April 2014

The Independent Education Union early childhood education magazine

Vol 19 #1, APRIL 2014

bedrock ‘Exceeding’ centres How did they do it?

Men at work

PRINT POST No. PP100007356 ISSN 1326-7566

bedrock Vol 19 #1 APRIL, 2014

executive editors

JOHN QUESSY NSW/ACT Independent Education Union and TERRY BURKE Independent Education Union of Australia Queensland and Northern Territory Branch editor

Sue Osborne journalists/sub-editing

Tara de Boehmler Suzanne Kowalski-Roth Michael Oliver coordinator

Verena Heron

design/layout

Iva Coric

printing and distribution

Print & Mail Pty Ltd 23—25 Meeks Road Marrickville, NSW 2204

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publication mailing address

NSW/ACT Independent Education Union GPO Box 116 Sydney 2001 Tel: (02) 8202 8900 Fax: (02) 9211 1455 Email: ieu@ieu.asn.au Website: www.ieu.asn.au

advertising and subscriptions

BEDROCK is published three times per year by the NSW/ACT and QLD Independent Education Unions and has a circulation of 4,000.

Intending subscribers and advertisers are invited to direct enquiries to Kayla Skorupan at the IEU on (02) 8202 8900 or email: ieu@ieu.asn.au

advertising disclaimer

Advertising is carried in BEDROCK in order to minimise the costs to members. Members are advised that advertising is paid at commercial rates and does not in any way reflect endorsement or otherwise of the advertised products and/or services.

bedrock is a joint publication of the NSW/ACT Independent Education Union (NSW/ACT IEU) and the Independent Education Union of Australia - Queensland and Northern Territory Branch. (IEUA - QNT)

NSW news

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Ask Lisa

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Queensland news

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‘Exceeding’ centres How did they do it?

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Men at work

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Stories in sound

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Unleashing the power of music

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Early bird catches the worm

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30 Years On: Reflecting on change Doorway to Indigenous culture Toddlers and Technology Giveaways

10 Men at work

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Early bird catches the worm

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Greenover 22 Climate change resilience: Showing the way

editorial

CONTENTS

18 Doorway to Indigenous culture

This year is a historic one for the IEU. The Equal Remuneration Claim for early childhood teachers will be before the Fair Work Commission.

The IEU’s significant equal pay claim will show that early childhood teachers have been underpaid based on gender.

Your claim has a strong focus on early childhood teachers as professionals. The IEU needs your help in putting together its claim. See page 4.

John Quessy

This year is also significant in that it marks the 60th anniversary of the formation of the IEU in NSW. Significant gains in wages and conditions have been achieved in these six decades of activism, and only continued strong support of the Union can result in more success.

In this edition of Bedrock we talk to some 30-year veterans of the IEU about how things have changed for them over the years. See page 16.

Our feature story on page 6 examines in detail how some centres in NSW and Queensland have managed to achieve an ‘exceeding’ rating under the National Quality Framework.

We talk to a couple of male teachers about their experiences in early childhood education (page 10) and discuss the benefits of music (page 12).

Terry Burke

As always we welcome your feedback and ideas. You can email us at bedrock@ieu.asn.au.

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NSW news

Be a part of history

The IEU is seeking the assistance of early childhood teachers with our Equal Renumeration Claim before the Fair Work Commission.

We need IEU members who are willing and able to describe the nature of their work to assist the Union's argument that the wages of early childhood teachers are inequitable with the wages paid to teachers in schools.

We would also like to hear from directors and teachers who have worked in multiple settings, such as schools and early childhood services or both preschool and long day care settings.

If you would like to assist the IEU to achieve pay parity for early childhood teachers or for further information about how you can help, email Verena at verena@ieu.asn.au or call on 8202 8900.

Inquiry submission

Distance and disadvantage

High quality early childhood education is an investment in the future, says a submission by the IEU to the Productivity Commission’s Inquiry into Early Childhood Education and Care. Main points included:

Children growing up in regional Australia have poorer cognitive development than their city counterparts but not social-emotional and physical wellbeing outcomes, says Dr Ben Edwards, Executive Manager, Longitudinal Studies of The Tyrannies of Distance and Disadvantage research report by the Australian Institute of Family Studies.

1. High quality early childhood education and care: • is an investment in the future as studies have shown this leads to savings in grade retention, special education classes, welfare, juvenile justice etc.

• improves performance at school — children that attend quality early education programs demonstrate higher NAPLAN and international testing results in later years at school • is an important form of intervention for children most at risk of developmental delay — those with additional needs, those from low income families, those living in rural and remote areas and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

2. There should be no watering down of the National Quality Framework or delay in its implementation.

3. Governments at all levels need to increase investment in early childhood education and care by funding wages parity for early childhood teachers.

To view the IEU’s submission go to http://bit.ly/1iMVjlN

Approved qualifications Need more information about what qualifications are approved under the NQF? ACECQA has put together a list of approved qualification and information about how to have non-approved qualifications assessed.

Details: www.acecqa.gov.au/educators-and-providers1/ qualifications

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The tyranny of distance impacts “on the ability of children in regional areas to understand, process information, and

communicate," says Dr Edwards.

But there are positives for children in regional areas.

"It's important to understand that while high levels of achievement may be important for children in regional areas seeking to go to university, teenagers in regional areas learn independence and leadership working on farms and in community groups and these skills are often transferable to jobs that may be more available in regional areas."

Wealth of information If you’re curious about how children in your community are tracking, the Australian Early Development Index puts a wealth of information at your fingertips. You can explore differences in outcomes between 2009 and 2012 to see how children are faring on indicators which include: Emotional maturity; Physical Health and Wellbeing; Developmental Vulnerability and Language and Cognitive Skills.

Details: http://bit.ly/M3f5y6

QLD/NT news New ECE position created in Queensland Education Department The Queensland Minister for Education, John-Paul Langbroek, has announced a change in the structure of the Department of Education, Training and Employment (DETE), including the establishment of new positions which are described as helping to “link state schools, childcare centres and kindergartens”. In addition, a new Deputy Director-General within the Department with sole focus on early childhood education will be appointed.

