bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pedagogy in the Nursery: Establishing Practitioner Partnerships in High-quality Long Day Care Programs
Authors: Macfarlane Kym , Noble Karen , Cartmel Jennifer
Published: March 2019

One of the most significant societal changes over the past few decades has been the growing number of women in the paid work force. As a direct result of this sociological phenomenon, childcare centres have been providing long day care for vastly increasing numbers of very young children. The speed of this change has created a societal dilemma regarding the level of training required to prepare practitioners for such important pedagogical work.

Traditional approaches to the training and preparation of practitioners for work in this field do not always highlight the significance of the important relationship early childhood education and care practitioners have with very young children, or respond to current conceptualisations of children and families and the contexts in which they live (Dahlberg, Moss & Pence, 2002; Moss, 2003). This paper takes issue with these points by exploring an alternative approach to the preparation of practitioners for work in this field. The use of Learning Circles as a conceptual tool is examined as an alternative response, aimed at developing a concentrated pedagogical process by which undergraduates explore the links between theory and effective practice.
An Ethical Journey: Rights, Relationships and Reflexivity
Authors: Bone Jane
Published: March 2019

In this paper the process of approaching three different early childhood settings with the same consent forms is discussed. In each setting ethical procedures were viewed differently. This formed a journey of discovery and provided an opportunity to reconceptualise the ethical process. While it is always the responsibility of the researcher to conduct research in an ethical way, the field of early childhood education offers specific challenges. In this research it became obvious that perspectives on ethics include rights, relationships and reflexivity. The importance of including teachers and parents in this process is acknowledged. The consent form for children is described and, as it becomes a focus of negotiation, its influence on the attitude of the researcher becomes a narrative of ethical encounter.

‘…we deliberate not about Ends, but Means to Ends’ (Aristotle, 1947, p. 52).
Mentoring Preservice Teachers in the Preschool Setting: Perceptions of the role
Authors: Walkington Jackie
Published: March 2019

The success of professional experience for preschool preservice teacher learning is valued and based very much on the relationship developed between all stakeholders. What motivates the preschool-based teachers and how they see their role in this relationship is integral to achieving effective outcomes for both themselves and the preservice teachers. Recent data collected from preschool teachers has identified their perceptions of what participating in the preservice relationship adds to their personal and professional self-concept. Findings from this data provide an insight and a challenge for those designing and implementing early childhood teacher education programs, indicating the need to give greater emphasis to understanding the personal and professional motivation of the mentoring teachers when establishing and maintaining these programs. They too are key learners in an effective relationship of professional growth.
Half-Days or Full Days of Kindergarten? How and Why Parents Decide
Authors: Boardman Margot
Published: March 2019

This study investigated the reasons parents of kindergarten children selected the attendance option of either full days or half-days for their child/ren. Three-hundred-and-thirty-two kindergarten parents from 30 schools across three Tasmanian school districts were participants in this study. Postal surveys were employed to gather data investigating the reasons behind parents' selection of either full-day or half-day attendance. Forty-nine percent of responses from ‘full-day parents’ (n=208) offered child-based reasons (including child's readiness for full days, preparation for Prep grade the following year, childcare issues, and quality of the learning program) for their selection. However, 94 per cent of parents of ‘half-day students’ (n=114) cited child-based reasons (including frequency of attendance, child's age, readiness for half-days, and quality of the learning program) for their decision. Few ‘half-day parents’ (4.3%) cited family-based reasons, while 50.6 per cent of ‘full-day parents’ cited these reasons (including work commitments, childcare convenience, transport issues and home location). Hence, while a majority of ‘half-day parents’ made their choice for child-based reasons, these results indicate that full-day kindergartens serve at least two functions: providing a service that supports an aspect of family life plus educating the kindergarten child.
Teacher–Parent Partnerships: Sharing understandings and making changes
Authors: Billman Nicola , Geddes Catherine , Hedges Helen
Published: March 2019

Early childhood education highlights partnership between teacher and parents as positively influencing children's learning. This article describes how teachers became aware of a lack of shared understanding between them and parents about the ‘parent help’ role in their kindergarten, and their efforts to redress this situation. Changes made by teachers illustrate that a willingness to build, maintain and re-visit collaborative relationships is vital if children's learning is to be maximised.
Children's and Family Services Working Together
Authors: Woodruff Jane , O'Brien Jon
Published: March 2019

