Rattler Issue 131 | July 2020 by Community Early Learning Australia

Rattler COMMUNITY EARLY LEARNING AUSTRALIA JOURNAL

ISSUE 131 | JULY 2020

Supporting

FRIENDSHIP ¬ Exploring children's stress and anxiety with Maggie Dent ¬ The Keys to Exceed part 2 St Luke's Preschool Dapto

¬ Showcasing professionalism in ECEC ¬ Aboriginal STEM perspectives ¬ more

FROM YOUR CEO Last time we published Rattler in early March, the world was in a very different place. We were focused on the stories and challenges that the extreme weather events caused, with Australia having started 2020 in the grips of fire and drought and later flood. Sadly, some of our members were still grappling with how to rebuild when the pandemic hit.

As we move into the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our members for the outstanding way they have responded to the pandemic. We are incredibly proud of how our small and community based services have shone. Through our 1800 support line, Amplify blog and social media, we have connected with our members more than ever during COVID, hearing the challenging stories of what has been an incredibly rocky road. These services have managed multiple complex issues and at times financial uncertainty, all in the interest of ensuring continuity of education and care for children and families. I’m also incredibly proud of the way that the CELA team has adapted to the pandemic. Our agility has ensured that we never missed a beat when it came to member support and the delivery of our core services. Within 2 weeks of the NSW government’s directive to work from home and restrict public gatherings, we had launched a new L&D calendar, redesigning some of our most popular sessions to cater for webinar format. Our main focus during the pandemic has been to support our members and to be a source of truth, providing easy to understand summaries of complex announcements and issues on a regular basis. We have been inundated with calls, particularly during April when there were frequent, and often confusing, changes in government policy.

Our advocacy has centred around ensuring the viability of standalone services, on maintaining stability in the workforce, and around the safety of children, staff and families. We continue to shine a light on the challenges faced by vulnerable and disadvantaged children. It has been an incredibly fast paced environment which has required constant interactions with government, agencies and stakeholders. In recognition of our leadership in the sector we have been contracted to run three Sector Support programmes, which include COVID 19 Fee Free Preschool phone support and sessions on Designing Remote Learning and Risk Management. We thank the NSW Government for initiating this much needed support for the sector, which has seen thousands of services engage in these initiatives. It’s fair to say that it’s been CELA’s busiest time for many years. Over the past 4 months we've responded to over 4,000 additional emails and calls to our support team. We've developed a broad range of new COVID specific member resources and tools and sent out 24 Member News updates. Our professional development team has delivered 87 training sessions to 1,037 participants. Our website has received a 108% uplift in visitors vs the same period last year, while our Amplify articles have been read by over 155,000 people during COVID, an increase of over 230%!

This edition of Rattler we focus on articles designed to inspire and uplift you during this challenging time. Our July edition begins with our regular spotlight Meet the Member, where we meet Angie Milne and Sharen Shoard who run Young Mobile Playgroup and Preschool. We also bring you the second of a three part series focusing on exceeding services, with an indepth look at how St Luke’s Preschool in Dapto held onto their exceeding rating during a change in leadership. Much loved resilience specialist Maggie Dent provides tips for supporting children who are struggling with anxiety and stress, while writer Keeta Williams shares how we can promote professionalism in ECEC. Naomi Fillmore of the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation tells us about the importance of first languages in early childhood education, while Indigenous early education resource specialist Deborah Hoger provides an overview of Aboriginal STEM Perspectives in the Early Years. And there’s plenty more to explore. We hope that you enjoy this edition and look forward to connecting with you over the coming months as we support you through the continuing pandemic situation.

Michele Carnegie Chief Executive Officer Community Early Learning Australia

PUBLISHER Community Early Learning Australia EDITORIAL TEAM Michele Carnegie, Wendy Lindgren, Tracey Long, Kerrie Maguire, Louise Black,

THIS ISSUE RATTLER | ISSUE 131 | JULY 2020

Nathalie Dupavillon, Lisa Cloumassis Community Early Learning Australia

WHAT'S ON

Maggie Dent, Carolin Wenzel, Sarah Moore,

Early education sector conferences and events

Naomi Fillmore, Megan O'Connell, Keeta

MEET THE MEMBER -

CONTRIBUTORS

Williams, Tracey Long, Deborah Hoger, Dr Tamara Cumming, Dr Helen Logan, and Associate Professor Sandie Wong ADVERTISING AND PRODUCTION Traceylong@cela.org.au CONTRIBUTIONS We welcome your stories. Copyright is held jointly by the publisher and the author. COPYING Email for permission to republish any part of this magazine. CELA thanks the children and educators who gave their permission to be photographed. HOW TO SUBSCRIBE Become a member at www.cela.org.au/membership-packages or email info@cela.org.au Membership includes an annual subscription to Rattler magazine plus access to invaluable sector resources, discounts on events, training and consultancy plus a monthly webinar and

Young Preschool Kindergarten and Mobile Play go the extra mile to engage remote communities.

EXPLORING CHILDREN'S STRESS AND ANXIETY

Maggie Dent offers insights, plus tips for calming children.

THE KEYS TO EXCEED ST LUKE'S DAPTO

Leadership coach Sarah Moore shares how you can prepare your team to get the most out of professional development.

THE IMPORTANCE OF FIRST LANGUAGES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

SHOWCASING PROFESSIONALISM IN ECEC 28 Keeta Williams shares how professionalism in early childhood education is more than just a qualification.

Megan O'Connell investigates the impact of disadvantage before the pandemic, and the increasing need for government and community to support children to thrive.

ABORIGINAL STEM PERSPECTIVES IN THE EARLY YEARS 38 Early years Indigenous resource specialist Deborah Hoger writes bout the unique opportunities for children to be exposed to over 60,000 years of Indigenous experiences through STEM.

CHILDREN AND FRIENDSHIP 42 19

Naomi Fillmore of The Australian Numeracy and Literacy Foundation affirms the crucial role of early educators in promoting first languages.

access to our expert advisory team.

Insights from Megan O’Connell, CELA’s research and policy advisor.

COVID-19 PANDEMIC REPORT 32

In this three part series, we take a deep dive with a range of services who have achieved Exceeding ratings in all seven Quality Areas.

PREPARING YOUR TEAM FOR PD

EARLY EDUCATION RESEARCH FROM AUSTRALIA AND AROUND THE WORLD 24

Megan O'Connell looks at how educators can support children to grow and develop through friendships.

MANAGING EDUCATOR WELL-BEING IN CHALLENGING TIMES

A new study by researchers from the Early Childhood Educator Well-being Project reveals that educator well-being involves numerous complex challenges for organisations.

Buy a subscription to Rattler at www.cela.org.au/shop/items/rattler DISCLAIMER The opinions expressed in Rattler are those of the authors and not necessarily those of CELA. CONTACT CELA 1800 157 818 info@cela.org.au www.cela.org.au Building 21, 142 Addison Road Marrickville NSW 2204 ABN 81 174 903 921

@communityearlylearningaustralia @CELAust

- COMING SOONREFRESHED WEBSITE We are excited to let you know that we are in the final stages of moving our website to a new platform which will greatly improve member experience and lead to enhancements for our professional development booking system. Look out for more details in a future edition of member news.

@communityearlylearning

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WHAT'S ON EARLY EDUCATION

HESTA EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION & CARE AWARDS NOMINATIONS OPEN NOW UNTIL SEPTEMBER 2020

The HESTA Early Childhood Education & Care Awards recognise the front-line educators and carers at the heart of Australia's early childhood education system.

EARLY LEARNING MATTERS WEEK 3-7 AUGUST

Through photos, videos and written messages, supporters of Early Learning Matters Week 2020 will celebrate and explain the work of early childhood professionals and their partnerships with families and communities.

