of weather, or even a description (flat out like a lizard drinking, anyone?).

Email communication@cela.org.au with LOST WORDS in the subject line, and your answer and contact details in the body. Contest closes 6 April 2018.

Given the chance, children will new-mint stories for nature and coin gleaming names for it.

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STEAM INTO

STEM

BY MARGARET PATON

CHILDREN DEVELOP RESILIENCE, PROBLEM-SOLVING, COMMUNICATION… For more than three years CELA members have found affordable professional development in the burgeoning area of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) through an agreement with the Little Scientists organisation. CELA writer Margaret Paton looks at how this training is going and why it’s so important.

You’d have to be living under an igneous rock to avoid the focus on education in STEM (sometimes STEAM – including A for arts) in recent years. The Australian Government has invested substantially in STEM for the school sector – but the good news is that there is money for early education too. The youngest minds in Australia, it seems, won’t be ignored in the stem revolution.

Little Scientists and CELA engaged early in the highly effective train-the-trainer model to deliver STEM and federal funding supports parts of the program under the National Innovation and Science Agenda.

What’s stopping you?

The elephant in the room is that many educators feel they don’t have confidence to bring STEM to the service floor.

CELA Learning and Development Specialist, Louise Black, says this often is because of our experiences with science when we are young.

“That’s why it’s important to introduce the concepts well in early childhood, so we can nurture curiosity and engage children in a lifelong interest.”

Are you already doing it?

Your service probably already offers STEM even if it’s not on purpose! “People often think of science as an academic endeavour,” Louise says.

“Educators sometimes think it’s too expensive for them to run a program but you can deliver STEM with low-cost everyday materials or recycled items.

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“We demonstrate this through Little Scientists workshops and I encourage educators to think resourcefully: ask families for donations and use the community resources they have around them.”

Children love it Children are hard-wired to be inquisitive, especially between the ages of three to five when they typically pepper adults with Why and How questions.

“Children are curious about things like why does ice-cream melt and why do rainbows form, these are things that affect them and their everyday lives,” Louise says.

“Age three to five is a peak time to nurture this exploration.”

What STEM offers How do services fit STEM into their learning programs, which may already feel overly full?

Louise says when STEM is inquiry-based, it incorporates many other skills along the way “Literacy and numeracy is incorporated, and STEM discussions enhance children’s social skills.

“They talk with peers, problem solve and test solutions.”

National scheme, local delivery The amount of STEM ECE resources can be overwhelming and quality varies. A good place to start, no matter where you are on your STEM journey, is by connecting with experts.

Heike Schneider from Little Scientists says their originallyGerman content has been localised for Australia. She says it is constantly reviewed and improved based on trainers’ and educators’ feedback from every workshop.

What to expect Full day workshops cover topics including Water, Air, Engineering, Optics, Mathematics and the Human Body.

Workshops begin with educators exploring a big table covered in STEM-related materials and responses are always varied.

“We let educators know there is no right or wrong way, it is about exploring and discovering,” Louise says.

“It’s good to get adults thinking about their reactions to learning new things. This way educators accept there will be different responses from colleagues as well as children.”

Heike says educators appreciate the philosophies woven through each workshop.

“In the ‘air’ workshop we also talk about metacognition thinking about thinking - and the importance of the educator’s role in asking questions to facilitate children’s thinking.

“Inquiry-based STEM is so important because it helps children develop a whole set of really crucial skills such as resilience, problem-solving, communication and social skills, research skills and confidence in their own abilities. They need these for life in general, not just for a career in science.”

The elephant in the room is that many educators feel they don’t have confidence to bring STEM to the service floor.

What you can do now Louise and Heike say you can create a setting where children are invited to explore and discover. ⊲⊲ Set up a science corner so they can access material anytime. ⊲⊲ Be open to listening to children’s questions and do some hypothesising with them. ⊲⊲ Be confident to follow up on children’s questions and just have a go. ⊲⊲ Consider developing a ‘toolkit’ of versatile resources and skills around STEM rather than self-contained individual activities.

Grants for STEM resources and PD The Federal Government’s STEM in the Early Years Program – Grant Guidelines 2016-2020, aims to enhance STEM learning opportunities for young children. Non-competitive grants are available for science or maths related resources and PD for early childhood educators to upskill in STEM education.

Email training@cela.org.au for other ways to support STEM in your service.