This paper is based on keynote addresses by Jane Woodruff, CEO, UnitingCare Burnside to the National Association of Community Based Children's Services, University of Wollongong, April 2004; and to the Mobile Children's Service Association Conference, Dubbo, August 2003. It offers the perspective of one NSW child and family welfare agency on reasons for children's and family services to work more closely together. These include a shared concern for the early years; the need to address common risk and protective factors; and research which suggests combining approaches will achieve better results for children and families. Drawing from current practice and policy initiatives, the paper then suggests three main areas where children's and family services can pursue greater cooperation.
Developmental Fossils—Unearthing the Artefacts of Early Childhood Education: The Reification of ‘Child Development’
Authors: Fleer Marilyn
Published: March 2019

In recent years sociocultural theory has provided an important conceptual tool for re-thinking many practices in early childhood education (e.g. Anning, Cullen & Fleer, 2004; Edwards, 2001; Edwards, 2003). While much has been gained, many taken-for-granted practices still remain in need of critique. Although the term ‘Child Development’ has been debated in the past (see collection of papers in Fleer, 1995; Keesing-Styles & Hedges, in press; Lubeck, 1996; 1998), we have not seen the emergence of a new approach or world view to replace it Ten years have passed, and we still find national materials which foreground Western middle-class notions of development (e.g. Responses to the National Agenda for Early Childhood, Australian Government, 2003). This paper seeks to stimulate debate within Australia and New Zealand around the term ‘Child Development’. Responses are invited so that the historical and cultural legacy of that term can be examined and a new term introduced which recognises our culturally and linguistically diverse communities. It is through public debate that we can as a scholarly community build new terminology to name and make visible new thinking.
‘Queerying’ Gender: Heteronormativity in early Childhood Education
Authors: Robinson Kerry H.
Published: March 2019

This paper explores heteronormativity and argues for the ‘queerying’ of gender in early childhood education. The author argues, utilising Butler's theory of performativity and heterosexual matrix, that the construction of gender in young children's lives requires an analysis of the normalising practices in which gendered identities are simultaneously heterosexualised. It is upheld that the dominant discourse of childhood in conjunction with developmentalist theory render sexuality as irrelevant to children's lives, thus resulting in a radical silencing and dismissal of how children become sexualised subjects. Thus these discourses operate to render invisible the process of heteronormativity operating in children's lives, including in early childhood educational contexts. It is argued that, if the intimate relationship between gender and sexuality is not incorporated into understandings of constructions of gendered identities, we will continue to get only a partial perspective of what is happening in this process
What Children's Cortisol Levels Tell us about Quality in Childcare Centres
Authors: Sims Margaret , Guilfoyle Andrew , Parry Trevor
Published: March 2019

The Australian childcare profession has watched with some concern results of research coming out of North America indicating that child care is not good for children. This research identifies undesirable outcomes in children's development and behaviour as a result of childcare attendance. How does this research apply to Australian children in Australian childcare centres? Australian research is limited, and this paper reports on results to date of an Australian study of children's biological stress levels (measured using salivary cortisol) and their relationship with quality child care. Results demonstrate clearly that children attending high-quality child care have lower stress levels across the day than do children attending satisfactory or unsatisfactory programs. Poor-quality child care is not good for children.
The Communication Accretion Spiral: A Communication process for Promoting and Sustaining Meaningful Partnerships between Families and early Childhood Service Staff
Authors: Elliott Roslyn
Published: March 2019

Findings of an investigation of parents' perceptions of early childhood service quality identified limitations in staff-parent communication which inhibit the development of a shared parent and staff approach to children's care and education. These findings have informed the development of an accretion model of communication for crossing the boundaries which hinder the promotion of relevant communications. The Communication Accretion Spiral process explains how the accrual of information and knowledge of parents and staff is built up over time. These communications are the basis for shared understandings of children's learning and development across home/service contexts, promoting and sustaining meaningful communications which lead to informed shared decision-making.
Transitions: Third Culture Children
Authors: Ebbeck Marjory , Reus Valerie
Published: March 2019

This paper reports on a small-scale research study conducted in Singapore, where some 16,000 children are enrolled in ‘foreign schools’. Such children, often termed Third Culture Children, are neither raised entirely in their parents' home country nor as a member of the country where they now live. Pollock and Van Reken (2001) state that the children build relationships to all cultures, while not having full ownership of any country. These children may be confronted with cultural conflict, especially following a move to a new school, and/or entry to a school culture which is significantly different from what they previously experienced. Some are able to resolve the conflict, while others experience difficulties. Feelings of displacement, rejection and unease can be common when children are experiencing a transition of some impact. The research reported here shows the transition experiences of 11 children during the first eight weeks of their move to an international school in Singapore.
Transition Problems and Play as Transitory Activity
Authors: Broström Stig
Published: March 2019

