Australia Association for Research in Education
Early childhood education and care
Provoking the children: why that matters for remarkable early learning
Our research shows why play matters in supporting young children’s learning and development. We have so many resources …
ECEC: Why joy at work is wonderful (but never enough)
Image courtesy of Joanna Crothers Educators voted on Wednesday to take strike action on September 7 – Early …
We refuse to value care – why sexism is at the core of our early childhood crisis
Introduction: The old, old problem The introduction of an extra year of education for three and four-year olds …
It’s one thing to extend preschool. But where is the supply of the remarkable teachers we need?
Rachael Hedger on early childhood reform: implications for our children, the sector, and the economy. This week, Victoria and New South Wales jointly announced a universal preschool year for all 4-year-old children, offering 30-hours of fully subsided ‘pre-prep’ or ‘pre-kindergarten’. Victoria plans to implement this change from 2025 whilst NSW will begin from 2030. This …
Why kids under five must start learning to code
There’s a lot of pressure to learn coding in primary school to develop 21st century computational skills. But I think we should start in preschool. Schools and governments recognise the need for teaching 21st century skills. We can see the evidence for that in the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics. But just as we teach preschool children …
The top five ways COVID places harsher burdens on educators. There’s an urgent need for change
COVID has caused commotion in the early childhood education and care sector since it arrived in 2020. It made educators more stressed and added burdens to those already overburdened. The current level of chaos is unsustainable as shown in our research with Australian directors from long daycare centres, community preschools and family daycare services. Six …
Time, money, exhaustion: why early childhood educators will join the Great Resignation
As the Omicron virus leaves thousands of families without childcare, because hundreds of early childhood services have been forced to close, early childhood educators are in demand. Previously there was around 30% turnover in the sector, but a 2021 survey of 4000 educators revealed 73% planned to leave in the next three years. A multinational …
“How are the children?” One powerful question to ask in early childhood education
A presentation from the Early Childhood SIG at #AARE2021 with Deborah Pino-Pasternak, Claire McLachlan and Dimity Franks. The Masai tribes of Africa use the traditional greeting “Kasserian Ingera,” which translates to “And how are the children?” This greeting demonstrates the emphasis Masai warriors place on the wellbeing of the children in their tribe. As early …