Little Scientists EARLY STEM AWARD 2018 Open to all Early Childhood Services in Australia.

National and State winners, selected by our jury of Science & Education Professionals.

Show your community how your service celebrates STEM and inquiry-based learning by submitting your application online.

GREAT PRIZES TO BE WON!

Applications open: 1st March - 31st May 2018

Register your interest online at:

littlescientists.org.au/events/

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Stay grounded WITH SOIL

Soil health is the most important element of a healthy garden; the vitality of our garden above the ground will be determined by what’s happening underneath our feet.

Before we start learning a little more about soil qualities and how to make our own soil, let’s ask: what is the difference between soil and dirt?

Healthy soil is a living food web – alive with creatures such as earthworms, ants, millipedes, nematodes, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and more. It is said that a teaspoon of garden soil contains billions of microorganisms. Soil is made up of minerals, water, air, and organic matter, making it the perfect growing medium for plants.

Dirt in comparison is dry, lifeless, light brown in colour and doesn’t support plant or animal life.

Take a moment to dig up a handful of soil from your garden; you can do this as a tactile activity with children. Children love getting their hands dirty!

Use your senses to examine the soil; become soil scientists.

Take a smell – is your soil fresh and earthy? Next use your bare fingertips to gently engage with the soil and look closely at what you may see; a magnifying glass may come in handy.

What qualities does healthy soil have? ⊲⊲ ⊲⊲ ⊲⊲ ⊲⊲ ⊲⊲

Moist Rich dark brown or black in colour Earthy smell Life – worms or other small creatures Organic matter – decaying leaves, twigs, plant roots and creatures.

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A few things about soil ⊲⊲ The rock particles that make up soil are sand, silt and clay. An ideal growing medium for most plants is a loam soil, consisting of a balanced mix of sand, silt, clay and organic matter. ⊲⊲ The texture of our soil is defined by the quantities of these rock particles – sand particles are larger than clay, when you feel your soil between your fingertips you may notices a gritty texture if there is a higher quantity of sand. ⊲⊲ Soil structure relates to how the particles fit together and arrange themselves. Organic matter helps soil particles stick together. This determines the pore space in the soil, which directs how plant roots, water, air and nutrients move about the soil. ⊲⊲ A healthy soil structure has space between particles to give plant roots access to water, air and nutrients.

Organic matter is essential to a healthy soil structure. ⊲⊲ Organic matter, compost and vermicast act as a sponge to hold water and nutrients making them available to our plants.

How do we create healthy, well-balanced soil?

Imagine a forest floor. Gently scrape back some of the leaves, twigs and decaying organic matter on the top of the soil.

Beneath is rich, dark and moist healthy soil teeming with life.

Keep this in mind, natural is best!

Don’t spend money on packaged soils and potting mixes. Be resourceful and use what you already have.

How do I make my own soil?

⊲⊲ The Little Green Spade – Autumn Change Diary shows how to make fertiliser tea. ⊲⊲ Natural garden fertiliser – organic aged cow or chicken manure, seaweed solution. ⊲⊲ Rock dust – natural mineral fertiliser containing trace elements essential to healthy life. ⊲⊲ Leaf mulch, sugar cane or hemp mulch.

⊲⊲ Compost – recycle your food scraps to support an ecosystem of creatures that change your waste ingredients to soil. ⊲⊲ Worm farming – worms are the best decomposers and soil makers. They do the work for you! Worm farms can be used in any size garden. ⊲⊲ No-dig gardening – created by Sydney gardener Esther Deans.

How to make your own seed raising mix: ⊲⊲ 2 parts homemade compost or vermicast (or a mix of both) ⊲⊲ 1 part mushroom compost ⊲⊲ 1 part river sand ⊲⊲ 2 parts coir peat Mix ingredients well.

Regenerating tired soil Remove weeds and dead plants; gently loosen the top layer of soil with a garden fork. Next, work the below ingredients gently through the top layer, and cover with a thin layer of mulch. ⊲⊲ Compost, vermicast and worm juice from your worm farm. ⊲⊲ Organic mushroom compost and aged cow or chicken manure if you don’t have homemade compost available. ⊲⊲ Leaf mulch or sugar cane mulch.

Give a good watering and avoid planting immediately. Have patience and maintain a water balance until you can feel the soil’s health improve.