Because too many children experience the transition to school as a culture shock, during the past decade teachers have implemented so-called transition activities in order to bridge the gap between preschool and school. However, transition to school also calls for a development of higher mental functions, among others the development of children's learning motive. From the view of activity theory, transition to formal education entails crossing boundaries from the activity system of play to the activity system of school learning. The transition can be facilitated by developing a ‘transitory activity system’, which mediates between the two systems, ensuring that the result of one system serves as a tool in the next. Advanced forms of play might make up a transitory activity system. The paper describes different forms of play crossing the boundaries of role-play (frame-play, aesthetic theme play and drama-play) which combine play, drama and philosophical dialogue to make up a transitory activity system.
Developing in a New Language-Speaking Setting
Authors: Guo Karen
Published: March 2019

This study investigated the effect of English-language acquisition on the learning experiences of a four-year-old Taiwanese immigrant child in a state kindergarten in New Zealand. Data was collected through child observations and parents' and teachers' interviews. The child's learning experience was analysed based on five behaviours—‘taking an interest’, ‘being involved’, ‘persisting with difficulty’, ‘expressing a point of view’ and ‘taking responsibility’—adopted from the child assessment technique of ‘Learning Stories’ utilised in many childcare services in New Zealand. Results suggested that, regardless of his English-language incompetence, the child demonstrated learning dispositions under two circumstances: first, there was little interaction required between him and the English-speaking children; second, there was a teacher participating in what he was doing. It is suggested that the child's learning outcomes were contingent on the situations in which he found himself.
Mathematics Teaching and Learning in the Early Years in Aotearoa/New Zealand
Authors: Young-Loveridge Jenny , Peters Sally
Published: March 2019

This paper presents an overview of events in Aotearoa/New Zealand mathematics education over the past decade or so. We begin with the curriculum reforms of the 1990s that led to the development of the current mathematics curriculum (Ministry of Education, 1992), and document developments in policy, resources and approaches to teaching. There has been a strong emphasis on improving student achievement, and the overview illustrates how developments in the school sector have been accompanied by a focus on early childhood education, adult numeracy, and community involvement in children's learning. We conclude by reflecting on the current curriculum review, and what this might mean for practice.
Researching With/For Whom? Stepping in and out of Practitioner Research
Authors: Goodfellow Joy
Published: March 2019

Practitioner research is defined as systematic inquiry-based efforts directed towards creating and extending professional knowledge and associated understandings of professional practice. A review of ‘primary research’ articles published in the Australian Journal of Early Childhood revealed that only a small number involved early childhood practitioners as researchers. However, changing social and theoretical constructs and a sense of low regard by the community for the profession require early childhood practitioners to be much more articulate about their practices. Collaborative inquiry processes provide opportunities for practitioners to deconstruct some of the taken-for-granted practices found within many early childhood services. One of the benefits of such inquiry is an increased sense of empowerment gained by practitioners through greater insights into their own professional knowledge, their increased capacity to work more effectively with children, and their increased ability to communicate more professionally and effectively with parents and other professionals.
Enhancing Parent-Child Book Reading in a Disadvantaged Community
Authors: Elias Gordon , Hay Ian , Homel Ross , Freiberg Kate
Published: March 2019

A parent–child dialogic reading program was implemented across four preschools, involving 62 caregivers/parents in a low socioeconomic status, disadvantaged community where English was not the first language in 54 per cent of the homes. This socioculturally sensitive program aimed to enhance children's language and emergent literacy development, and increase parental involvement in their preschoolers' education. Over the six months of the program, the amount of parent–child reading more than doubled, from an average of 38 minutes of parent-child reading per week, to 89 minutes of parent–child reading per week. Year One teachers in the following year reported positively on the children's literacy readiness, compared to that of previous intakes. The program is described in the paper.
Leadership Concepts and Theories: Reflections for Practice for early Childhood Directors
Authors: Nupponen Hanna
Published: March 2019

This paper proposes that effective leadership is a vital component in providing quality childcare services. It suggests that developing an enhanced understanding of effective leadership frameworks can be a starting point for a quality process and can forge a commitment to working towards excellence in early childhood centres, as well as be a tool for self-reflection. Theories of leadership are outlined for future preparation of leaders in a complex environment in which centres now operate
Playgroups as Protective Environments for Refugee Children at Risk of Trauma
Authors: Jackson Dianne
Published: March 2019