Minister Langbroek said that the aim of the changes was to further prepare children for the rigours of school.

“We need to make sure that we tie

what they’re doing in early childhood – in kindy – into helping us with Prep and schools,” said the Minister in a statement to News Ltd.

ASK LISA

“This could include ensuring fine motor skills like how to hold a pencil are developed, making sure children are independent and matching kindergarten literacy activities to lessons in Prep and Grade 1” the Minister is reported to have said.

While our Union welcomes the new focus on ECE by the Queensland Government, we are concerned about the absence of any acknowledgement of the importance of play-based learning and a narrowing of the educational experience of children.

The IEUA-QNT maintains its position that play-based learning should be an essential and non-negotiable part of early childhood education.

C&K announces increased class sizes C&K Queensland has announced that it is increasing the maximum number for each cohort in its kindergartens from 22 to 24.

This is allowed under an exemption given to Queensland under the National Quality Standards that will be in force until 31 December 2015, after which time the numbers will need to return to 22. C&K has to date operated on a maximum of 22.

The IEUA-QNT questions the need for this increase, especially as it can only occur for the next two years, and rejects the couching of the increase in terms of “increased access”. The decision seems to contradict the slogan that children come first, because the reduced group size was originally introduced by C&K as part of a commitment to high quality provision. Further, C&K does not seem to acknowledge the possible detriment to the education of children and the workload of teachers and assistants which will flow from the decision.

The Union will monitor the situation closely to ensure that our members do not bear the burden of this change. It is pleasing a number of centres have already declined to take the maximum to 24.

Coffee ‘n’ cake with ECE members in North Queensland In February the IEUA-QNT held its first ‘coffee ‘n’ cake’ network meeting to provide ECE members with advice and explanation of the legal and work issues that affect them. The gathering, held in Townsville, had Senior Industrial Officer John Spriggs and Industrial Officer Sheryl Saunders as guest speakers.

Issues covered in the session included: future funding changes to kindergartens, National Quality Framework Assessment and ratings, Nominated Supervisor Allowances and hours of duty and excessive workloads.

Contact Lisa on (02) 8202 8900 or lisa@ieu.asn.au

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ear Lisa,

I have worked for a number of years for the same employer and my manager recently said she wanted to meet with me about an incident that occurred with a family. She told me I could bring a support person to the meeting but only gave me one day’s notice.

Also, since I have been with the employer for more than five years without any previous situations like this arising, I did not feel I needed to bring anyone to the meeting.

At the meeting I was shocked to be told that I had breached a policy and I was then given a letter that said my employment may be terminated. I am very distressed because I had no prior warning about the content of the meeting and I felt intimidated and unsupported by my manager. What can I do now?

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ear A

In my experience if an employer invites you to a meeting and advises that you can take a support person then you need to contact the IEU and request that a Union official attend the meeting. It is very likely in this situation that issues regarding work performance will be raised.

If the meeting had been a regular staff / team meeting or appraisal it would be very unlikely for your employer to suggest you may want a support person to attend the meeting. If you had contacted the IEU prior to the meeting the Union would have given you advice regarding how you may respond to any allegations raised in the meeting.

For instance, you may prefer to respond to any allegations in writing, to provide you with time to check any notes you may have made on the day of the alleged incident, rather than answering verbally during the meeting. If any further meetings are initiated by your employer I recommend that you contact the IEU immediately.

Lisa

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‘Exceeding’ centres How did they do it?

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he introduction of an accreditation process for preschools has been a testing time for teachers and directors, but some have risen to the challenge and achieved a rating of Exceeding National Quality Standard in the first round of assessments by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACEQA). Bedrock Journalists Sue Osborne and Michael Oliver talk to some successful teachers, directors and assistants about how they exceeded the standards.

Talking about good conversations Kindamindi Preschool caters for about 100 children a week from the Inverell area in northern NSW. About half the Preschool’s children are Indigenous. Kindamindi is auspiced by Inverell District Family Services.

Director Jan Carr says the centre is lucky to have a team of teachers and educators that “work beautifully together and share everything”.

Jan says ensuring all relationships at the centre are respectful, kind and friendly, and having clear policies which emphasise that, are key to the Preschool’s success.

“There are lots of positive and friendly interactions with everyone who walks through our doors, “ Jan says.

“We reflect on relationships a lot during our staff meetings, and work really hard at making sure they are positive with the children, the families, the community and staff.

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All the staff are on board and that makes it work for us. The assessment report that we received from ACEQA actually highlighted the quality of our relationships

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“All the staff are on board and that makes it work for us. The assessment report that we received from ACEQA actually highlighted the quality of our relationships.”

“We may not provide dress-ups where a child has to be a pirate, but we may provide fabric so a child can be whatever their imagination chooses.

Jan says since the changes to the early childhood assessment system were introduced the whole team had been proactive at looking at ways to explore the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and National Quality Framework (NQF) and had broken down their different components to explore during staff meetings.

“If I was going to give tips to another centre, reflecting on resources would be one and highlighting the value of relationships would be another.”

“We make sure we really listen to children and families and children are really visible in our community.

Jan says all the staff work really hard but enjoy what they do and have fun “The children pick up on that joy and that creates beautiful days.”

“Advocating for early childhood education is a big part of this and we share what we do, whether it’s by the way we set up our rooms, what we put in our newsletters, our conversations with parents or more intentional explanations.

“It can be as subtle as in a conversation about what a child learnt through playing today or it could be more formal information for families.”

The Preschool encourages parent participation in many ways. It has a ‘wonder board’ — a whiteboard where families can write about their child’s questions, aspirations and interests. Families can add to the program and share their time and skills with the centre.

The Preschool also asked parents to write on flags about their children’s wishes, and those flags now fly in the garden, reminding everyone who walks through the door of the value of early childhood.

“Some of the comments are beautiful like ‘to have fun’, 'love and trust’, ‘to smile’, to play’,” Jan says.