8, 15 & 22 SEP | ONLINE

www.earlylearningmatters.org.au

www.cela.org.au/learning-anddevelopment/masterclasses/

www.hesta.com.au/awards/childhoodeducation-awards

EYLF OFF THE SHELF CONFERENCE 27 JULY | CANBERRA Hosted by JR Education Consulting Services, this conference promises to get the EYLF off the shelf and provide a day of deep thinking about how the framework can authentically shape and improve your program and practice.

CONSCIOUS CONVERSATIONS ARE KEY MASTERCLASS 4, 11 & 18 AUG | ONLINE This transformational masterclass, led by Sarah Moore, unlocks the secrets to effective communication and gives you practical tools to tackle challenging conversations confidently. www.cela.org.au/learning-anddevelopment/masterclasses/

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/eylfoff-the-shelf-conference-canberra-newdate-tickets-89692401387

SELF REG SUMMER SYMPOSIUM 1-31 JULY | ONLINE Join Stuart Shanker, Susan Hopkins, the TMC Team and Self-Reg community for the 6th annual and first-ever online Self-Reg Summer Symposium: Self-Reg, Equity & Well-Being: VISION 2020! https://self-reg.ca/srss2020/

ENGAGEMENT IS KEY MASTERCLASS

Led by Sarah Moore, this Masterclass will give you the skills to build a solid foundation from which you can grow strong employee engagement and enhance your leadership culture.

NAIDOC WEEK 2020 8-15 NOVEMBER National NAIDOC Week 2020 celebrations will now be held from the 8-15 November, with a theme of 'Always Was, Always Will Be'.

www.naidoc.org.au

2021 ECA RECONCILIATION SYMPOSIUM 14-15 MAY | DARWIN

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PLAY-BASED LEARNING AND EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION 27-28 AUGUST | ONLINE This event aims to bring together leading academic scientists, researchers and research scholars to exchange and share their experiences and research results on all aspects of play-based learning and early childhood education.

https://waset.org/play-basedlearning-and-early-childhoodeducation-conference-in-august2020-in-sydney

As a consequence of COVID-19 (coronavirus), Early Childhood Australia made the decision to postpone the 2020 Reconciliation Symposium. ECA will be hosting the 2021 Reconciliation Symposium at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Esplanade Darwin, Northern Territory. www.ecareconciliationsymposium.com.au

2021 ECA NATIONAL CONFERENCE 21-24 APRIL 2021 | BRISBANE The theme for the 2021 conference will be ‘Young Citizens—The right to play, learn and be heard’. www.ecaconference.com.au/2021

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WHAT'S ON COMMUNITY

NATIONAL PYJAMA DAY 17 JULY

Wear your pyjamas to support children in care. www.nationalpyjamaday.com

R U OK DAY KEEP AUSTRALIA BEAUTIFUL WEEK 17-23 AUGUST

Help reduce our impact on the environment and encourage action.

10 SEPTEMBER Meaningfully connect with the people around you and start a conversation with anyone who may be struggling with life. www.ruok.org.au

https://kab.org.au/keep-australiabeautiful-week/

STRESS DOWN DAY

CHILDREN’S WEEK

24 JULY Raise funds for Lifeline by participating in stress reducing activities. http://stressdownday2019.gofundraise. com.au

NATIONAL ABORIGINAL AND ISLANDER CHILDREN'S DAY 4 AUGUST Show support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, and learn about the crucial impact that culture, family and community play in the life of every child. https://aboriginalchildrensday.com.au/

24 OCTOBER - 1 NOVEMBER

Highlights the importance of play-based early learning and the rights of children.

The Theme for 2020 is Article 15 – "Children have the right to meet together and to join groups and organisations, as long as this does not stop other people from enjoying their rights.”

www.earlylearningmatters.org.au

www.napcan.org.au/childrensweek

EARLY LEARNING MATTERS WEEK 3-9 AUGUST

NATIONAL CHILD PROTECTION WEEK 6-12 SEPTEMBER Celebrating 30 years with the theme ‘Putting children first’. www.napcan.org.au/national-childprotection-week/

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Sharen Shoard, co-ordianator of Young Mobile Play

Angie Milne, director of Young Preschool Kindergarten

MEET THE MEMBER

Young Mobile Play and Preschool Kindergarten BY TRACEY LONG, CELA COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

oung preschool kindergarten has been operating for over 50 years, and current director Angie Milne has been at the helm for 20 of those years. She has been working in early childhood education for 30 years, and we’re very proud to share that she has been associated with CELA for her entire career!

A TOWN THAT CHANGES WITH THE SEASONS

The kindergarten educates 120 children across the week, with a team of 9 full time educators, 4 casual educators and one clerical assistant. Last assessed in 2019, they received an Exceeding rating.

“Our lives change with the seasons as does our population,” says Angie. “Orchards, grape vines and olive groves decorate our slopes and attract many backpackers at picking and harvest time. In the paddocks the patterns change with the windrowing of canola and harvesting of wheat, lupins, oats and barley.”

In addition to the preschool team, Angie employs Sharen Shoard as the coordinator for Young Mobile Play she runs the program with the help of an assistant. The mobile playgroup has a vital role in helping to connect Indigenous and remote families in the area to early learning and support services, and acts as a bridge to introduce local families to the preschool.

The town of Young is located in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, just over one and a half hour’s drive from Canberra. Angie describes Young as a bustling town with many tourist attractions including olive groves, honey producers and vineyards.

You may know Young as the cherry capital of Australia, but did you know that Arabic is the second most popular language spoken in Young due to the large number of Lebanese migrants who flocked to Young to work on the cherry farms and halal abattoirs?

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Angie, Sharen and the team have made a great effort to build strong connections with local Lebanese families over the past 20 years. Many of the families are initially involved with the mobile playgroup, which facilitates a smooth and well planned transition to preschool. “Enrolments from this community are also driven by word of mouth now, through positive recommendations within the Lebanese community. Usually if there is a language barrier, relatives who have stronger English come to help with enrollment day. Our enrollment process is inclusive, and any barriers can be addressed during the orientation program, which runs for a week in the November before the year they begin. Children can come for a number of visits prior to starting to become familiar with the program, the routine, and the educators.” The preschool has a solid team of long standing educators, with the majority of staff having worked at the service

and playgroup coordinator Sharen is incredibly proud of the annual NAIDOC week celebrations she hosts for the community each year.

SUCCESS THROUGH ENGAGEMENT AND TEAM RECOGNITION “I believe that engagement is key to the success of an early education team, and that engagement can be enhanced through the right professional development,” shares Angie. “As a leader, I constantly remind and share with the educators that they matter. I invest heavily in self-care, focusing on wellness and wellbeing for myself and the team.” for over 6 years. Three educators have been at the service for over 20 years and three for over 10! Angie is incredibly proud of what her team achieves. “I believe that the preschool has this generational happiness,” shares Angie, who reflects on the families who have had multiple generations and multiple children attend the centre.

SHARED CELEBRATIONS HELP TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS Throughout the year, the preschool ensures that celebrations for every child’s culture is embedded into the program. Children are invited to bring in a cultural bag or box each year, containing items relevant and important to their culture. Photos of this are then displayed on the wall for everyone to share and revisit.

She has three books that she nominates as her ‘bibles’ : ⊲ The Visionary Director by Deb Curtis and Margie Carter

“We follow policies and procedures and have robust debates when we critically reflect, especially around risks,” she says. “At this uncertain time, one needs to be working with an educator’s strength and interests, helping the focus to remain positive to get the right balance.”

MANAGING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC Angie feels that the community have been very fortunate to have been minimally affected by COVID-19 so far. There have been no local cases of the virus to date and the service has been back to 100% occupancy since early this term. Most of the children missed only a few weeks of preschool, and during that time the educators reached out using their program Hub Works, through email and YouTube video.