Refugee families in Australia generally have a dual challenge—dealing with past traumatic experiences while facing the struggles of integrating with a new and unfamiliar society. For children and their families who have experienced war-related trauma and disruption, the resettlement process is being referred to as ‘secondary trauma’ to highlight the problems refugees face under these circumstances (Fazel & Stein, 2002). This paper discusses the possible long-term effects of trauma and reports on a small study that investigated whether or not a supported playgroup used by refugee families in western Sydney could be considered a protective environment. Emerging evidence showed that, while families reported difficulties associated with resettlement, they experienced ongoing emotional support within the playgroup and developed new social networks which resulted in reduced levels of stress and anxiety. Children showed improvements in the home and playgroup environments which highlighted the significant role the group played in facilitating resilience.
Checklists to Narratives in Special Education
Authors: Williamson Denise , Cullen Joy , Lepper Chris
Published: March 2019

Learning stories, a form of narrative assessment, were used by teams surrounding two New Zealand children with high and complex needs. Learning stories are currently used by New Zealand early childhood teachers and highlight strengths- and interest-based learning in natural settings. This contrasts with specialists' assessments, which highlight decontextualised developmental skills. Team members including parents, teachers, support workers, health and education professionals received professional development on the use of learning story assessment and shared their stories at individual planning meetings. Goals for the children were collaboratively developed, drawing upon the different perspectives team members brought to the interpretation of learning stories. The project highlighted the empowerment of parents and educators and the strengthening of collaborative relationships. The approach accommodated the many perspectives held by individuals within the teams and successfully harmonised the skills- and strength-based assessment models. Challenges to the adoption of narrative methodologies in inclusive early intervention contexts were identified.
A Preliminary Study of Teachers' Perceptions of Sex Education in Hong Kong Preschools
Authors: Lai Yuk Ching
Published: March 2019

In Hong Kong, once a British colony, sex has traditionally been viewed as taboo and, as such, seldom talked about or openly discussed in public. As a result, there is reluctance on the part of most pre-to-secondary schools to implement sex education. The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate teachers' perceptions of preschool sex education in Hong Kong. One kindergarten and one childcare centre were selected for this study. Eight preschool teachers were interviewed. The findings indicated that almost all participants lacked the confidence to undertake preschool sex education because they felt that they had inadequate knowledge and skills. Interestingly, the findings showed that the unmarried participants felt embarrassed when talking about sex. Nevertheless, they were willing to take up the responsibilities of the implementation of preschool sex education if they had sufficient training.
Life Chances: Including the children's view
Authors: Taylor Janet
Published: March 2019

What happens to children who are disadvantaged as infants? What do children themselves think about their childhood experiences? The Life Chances Study is a longitudinal study initiated by the Brotherhood of St Laurence to explore the impacts of family income and associated factors on children growing up. The study commenced with 167 children born in inner Melbourne in 1990. All the families have been interviewed at six stages, most recently when the children were aged 11 and 12. Data was collected from the children themselves, their parents and teachers. This article draws on the longitudinal data to discuss some of the changes the families have undergone over the children's early years, including geographic mobility, family structure and family income. Three-quarters of the children who were born into low-income families remained in low-income families 12 years later. Case studies of children who have grown up in families on low incomes are presented. The children's own views are outlined and some of the policy implications raised.
Horizontal Violence in Early Childhood Education and Care: Implications for leadership enactment
Authors: Hard Louise
Published: March 2019

Leadership is a contested term in many contexts and means various things to different people. In early childhood education and care (ECEC) it is understood in multilayered terms. This paper draws on a qualitative research study which employed symbolic interactionism as a methodological tool and drew data from 26 participants from the ECEC field (in particular the birth-to-five sector). The enactment of leadership in ECEC emerges as heavily influenced by factors both internal and external to the field. This paper will discuss horizontal violence as one of the significant internal impediments to leadership enactment. The notion of horizontal violence originated in nursing literature and in this paper highlights contradictions between a lingering discourse of niceness and a culture which condones behaviours that marginalise and exclude others. The outcome of this culture is a powerful expectation of compliance which does little to foster or encourage leadership activity. Suggestions are made which focus on an open discussion of this phenomenon within the ECEC field in order to address behaviours which are currently constraining leadership activity.
‘Boundary Crossing’: Negotiating Understandings of Early Literacy and Numeracy
Authors: Kennedy Anne , Ridgway Avis , Surman Lynne
Published: March 2019

