Child Participation and Family Engagement with Early Childhood Education and Care Services in Disadvantaged Australian Communities

2014 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebekah Grace ◽  
Jennifer Bowes ◽  
Emma Elcombe
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Family Engagement ◽  
Child Participation ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Education And Care

Parent Choice of Early Childhood Education and Care Services

2007 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Noble
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Social Context ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Knowledge Bases ◽  
Theory Analysis ◽  
Parent Choice ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Education And Care

THIS PAPER REPORTS ON A STUDY designed to enhance knowledge and understanding of parent choice in relation to early childhood education and care (ECEC) services. It investigates the ways parents make their choices of early childhood services and examines and interprets the meanings they ascribe to those choices. An orthodox grounded theory analysis of interviews with parents was conducted to elicit the knowledge bases parents draw on as they make judgements about the early childhood services they access for their children. This investigation informs ECEC professionals about the variations in the ways parents make choices for their young children. Specifically, there is a strong sense of the influence of social context and existing beliefs and understandings. However, equally importantly, parent choice is also strongly influenced by more pragmatic concerns. Therefore, choice of ECEC service is both complex and pragmatic.

Trust, Empathy and Time: Relationship Building with Families Experiencing Vulnerability and Disadvantage in Early Childhood Education and Care Services

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 4-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Education And Care

THIS ARTICLE IDENTIFIES some key enablers and barriers in early childhood education and care (ECEC) environments in Australia encountered by early childhood educators and professionals (ECEPs) and by the children and their families experiencing vulnerability and disadvantage. Improving educational outcomes can change the cycle of disadvantage for children and their families. This research asks both the providers and users of services concurrently about what they think is important and effective. This qualitative case study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to analyse semi-structured interview data gathered from 30 families and their children and 33 qualified ECEPs. The research focused on the enablers and barriers around social inclusion, access, participation and engagement at the different levels of system, service, children and their families, and ECEPs. The study found that the participant groups shared an understanding that empathy, trust and time proved key to relationship building as a starting point in addressing some of the key barriers. Social inclusion, access, participation and engagement are key to early learning success in early childhood—a time integral to overall health, wellbeing and future role in society. This study has led to the development of a new model for engagement and relationship building.

scholarly journals Sharing is Caring: A Study of Food-Sharing Practices in Australian Early Childhood Education and Care Services

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 229
Author(s):  
Ruth Wallace ◽  
Karen Lombardi ◽  
Charlotte De Backer ◽  
Leesa Costello ◽  
Amanda Devine
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Emotional Development ◽  
Food Sharing ◽  
Social And Emotional Development ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Education And Care ◽  
Family Style

Food connects people, and can significantly impact the physical, social and emotional development of young children. Food sharing and family-style mealtimes can support healthy eating practices and psychological well-being among young children, and carersother than family members, such as Early Childhood Education and Care staff, play an important role in the provision of these practices. Despite increasing numbers of Australian children attending Early Childhood Education and Care services, there is often reluctance among staff to promote such mealtime practices, to the detriment of children’s social and emotional development. The aim of this paper was to focus on the potential role of Early Childhood Education and Care services in facilitating food sharing and family-style mealtime practices in the earliest stages of the lifespan. A qualitative, netnographic approach was used, and data was collected as part of the broader ’Supporting Nutrition for Australian Childcare’ (SNAC) study, via online conversation threads, observations and qualitative interviews. Findings demonstrated that whilst many Early Childhood Education and Care services are committed to supporting food sharing and family-style mealtime practices, a number of barriers were reported. These included the perception that babies and toddlers could not participate in these practices, concerns about food hygiene and cross contamination of allergens, and negative parental influences on food sharing. In conclusion, this paper supports the practice of food sharing in Early Childhood Education and Care settings and calls for them to become embedded in everyday operations to support the physical, social and emotional development of Australia’s future generations.

Food allergy management in Early Childhood Education and Care Services in Australia

2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 394-399
Author(s):  
Tonghuan Hua ◽  
Ros Sambell ◽  
Ruth Wallace ◽  
Sandra Vale ◽  
Amanda Devine
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Food Allergy ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Education And Care ◽  
Allergy Management

‘Belonging’ in Australian early childhood education and care curriculum and quality assurance: Opportunities and risks

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 340-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Sumsion ◽  
Linda Harrison ◽  
Karen Letsch ◽  
Benjamin Sylvester Bradley ◽  
Matthew Stapleton
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Learning Framework ◽  
Care Services ◽  
National Quality ◽  
Education And Care

This article considers opportunities and risks arising from the prominence of the belonging motif in Australia’s Early Years Learning Framework and, more implicitly, in the National Quality Standard, against which the quality of the early childhood education and care services is assessed. A vignette constructed from case study data generated in the babies’ room in an early childhood centre in an Aboriginal community in rural Queensland is used to illuminate some of these opportunities and risks.

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