⊲ Early Childhood Leadership in Action by Elizabeth Stamopoulos and Lennie Barblett, and

YOUNG MOBILE PLAY A VITAL LINK FOR REMOTE FAMILIES

⊲ Leadership: Contexts and complexities in Early Childhood by Wendy Shepherd, Manjula Waniganayake, Sandra Cheeseman, Fay Hadley and Marianne Fenech

As full-time coordinator of Young Mobile Play, Sharen Shoard and her assistant cover 429km each fortnight, operating sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week. The schedule includes playgroups

Eid al-Fitr is one of the celebrations that the school engages in to honour the cultural traditions of the Lebanese families. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting (the children stay at home when they fast - Angie allows families to swap days if the fasting falls on their preschool day so they don’t miss out). The traditional custodians of the area are the Wiradjuri people, recognised by the preschool in the daily acknowledgement to country. Celebrating Indigenous culture is also an important part of the preschool and playgroup programs,

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also recommended for parents suffering from anxiety who may feel overwhelmed by larger playgroups.

Young Mobile Play set up at Young North Public School

at the towns of Boorowa, Harden, Stockinbingal, Milvale, Murringo, Young and Wombat. The program features a fortnightly Koori session as well as an intergenerational session at the local retirement village where children and their families can interact with the elderly through games and songs. Tuesday’s session is held at Early Intervention. At this location families can access professionals such as occupational therapists, a speech therapist, and special needs teachers qualified in ADHD, ODD and autism spectrum. It’s a smaller group and is

Sharen started her early education career at a local LDC, where she worked for 18 years before moving into a position as a learning support assistant educator at a local primary school. She started working part time at Young Mobile Play back in 2008, going full time as coordinator in 2016 due to the previous coordinator retiring. The communities the playgroup supports are remote and rural and with that comes isolation and vulnerability. Through the playgroup Sharen is able to flag early intervention needs with other organisations so that they can help immediately. Without this service these young children and families could slip through the cracks. “Many of our families are isolated and may only go into town to do their weekly or fortnightly shopping,” says Sharen. “It’s important we help to bridge this gap, allowing children the opportunity to participate in an educational

program prior to starting school.” Due to the pandemic, playgroup has been suspended for now, however Sharen has been engaging families with news and activities via email and recorded YouTube sessions. The team have completed 20 YouTube sessions so far - each session runs for 30-45 minutes and includes a story, music, songs and a craft activity. They also run a Koori Storytime program through the Young TAFE. Due to the cancellation of the playgroup due to the pandemic, two boxes of activities have been delivered to each family’s house over the past term. These packages included cooking activities, drawing materials and Aboriginal craft activities.

ADDRESSING FLUCTUATING ENROLLMENTS AND BUILDING CULTURAL BRIDGES Sharen says that as a mobile service they face several challenges, one of them being enrolments, especially in the smaller rural and remote communities outside of Young. “As children in some communities grow up and move on to school, numbers may drop dramatically and, in some cases, unless new families move into the area, we may no longer have any families accessing our service. Therefore, we must move to another area within the region, where the service is viable for the community.” Playgroup attendance is also affected by seasonal influences, with numbers declining during harvest time as families need to focus on harvesting crops and all of the associated tasks such as cooking for additional farm workers. Sharen says that another major challenge has been building relationships with the Koori families in the area. “This is one of the main reasons we hold our NAIDOC celebrations each year. I knew I had to start making connections and that this was not going to happen overnight. I had to show we were going to be consistent and build trusting relationships to make this work.”

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THE IMPORTANCE OF MOBILE LEARNING TO AUSTRALIA’S CHILDREN Sharen is incredibly passionate about the value of mobile learning to regional and remote families. “It’s so important for our vulnerable, drought affected, isolated, low income, one car families and Aboriginal families to have access to a service that not only offers an educational program for their children, but that connects families with other families, offering support, guidance and acceptance.” She says that she views the job as a privilege and an adventure. Sharing Indigenous culture at the NAIDOC Day celebration

The first NAIDOC Day celebration was organised by Sharen in 2017. “The first step I took was to invite local Aboriginal Elder Aunt Enid to afternoon tea to discuss what we would like to do and why. “I was very honest with Aunt Enid and said I would like to be respectful in everything we do and say, however I did lack knowledge and could she please help guide me.” Sharen then attended the local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group meeting to invite the wider Aboriginal Community for their input, with the aim of involving them as much as possible with the main ceremony and through artefacts displays, dancing, storytelling and face painting.

a dreamtime story, or showing their Aboriginal artworks. At the last celebration, the Young Preschool children performed the Wombat Wobble and stole the show. "We then finish by enjoying Aboriginal culture shared by local Indigenous musicians or dancers." Planning for the event now starts twelve months in advance to allow for booking performers, applying for funding and giving local schools time to prepare. “We are slowly making progress in building relationships with our local Indigenous community, and this event has been a great stepping stone towards that goal.”

“The first year we had six weeks to prepare,” recalls Sharen. “This was a huge challenge; but it was very successful." Sharen invites all the preschools in the local area, day-care centres, small schools, and the community. They started off with approximately 200 people and doubled that last year with 400 in attendance. “The highlight is always the main ceremony, opened by a local Elder. All the Koori children from local schools participate by putting on a dance, speaking in Wiradjuri, reading

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“It's the smiles on those little faces as they run in the door, to see what activities you have set up, that keeps us coming back. It's the parents and carers who are pleased to see you. A time for them to stop and breathe for a little while. It's about the connections and friendships families make with each other, some of which last a lifetime. It's about helping these families not only connect with each other but other community services, depending on their need. It's about making everyone feel like they belong, and to feel they are a valued playgroup family member, not matter who they are, where they are from or what they do.”

EXPLORING CHILDREN’S STRESS AND ANXIETY + tips for calming children BY MAGGIE DENT

All early childhood educators want every child in their care to be happy and thrive. Let’s be honest though – childhood has become more stressful for children. Parents living much busier lives, the digital landscape constantly stealing precious moments of connection with children, the push-down of formalised learning, less outside play and more hurry all contribute to this.

⊲ Silly, ‘hyper’ behaviour

⊲ Inability to communicate

⊲ Meltdowns and temper tantrums

⊲ Hiding or running away

⊲ Aggressive, destructive behaviours

⊲ Attention and concentration problems

Thanks to the fields of neuroscience and the science of child development, we now have more understanding than ever to help us raise children who thrive. Dr Stuart Shanker, Dr Gordon Neufeld, Dr Daniel Siegel, Dr Vanessa Lapointe and Dr Mona Delahooke have all contributed enormously.

⊲ Making loud noises and interrupting educators

As parenting and education trends change and move further away from what children really need, especially in the early years, our children become wired to be hypersensitive. Heightened levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which often comes with adrenaline, make children feel threatened, unsafe, uncomfortable, frightened, worried and unable to cope. Externalised behaviour is often a sign that the amygdala has perceived a threat and the child’s body is in fight or flight: ⊲ Anger and frustration ⊲ Oppositional and refusal behaviours

⊲ Restlessness and difficulty sitting still

⊲ Squealing and screaming Sadly, it is still common for these to be seen as bad behaviours – something that children are doing deliberately. When seen through this lens, there is often an attempt to change the child’s behaviour – ignoring, punishing, or isolating them. This perception assumes the child is choosing to behave inappropriately – but often they are simply not coping and they lack the skills to cope. It helps to see the behaviour as them asking for our help to manage their world. Another way children respond is through internalising and this can be easily missed in early childhood settings. Bodily responses differ. Their heart rate decelerates as does their breathing, and they can become sluggish. They are essentially withdrawing in order to survive. We may see:

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⊲ Excessive resistance to participating in activities ⊲ Difficulties with social or peer group ⊲ Appearing to not hear or be aware of verbal communication ⊲ Blank non-responsive facial expressions ⊲ Avoidance behaviours We need to realise too that there are many contributing factors to children’s unhealthy levels of anxiety that can be linked to neurodiversity, poor attachment, medical issues, trauma, sensory processing challenges, life changes and also separation anxiety.