This article is based on the findings of a study which examined the literacy and numeracy pathways for a group of 65 children in the year prior to school entry in Victoria, Australia. The article will discuss key features of the home and community pathways for literacy and numeracy development and learning which were identified in the study. In discussing these findings, the contrastive features between the informal and formal early childhood education pathways are highlighted. As a result of our analysis, the notion of crossing boundaries is advocated as a process for making visible and negotiating between the different literacy and numeracy practices and events in the learning communities of home and early childhood institutions.
Empowering Preservice Teachers to Embrace Diversity
Authors: Stamopoulos Elizabeth
Published: March 2019

This paper describes a Community Links Program (CLP) which preservice teachers completed as part of their third year early childhood Bachelor of Education course. The study examined preservice teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of the CLP in challenging them to reflect on their values and beliefs and in preparing them for teaching. It required preservice teachers to undertake 25 hours of community service in order to engage in authentic recreational experiences with individuals with diverse abilities. It challenged them to critically reflect upon their own values and beliefs and embrace diversity through first-hand experience, interaction, reflection and discursive interpretation.

Preservice teachers were surveyed on the outcomes of their CLP and wrote reflective summaries on their experiences. The most notable outcomes noted by the preservice teachers were the building of positive attitudes towards people with disabilities, deeper knowledge and understandings of diversity, stronger partnerships with agencies and their clients, and greater confidence to develop more inclusive classrooms.
Affordability Funding Models for Early Childhood Services
Authors: Purcal Christiane , Fisher Karen
Published: March 2019

This paper presents a model of the approaches open to government to ensure that early childhood services are affordable to families. We derived the model from a comparative literature review of affordability approaches taken by government, both in Australia and internationally. The model adds significantly to the literature by proposing a means to understand and assess the numerous options for affordability funding. The model suggests that the options fall into only three basic approaches: operational funding, fee subsidies and tax relief. Application of this simple model helps clarify the costs and benefits of particular choices within these approaches. We predict that the choices affect cost to government, affordability to families, and participation by children in early childhood services.
Beyond Child Care—How Else Could We do this?
Authors: Brennan Margaret
Published: March 2019

SOCIOCULTURAL THEORIES PROPOSE that social context and more experienced cultural members are integral to children's development and enculturation into their communities. However, the argument is made that the current Western cultural and structural arrangement of group public child care impedes the successful implementation of sociocultural-based curricula because of its individualised and separatist nature. Furthermore, accepting this current cultural and structural arrangement at the theoretical level means that we lose sight of the fact that young children want to be part of adults' lives and included in their communities. Separating young children and their teachers from adult communities also presents challenges for teachers when attempting to establish authentic relationships with young children and their families. The case is made that we need to reconceptualise theories to more closely align with contemporary enculturation practices and life situations if we are to reflect a truly sociocultural approach to teaching and learning.
Voices from an Enclave
Authors: Skattebol Jen , Ferfolja Tania
Published: March 2019

IN THIS PAPER WE EXAMINE eight lesbian mothers' experiences and perceptions of their young children's early childhood education. These mothers identified the (in)visibility of their lesbian identities and families and the narrow definition of family in early childhood settings as significant issues in their experiences as childcare users. This paper traces these issues to the normative ideas of, and superficial engagement with, families in early childhood curriculum, pedagogy, practices and procedures.

The childcare settings used by these families were situated in a relatively ‘accepting’ community within a lesbian enclave in inner-city Sydney. Yet even here the mothers were required to undertake complex negotiations about the way the setting catered to their family constellation in the everyday practices. We argue that early childhood educators could better support this group through more active engagement in representing a broad range of differences, including those relating to sexuality. Furthermore, educators can create richer opportunities for connections and community between families when they focus on the everyday functions of families rather than an exclusive focus on family structures.
Complexities and Compromises
Authors: Noble Karen
Published: March 2019

GIVEN THE COMPLEXITY AND RANGE of choice of early childhood education and care (ECEC) services, as well as the diversity of family situations, research eliciting parent conceptions of their choices of early childhood services is both necessary and timely. This paper brings to light some important issues in relation to knowledge and understanding of parent choice regarding early childhood services. It synthesises findings from an initial study that aimed to investigate the ways parents make their choices of early childhood services, and examines and interprets the meanings they ascribe to those choices (see Noble, 2005).
The Role of Meaningful Dialogue in Early Childhood Education Leadership
Authors: Deakins Eric
Published: March 2019

ACTION RESEARCH WAS USED to study the effectiveness of Learning Organisation and Adaptive Enterprise theories for promoting organisation-wide learning and creating a more effective early childhood education organisation.

