scholarly journals Grounds for Learning: Schoolyard Activities as Provocations, Scaffolds and Mediators for Childhood Learning

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-59
Author(s):  
Paul Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Blind Spot ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Policy Initiatives ◽  
Outdoor Spaces ◽  
National Quality ◽  
Natural Settings ◽  
Children's Activities

Compelling evidence links childhood experiences in quasi-natural settings with learning and wellbeing, but, as cities grow, children's activities have been increasingly restricted to de-natured spaces that are designed or controlled by adults. In recent years, academics and education practitioners have campaigned to reverse this trend, and one result is that Australian early childhood centres and schools increasingly provide environments that enhance opportunities for children to engage with nature. These moves are also underpinned by higher-level policy initiatives. For example, the National Quality Standard, Element 3.2.1, requires that early childhood outdoor spaces are designed so that children experience natural environments (ACECQA, 2013). Similarly, the South Australian Department for Education and Child Development (2016, p. 5) Outdoor Learning Environments Standard mandates ‘balanced environments which instil a sense of wonder, generate curiosity and spark the imagination of children and young people’. However, despite recent interest and policy initiatives, the processes by which environments influence learning remain ‘under-researched’ (Engelen et al., 2013, p. 324) and constitute a ‘significant blind spot’ (Rickinson et al., 2004, p. 8) in the literature.

Considering Form and Function: A Commentary on the Review of the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia

2021 ◽  
pp. 183693912110185
Author(s):  
Caroline Cohrssen
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Early Years ◽  
National Guidelines ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Learning Framework ◽  
National Quality ◽  
Planning Cycle ◽  
Standard Quality

An important milestone in early childhood education and care is reached in 2021 as Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia is reviewed. The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) was groundbreaking. It has been influential in providing national guidelines around pedagogical principles, practice and learning outcomes for children. This commentary is intended to contribute to the wider conversation that is taking place this year. It proposes that a refined EYLF retains the focus on child-centredness and playful learning, and advocates for the structure of the revised document to include continua of learning and development. The provision of learning trajectories would assist early childhood educators to enact the planning cycle, meet National Quality Standard Quality Area 1, and thus potentially increase the learning outcomes for all children.

scholarly journals Comparing regulatory and non-regulatory indices of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) quality in the Australian early childhood sector

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (75) ◽  
pp. 958
Author(s):  
Iram Siraj ◽  
Steven J. Howard ◽  
Denise Kingston ◽  
Cathrine Neilsen‑Hewett ◽  
Edward C. Melhuish ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Childhood Environment ◽  
National Quality ◽  
Education And Care ◽  
Early Childhood Environment