HOW CAN WE SUPPORT CHILDREN WHO ARE STRUGGLING? Relational connection. The overarching themes of the EYLF or the NQF are belonging, being and becoming and these are key to helping children thrive.

SIMPLE TIPS FOR CALMING CHILDREN < Do an activity the child enjoys < Have a fascinating conversation or listen to a great story < Explore, fossick or hunt for anything new < Put on a play or musical performance < Get cooking in the kitchen (or mud kitchen) < Sing, dance, be musical < Be comfortable with quietness and model it yourself < Create a quiet space Research is strong: the number one need for children is to feel safe. Building secondary attachment relationships is essential for helping all children build those calming neural circuits. If a little one is displaying significant signs of distress, this is the first area to focus on – nurturing their sense of safety with one key caregiver. Author of Beyond Behaviours, Canadian child psychologist Mona Delahooke, writes that we need to focus not on what we do to kids, but “how we are with them”.

Helping a child to become calmer while determining the unmet needs is the best way to support these overwhelmed little ones. Best results tend to happen when the educator can work closely with a parent to ensure they follow similar bonding and soothing patterns and to become aware of a child’s unique stressors. Once a child is soothed and their nervous system settles, an educator can start searching for the stressors that they have struggled to cope with.

< Try relaxation and mindfulness practises/audios < Use quiet tonality when speaking or making requests < Use soothing, calming background music < Connect children to nature, spend time outside often < Use calming aromatherapy < Try sensory activities like play dough, clay modelling, sandplay, finger painting, painting the back fence with water, blowing bubbles outside < Try to use humour to diffuse energy, do the unexpected!

“Research is strong: the number one need for children is to feel safe”

Maggie Dent has become one of Australia's favourite parenting authors and educators, with a particular interest in the early years, adolescence and resilience, and 11 books to her name including her bestselling 2018 release Mothering Our Boys. Maggie is host of the ABC podcast, Parental As Anything.

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< Practise more patience, kindness and compassion Keep in mind that young children are minute-by-minute growing neural connections to help them navigate their world. Ensuring they are surrounded by safe, caring grown-ups in predictable environments – while being able to do things that kids love doing, in an unrushed and unhurried way – will help them gradually learn how to manage their world without drowning in anxiety.

IE PART TWO / THREE PART SER

THE KEYS TO EXCEED St Luke's Preschool Dapto RATTLER ISSUE 131 | JULY 2020 | 10

In this three part series, Rattler takes a deep dive with a range of services who have achieved Exceeding ratings in all seven Quality Areas to share with you how they reached this high standard. In our March edition we shared the story of Narooma Preschool. In this edition we share the story of St Luke’s Preschool in Dapto NSW. BY CAROLIN WENZEL Quality Rating: Exceeding t Luke’s Preschool is connected to the Anglican church in Dapto NSW, but emphasis is on inclusion of all local families. Their vision is ‘to be Child Focused and to create Collaborative Partnerships’ and their values ‘aim to serve one another, our families and our community through high quality teaching and continuous quality improvement.’

When current director Blake Stewart took over, he had big shoes to fill. The previous director had been at the service for 13 years and had already achieved an Excellent rating. While Blake was transitioning into the director role, he received notice that the assessment would be happening months earlier than had been expected, and while the outgoing director was still on long service leave – so the team needed to pull together and come up with a good strategy to ensure the best outcome.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM AND PRACTICE

St Luke’s has an overarching curriculum with a changing fortnightly focus – for example when children start the year they begin with a focus on belonging and wellbeing. During the next fortnight they focus on family, and then move on to culture. “This enables us to embed each child’s individual developmental milestones

and curriculum domains into the cycle,” says Blake. “For example, an educator may observe that an additional needs child negatively responds to loud noises. First, they will consult the notes from their individual allied health practitioners (i.e. occupational therapist) and recommended sensory inputs. The Educator then would reflect on how to support that child within our program to ensure the learning experience is prepared and taught in an inclusive way which could involve providing additional sensory items to support the arousal levels of that child. In response to the significant increase in additional needs children within St Luke’s Preschool, the team has established strong links with local occupational therapists and speech pathologists that provided guided practice throughout the daily program. This allows both the allied health practitioner and the teacher to collaborate together whilst teaching the child.

About 15% of households in Dapto are families with young children. It’s a small semi-rural community just south-west of Wollongong near Lake Illawarra with a population of about 12,000. On the Socioeconomic Index of advantage (SEIFA), Dapto rates as slightly disadvantaged with a score of 964 (1000 is the benchmark). The Dapto area has a high developmental vulnerability rate according to the AEDC, compared with other areas of Wollongong and NSW. Nearly a third of children starting school are vulnerable in one or more domain (compared with 1 in 5 nationally), 14.8% are vulnerable in 2 or more domains compared with around 10% in Wollongong and NSW and 11% nationally. What makes St Luke’s stand apart is their focus on inclusion and how they have collaborated with other service providers to create a community hub for families that includes a café, Anglicare Family Mental Health Service, and an Occupational Therapist to assess and assist children with additional needs.

St Luke's Preschool Dapto - garden in extended outdoor area

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CHILDREN’S HEALTH AND SAFETY

St Luke’s has a 1:4 staff to child ratio, with the aim to provide adequate supervision across all external and internal areas at all times and to avoid hazards and risks. The team includes one staff member trained in fundamental movement skills from a local osteopath, and another trained in healthy eating through the NSW Education Department’s Munch & Move program. “We engage with the children and empower them to understand risks,” shares Blake. “Educators will ask the children; what’s safe in this area? Where can we jump from? What do we need to make it safe?” Earlier this year St Luke’s invested in doubling their outdoor area to include a larger range of risky and secure play opportunities and equipment, and all risk policies and procedures have now been revised accordingly. “Through collaborating with our children in regard to safety, we have developed specialised social stories that empower the children to read themselves or read to others about the risks involved in a particular learning experience,” says Blake.

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

St Luke’s Preschool extended their yard to provide a greater range of heavy gross motor sensory inputs to support and increase the development of the vestibular and proprioceptive sensory processing for all children including those with autism or sensory processing difficulties. The yard is purpose built to allow for children to run safely. The area includes a higher sensory environment, with climbing structures and ‘heavy work’ areas for children with autism or sensory processing difficulties to engage first thing in the morning. “Researchers in New Zealand have found that 16sqm of outdoor space enhances the gross motor development of children, in contrast to the Australian standard size which is only 7sqm,” explains Blake. “For other children who are overstimulated, we have features that will help them to calm down – elastic chairs, special round swings, cuddle seats and bamboo huts to hide in. The outdoor environment is now an inclusive wonderland for all children.”

STAFFING ARRANGEMENTS

St Luke’s has 17 staff. Each teacher has a set number of focus children to document, so the documentation load for each educator is reduced and the quality of documentation and teaching increases. The team includes degree-qualified early childhood teachers (ECT), 2 of those are studying their Masters. Twelve are at a Diploma level or studying for the Diploma. They have 1 teacher with a Cert IV in Speech Pathology and during 2020 an educator will be completing a Cert IV in Occupational Therapy. There is another staff member who is currently completing a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy.

RELATIONSHIPS WITH CHILDREN

Blake shares that the educators are developing visuals, social stories and routines with children as part of building relationships. Before children are introduced to climbing structures outside, they read a story with pictures about what is safe and what is risky. The outside area also helps children to regulate their emotions and manage challenging behaviour.