This article describes the leadership steps taken to achieve shared vision via meaningful dialogue between board, management and staff that encouraged mental models to be revealed and modified as conflicts in deeply held beliefs became reconciled. Consideration of feedback relationships provided valuable systemic insights and a choice of organisation futures. Over time, the new mindset resulted in new infrastructure, policies, training and reward practices that enabled the organisation to compete very successfully against other service providers through a differentiation strategy of quality and responsiveness. Significant and enduring improvement in the self-esteem of empowered individuals was also noted.

The results of this research should be of interest to any leader who needs to radically transform attitudes and beliefs, promote organisation-wide learning, and effectively implement widespread, enduring change.
An Investigation into the Practices of a Class of Field-Based Student Educators Working in Linguistically Diverse Early Childhood Centres
Authors: Schofield Anne
Published: March 2019

TWENTY EARLY CHILDHOOD STUDENT educators were surveyed on their teaching practices when working with children learning English as a second language in early childhood centres in New Zealand. The bilingual and trilingual participants stated that their practices were based on their own language learning experiences, theories learned in class and practices modelled by experienced educators. Monolingual participants, with no second language learning experiences, stated that their practices were based on theories and observations of other teachers. This seems to highlight the importance of experiences in the field for all student educators, but especially for those with no personal experience of second-language learning. The field-based mode of study is identified as a successful way of providing this experience, as it requires students to work at a centre during their training. This provides them with ongoing opportunities to apply and consolidate knowledge gained in the classroom, and to observe and critically analyse their own practice and that of others.
The Play of Children with Special Needs in Mainstream and Special Education settings
Authors: Bray Paula , Cooper Rodney
Published: March 2019

EDUCATORS AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS regard play as a primary occupation of childhood, which in the case of children with special needs has not been well studied. The aim of this descriptive study was to observe the free-play behaviour of children with special needs in both special education and mainstream education settings. The Revised Preschool Play Scale and Lunzer Scale of Organisation of Play Behaviour were used to observe and record short play samples of 12 children with special needs, aged 48 to 84 months, in both educational settings. Results suggest that developmental play skills remained constant between the two settings. This study highlights the strong developmental foundations provided by play as well as advocating for the importance of play assessment in school-based therapy.
Children's Rights and Early Childhood Education
Authors: Smith Anne B.
Published: March 2019

THERE IS STILL RESISTANCE and hostility within some circles to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (the Convention), but professionals working with children should be familiar with rights principles and their use in advocating for change. A rights perspective fits well with the new paradigm of Childhood Studies, which is critical of developmental psychology and recognises multiple childhoods, children's agency and competency, and the primacy of children's lived experience. The Convention has been used in advocating for reforms in early childhood services in New Zealand. One example is the development and implementation of our early childhood education curriculum, Te Whariki. The second example is New Zealand's Strategic Plan for Early Childhood Education (Ngā Huarahi Arataki), which is focused on improving early childhood education quality and participation. It is argued that child advocacy for better early childhood education policies can be strengthened by the use of the Convention.
Indigenous Australians and Preschool Education
Authors: Biddle Nicholas
Published: March 2019

THIS PAPER DISCUSSES the individual, family, household and area level characteristics associated with preschool attendance for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians (aged three to five years who are not at school). Controlling for these factors explains all of the difference between Indigenous and non-Indigenous attendance rates for three-year-olds and much of the difference for four- and five-year-olds.

Households Indigenous children live in have lower incomes and education levels than those of non-Indigenous children. Both factors are associated with lower attendance in preschool. State and territory, as well as remoteness, are also important explanatory variables, although the effects are different for Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. Finally, having a preschool worker who identifies as being Indigenous working in the area significantly increases attendance for Indigenous children in that area. However, fewer than 30 per cent of Indigenous children live in such areas.
University-Qualified Indigenous Early Childhood Teachers
Authors: Fleet Alma , Kitson Ros , Cassady Bevan , Hughes Ross
Published: March 2019

DEMONSTRATING PERSISTENCE and resilience, increasing numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander early childhood teachers are gaining university qualifications. This paper explores factors that support and constrain these students on the path to their degrees. Investigated through a cycle of interviews and focus groups, otherwise perceived as taking time to chat and yarn, the data speaks through Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices. Graduates from a cohort-specific three-year degree program, and several of their colleagues from an earlier program, share their reflections. The importance of family, community and infrastructure support is apparent, as well as recognition of complexities of ‘both ways’ learning (Hughes, Fleet & Nicholls, 2003) and cultural boundary crossing (Giroux, 2005). Highlighting salient factors is critical in efforts to create and maintain conditions in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders can gain university qualiflcations and extend their professional contributions.
Children's Services, Wages and Workchoices
Authors: Lyons Michael , Smith Meg
Published: March 2019