Kindamindi communicates its philosophy to parents formally, but Jan says there are lots of little things happening all the time, like wine and cheese nights, an annual art exhibition, or simply making sure every parent is spoken with regularly at pick– up and drop-off times.

Jan says children are given a strong voice in the Preschool, and guide the teacher’s choice of experiences, room set-up and resources.

“We are careful about what we present as a resource, and work really hard at choosing things that will allow creativity and imaginative play and open-ended learning.

Beneficial process The floors of Augusta C&K Kindergarten in Augustine Heights, Ipswich are clean and tidy.

Coloured pencils sit in cups, shirts are laid out and posters with children’s names and photos line the wall as the staff prepare for their first week of kindy for 2014.

In 2013, Director Janelle Borgges, with Assistants Alana and Sandy, ensured Augusta Kindergarten achieved “Exceeding the National Quality Standards” under the National Quality Framework (NQF).

Janelle has been the Director/Teacher at Augusta Kindergarten since its opening in 2012. She spoke about what exceeding the standards meant for a centre of just one year old.

“When we first found out about the NQF we really weren’t sure what to make of it,” says Janelle “Would it be like the previous system of accreditation or something very different?”.

Janelle says that despite it being a new framework, there was plenty of information available to navigate her way though.

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“The information from the NQF website, as well as the further help provided from C&K, made the whole procedure a lot less intimidating, even though it was our first time and in some senses we were flying blind.

“But that is not to say it wasn’t hard work. A lot of hours went into paperwork, and gathering evidence, but I truly believe the process of preparing for assessment has benefitted us,” she says.

Assistant Alana was pleased that in contrast to the previous system of accreditation, the requirements of the NQF involved more collaborative and reflective processes that allowed her to consider how she could improve.

“Under the previous system an inspector would come out and not say much. We often didn’t know how we did or if what we were doing was any good.

Sometimes it could be quite intimidating.

“But this time the inspector asked us not only what we were doing, but why.”

Janelle says she took every measure to involve parents in the NQF process.

“We told them what it was, and how they could contribute. As part of our submission we even included the results of a survey that we asked parents to fill out.”

Janelle, Sandy and Alana all agreed that while the qualification process did take a lot of time and effort, that very robustness and stringency meant that these standards had substance and contributed to recognition and respect for early childhood educators.

Janelle points out that although they do display their rating proudly in the window of the foyer, it isn’t what impresses the parents or encourages enrolments.

“It is the development and growth of their children, the communication and collaboration with parents that we maintain through newsletters and presentations that leads people to know that we a great kindy, and that I and my assistants are good at what we do.

“The parents of our children have always been impressed by our results preparing children for school, helping them to learn to socialise and grow.

Our Exceeding rating helps cement in parents’ minds that we are educators.”

Always striving for improvement Even though they achieved an overall rating of ‘Exceeding the National Quality Standards’ last year, the team at Williamtown Child Care Centre will continue to strive for improvement and review their practices every day.

The Mission Australia Early Learning Service is a Defence priority centre, so that 90% of its families are Williamtown RAAF Base personnel, with the remainder coming from the nearby community, in the Newcastle area of NSW. Centre Manager Dianne Sanger says striving to exceed is a way of life for everybody at the Centre.

“Our Centre philosophy underpins everything that we do.

From left to right: Alana Ryall, Sandy Gorton and Janelle Borgges.

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“Our Quality Improvement Plan is used as a basis for keeping our practices at a high standard. We are constantly adding things that we would like to improve on,” Dianne says.

“Before we submitted our QIP for Assessment and Rating we worked through it with our families and community and all staff had input – we make sure our casuals are included in all of our conversations as much as everybody else.”

Networking with the community was one of the standards which was highlighted in the Assessment report.

Close links with the wider community are important to the Centre. They communicate with parents regularly through surveys, newsletters and emails and distribute material from ACECQA and other organisations with families.

The Fire Brigade come to visit the Centre, and the children have been on an excursion to the base post office. There have been celebrations for International Mud Day and National Tree Day. The Centre has also fostered a relationship with various services that support children with additional needs and these services regularly attend the Centre.

“It’s all part of our ‘Being and Belonging’ within the community,” Dianne says.

“Keeping the conversation open with everyone is important.”

Part of that conversation is working as a team towards goals, and Dianne says mentoring is a big part of creating that team spirit.

“We are continually working on improving our own skills and our staff mentor each other. If someone has a particular interest or skill they can share it. For example one of our teachers has taken on board sustainability and shared that with the others, and the community.

“We asked for input from our families about our indoor and outdoor environments and what would be of interest to their children.

“As an Educational Leader I mentor staff and help them with their programming. I view and discuss their learning stories and help them to improve the quality. I gather information about quality practices and ideas to share with my team and talk about ways of keeping the parents informed.”

“We have a school readiness program that is not just for the preschool children, because we believe

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While the qualification process did take a lot of time and effort, that very robustness and stringency meant that these standards had substance and contributed to recognition and respect for early childhood educators.

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that it should reflect a child-centred approach and that it starts as soon as the children start here.”

“The Assessor noted that our children are encouraged to gain skills independently. A few of the children took her on a tour of the Centre and one told her he was a scientist and had a conversation about experiments that they have done.”

“The Teacher, Kristy Holt, had encouraged him to explore and experiment and had scaffolded on to his interest and developed his ideas.”

“The idea should be that the job is never finished, no matter how successful you are, you must be continually reviewing and open to change and improvement.”

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Men at work

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he lack of male role models in education at all levels is a cause for much national debate.

Bedrock Journalists Michael Oliver and Suzanne Kowolski-Roth talked to two teachers who are bucking the trend.

With more than 26 years’ experience in early education, it’s no surprise that Louis Bradfield, Early Childhood Teacher at Maridahdi Community School, Toowoomba, is regularly asked to share his thinking and experiences at conferences and workshops. Louis has gained quite a following within the profession and is known for his outspoken ideals.

“I always wanted to work in early childhood education.

My Mum was an assistant within a state preschool. It was from then that I started to formulate a belief about what was needed in that sector.”

Louis is quick to point out that although his relationship with early childhood education has always been passionate, it is not without its frustrations.