Children enjoy the new wooden climbing area

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Blake says : “For example, if a child is throwing rocks, an educator can take them out to the climbing apparatus to provide an alternative stimulus to throwing and channel their emotional energy into a more socially appropriate behaviour.”

COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES The preschool is part of a community hub which is very responsive to parents’ requests for ways they can be more supportive. For example, they are in the process of creating a support group for those parents with additional needs in response to a parent’s request. Both this parent and the Inclusion Support Facilitator are partnering with a Life Skills Educator from Anglicare to maximise the investment into families in 2020. “St Luke's Preschool has been a popular preschool for referrals from local speech pathologists, occupational therapists and paediatricians,” says Blake. “Alongside our low fees and specialised staffing, families are drawn to our family centred preschool. We ensure that we are building capacity for each individual family. “We want all families to feel included, so in our orientation program we talk with parents about their children and invite them to tell us about their cultural background, and how we can help them feel at home. We had a Macedonian family this year, so we’ve incorporated Macedonian language and culture into our curriculum.” The multidisciplinary approach is established to support the learning and development of additional needs children in a collaboration between the educator, inclusion support facilitator, the parents and allied health professionals if they are involved in the child’s care plan. “We all meet to discuss the specifics of the child’s diagnosis and treatment routine and to develop an Individual Learning Plan," says Inclusion Support Facilitator Amy Lukins. As a parent of a son with ADHD, anxiety and autism,

Mural with artist Natalie Bateman and her son Marrlawgay

Climbing apparatus provide an alternative stimulus to help children channel their emotional energy into a more socially appropriate behaviour.

Amy also has a deep understanding of the additional support needs of some families.

GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP

St Luke’s is a community based notfor-profit preschool attached to the Anglican church. The Management Committee has five representatives from the Anglican church (most who have served on the committee for the last 15 years), and four representatives are parents who tend to only stay on for a couple of years while their children attend. The preschool has established a strong leadership team – that includes the director, second-In-charge/ community liaison officer (who connects with families and the church community through the community hub, and to the broader community through her local involvement in cultural initiatives), educational leader (who is being mentored as he is new to this role) and an inclusion support facilitator (who works with educators and families to ensure children from all cultures and of all abilities are welcome).

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ASSESSMENT PROCESS AND FUTURE ASPIRATIONS The last ratings assessment was very stressful for the team, as it happened just before Blake took over as director. It was brought forward so it could happen before their Excellent rating expired, so there was a high bar to reach. One of the great strategies they used was to assign one of the seven quality areas to every staff member to be thoroughly familiar with. This meant that on any day at least two staff members were across each quality area. With support from the previous director, Blake ensured that on the assessment days none of the staff on duty felt pressure to perform. They had extra debriefings and reflection time both pre and post visit, and made sure the support tasks were covered in a structured way, so they weren’t forgotten as stress levels were increased. They were pleased and relieved to maintain their Exceeding rating, but their Excellent rating lapsed.

g n i g d e l w o Ackn k r o w great According to a report in Psychology Today which surveyed 200,000 employees in 500 companies, the most highly rated workplace motivators for most people are: peer support and camaraderie (20%); the intrinsic desire to do a good job (17%), and getting recognition and encouragement (13%). Experts warn not to wait until the end of the year to give praise and acknowledgement. Memories are short and recognition needs to come closely after people have put in the effort – and then it can be recognised again at the end of the year more formally. Here are five workplace reward ideas for your team:

Ì Say thank you and give praise Ì Staff awards & certificates Ì Delicious treats Ì Small thoughtful gifts Ì Award extra time or leave

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Insurance issued by Guild Insurance Ltd, ABN 55 004 538 863, AFSL 233791. Guild Insurance supports your association through the payment of referral fees. This information contains general advice only and does not take into account what you currently have, want and need for your personal circumstances. It is important for you to consider these matters and read the policy and/or the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) before you make a decision about an insurance product. Subject to underwriting approval. Terms and Conditions apply (including exclusions and limitations). You can get a copy of the PDS by calling 1800 810 213. EAR79101 Early Learning ISSUE - CELA 131 Ad 112019 RATTLER | JULY 2020 | 15

PREPARE YOUR TEAM TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THEIR PD BY SARAH MOORE

So you’ve booked an in-service professional development day or training session. The big question is whether your team is ready to learn what you want them to learn. Chances are, they are not. 2010 McKinsey & Company survey reviewed that approximately 75 percent of training programs fail to measurably improve business performance. A lack of preparation is one of the biggest culprits.

This article provides helpful tips on how you can prepare your team so they can get the best out of the training and implement their learning long after the event.

WHY ARE STAFF UNPREPARED FOR TRAINING? I frequently turn up to deliver an inservice training and ask: “What are you wanting to get out of the training today?” and here are the top three responses: 1. We were told to be here 2. It’s part of my professional development 3. I’m not sure

Very rarely do staff attend because they’re trying to solve a specific problem. It’s very unusual if a team member has read the training descriptions and outcomes and planned out exactly what they hope to learn. This causes concern, as learning is about fundamentally solving specific problems and it often means that staff feel uncertain and slightly anxious about what is expected of them. It’s no wonder some staff lack motivation and focus at the start of in-service professional development days! For some they are asked to participate on a weekend day or in the evening after the centre closes. For others they are more engaged, but see it as a fun way to spend time with their colleagues and off the floor. If you want your team to get the most out of your professional development days, you need to create an action plan.

HOW TO CREATE AN ACTION PLAN FOR PD A simple action plan can help you to maximise learning by ensuring that you are clear about the problem you want to solve and what you want your team to achieve as a result of participating in a professional development training.

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A simple yet powerful tool to use is my one-page Training Planner. Now if you’re thinking “I don’t have a spare hour”, think about how much money and time you are investing from your training budget for your team to participate. If you want to maximise your return on investment, this process should not be skipped.

ABOUT SARAH MOORE: Sarah is a highly motivated and passionate Certified Leadership Coach, Neuro-linguistic Practitioner and Conversational Intelligence® Coach. With over 25 years of leadership, training and development experience in the UK and Australia, Sarah is known for her practical leadership programs that support people to create extraordinary results and to be leaders worth following. She is driven to support Early Educational Leaders and teams in the immersion of neuroscience based insights and tools to build human connections, trust, partnerships and mutual success.

TRAINING PLANNER IDENTIFY THE PURPOSE

It’s important for your team to know why they are participating in training. That’s pretty hard to explain if you can’t articulate this yourself. So, start by answering these three important questions: ⊲ What is the existing performance?

⊲ What outcome do we need from the training? Now, it’s time to check in and review – does the training match the outcomes we need? If the answer to this question is ‘Yes’ then now it’s time to prime your team for success.

⊲ What are the cause(s) for the gap?

PRIME YOUR TEAM FOR SUCCESS

IDENTIFY TRAINING ACTION

At a minimum, your team should be able to answer these three simple questions:

Now it’s time to help your team create some intentions while participating in the training.

⊲ What’s the professional development training about?

These are typically very few and may include:

⊲ How will this training help me to do my job?

⊲ Being fully present

⊲ How can I apply what I’ve learned back to my job?

⊲ Engaging fully with the content

Next is to determine how you and your leadership team can make sure this happens. This typically looks like sharing information with the team so they can answer these three questions. You can do this by circulating an email, sharing the information at a staff meeting or promoting the training on a notice board.

⊲ Actively participating

The way to do this is by making sure the training facilitator provides information that can be shared amongst your team. For example, my clients will ask me to provide them with a training description and learning outcomes and possibly some ‘priming questions’ for the team to reflect on before the training event.