IN MARCH 2006 the Industrial Relations Commissions of New South Wales and Queensland utilised their equal-remuneration wage-fixing principles to address the gender undervaluation of childcare work. In doing so the tribunals explicitly rejected employer arguments used in the past to limit increases in award rates of pay for childcare workers. While these decisions were thought to have a wide ranging impact on a significant area of feminised work, their influence is likely to be short-lived. The introduction of the Howard Government's new federal workplace relations system under the WorkChoices legislation provides employers with the opportunity to reargue the NSW and Queensland equal-remuneration cases. This opportunity is facilitated by the operation of the award ‘rationalisation’ process and the determination of minimum wages and classification scales by the new Australian Fair Pay Commission. Some employers are utilising these opportunities to argue for cuts to the award wages of childcare workers, both in nominal and real terms. In this context it is difficult to conclude that the federal WorkChoices wage-fixing system is a fair system.
The Health and Wellbeing of Adults Working in Early Childhood Education
Authors: McGrath Belinda J. , Huntington Annette D.
Published: March 2019

THIS ARTICLE REPORTS the results of a survey of 168 New Zealand early childhood workers and describes their health status, behaviours and concerns. The respondents included 73 childcare teachers, 58 kindergarten teachers and 37 home-based educators. Although 92 per cent of respondents reported that they had good or excellent health, statistically significant differences were found between the groups for days absent because of illness, accidental injuries, job-related stress and ergonomic aspects of their work. All groups reported an increase in various physical symptoms since working with children, in particular backaches, muscle strain and fatigue. One-quarter of respondents experienced an illness related to their work with children during the past year, most commonly respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses. The study alerts early childhood education employers to the importance of managing health issues such as workload and stress, occupational injuries, the provision of an ergonomically healthy work environment and adequate conditions of employment.
Musical Stories
Authors: Niland Amanda
Published: March 2019

HUMANS HAVE COMMUNICATED through arts such as storytelling, music and dance throughout history, and have often used combinations of different art forms to express ideas. Just as traditional storytellers have done in many cultures through the ages, early childhood practitioners can use a variety of art forms when they share books and stories with children. This article outlines ways in which music, movement and drama can be integrated with literature, providing young children with experience of a range of artistic symbol systems. The author presents practical ideas for developing musical stories based on her experience as an early childhood music educator and researcher, and discusses the potential for future research into children's use of symbol systems such as music and dance in exploring literature.
Exposing Young Children to Music through the Production and Presentation of Music-Appreciation Television Programs
Authors: Yim Hoi Yin Bonnie
Published: March 2019

THIS PAPER REPORTS ON a research study of the effectiveness of a series of music-appreciation activities for young children in Hong Kong. These activities were designed using world music and were presented as part of a local early childhood television program for community interest. One-hundred-and-sixty-eight local preschool children (mean age 4.25) and their classroom teachers, from 16 childcare centres or kindergartens, participated in this study. Qualitative data was collected using individual structured interviews with both children and teachers. The data showed that these music-appreciation activities enriched children's musical experiences and teachers' musical repertoires in early childhood settings. Teachers also showed positive preferences to learn the activities using multimedia tools. Implications for the curriculum planning and teacher training of early childhood music education are discussed.
Conceptions of Art in Hong Kong Preschool Children
Authors: Wong Kit-mei Betty
Published: March 2019

THIS PAPER REPORTS PART of a phenomenographic inquiry into arts education in early childhood. Research studies into how young children understand and conceive their early arts experiences are limited. In documenting children's views, this study contributes to an understanding of arts education in a preschool context, and raises possibilities for improving arts pedagogy. Twenty-seven young children aged five to six, studying in the same class at a Hong Kong preschool, participated in the study. Through semi-structured interviews, the children were asked to describe their art experiences in preschool. The children's conceptions of their experiences fell into five categories: (1) Art is human nature, (2) Art is a task, (3) Art is a process, (4) Art is a product, and (5) Art is a mystery.
Young Children's Meaning-Making through Drawing and ‘Telling’
Authors: Wright Susan
Published: March 2019

YOUNG CHILDREN'S MEANING-MAKING is a multifaceted, complex experience, where thought, body and emotion unite. Rich and intricate creations are brought to life through children's formation, communication and interpretation of ‘signs’ which stand for or represent something else. The term drawing-telling is used to describe children's use of a range of signs when depicting imaginary worlds on paper, on the topic of what they think the future might be like. Such depictions include an expansive range of signs—narration, gesture, graphic depiction, onomatopoeia—often used in highly interactive ways.