“It has been a bit of a love/hate relationship as I disagree so strongly with some of the paradigms being thrown around and ideas about what is best for the child. Often, I think when people talk about what is best for the child they are really talking about what is best for the adults around those children,” Louis says.

“When I first started I had this illusion that children were respected. In my experience this is not the case.

It is more about control, conformity and pliability.

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Philosophically, I strongly disagree with this and Maridahdi has provided me with a space to explore other paradigms. I am able to explore new ideas and give the energy I think children deserve.

“Every year the children and families who walk with me at Maridahdi continue to inspire me to explore the potential and possibilities.”

Discussions about the small number of males within early childhood education usually centre on notions of perceived feminisation of the industry and the lack of financial incentives, but Louis believes it’s not that simple.

“I believe a big reason that there are a decreasing number of males in the profession is this encroaching standardisation and rigidity.

“I could go down the usual path and say it is fears of paedophilia accusations or the lack of financial incentives that discourage males, but I am not so sure that is near the mark. Firstly, there was once a draw to early childhood because of flexibility of delivery.

Different ways of doing things were explored. But I do not think that exists anymore.

“We see lots of dads involved here at Maridahdi – who walk with us and get involved because they are allowed to and they are invited. There is something about a more flexible, more playful environment that encourages males.”

Louis seems reluctant to believe that encouraging

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Louis Bradfield

James Petrovic

Often, I think when people talk about what is best for the child they are really talking about what is best for the adults around those children.

more men into early childhood education is a panacea that will improve the outcome of children across the sector.

“We just need good people whether they are males or females. They need to think differently and be allowed to act on those different ideas. They need to bring something new to the space that energises.

"While diversity is a great thing, our education systems need to reflect that. More than anything we want more people to walk into these spaces and say ‘Wow! This is amazing! I have so many ideas and energy that I want to share with this space.’ That is what we need. That is what children need more than anything.”

Never a dull moment As a young man James Petrovic planned to be a police officer. But working with children as a volunteer sports coach made him realise his passions lay elsewhere.

He did a Certificate 3 in childcare studies through TAFE and eventually enrolled at university to train to be an early childhood teacher.

He got a job in a long day care centre where he had done prac, and worked there for eight years before taking on his current position as Director of Cardiff Community Preschool, near Newcastle in NSW. James was one of only two males in his course, and he says his peers rarely show interest in his career choice.

“Apart from the stereotypes about males working in early childhood, there is the low pay. I don’t think the

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pay is going to attract many young people, male or female, into early childhood,” James says.

“But males would be especially put off because of the stereotypes.”

As a young father, James says the lower salary he receives working in a preschool is a problem, but he loves his job.

“I have had to learn to live on a budget. But this job is so varied, it is never mundane. We teach the children, but we learn from them as well.

“Being part of the child’s life, and the family’s life, and knowing you’ve done everything in your powers to get them ready for primary school is so rewarding.

“I love that I can look after such a diverse age range, from six weeks to six years.”

James has real concerns for the future of the early childhood profession.

“Under sixes are not valued by government, there is a lack of funding. I think the school system should be the same for all ages, early childhood, primary and high, so that salaries for teachers and funding support are the same, no matter what age group you teach.

“It’s a real concern there are hardly any male role models in early childhood, especially as children do not always have access to male role models at home.

“It’s good for fathers dropping off and picking up their kids if there are some males to talk to. If governments want to address this, they need to look at salaries.”

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Music gives you a way to say things that can’t be said in any other way.

Step 1 - Discovery

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Go out with the children and collect lots of different materials like sand, gravel, little stones, small branches, bunches of leaves, seed pods with seeds intact or flowers – whatever you can find.

Step 2 - Explore Take your finds back into the room and discuss with the children the different ways they can make sounds.

Explore the different sounds the bunch of leaves can make. Perhaps those little pebbles, if tapped together, make a different sound than if you drop them on the floor.

Stories in sound T

alk to violinist and music teacher Marion Walker about early childhood and music and it’s hard not to be swept up in her enthusiasm for all that music has to offer the very young, Bedrock Journalist Suzanne Kowalski-Roth writes.

For many years Marion has been delivering an early childhood music program to children which introduces them to basic musical concepts and the joy of music making.

“Studies show that music can activate all the different lobes of your brain especially when you’re playing something new that you haven’t played before,” Marion says.

The ability of music to reach beyond words, to the world of universal feelings can offer a way of expression that can be liberating.

“There are limitations in language and other ways of expressing yourself,” says Marion. “Music gives you a way to say things that can’t be said in any other way."

Music can be grounding in unexpected ways. It can also offer children a way to bond with the local community and environment.

You could explore how water that is tipped into a container makes a different sound than if it’s splashed about by hands. Marion urges teachers to explore the different range and possibilities of sound with the children.

Step 3 - Allocate Once you’ve decided on the sounds as a group allocate one item per child (one child might be in charge of the sand while another is in charge of the leaves) or if you don’t have enough materials you could have groups of children allocated to one material.

Step 4 – Story time The teacher or a child can start off the story with an opening like ‘I was going for a walk in the bush’ and then they make a crunching sound with their leaves.

The next child might say ‘And then I heard the trickle of the creek’ and they could make a water sound.

This narrative is then built upon until every child has contributed something that is accompanied by a sound they’ve chosen. You can then culminate the story in a performance if suitable.

Story tips: You could embed your story into your community so it might actually turn out to be a story about a place, the park or about the centre where they are. The story can take many forms, limited only by imagination.

Sound Story with Natural Materials is one of Marion’s favourite activities and it offers children a way to do all of the above.

Marion gives workshops and can be found at www.marionmusic.net

Marion recommends letting it evolve over a few days and a collaborative approach is key to its success – it’s all about the process. One caution though, it’s important to ensure children don’t pick toxic plants in Step 1.

www.musicplayforlife.org/index.php/research/ music-early

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Other resources:

www.makingmusicbeingwell.org.au/case-studies

Unleashing the power of music A

child waves a drumstick, indicating it is time for the music to begin. His friends, who have been waiting for the cue, play enthusiastically while watching for him to indicate it is time to stop and for another among them to play bandleader, Bedrock Journalist Tara de Boehmler writes.