Soil Art Soil Art is a great activity for children who are a little resistant to putting their hands in soil. It will ease them into experiencing soil and art at the same time. Our first paint came from soil mineral pigments; different soil types will provide different texture and colours. What you will need: ⊲⊲ Soil ⊲⊲ Water ⊲⊲ Paper ⊲⊲ Paint brushes or finger paint Mix soil with water to desired consistency: less water for a thicker paste or more for a watercolour effect.

Continual maintenance of your soil You should use: ⊲⊲ Homemade compost, vermicast and worm juice from your worm farm.

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Little Green Spade Learning Diaries An inspiring resource to help educators start a garden, plan what to grow season by season and support sustainable practice.

Only $24.95 each ($22.50 member price) Now available on our website: cela.org.au/shop

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Amplify!

The essential early and middle childhood education and care story.

Doreen Blyth is an education and care consultant from Western Australia who writes daily for the Educational Leaders Association. Doreen’s early articles questioned whether OSHC was the ‘neglected middle child’ of the sector, and challenged us to consider the role of Educational Leader as a ‘revolution’.

1. Why did you decide to write for us?

Communication is the missing link to becoming universally recognised as a profession - and having our work valued as such by government, agencies, employers, parents and the community.

We know that we are part of something big. If we do our job right, a child will have the best possible start in life.

Multiply that by the more than 1 million children across the country who attend our services each week, and that impact is amplified exponentially.

We do this. So, why don’t we get the recognition? The answer has many elements – but underpinning almost all of the elements is that we don’t talk enough about what we do - to parents, to the community, to each other.

I travel a lot, working with all service types, all ownership structures, across metropolitan, rural and regional areas. I consult on educational leadership

and on the National Quality Framework - and I collect stories as I go. I hear about and see some extraordinary practice that isn’t understood by families, it isn’t known about in a service 1 block away, let alone across the community or in government.

If we communicate, if share our stories, we learn from each other. When doing this we are actively rehearsing and refining our professional language - then we will be better able to communicate about what we do with parents, the community, assessors and with government.

That’s why I wrote for Amplify.

2. What happened after your stories were published?

As I said, I travel across the country. When I shared what had been printed, Educators began asking questions, asking for more stories, challenging me to share why their everyday practice makes for valuable stories.

3. Did the process of writing for the Amplify audience have any effect on the way you or your colleagues thought about your topics you presented?

In these exchanges, we have built new ideas about being a profession, how to talk about the things we do and why, and rethink what a profession can achieve.

I now have people send me their stories. I hope that continues.

For me? It has strengthened my resolve. Maybe that’s why I write for Amplify!

‌ a child's need for quietness is the same today as it has always been - it may even be greater - for quietness is an essential part of all awareness. In quiet times and sleepy times a child can dwell in thoughts of his own, and in songs and stories of his own Margaret Wise Brown, 1910-1952 Author of Goodnight Moon and many more.

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LIFTING our game Editor’s note It’s rare that a quarterly journal can be on top of breaking news, but presented with a such a significant story on the day we intended to print this issue, we made the decision to add extra pages and bring you these extracts from the Lifting Our Game report.

We were, leading this issue with Jennifer Ribarovski’s report on our ‘missing year’ of preschool. Funded preschool for three-year-olds has long been one of the top issues for CELA members, and we have now updated Jennifer’s story.

Commissioned by the states and territories without Commonwealth involvement, the report’s full name is Report of the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools through Early Childhood Interventions.

It is, indeed a game-changer.

Susan Pascoe AM and Professor Deborah Brennan, aided by the late Colette Tayler and others, present compelling evidence for investment in ECE. They tie early learning benefits to higher-profile, and better funded outcomes in the school sector. As a strategy it is that rare thing: both true and politically astute.

Please make time to read the full report. It is well-written and deeply satisfying for anyone who believes in the power of quality early learning. There are many messages we all need to share from its pages, including: −− current spending only helps parents who work −− children who start school behind, stay behind −− quality ECE creates educational excellence in school −− investment in ECE returns 2-4 times the costs −− benefits are even greater for disadvantaged children −− 3yo children need 15 hours/wk of quality preschool −− Australia’s complex ECE system is a barrier to families −− a national, funded, workforce strategy is essential

Bec Lloyd, Editor RATTLER 124 | TERM 1 2018 | 42

Findings and recommendations extracted from the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools through Early Childhood Interventions Embedding foundations for future reform 1. Australian governments agree to permanent, adequate funding for Universal Access in the year before school and the National Quality Framework.

