The Early Education Show

The Federal Government has just released its Budget for 2021 and 2022, which - after sustained advocacy from a variety of people and organisations - includes increases in spending in many areas - including early education. But while billions of dollars are in the Budget papers, what is the devil in the detail? Joining us to break down Child Care Subsidy changes, universal preschool funding agreements and more red tape smashing, is the official fourth member of the podcast Karl Hessian! We also have an announcement about the show before the main discussion. Find the full show notes at earlyeducationshow.com.

There have been a spate of media articles recently concerning child sexual abuse linked to educators working in the early education sector. This episode, Lisa talks with Deanne Carson, a leading Australian sexuality educator, researcher, speaker, author and Founder and CEO of Body Safety Australia, on how educators and leaders can better ensure their spaces are safe for children. WARNING: Contains discussions of sexual abuse and child harm. If you require assistance or would like to talk to a trained professional about the issues discussed in this episode please call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or Lifeline on 13 11 14. Find the full show notes at earlyeducationshow.com. 

Interview with Ingrid Stitt, Victorian Minister for Early Childhood, on Universal Access funding.

Leanne discusses sector reporting practices with Big Fat Smile CEO Jenni Hutchins.

A discussion about the ongoing 2019 NQF Review.

We're back for another year of banter about all things early education in Australia! In our first episode of 2021, we let everyone know what we did on our summer holidays and reflect on the experiences of women that have been dominating the media so far this year. We then spend the second half of the episode discussing what about the sector makes us optimistic in 2021.

Lisa, Leanne and Liam look back on 2020, ahead to 2021 and answer some listener questions.

We discuss the Trends in Community Children’s Services Survey with Daniela Kavoukas and Nikki Graham from Community Child Care Association in Victoria.

We discuss the new edition of The Anti-Bias Approach in Early Childhood with Dr Red Ruby Scarlet, Tasha Huddy, Sharon Mathers and Rukmini Bose-Rhaman.

A discussion about the Family Matters Report 2020 with Sue-Anne Hunter.

We preview The Early Childhood Voices Conference with Dr Tamara Cumming, Professor Sue Dockett, Professor Bob Perry and Professor Gail Gillon

Early education is currently enjoying a higher political profile than usual. The first COVID-19 lockdown back in March and April saw the Government investing in free early education - but only temporarily. The Federal Opposition has made funding changes to early education the centrepiece of this year’s Budget in Reply. Community calls for greater access to more affordable early education are increasing. Amidst all that, a new advocacy project is trying to promote more, and smarter, investment in early childhood outcomes. We’ve seen lots of different advocacy campaigns - can Thrive By Five change Australia’s early education sector? To talk about Thrive By Five, and early education policy in Australia, we’re joined by the initiative’s CEO Jay Weatherill. Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.

While there is no limit to the kinds of resources and materials that can be used to support the learning of young children, it’s hard to argue that the most important of all is books. The research is clear that immersing children in pre-literacy experiences such as reading with a trusted adult has dramatically positive impacts for them throughout their lives. It’s been a heavy year for the early education sector, so we’re going with a lighter look at children’s books and ask - which children’s books should every early education service have? We also take a look at the recent Budget announcements from the Federal Government, and the Federal Opposition’s early education reform plans. Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.

Australia’s early education sector is about children’s learning and wellbeing in the first five years. Educators and teachers have qualifications and training that are focused on children’s education. Yet, the sector also plays a largely unofficial role in supporting families. This could be as simple as providing resources on parenting, to much larger and more complex roles with families that are particularly struggling. But we know that the sector, and those that work in it, aren’t even given enough support to do the job they’re qualified for. This episode, we’re going to ask the question - should early education services even be supporting families? Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.

Social media users in Australia are some of the most active in the world. 60% of the country are active users of Facebook, with 50% of the population logging on at least once a day. In Australia, there are 16 million Facebook users per month, 15.5 million YouTube users, 9 million Instagram users and 5.8 million Twitter users. With such widespread usage it is not surprising that the use of social media in the education and care sector is huge. But is the sector’s use of social media a force for good or not? We thought it was time we explored the positives and negatives of social media use in the sector.  Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.