The children are immersed in the activity, enjoying themselves and supported by the music therapist.

She provides the musical and therapeutic space for them to learn and practice new skills such as listening, leadership, waiting, self-regulation, following instructions and more. All the while, their teachers are observing the fun and musical environment that has been created for the children to practice non-musical learning activities in.

It’s the sort of exercise Registered Music Therapist Vicky Abad would like to see regularly included in early childhood services’ daily musical activities. It’s also the type of game that can be played without a musical therapist, but she says services are increasingly bringing in the experts to enhance their existing programs.

“Music therapy is a research-based practice and profession in which music is used to actively support people as they strive to improve their health, functioning and wellbeing. For this reason, music therapists have traditionally worked where there is an identified need, such as in special education or children’s hospitals,” Vicky says.

In more recent years, music therapists have also worked with people in the community with different needs, such as empowering parents to use music when they are undergoing family challenges and with children who have suffered from trauma, including those impacted by bushfires and floods.

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Provide a musical environment to produce non-musical goals such as language skills and social, emotional, cognitive, physical and behavioural development.

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produce non-musical goals such as language skills and social, emotional, cognitive, physical and behavioural development.

“That’s why you might get someone to consult with your staff about how everyone can use music effectively or to provide training or regular programming in your centre.”

As one of the Australian Music Therapy Association’s spokespeople, she is keen to differentiate registered music therapists and musicians providing entertainment.

“An individual who has completed an accredited music therapy course and who keeps their professional skills up to date can apply to AMTA to become a Registered Music Therapist and anyone looking for music therapy services should look for the RMT status of the practitioner.”

“It’s easy to see the music, but it’s much harder to see the therapeutic approach underpinning it, so looking for the RMT status is a simple way to ensure that you are getting therapy and not just some lovely entertainment.”

“Young children don’t always have the words or capacity to process these situations verbally so music provides a really effective, non-verbal channel.

“Many centres really want to support early learning and growth and are exploring ways to do this – language and music are two great ways.

“Centres should be using music every day, all the time.

To be human is to be musical and babies are born ready for music, with adult hearing ability.

“Music therapists don’t claim to own music, music is for everyone, and we are keen to share our knowledge and training to help make a simple game really effective and to keep children in touch with their emotions,” Vicky says.

“The way we use music has been researched and practiced. In early childhood settings we can work effectively with educators and carers to provide the best musical learning environment for children to

Vicky Abad is the Program Director of the Master in Music Therapy Course at the University of Queensland, Managing Director of Boppin’ Babies and the Founding Director of the International Music Therapy Early Intervention Program Sing & Grow.

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The preschool teacher’s qualifications are a very important factor for children’s outcomes.

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Early bird catches the worm Study finds quality preschool and trained teachers key to NAPLAN success

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ew research highlights children’s long-term outcomes when they are exposed to quality early childhood programs with trained teachers.

The early bird really does catch the worm, Bedrock Journalist Suzanne Kowalski-Roth writes.

It was early on in a home reading stint a few years ago at primary school that the power of a quality early childhood program became clear.

There were a few children in that kindergarten class who were obviously not that familiar with books or being read to. Then there were others who were well on the way to linguistic mastery. The gaps between the two groups were already wide and it was only kindergarten.

No doubt parents and carers play a key role but is it possible to determine the impact of a quality preschool program?

What happens to outcomes further down the track?

Do children who attend high quality preschool programs with early childhood trained teachers continue to benefit? Do those who miss out on trained early childhood teachers pay the price academically?

A University of Melbourne study The Early Bird Catches the Worm: The Causal Impact of Preschool Participation and Teacher Qualifications on Year 3 NAPLAN Cognitive Tests by Diana Warren and John P Haisken-DeNew has been the first study of its type in Australia to examine longer term effects of early childhood teacher qualifications on student outcomes.

The study drew on data from the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Children (LSAC) using a sample of 4157 children matched with Year 3 NAPLAN outcomes.

The study found that not only does attendance at preschool have a positive effect on later NAPLAN results but the effect is significant, with preschool attendance equivalent to 10-20 NAPLAN points or 15-20 weeks of schooling at Year 3.

The study’s results “indicate that compared to children who did not attend preschool, Year 3 NAPLAN scores are significantly higher among children whose preschool teacher had either a degree in early childhood education or a diploma level qualification in child care or early childhood education, particularly for the domains of numeracy, reading and spelling”.

Interestingly, when it comes to numeracy, those who had attended preschool with a degree qualified teacher scored an average of 12 points higher, while those with a diploma level qualification scored 17 points higher.

The results for numeracy showed that the impact was greatest at the higher end of NAPLAN results. The study also noted that the benefits of preschool “are most significant among children whose teacher specialised in child care or early childhood education, and in general,

children whose preschool teacher had a teaching degree without a specialisation in early childhood education did not benefit as much”.

The study found the preschool teacher’s qualifications to be an important factor with children whose preschool teacher had a degree in early childhood education or a diploma in early childhood education or child care gaining the most from attending preschool.

However, those children whose teacher had only a certificate level qualification or no relevant qualification showed no significant benefit in terms of Year 3 NAPLAN scores.

At the beginning of this year it became mandatory that all children in Australia have access to a high quality early childhood program delivered by a universitytrained early childhood teacher in the year before school when they attend services of 25 children or more.

These structural reforms to improve quality are backed by the report’s findings. The writers conclude that the National Quality Standard is likely to “have substantial long-term benefits, particularly for children who would not have had the opportunity to attend a preschool with a suitably qualified teacher if these reforms had not taken place”.

It will be fascinating to watch the developments in this area and what new research will reveal about longterm impacts of quality early childhood education. Will it add to findings like the US HighScope Perry Preschool Program which concluded that quality preschool intervention in a high risk population bought long-term benefits like “higher levels of income, reduced crime rates and higher levels of family stability”.