<p>Este estudo analisa as associações entre as pontuações provenientes de processos regulatórios de avaliação da qualidade da educação infantil australiana (Early Childhood Education and Care – ECEC) do National Quality Standard (NQS)2 e das duas escalas de avaliação de qualidade (SSTEW – Sustained Shared Thinking and Well Being; e ECERS-E – Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Extension). A amostra consiste em 257 unidades de ECEC em três estados australianos. Os resultados indicaram: associações positivas modestas entre as pontuações do NQS e das escalas; alguma especificidade entre as áreas de qualidade do NQS (aspectos do projeto e práticas pedagógicas para as crianças; relações com crianças) e de uma escala de avaliação – a SSTEW; variabilidade das pontuações das escalas de qualidade dentro de cada classificação do NQS; e atenuação dessas associações quando  o tempo  entre  as avaliações  ultrapassa  24 meses. As conclusões sugerem que o NQS e as escalas de avaliação indicam um núcleo comum de qualidade, mas capturam aspectos diferentes da qualidade, sugerindo que ambos poderiam ser usados para melhorar os padrões de qualidade nas pré-escolas australianas, onde as escalas de avaliação potencializam a qualidade ainda mais do que o NQS.</p><p><strong>Palavras-chave:</strong> National Quality Standard, ECERS-E, SSTEW, Qualidade, Pré-Escola, Regulamentação</p><p> </p><p><strong>Comparando índices regulatorios y no regulatorios de calidad de la educación infantil en Australia</strong></p><p>Este estudio analiza las asociaciones entre los puntajes provenientes de procesos regulatorios   de evaluación de la calidad de la educación infantil australiana (Early Childhood Education and Care – ECEC) del National Quality Standard (NQS) y de las dos escalas de evaluación de calidad (SSTEW – Sustained Shared Thinking and Well Being; y ECERS-E – Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Extended). La muestra consiste en 257 unidades de ECEC en tres estados de Australia. Los resultados indicaron: asociaciones positivas modestas entre los puntajes del NQS y de las escalas; alguna especificidad entre las áreas de calidad del NQS (aspectos del proyecto y prácticas pedagógicas para los niños; relaciones con niños) y una escala de evaluación –  la SSTEW; variabilidad de los puntajes de las escalas de calidad dentro de cada clasificación del NQS; y atenuación de dichas asociaciones siempre que el tiempo entre las evaluaciones supera los 24 meses. Las conclusiones sugieren que el NQS y las escalas de evaluación indican un núcleo común de calidad, pero capturan aspectos distintos de la calidad, lo que sugiere que ambos se podrían utilizar para mejorar los estándares de calidad en el sistema preescolar australiano, en el que las escalas de evaluación potencian todavía más la calidad que el NQS.</p><p><strong>Palabras clave:</strong> National Quality Standard, ECERS-E, SSTEW, Calidad, Sistema Preescolar, Reglamentación</p><p> </p><p><strong>Comparing regulatory and non-regulatory indices of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) quality in the Australian early childhood sector</strong></p><p>This study examines associations between Australia’s regulatory ratings of quality in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) – the National Quality Standard (NQS) – and two research-based quality rating scales. The analytic sample consisted of 257 ECEC services across three Australian states. Results indicated (1) modest positive associations between NQS ratings and scale scores; (2) some specificity between NQS quality areas (educational programs and practice; relationships with children) and one research scale – the Sustained Shared Thinking and Emotional Wellbeing (SSTEW) scale; (3) variability in quality scales scores within each NQS designation; and (4) mitigation of these associations when the time-gap between ratings exceeded 24 months. Findings suggest NQS and research scales tap some common core of quality, yet capture different aspects of quality, suggesting both could be used to raise standards of quality in Australian preschools, where the research scales potentiate raising quality to even higher levels than NQS.</p><p><strong>Keywords</strong>: National Quality Standard, ECERS-E, SSTEW, Quality, Preschool, Regulation</p>

Spaces for Gender Equity in Australian Early Childhood Education in/Between Discourses of Human Capital and Feminism

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 54-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheralyn Campbell ◽  
Kylie Smith ◽  
Kate Alexander
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
National Quality ◽  
Relations Of Power ◽  
Regime Of Truth

IN THIS ARTICLE WE use feminist post-structuralist concepts of discourse and relations of power to question how a neoliberal regime of truth in Australian early childhood education impacts educators currently working for gender equity with children, prior to their entry to schooling. We show how this regime of truth is endorsed and transferred in and by key documents of the Australian National Quality Framework (NQF) including the National Quality Standard (NQS) and the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) in which discourses of universal rights, individual freedom and choice, and human capital dominate approaches to inclusion and diversity that govern gender equity work (ACECQA, 2011, 2017a, 2017b; DEEWR, 2009; NSW Education, 2016). Our article addresses how some educators use their understandings of feminism to negotiate spaces for gender equity work within the theoretical, political and ethical tensions arising in/between discourses that constitute this neoliberal regime of truth.

‘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.

Early Childhood Educator Mental Health: Performing the National Quality Standard

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 97-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara Corr ◽  
Kay Cook ◽  
Anthony D. LaMontagne ◽  
Elise Davis ◽  
Elizabeth Waters
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Emotional Labour ◽  
High Quality Care ◽  
National Quality

IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION and care (ECEC) settings, the mental wellbeing of educators is likely to be crucial to delivering high-quality care. Hence, this paper uses a contextual understanding of educators' mental health, and its evaluation by both educators and management, to reveal areas of the National Quality Framework that require critical revision. Drawing on Hochschild's (2012) theory of emotional labour, we report on the analysis of semi-structured interviews with family day care educators (n = 16) and ECEC sector key informants (n = 18). Results demonstrate widespread belief that educator mental wellbeing affects care quality and the children attending care. In response to job stressors and perceived surveillance, educators use emotional labour to hide negative feelings and manage risks associated with low mental wellbeing. In this context, making individual educators fully responsible for performing good mental health to meet the National Quality Standard may increase job stress and emotional labour, further distancing the aims of high-quality care. Our findings suggest that revising the NQS to improve working conditions, and addressing educator mental wellbeing are essential approaches for supporting high-quality ECEC practice.