This paper illustrates, through examples of young children's drawings and transcripts of their ‘tellings’, the intertextual nature of their work. It foregrounds how adults must be sensitive to children's shifts between various subject positionings and the multiple functions that may be assigned to their depicted objects and events. Similarities between drawing-telling and filmic textual features are featured to assist adults in understanding children's meaning-making.
Children of Refugee Families as Artists
Authors: McArdle Felicity , Spina Nerida
Published: March 2019

IN THIS PAPER WE examine the place of art in curriculum for young children of refugee families, but not from the relatively common art-as-therapy position. Instead, art is presented as a language that can provide young children with the means to engage with learning, build identity and tell their stories. This approach bypasses the deficit position children may be placed in because of their differences, which include language, culture and social capital. This is an account of an arts experience conducted by an artist who worked with a group of young children of refugee families, and some preliminary analysis of what we learned through the project.
Bullying Affects us Too: Parental Responses to Bullying at Kindergarten
Authors: Humphrey Gary , Crisp Beth R.
Published: March 2019

PRESCHOOL AGE CHILDREN ARE often thought of as too young to be able to engage in bullying behaviours. However, when it does occur, there are ramifications not only for the child but also for parents and siblings. This paper explores this issue by reporting on an exploratory study involving interviews with four parents whose child had experienced bullying in a Victorian kindergarten. Parents reported a range of responses, including anger, guilt for not protecting their child, and powerlessness in the face of denial from kindergarten staff that their child had been bullied. Being unable to access information about bullying among preschool children which might validate their experiences, reinforced the sense of isolation these parents experienced. Further research which explores the needs of family members of children bullied in the kindergarten (prior to school) setting is needed.
Indigenous Child Care—Leading the Way
Authors: Sims Margaret , Guilfoyle Andrew , Saggers Sherry , Targowska Anna , Hutchins Teresa , Jackiewicz Stephanie
Published: March 2019

WE BELIEVE THAT THE Australian early childhood sector is not performing well. The incidence of poor outcomes for children is increasing, and we believe that current service delivery is not capable of addressing this. We argue that, as a sector, there is an abundance of evidence of the kinds of programs and initiatives that could address our national concerns, and review some of that evidence. We also point out that there is considerable knowledge in Australia, based on Australian programmes and experience, that can be used to build a different early childhood sector with the potential to significantly impact on growing disadvantage. We conclude with the principles or themes around which such initiatives should be developed and a call to advocate for the development of such services. Appropriate services supporting all of our young children, their families and their communities, have the potential to make a huge impact on our society, and we can no longer hide from our responsibilities and avoid providing such services.
Partnerships in Learning Linking
Authors: Ashton Jean , Woodrow Christine , Johnston Christine , Wangmann June , Singh Linda , James Tanya
Published: March 2019

VYGOTSKY BELIEVED THAT ‘individual consciousness is built from outside through relations with others’ (Vygotsky, 1997, p. xxiv). He argued that human higher mental functions are products of mediated activity and that the mediator uses a range of psychological tools and interpersonal communication to achieve understanding. In the early years parents, community members, early childhood and school educators are instrumental in mediating children's developing cognition. Increasingly, the importance of congruence between home, community, and school philosophies and experiences is being recognised. Successful transitions to school are more likely when such partnerships exist, ensuring a balance between continuity and new experiences.
Physical Activity Programs in Long Day Care and Family Day Care Settings
Authors: Lawlis Tanya , Mikhailovich Katja , Morrison Paul
Published: March 2019

IN THE PAST 10 YEARS the prevalence of childhood obesity has increased considerably and there is growing recognition of the need to establish positive attitudes to healthy lifestyle practices from an early age if this trend is to be reversed. Childcare centres provide ideal environments from which to develop these positive attitudes. A literature review conducted to identify best-practice physical activity programs and resources utilised by long day care (LDC) and family day care (FDC) found only one physical activity program directly targeting these settings. In addition, few references to physical activity were found in the National Childcare Accreditation Council Quality Improvement and Accreditation System and Family Day Care Quality Assurance systems. The literature also suggested limited research on the physical activity status of children attending LDC and FDC. Further developments to these areas will improve the delivery of Australian child care and assist in a healthy future for Australian children through LDC and FDC.