Will better data bring an inevitable change in focus of government towards investment in quality teachers and pay because it makes much more budgetary sense than paying for prisons or social security burdens down the track?

Although there are many forces who argue against qualified university trained teachers in early childhood, my guess is that once data like this begins coming in we will see a changing community understanding of the importance of dedicated early childhood.

It is a unique opportunity for the profession to use these findings to redefine itself and communicate these results in an ongoing process of education.

Once the community fully understands how quality in early childhood can set children up for academic success then we may begin to see an accompanying rise in pay, so that it gets to where it needs to be – the same as teachers in schools.

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30 Years On: reflecting on change

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ast year the NSW IEU presented four early childhood teachers with their 30-year membership badges. This year the Union celebrates its 60th anniversary. Bedrock Journalist Suzanne Kowalski-Roth caught up with them to ask them to reflect on some of the changes they’ve witnessed during the past decades and what use they’d put a magic wand to if they could.

Kathy Toirkens, Teacher/Director Braidwood Preschool Association When Kathy Toirkens arrived to take up a teaching position at Braidwood Preschool Association little did she know that she’d love it so much she’d never leave.

“I joined the IEU because I was aware that in a community-based preschool I would be employed by volunteer parents who often have no experience in this area, so I wanted to have someone to call on for support and advice. I also strongly believe in adding my voice to the numbers of the Union in the work that it does in terms of lobbying and wage negotiations.

“Children are much more engaged in learning now as it’s much more meaningful to them and their future. I think it’s a better way to build stronger relationships with the children as they feel they are being listened to and valued.

“If I had a magic wand I’d wave it for pay parity for early childhood teachers and give big wage increases for the other educators in our services, so we’re paid a wage that reflects the value of our work. I’d also have much lower fees or free education.

“I’d like to see the continuation of the advancements in early childhood under the previous government. Their investment in and value of play-based learning was really quite significant. I know personally that our preschool would be struggling to be viable without that injection of funds.”

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I’d like to see the continuation of the advancements in early childhood.

”

Jan Elder: Director, San Souci Preschool

Helen Inglis, Casual Teacher

Working with the late Betty Hobson, the early childhood advocate, in her first year out at Earlwood Uniting Preschool in 1976 helped instill a great passion for the sector in Jan Elder.

“In those early days I had 14 children with no other staff member to support me but I don’t recall ever being worried about that. I do recall the days being quite carefree and full of spontaneous experiences.

Helen Inglis began teaching in 1968 in a single unit preschool in country Queensland for around $2000 per year, at a time when early childhood teachers were regarded as little more than charity workers. After an eye-opening stint working as an Early Childhood Teacher in London she came back to Sydney and began teaching with KU.

“Our role is more about educating parents and also supporting them.

“My Director told me the Associated Masters and Mistresses Union (later to become the IEU) had just won coverage for early chilhdood teachers and was fighting for equal wages. I joined immediately. Knowing that I had the Union behind me was always a great source of support and information and even though I now only work a couple of days a week as a casual, it is still important.

“I think the NQF and EYLF have helped to put the emphasis back on family and community".

“Over the years, I have seen many changes in children, their parents and the community.

“I have called the IEU on many occasions to ask for support and they’ve always been there. I don’t know what I would have done without the Union. Over the last few years the IEU has been more involved in political issues, such as the importance of early childhood education and fighting for more funding and supporting better wages and conditions. I think it’s a wonderful organisation.

“There are many more working mothers, more mobile families, a greater variety of family types and many more commercial long day services. Parents are much older and there is less support from the extended family. Now there is the expectation that children with additional needs will be integrated into mainstream services. All these changes have had a huge impact on the work we do, with an explosion of paperwork and legislated requirements.

“I don’t think children have changed a lot. I think it’s society that has changed. I think expectations have changed and parents expect a lot more from their children’s teachers.

“If I had a magic wand I’d like to see more community based services and more support for services and teachers. I’d like to see the wages of early childhood teachers improve, especially to attract and retain good teachers. I’d like to include more practical experience in university training as I think that’s decreased over the years.”

“With my magic wand, I would conjure up better pay for all staff, more money to resource centres both with staff and equipment and enough places to give parents real choice.”

Janette Essery, Director, Goonellabah Preschool Janette began teaching at St Mary’s Community Preschool in Casino in 1980 and joined the IEU after her Director recommended it. The isolation has since lessened due to advances in technology and better professional networks, Janette says.

“Parents seem to be much busier now and fewer parents have time to help in volunteer roles.

When I first started teaching, parent volunteers on the committee were active in managing the daily operations. The secretary dealt with correspondence and the treasurer did the payroll. Parents actively fundraised for playground equipment, resources and building maintenance.

“New teachers need to be passionate about the rights of children and families within their community. Your role as an early childhood teacher is demanding but your dedication and commitment to early childhood education will be very rewarding.

“I’d advise new teachers to join local early childhood networks and broader community networks like the Yahoo preschool group and the IEU. We can learn so much from each other."

“I would use my magic wand to provide early childhood education with minimal fees to all two- to five-year-old children. Parents would be free to choose the type of early childhood service their child attends and the hours they can access.

“I would also ensure that all early childhood teachers would be paid the same wages as primary school teachers. Our professionalism, skills and knowledge is of equal significance to that of our colleagues in primary schools.”

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Good vibrations L

aidley Kindergarten in South East Queensland has been running an innovative program for the last two years, immersing children in Indigenous culture following the involvement of indigenous community member and parent of a former student, Jason Troutman. Bedrock Journalist Michael Oliver speaks to Director Barbara Buchannan about the positive effects the program is having as it enters its third year.

The sessions run once a fortnight, in a block, and then rotate to the other group of children. Lessons start slowly, with Jason introducing himself. He makes sure that children are involving all their senses.

The children of C&K Laidley Kindergarten have felt the vibrations of a didgeridoo on their feet, learnt the difficulties of dot painting and told stories of Australian animals thanks to the regular visits of Jason Troutman who comes and shares his knowledge of his culture with the children.

“Little kids have to learn hands-on rather than just being told. It is so much better for them to touch it.