Consider the role of the leaders within the training. Do you want them to participate equally or to take a different role to the rest of the team? How do you want them to feed back after the session and what action do you want them to take? Do they know what’s expected of them and have you made a time to debrief afterwards? It’s vital that everyone knows what is expected of them and is clear about how to provide feedback.

Directors/leaders could consider holding a priming meeting to assist in planning the practical elements of the training, as well as answer any questions and address any barriers to learning the content.

⊲ Considering how they are going to apply their learning ⊲ Being in a growth mindset ⊲ Having pen and paper

IDENTIFY FOLLOW-UP ACTION

So now your team has participated in the professional development training, they had a great time, enjoyed participating and taking on the new learning. It’s time to consider how they are going to specifically implement their learning. Then, decide who in your leadership team will ensure this happens. Here are a few examples:

⊲ At a team meeting ask your team how they applied what they learnt. ⊲ During one on one meetings with your team, ask them how they are using their new skills. ⊲ Get your team leaders to work with their teams to explore how they are applying their knowledge and what additional support or guidance they need. ⊲ Send out a staff survey to identify which skills they’ve tried and what the barriers are in implementing them.

⊲ Finally, determine what support the room leaders & educational leaders need from the training facilitator. The rubber hits the road after the training facilitator has delivered the training. How are you following up with your team to make sure they are implementing their learning? Consider holding a follow-up session after the workshop to check-in and see what help your team needs to sustain their progress.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DESIGNED BY SECTOR EXPERTS We provide a practical, hands-on approach to training that changes educators’ practice and improves outcomes for children.

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⊲ Acknowledging and Celebrating Aboriginal Australia A starting point NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ Becoming an Approved Provider – Roles and responsibilities under the National Quality Framework ⊲ Born to Be Wild - Creating adventure experiences with babies NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ CHCPRT001 Identify and Respond to Children and Young People at Risk NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ Children’s Rights, Children’s Voices NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ Demystifying Critical Reflection NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ Digital Documentation - Opportunities and limitations NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ Director’s Toolkit – Connect to all the resources you need at your fingertips NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ Discovering Stars: How Children’s Brains Grow and Develop NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ Do You See What They See? Exploring the world through the eyes of the child NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ Educator Wellbeing: Filling an Empty Bucket NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ Going to Big School Next Year - Helping Families and Children Prepare NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ Introduction to Play Theory - Understanding play theory and using play interventions when working with children’s behaviour NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ Measuring Quality and articulating quality practices from our QIP NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ OOSH Don’t Forget to Play ⊲ OOSH Under the Volcano ⊲ Understanding Autism NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ Under the Volcano - Understanding children’s emotions and behaviours, knowing how to respond, not react NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ Vulnerable and Valuable – Understanding and working with children from disadvantaged backgrounds NESA REGISTERED PD

⊲ Approved Provider – new providers ⊲ Approved Provider – experienced providers ⊲ CHCPRT001 – Identify & Respond to Children and Young People at Risk NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ Conscious Conversations are Key Masterclass ⊲ Demystifying Critical Reflection NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ Educator Wellbeing Filling an Empty Bucket NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ Engagement is Key Masterclass ⊲ Neuroscience and Behaviour NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ New Research and Theory in Behaviour NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ Practical Approaches to Programming for Educational Leaders NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ Self-Assessment – implementing the ACECQA Self-assessment tool in the quality improvement process NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ The Co Creative Leader Webinar Series ⊲ The Law and the Regs for Nominated Supervisors ⊲ Theory Basics of Behaviour NESA REGISTERED PD ⊲ Vulnerable and Valuable NESA REGISTERED PD

CUSTOMISED TRAINING We are flexible to your needs and can deliver training through a combination of webinar, face-to-face and phone mentoring. Find out more: 1800 157 818 www.cela.org.au/customised-training

VIEW MORE DETAILS AND SESSION DATES:

www.cela.org.au/learning-and-development CELA prioritises the wellbeing, health, and safety of all participants and CELA facilitators. As a result, we have implemented a range of additional requirements to help us continue to deliver training in a responsible manner, in line with adviceISSUE from the Government. Please contact us on 1800 157 818 if you have any concerns. RATTLER 131Australian | JULY 2020 | 18

The importance of first languages in early childhood education BY NAOMI FILLMORE, THE AUSTRALIAN LITERACY AND NUMERACY FOUNDATION

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages, dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of language as a tool for communication, education, social integration and development. As the International Year looks set to turn into an International Decade, Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation (ALNF) First Languages Coordinator Naomi Fillmore affirms the crucial role of educators in integrating and promoting childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first languages within early childhood settings. Distilling international and domestic research, Naomi explains how doing so underpins each of the learning outcome areas in the Early Years Learning Framework. ustralia is a linguistically and culturally diverse nation. The most recent census of 2016 recorded over 300 different languages spoken in Australian homes. More than one-fifth of Australians speak a language other than standard Australian English at home, and in some areas this percentage is much higher. For example, in remote areas, around two-thirds of Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander children speak some words of an Indigenous language , and in one suburb of Western Sydney, more than 70 per cent of people report speaking a language other than English at home. The diversity of Australian communities is naturally reflected in our early childhood centres and schools. Over two-thirds of teachers around the country teach in schools

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where a significant portion of students speak a language other than English as their first language. In many remote communities, almost 100 percent of children are encountering English for the first time when they arrive at the school gates. Though formal education (including early childhood education) in Australia is delivered primarily through English, many decades of Indigenous and migrant community advocacy

have led to new policy and curriculum spaces opening up for languages and dialects other than English to be taught, developed, and valued in the Australian education system. Whilst at the school level, a new framework from Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority

(ACARA) provides pathways for schools to teach Indigenous languages as a first language, revival language or second language, we know that brain development starts much earlier than school. Quality teaching and learning experiences in early childhood are the foundation for all future learning success.

Early experiences in a child’s first language supports the development of neurocognitive linguistic pathways, in turn supporting the ability to make connections between known and unknown, reducing stress and increasing learning capacity. Recognising this, the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) acknowledges that all children “have the right to be continuing users of their home language" (p. 41). First language development features throughout the EYLF and is a vital precursor to achieving each of the five learning outcome areas.

OUTCOME 1

CHILDREN HAVE A STRONG SENSE OF IDENTITY Healthy development in early life is important for all children. Valuing the emerging language skills that children arrive with supports a child’s healthy development and a strong sense of identity through early childhood, school, and later in life. Language and identity are intrinsically linked. For example, in one of the most comprehensive studies conducted of Australian Indigenous languages and language speakers, over 90 per cent of respondents felt that the use of traditional languages is a strong part of their identity as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person. A strong sense of identity leads to a strengthened sense of belonging (in line with the EYLF's vision for children’s learning) - belonging to a tradition, culture, ancestor, spirit, family, community, land, and country.

OUTCOME 2

"Languages offer children a window into different cultures and ways of thinking, leading to a host of socio-emotional benefits for bilingual children and adults."

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CHILDREN ARE CONNECTED WITH AND CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR WORLD Learning more than one language widens a child’s understanding of and connection to the world around them. Languages offer children a window into different cultures and ways of thinking, leading to a host of socio-emotional benefits for bilingual children and adults. For example, bilingual children

and adults perform better in tests of empathy and reasoning. Respect for linguistic diversity contributes to cohesive and peaceful societies. A major goal of the International Year of Indigenous Languages was to highlight the many ways in which languages, particularly Indigenous languages, benefit not just their speakers but all of us through their contribution to the world’s rich cultural diversity. In Australia, our languages are being lost at among the highest rates in the world. When languages die, we lose more than just words. We lose a carrier of culture; and the connection we share with ourselves, our traditions, and cultural history. Teaching first languages supports the intergenerational transmission of these languages, creating a new generation of speakers, revitalising vulnerable languages into the future, and contributing to a better world for us all.

