edna.edu.au

View RSS

• Language no barrier to counting
  • A new study suggests children do not need to know the words for numbers in order to be able to count, and that basic mathematical ability is hardwired in the human genome. ABC Science, 19 August 2008.
• Quality consultations speech
  • The recent quality consultation session in Melbourne began with The Hon Maxine McKew MP introducing the subject of the new National Quality Framework, which includes both the National Quality Standards Framework and the Early Years Learning Framework. These initiatives are fundamental to implementing meaningful and long-lasting change in early childhood policy in Australia. DEEWR, 8 August 2008.
• Ministers unite on early years
  • The first face-to-face meeting of Ministers from around the country with responsibility for Early Years was held in Melbourne recently. The satellite forum was convened under the COAG Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. The meeting was significant because it signalled for the first time a strong agreement from across Australia to focus on the early years of a child's development in ways never tackled before. Queensland Government, 8 August 2008.
• National Quality Standards Framework consultations
  • Rigorous new quality standards and a new five category quality rating system is being developed to drive improvement in the quality of child care and early learning and give parents more information about their child care centre or preschool. The National Quality Standards Framework is part of the Australian Government's early childhood education agenda. A discussion paper has been released to guide the extensive consultation process planned for August and September. Forums will take place in all states and territories in capital cities and regional centres, beginning in Melbourne. DEEWR, 6 August 2008.
• NSW childcare breaches to be made public
  • Childcare centres and preschools that are prosecuted by the New South Wales Government for serious health and safety breaches are to be named and shamed on a new website. The website, to be run by the NSW Department of Community Services (DoCS), will go online in September to allow parents to decide who they want to look after their child. News.com.au, 4 August 2008.
• Funding boost for Indigenous children's support
  • The Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) will receive a $3 million Australian Government funding boost over the next three years. The funding would be directed towards SNAICC Resource Service (SRS), which shares information on early childhood development. Australian Government funding enables SNAICC to further strengthen support services for Indigenous children, families and communities and provide advice on services required to close the gap in Indigenous early childhood. FaHCSIA, 4 August 2008.
• UK plan for university links with primary schools
  • UK universities will be asked to partner primary schools to encourage children as young as five to set their sights on university. A private report commissioned by the prime minister is recommending the move because of concerns that by the time pupils are in their teens, many have rejected the idea of going to university. The Guardian, 2 July 2008.
• Census of Child Care Services
  • Earlier this month the Australian Government published data from the 2006 Australian Government Census of Child Care Services on the Office of Early Childhood Education and Child Care website. The Census provides details of child care users, staff and carers and operational details of child care services and is used extensively for monitoring growth in the sector and assisting in policy formulation and planning. The Government is investing $2.4 billion over five years in early childhood to ensure working Australian families can access quality, affordable child care and children get the best possible start to life. DEEWR, 29 July 2008.
• Aussie kids walk to Beijing to get fit
  • Olympic fever has hit the nation with more than 100,000 kids throughout Australia starting to jump, run, hop and skip all the way to Beijing. To celebrate the Beijing 2008 Olympics and Paralympics, kids from the Australian Sports Commission's Active After-school Communities (AASC) program have donned pedometers and will record their jumps, skips, hops and steps during a theoretical 'journey' to Beijing, China. Australian Sports Commission, 29 July 2008.
• Government to roll out 150 autism play groups
  • The Australian Government has announced $4.5 million for the delivery of 150 Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) Playgroups across Australia. The funding is part of the $190 million Helping Children with Autism (HCWA) package to help address the considerable need for support and services for children with ASDs. The national provider, Playgroup Australia, will commence rollout of the playgroups from October 2008 with 50 groups up and running by June 2009. FaHCSIA, 28 July 2008.