“We first approached Jason when his daughter was a student at the Kindy,” says Barbara.

“He came in with Jessica (his daughter) and said we should do something with the kids and it grew from there. He wants Kindy children to make up their own mind about Aboriginal people, because a lot of them have never met an Aboriginal person.

And really, all they know is what their parents say.”

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“When he first comes, he might just show them the Aboriginal flag. He lets them touch the flag. He plays the didgeridoo, on their feet even, just to let them know not to be frightened.

“The children loved it so much we even had some go home, get a large piece of cardboard roll and make their own didgeridoo and play it. They are so excited then to show it to me and to Jason next time he comes in.”

Jason doesn’t talk about Indigenous culture in a static sense, or refer only to the past, but constantly explains to the kids about how his culture fits into today’s world.

“Jason talks about bush tucker, and eating kangaroo, and hunting them, but he also says ‘these days I go down to Woolies to get my kangaroo’.

“He makes kangaroo sausage rolls and brings them in for the kids to try. Last year he also made us prawns wrapped in paper bark, and it was just beautiful.

“He will explain to the kids that even though today we use foil, it didn’t exist in the past so paper bark was used.

“Sometimes the children have difficulties understanding the length of times being talked about, or even getting their heads around a world before shops, cars, houses and streets.

“We talk a lot about Australian animals, because a lot of our kids don’t know about them. They will talk to me about lions and tigers, but not about Australian animals. So we like to spend a lot of time on that.”

Barbara can see the positive effect this exposure is having on her children, expanding their horizons, and helping them to become more socially inclusive people.

“I had one other Aboriginal boy at the kindy and he would go home to his mother and say things like ‘why don’t we go out collecting bush tucker’, and she says ‘because we don’t have to'.

“Each year we’ve been to National Aboriginal Islander Children’s Day in Ipswich — which is run by the Ipswich City Council. It involves group activities and artefacts, dancers and musicians. The kids are really comfortable because they have seen it all before.

“They can’t even imagine that when Aboriginal people first came to Australia there were no houses and cars. They find that very difficult to understand.

All you can do is keep repeating it and say that ‘if you didn’t have shops and houses and cars — this is what you would have to do’.”

“The children love Jason so much. He gets on their level, and he is so good at picking which ones are shy, or the boys who get upset when they can’t do something right the first time — like catch the boomerang — and then he spends extra time with them as well.

The lessons with Jason also create awareness of Australia’s fauna and flora. With Jason’s guidance, each group creates, writes and illustrates a Dreamtime story about Australia’s unique animals.

They then act out these stories with Jason as the story teller and the didgeridoo accompanying.

“Our kids go home and rave about Jason and call out on the street to him when they see him in the community. It might not be much, but for parents to see their children being so accepting and open, and other members of the community to see the same, is doing just that little bit more to promote acceptance and appreciation.”

“

Sometimes the children have difficulties understanding the length of times being talked about, or even getting their heads around a world before shops, cars, houses and streets. x 19 x x 19 x

Toddlers on Technology: a Parents’ Guide

By Patti Wollman Summers, Ann Desollar-Hale, Heather Ibrahim-Leathers Published by AuthorHouse Review by Tara de Boehmler

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ith so many toddlers already accessing iPads, smart phones and other devices, there is no shortage of app makers vying to respond to market demand. A new book by two US early childhood teachers and a neuropsychologist aims to empower educators and parents to take control of digital technology for their children.

Toddlers on Technology by Patti Wollman Summers, Ann Desollar-Hale and Heather Ibrahim-Leathers provides detailed advice for choosing apps in tandem with a child’s learning style, how to manage their screen time and provide a balance of activities, and presents research on screen time effects.

Aimed at parents but relevant to all who educate and care for ‘digitods’, the impetus for the book came when Early Childhood Teacher/Director Patti Wollman Summers noticed a great difference in the current crop of toddlers in her classroom, compared with those she had taught in her 30 years in education.

Believing the intellectual curiosity of these toddlers was “greatly advanced”, she and her co-authors set about producing “the first serious attempt by an educator, parent and grandparent to construct a map of options that allows us to chart new and productive paths for our youngest children in a digital world”.

The book provides a number of app reviews along with issues (or “bumps on the road”), features that are rewarding to children, tips for how each app might best be used by toddlers with a range of learning styles and a number “see saw activities” to build on their learning and expand their experience “from the cognitive to the physical, emotional and social arenas as well”.

The featured apps, which are aimed at children from 18 months to four years of age, include:

Interactive Alphabet

By Piikea St. LLC For iPad, iTouch, iPhone It allows toddlers to listen to letter phonics and see an example of a word that begins with that letter sound.

Puzzle Me

By MyFirstApp For iPad, iTouch, iPhone It presents a range of four-piece puzzles. Toddlers can drag puzzle pieces to their appropriate location.

Tally Tots

By Spinlight Studio For iPhone, iPad, Android When toddlers press a number, a plane appears, dragging the number across the screen while a clear female voice counts from one up to that number.

Some of the apps recommended for four-year-olds (and beyond) include topic areas such as literacy, emotions and empathy. One of the latter is a pair of ebooks by One Globe Kids about children in Haiti. They “give a glimpse into the children’s daily lives” and enable toddlers to compare and contrast them with their own lives.

Full reviews of these and more are contained in the book and will be added to at www.digitod.com.

Wheels on the Bus

By Duck Duck Moose For iPad, iTouch, iPhone, Android, Kindle Fire It features an interactive music video and allows toddlers to drive the bus themselves, manipulating its direction and speed with a simple swipe.

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Bedrock is pleased to offer members a chance to win one of three copies of Toddlers ON Technology. To be in the running, send your name, member number and address details to Toddlers ON Technology giveaway, Bedrock, Independent Education Union, GPO Box 116, Sydney NSW 2001 by 19 April 2014.

GIVEAWAYS

To enter one of these giveaways put your name, membership number and current address on the back of an envelope addressed to Bedrock Giveaways 1,2 or 3 – GPO BOX 116, Sydney, 2001 by Friday 19 April.

Envelopes not marked with which giveaway they are entering will be disqualified.