2. Australian governments preserve flexible early childhood education and care delivery on a jurisdictional basis, within nationally agreed objectives and standards.

3. Australian governments review the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians to embed the importance of the early years as the foundation for learning in core education frameworks and policies, including articulating governments’ objectives for child outcomes.

4. Australian governments work towards early childhood education investment reaching at least the OECD average, as a proportion of GDP.

Early childhood education for all three-year-olds 5. Australian governments progressively implement universal access to 600 hours per year of a quality early childhood education program, for example preschool, for all three-year-olds, with access prioritised for disadvantaged children, families and communities during roll out.

Access, equity and inclusion – additional support for some children and families 6. Future early childhood education investment and reform include a range of additional, targeted interventions for both children and their families, to ensure all children can fully benefit from a quality early childhood education and have the skills and attributes needed for school and later life. These interventions should be for children and their families both prior to, and during, their participation in early childhood education.

7. Australian governments promote and support full participation by three- and four-year-olds.

Quality and workforce 8. Future early childhood education reforms emphasise quality, with targeted investment to support improvement, and the incremental strengthening of minimum standards under the National Quality Framework.

9. Australian governments consider opportunities to use funding levers to provide incentives for quality improvement by service providers, and consequences for services repeatedly failing to meet the National Quality Standard.

10. Australian governments agree to a new national early childhood education and care workforce strategy to support the recruitment, retention, sustainability and enhanced professionalisation of the workforce, thereby improving service quality and children’s outcomes.

11. The strategy should consider,at a minimum, opportunities to improve: ⊲⊲ service leadership capability ⊲⊲ pre-service training quality and content ⊲⊲ ongoing professional development of the workforce ⊲⊲ responsiveness of pre-service training and ongoing professional development providers to the sector ⊲⊲ consistency and applicability of workforce registration and professional standards ⊲⊲ workforce attraction, stability and retention, including medium and long-term career paths ⊲⊲ the impact of remuneration and conditions on workforce stability and retention, and quality of practice ⊲⊲ workforce diversity, including Indigenous communities ⊲⊲ the status of the profession ⊲⊲ responses to localised issues, including in regional and remote areas ⊲⊲ engagement with parents

Parent and community engagement 12. In recognition of the role of parents as the first and ongoing educator of their children, and as advocates for their children, Australian governments undertake an ongoing campaign to improve community understanding of the importance of the early years and all who care for and educate children, and to improve parent understanding of service quality.

13. Australian governments develop and invest in strategies to support early learning in the home environment, including programs to support parents in their educative role.

Transparency and accountability 14. Australian governments, in support of their investments in early childhood, develop and invest in an early childhood information strategy. The strategy should encompass all aspects of early childhood data, information and evidence, and aim to make a greater amount of information more accessible to more people.

15. The early childhood data and information strategy include better use of existing data and information, more frequent collection, the collection of new data and information, improved data and information sharing, and appropriate national governance arrangements to support the strategy and future reform.

16. Australian governments consider the optimal allocation of roles and responsibilities between levels of government for early childhood in order to address policy and delivery issues, improve clarity and reduce complexity for families, providers and governments, and thereby improve outcomes for children.

Implementation 17. Australian governments develop through the Council of Australian Governments, a plan identifying short, medium and long-term actions for phased implementation of these recommendations.

End note View the report in full at http://bit.ly/LiftingOurGame Senior officials from all states and territories commissioned this Review. It comes at a time when long-term national funding arrangements for early childhood education are uncertain, and significant community discussion and governmental inquiry is occurring on how to improve Australia’s educational performance.

RATTLER 124 | TERM 1 2018 | 43

SI X R EF OR M THEMES

EMBEDDING FOUNDATIONS Recent reform has been important and needs to be made permanent.

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PARENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Parents are vital to the health, wellbeing, learning and development of their child.

Source: ‘Lifting Our Game’,Report of the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools through Early Childhood Interventions.

Susan Pascoe AM, Professor Deborah Brennan.

Released 1 February 2018.

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION FOR ALL THREE YEAR OLDS Two years of early childhood education is of significant benefit to children.

Only

15% of 3 year olds in Australia participate in pre-primary education, compared with the OECD average of

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR SOME CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

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TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY More and better data is vital to maximise return on investment.

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2003-2004

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