OUTCOME 3

CHILDREN HAVE A STRONG SENSE OF WELLBEING Valuing first languages in our early childhood and school systems supports children’s healthy development and long-term wellbeing. The positive impacts of keeping language and culture strong reverberate throughout a child's life – for example, studies have shown that Indigenous children experience better health and well-being outcomes later in life when the adults close to them foster a strong sense of cultural identity in their early years. The strong correlation between first language development in the early years and long term wellbeing in part stems from the positive influence of bilingualism on executive function and self-regulation, with executive function and self-regulation being essential skills for managing life, work, learning, and relationships. The EYLF defines ‘well-being’ as incorporating physical and psychological aspects - and early language development is an important determinant for both. Physically, a

strong sense of identity develops resilience and the ability to cope with challenges faced in later life. For example, studies have found links between Indigenous young people’s knowledge of traditional languages and their likelihood of engaging in antisocial behaviours or being victims of violence. Psychologically, Aboriginal communities implementing bilingual education programs have reported a greater sense of self-worth and acceptance, whereas children living in areas where language is being lost display high levels of accumulated stress.

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OUTCOME 4

CHILDREN ARE CONFIDENT AND INVOLVED LEARNERS Children are confident and involved learners when they are able to fully engage with the teaching and learning process. Without strong foundational education in their first language, children are limited in their ability to develop critical learning and cognitive skills and to eventually reach their full potential. Building on experiences and vocabulary that a child is already

familiar with supports them to more easily make connections with the new ideas and skills that are taught – to go from the ‘known’ to ‘unknown’. Where there is a disconnect between the languages of home and education, children’s proficiency in detecting the patterns of spoken language cannot be cross-fertilised, and the devastating outcome is that these children may not develop a full robust linguistic system in their first language nor Standard Australian English. Evidence shows that children are involved, engaged and confident learners when their first language is valued and supported. Children who can’t understand, or have difficulty understanding, the language of instruction may disengage or ‘switch off’ from learning. For example, in the late 2000s when the Northern Territory terminated their bilingual program in remote Indigenous schools,

attendance rates dropped dramatically to an average of just 30 percent. The EYLF recognises that "children are more likely to be confident and involved learners when their family and community experiences and understandings are recognised and included". Bringing home languages into learning spaces also invites families and communities into a child’s learning journey. Parents and caregivers feel more comfortable to engage with the child’s learning when learning is culturally and linguistically inclusive.

OUTCOME 5

CHILDREN ARE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATORS Children begin their communicative development not just from early childhood or even infancy, but from the womb. Newborns are able to

distinguish the sounds of the language they hear in-utero within their first hours of life, and acoustic analysis shows that even the melody, pitch and pattern of babies’ cries mimic the features of their maternal language. This means that all children arrive at an early childhood space with an abundance of language knowledge that is specific to the language they have been exposed to since conception. Given that oral language skills, developed during early childhood, are the foundational skills on which later literacy skills are built, a disconnect between homes and school language often lead to poor literacy acquisition and educational outcomes. Conversely, when centres and schools respect children’s right to "be continuing users of their home language" (EYLF p. 41), impressive benefits to learning outcomes have been noted. Studies from around

a b c WHERE DO I START? ALNF Trainer and early childhood specialist Kathi Herrick shares five easy starting points for supporting children’s home language in early childhood spaces: 1. Encourage families to keep speaking their home language as much as possible. Reassure them that more exposure to their first language will help (not hinder) their child’s language and literacy in a second language such as English. Research shows that learning concepts, including underlying concepts of language, in a child’s first language gives them a deeper understanding which they can draw from as they grow their knowledge of other languages. 2. Encourage families to explore texts with their child in their language, including printed books but also texts like recipes, magazines, and letters. This provides children with more opportunities to hear their language spoken and see their language written in a variety of contexts.

3. Create a library of books that contain language and cultural themes familiar to children and explore them together. Ask the children to share their favourite book to promote storytelling. If their favourite book is in language Learning another circle - nature objects invite them to ‘teach’ it to the teacher or class. 4. Listen and learn songs together. Music can be a universal language that connects us. Learning songs along with children in different languages models language learning skills while showing value and appreciation of the diversity of languages. 5. Engage educators that speak in multiple languages and encourage their contributions and insights into the program. Connect with Indigenous and multicultural groups in your community and find out what resources they have which might enhance your practice.

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the globe, including in the USA, Peru, Cameroon, the Philippines, and elsewhere, have all shown that significant learning gains can be made across multiple subject areas when children’s first languages are used in the early years of schooling. This includes learning a second language such as English. For example, Australian research has found a positive relationship between learning an Aboriginal language and decoding skills in Standard Australian English. Exposure to a rich variety of words, sentences, and conversations will help them to develop underlying concepts of language, which they can then draw from when they learn English. Achieving each of the five EYLF learning outcomes requires educators to respect and support children’s full development in their first language – whether that be Standard Australian English, a non-standard dialect, an Indigenous language, or any of the other hundreds of languages spoken in Australia. Both research and practice confirm that doing so not only underpins children’s sense of identity, empathy, connection, well-being, and engagement, but leads to each of the five learning outcomes in the EYLF and is vital for successful learning experiences in early childhood and beyond.

OTHER THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND ⊲ Be aware that the sounds, sentence structure, and vocabulary of English is not universal. For example, in English, the time that something happened (tense) is marked by verbs, but not all languages mark time this way. ⊲ Be conscious of the different ways languages can communicate meaning, don’t make assumptions, and provide explicit scaffolding where possible. For example, if you notice a child having trouble producing or identifying a particular English sound, it may be that this sound does not feature in their first language.

Kathi Herrick is an Early Language and Literacy Trainer for the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation (ALNF). She has supported ECE services in various professional development and mentoring roles and has taught the Certificate and Diploma of Early Childhood Education in centres across Australia. Naomi Fillmore is the First Languages Coordinator for the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation (ALNF). She has worked on language and education initiatives in a variety of settings, including in Australia, Nepal, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

⊲ Use resources like puppets, mirrors, tissues or your own mouth to demonstrate how the sound is made, rather than expecting them to pick it up from hearing it alone. ⊲ Remember that children will have a bigger range of knowledge and vocabulary in their first language than they do in English. During the early stages of second language learning, children are still in the process of transferring this knowledge into the new language, and often go through a ‘silent’ period where they understand language and vocabulary but are not yet ready to produce it. During this stage, it’s important that adults continue to talk without expecting a verbal response. Invite the child to give a physical response instead. For example, rather than asking "What is happening in this picture", try "This elephant is drinking water. Point to the elephant ... now point to the water." Any sorting, matching, or finding activities are good for this.

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EARLY EDUCATION RESEARCH FROM AUSTRALIA AND AROUND THE WORLD INSIGHTS FROM MEGAN O’CONNELL, CELA’S RESEARCH AND POLICY MANAGER

AUSTRALIAN RESEARCH: AUSTRALIAN INVESTMENT IN EDUCATION – EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE New research from the Mitchell Institute highlights the high out-of-pocket cost of early childhood education and care. Government expenditure on early childhood education and care (ECEC) has grown by around 140% since 2008, and in 2018 was around $9.2 billion. Although private expenditure on ECEC is not available, estimates based on available data are that Australian families spend between $3.8 billion and $6.8 billion on ECEC per year out of pocket on early childhood education and care.