Giveaway 1

Three copies

Giveaway 2

Three copies

Great Grandma’s Guidelines to Prevent Childhood Accidents Author: Florence Parry Publisher: Xlibris Corporation ISBN: 978 1 4836 3962 8

The purpose of this book is to bring about general community awareness of contributing factors and precautions that can be taken to prevent predictable childhood accidents that happen to children from 0-14 years old.

Giveaway 3 Megumi and the Bear Author: Irma Gold Illustrator: Craig Phillips Publisher: Walker Books ISBN: 978 1 921977 90.9

Sesame Street Preschool is Cool: Making Friends DVD: ABC for Kids

Join Elmo, Professor Grover and company as they share silly stories and sing songs about making friends, taking turns and sharing.

Three copies

Beautifully illustrated story of Megumi’s relationship with her friend the bear.

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GREENOVER

Climate Change resilience: Services can lead by example

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Early childhood services could increasingly be seen as sites for community relief.

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s the impact of climate change takes hold in Australia, early childhood services could find themselves at the forefront of emergency relief efforts, Bedrock Journalist Suzanne Kowalski-Roth writes.

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e are experiencing increasing temperatures and heat waves in summer and winter. Weather events are becoming more intense and frequent.

No one is immune from the impact of changing climate. The bottom line can be seen in the world of insurance. In Australia insurers are now working with councils to lessen exposure to risk, as many councils can’t afford the rising insurance premiums due to the increasing risks climate change brings.

Communities who are prepared for change and who have thought carefully about how to manage extreme weather and its fallout will be much more resilient than those who haven’t.

Professor Julie Davis, Associate School of Early Childhood at Queensland’s University of Technology, says it has been calculated that climate change is already responsible for over 400,000 deaths globally, mostly from communicable diseases and hunger.

Air pollution, a by-product of the carbon-intensive energy dependency that is driving climate change, is thought to cause another 4.5 million deaths around the world.

Children are particularly vulnerable to flood, heat waves, droughts and extreme weather and to epidemics from contaminated water and infectious diseases and increasing plant allergens which can trigger other issues like asthma, she says.

Early childhood services on sites that are already vulnerable to fires, floods and storm damage can expect to feel such effects more deeply and frequently.

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“This behoves services to audit their structures and grounds and to seek ways to reduce impact,” Professor Davis says.

“Down the track, some vulnerable sites might need to consider relocation, especially when combined with the effects of disruptions to roads, bridges and other transport services that bring children and their families into and out of a service”.

Early childhood services could increasingly be seen as sites for community relief says Ms Davis.

Are such considerations something early childhood services consider as part of their community sustainability measures, especially in rural and remote regions?

Passively waiting for climate change is not on her agenda.

“It is a matter of ethics and morality – a matter of intergenerational justice - the injustice of one generation to future generations. To leave the world better off for our children and grandchildren should stir our conscience and drive immediate action."

In Australia, early childhood services can be leaders in driving change.

“We have the Early Years Learning Framework and the National Quality Standards to help early childhood education services implement education practices around sustainability that are child appropriate, teacher friendly and that build community capacity for change,” says Ms Davis.

Interested in more?

Queensland Early Childhood Sustainability Network http://www.qecsn.org.au Environmental Education in Early Childhood (Victoria) Inc. http://www.eeec.org.au NSW Early Childhood Environmental Education Network http://www.eceen.org.au

GREENOVER

Rainbow Preschool case study

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hat happens when you start the day expecting nothing unusual to happen, only to find your preschool and home threatened by a raging fire as the day goes on? Bedrock Journalist Suzanne KowalskiRoth hears a first-hand account from Joan Murray, Director/Teacher at Rainbow Preschool, Winmalee in the lower Blue Mountains.

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While I respect that not everyone likes social media, in the emergency circumstances like we experienced it was invaluable.

”

“The day began like any other but by 10am on Thursday 17 October the smoke had become thick, so the children were sent indoors and the curtains were closed against the smoke while staff monitored the situation.

“The children continued on with their day oblivious to the developing drama. By lunchtime the situation had deteriorated and a steady stream of parents began arriving to pick up children.

“A parent at the preschool and off duty fireman Dale Wade-Ferrell, who was familiar to children and staff for his popular fire training sessions at the preschool, arrived to assess the situation and he was joined by another firefighter from the preschool community.

“By 2.45pm the power had gone. Not long afterwards the fire was in the Preschool’s backyard and they were forced to evacuate via a fire truck.

“I later heard that Dale had flagged down tanker number 82 from Richmond that was heading down the road to Yellow Rock and had diverted them to save our beloved Rainbow building and my own home.

The Preschool’s backyard was totally destroyed but thankfully the fire was stopped from taking our home.

Fire threatens Rainbow Preschool in the Blue Mountains.

“For 65 families in our community we were the only constant in their child’s life. We had eight children who lost their homes.

look after each other. On the first Saturday after the fire we had 30 people turn up to help clear the backyard and get us reopened.

“We had 12 children evacuated in the back of the fire truck and we had lots of other children whose family members lost their homes. We had other parents who lost garden sheds, fences, bits and pieces and houses were damaged by smoke.

“We were only closed for six school days. We worked from sun up to sun down and when the sun went down we set up lights to work by. We became a distribution centre for families in need. You name it we distributed it - everything from shoes, clothing, nappies, food and toiletries.

“Every one of those 65 families and our staff was affected by this fire.

“We lost my husband’s workshop which his father had built over 40 years ago. He lost countless precious mementos and antique tools as well as a beer can collection.

“Our evacuation plan was in place and we stuck to it and it worked. Quick communication with parents was critical. Not everybody likes Facebook but in this instance I was able, via my phone to keep the parents in touch with where we were and what was happening.

“In hindsight I couldn’t have done anything differently.

We were well prepared by the training Dale had given us. We have a really good Preschool community. We all

“While I respect that not everyone likes social media in the emergency circumstances like we experienced it was invaluable.”

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2012 winners, left to right: Louise Simpson representing Buninyong Preschool, and Amy Douglas.

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