Early childhood educators’ well-being, work environments and ‘quality’: Possibilities for changing policy and practice

2020 ◽  
pp. 183693912097906
Author(s):  
Tamara Cumming ◽  
Sandie Wong ◽  
Helen Logan
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Work Environments ◽  
Quality Education ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
High Quality ◽  
High Quality Education ◽  
Relevant Evidence ◽  
National Quality

A child’s right to high quality education not only relies on a competent and skilled workforce, but one in which educators are well. Supporting a well workforce requires governments, organisations and educators to attend to work environment quality. This attention needs be based on sound, relevant evidence. In this paper we contribute evidence of educators’ well-being from the survey component of an Australian study with 73 participants. We map results against international guidelines, and policy openings in Australia’s National Quality Standard to understand how educators’ work environments are affecting their well-being. We conclude that existing policies on quality in early childhood education in Australia attend to only some features of work environments, with a notable absence of attention to supporting educators in the relational complexities of their work. To enable educators to provide high quality education and care, greater attention is needed by organisations and governments to what quality work environments might look like.

scholarly journals Pedagogical Silences in Australian Early Childhood Social Policy

2007 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 244-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Cheeseman
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Public Programs ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Policy Initiatives ◽  
Education And Care ◽  
Democratic Rights ◽  
Publicly Supported

Growing international interest in the early childhood years has been accompanied by an expansion of public programs in Australia targeting young children and their families. This article explores some of the influences and rhetoric that frame these initiatives. It encourages critical examination of the discourses that shape the nature of early childhood programs in Australia and identifies a range of barriers that inhibit the involvement of early childhood teachers in the design and delivery of social policy initiatives for young children. As the imperatives of programs seeking to overcome social disadvantage take prominence in Australian early childhood policy initiatives, pedagogical perspectives that promote universal rights to more comprehensive early childhood experiences can easily be silenced. The article calls for pedagogical leadership to overcome these barriers and promote the democratic rights of all children to high-quality and publicly supported early childhood education and care programs.

Supporting Parents’ Informed Early Childhood Education and Care Choices through Playgroups

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 14-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Stratigos ◽  
Marianne Fenech
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
National Quality ◽  
Education And Care ◽  
Quality Framework ◽  
A Site

PROVIDING INFORMATION TO FAMILIES about quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) is important for supporting informed choices. The Australian Government has attempted to build parents’ capacity to make informed choices through the National Quality Framework and the National Quality Standard (NQS) rating system. Many families, however, have limited or no knowledge or understanding of the NQS. This study investigated the potential of playgroups as a site for raising awareness about quality ECEC and the NQS ratings among families. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six supported playgroup coordinators, and focus groups were held with families from seven playgroups. Findings suggest that playgroups could be an effective avenue for disseminating information about quality ECEC. For supported playgroups, the informal and trusted approach of the playgroup coordinator may play an important role in raising awareness about quality ECEC, and they could be better supported in this role through accurate, up-to-date information and resources that are respectful of families’ diverse backgrounds and needs.

scholarly journals ‘Nothing Goes to Waste’: A professional learning programme for early childhood centres

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-81
Author(s):  
Wendy Boyd
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Sustainable Practices ◽  
National Quality ◽  
External Stakeholders ◽  
Waste Management Practices

Waste created by modern lifestyles is of key concern to sustainable development globally. Early childhood centres engage in sustainable practices, and waste management is one of these practices. Past research has indicated that early childhood staff are challenged to implement sustainable practices. However, the National Quality Standard requires centres to engage in sustainable practices. This study reports on research undertaken to examine the effectiveness of effectiveness of a waste management professional learning programme run in 30 early childhood centres in Australia. The data collected was interviews of the directors of 16 centres, 6 months after the programme. Findings found the programme to be effective in encouraging waste management practices as all centres changed practices to reduce or recycle waste. The majority of the centres had a staff member who championed environmental education and was an inspiration for other staff, but barriers to good waste management practices were experienced because of external stakeholders’ power over decision-making, owners not agreeing to make changes, and, internally, from having to maintain hygienic standards. Recommendations are made for future professional learning programmes.

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