The authors contend that the costs of attending early childhood education exceed the costs of primary school, with families bearing a greater share of the burden. The report suggests there is a need for greater transparency and certainty of funding, quality and understanding of private investment.

www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/reports/australianinvestment-in-education-early-learning/

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QUALITY IMPROVEMENT RESEARCH PROJECT Linda J. Harrison et.al This research examines long daycare services that have improved their rating from Working Towards NQS to Meeting NQS and services that had improved from Working towards NQS to Exceeding NQS with services that had no change in their rating of Working towards NQS. The approach included analysing Quality Improvement Plans and Assessment and Rating reports, and conducting case studies. The findings include that leadership at all levels of service delivery is required. Education leaders need to have time to lead the improvement program. This requires support and resources, including for recruitment and professional learning to create a positive work environment. Detailed philosophy statements were found in services that exceeded the NQS, and these statements were important to be contextualised at the service level. There were also links between longevity of staff and quality improvement. Recruitment of the right person as educational leader is a key – someone who understands educational proactiveness and can support others to develop their skills and knowledge about play based learning.

www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-05/qualityimprovement-research-project-2019.PDF

INFANT EDUCATORS’ REPORTED CONCEPTIONS OF, AND APPROACHES TO, INFANT LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: HOW DO THEY RELATE TO EDUCATOR QUALIFICATION LEVEL? Han, F. and Degotardi, S. (2020) Early Childhood Education Journal. Han and Degotardi discuss the importance of language, with language capabilities developed by the age of three relating to long term education outcomes. Educators who have a deep understanding of language development are more likely to use infant centred approaches, and to be more effective in building infant language. Their findings indicate some educators hold deep understandings of infant language development through:

⊲ Cognitive conception – listening and making meaning from context ⊲ Interactional conception – through everyday interactions, both verbal and non verbal ⊲ Social-emotional conception – through relationships

SHARING IS CARING: A STUDY OF FOOD-SHARING PRACTICES IN AUSTRALIAN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE SERVICES Wallace, R. et al (2020) Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA 6009, Australia This paper focuses on the capacity of early childhood education and care services to influence children’s eating habits and health outcomes, in light of evidence that poor quality ECEC can increase levels of obesity. The paper examines how family style mealtimes can support children to develop healthy habits. Elements of family style mealtimes include children serving food, staff sitting with children, staff eating the same food and talking about healthy foods, helping children to recognise hunger and full signals and children being encouraged to try new foods. These practices are supported in Nordic countries and Canada, where mealtime is seen as a pedagogic practice. Australian centres report barriers to family style dining including allergies, hygiene, mess and fussy eating. There were also parent barriers, with parents reluctant for children to share food with others, and for children to feed themselves if they are babies or infants. Services can examine whether elements of family style meals can be incorporated into meal times given its role in improving children’s long term eating habits and understanding of nutrition. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7019312/

Others hold predominately surface understanding of infants developing language through:

⊲ Behavioural conception – mimicking others and gesturing ⊲ Exposure conception – by hearing others talking and being exposed to a language environment These understandings inform whether educators adopt an infant centred approach helping infants to find language to describe their experiences, creating environments that encourage conversation, motivating children by talking about a subject that interests them and relying on their relationship with children to understand their needs and help children express these in words. An infant peripheral approach involves incorporating language into activities and role modelling language. The study finds that bachelor level qualified staff are more likely to hold deeper understandings and provide infant centred approaches to language development. Services can draw on this evidence to identify professional development needs of staff to maximise understanding of, and capacity to develop, language in infants.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-020-01070-4

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THE IMPACT OF A WORKPLACE WELLNESS PROGRAM ON PROVIDER HEALTH IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SETTINGS Powers, J., Farewell, C, and Maiurro, E. (2019) The article examines how a workplace wellness program can contribute to better health outcomes in early childhood education environments. The study offered healthy eating and physical activity challenges to promote ECE provider health and wellbeing. Approximately 1,000 ECE providers in Colorado from 35 ECE settings were invited to participate. A total of 250 (25%) ECE providers participated in the workplace wellness program from 2015 to 2017. After participation, approximately 84% of respondents agreed they were more aware of the importance of eating fruits and vegetables and of being physically active, while 81% reported eating more fruits and vegetables, and 80% reported being more physically active in the workplace. Services may wish to examine opportunities to participate in workplace wellness programs in their community, and how to improve educator health. https://doi.org/10.1177/2165079919882732

DOCUMENTATION STRATEGIES: PEDAGOGICAL DOCUMENTATION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHERS IN NEW ZEALAND AND GERMANY Knauf, H. Early Childhood Educ J 48, 11–19 (2020). This paper explores the strategies teachers use to integrate documentation into their working day, looking at both Germany and New Zealand. Overall the paper shows that the organisational framework – access to time, technology, software and opportunities for discussion - determine which strategies are applied. In Germany teachers find it difficult to set aside time for documentation – trying to set aside the time takes away from time they could spend in discussions with educators and families. In New Zealand more time is available, meaning educators can employ a range of strategies. The paper supports the notion that documentation needs to be improved and that services must focus on providing the appropriate resources – rather than improving educator skills alone. If documentation should be improved, then appropriate resources must be available. Comprehensive knowledge and the skills of skilled workers alone are not enough, but also the time, the technical equipment and the opportunities for exchange to apply them. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-019-00979-9

INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH: COVID-19 AND THE CARE CRISIS: AN EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY RECOMMENDATION FOR SUPPORTING FAMILIES Scarborough, W. Collins, C. and Ruppanner, L. (2020) This report draws on United States community surveys conducted during the 2007-2009 recession to show that investment in childcare helped to alleviate poverty in families. The report reveals how states with higher enrolments in Head Start (a program enabling means tested free childcare for preschool children) had lower poverty levels than states with lower enrolments in Head Start. States with higher levels of Head Start, even when they were in higher levels of poverty to begin with, saw poverty levels rise less during the recession,

and decline more post-recession than states with less free preschool available. This data shows the key role that accessible early learning has in protecting families against vulnerability during economic hardship, and aiding economic recovery. It has clear relevance to Australia’s current economic position – the most at risk families, the vulnerable and newly vulnerable, are likely to fare better during and post recession if children can continue to access early learning. https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/zgbkr/

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CONNECTING THE BRAIN TO THE REST OF THE BODY: EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND LIFELONG HEALTH ARE DEEPLY INTERTWINED National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2020). Working Paper No. 15. Retrieved from This paper highlights our growing understanding of how responsive relationships and language help children to develop and thrive in the long term. The paper cites how all bodily systems, brain and nervous system, cardiovascular, metabolic, immune and neuroendocrine are dependent on each other. It examines the link between physical and mental health, with children threatened or living in

Amplify!

deprivation facing disruptions in their biological system, such as their stress response systems, that compromise their ability to focus and education achievements. There are opportunities to build resilience in the face of adversity – including the key role of early childhood education in providing predictable, supportive environments. Poor outcomes are not inevitable, but more likely if we do not support families experiencing significant hardship. www.developingchild.harvard.edu.

The essential early and middle childhood education and care story

THE 10 MOST VIEWED AMPLIFY! ARTICLES IN THE LAST 4 MONTHS 1. ECEC APPROACHES TO SOCIAL DISTANCING www.cela.org.au/2020/03/24/ social-distancing 2. AVOIDING THE TRAP OF CULTURAL TOKENISM www.cela.org.au/2020/06/16/ cultural-tokenism 3. KEEPING STAFF AND CHILDREN SAFE DURING COVID-19 – PART 1 www.cela.org.au/2020/04/28/ keeping-safe-covid-19

4. REMOTE TEACHING – HOW EARLY EDUCATORS IN CHINA AND ITALY ARE ENGAGING WITH FAMILIES www.cela.org.au/2020/03/30/ remote-teaching 5. ‘A SIGNIFICANT TIME FOR OUR SECTOR’- COVID-19 CRISIS BOOSTS INNOVATION, COMPASSION AND A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AT TWO NSW PRESCHOOLS www.cela.org.au/2020/04/06/ covid-19-boosts-innovation 6. EXCITING HOME LEARNING RESOURCES FOR EDUCATORS AND FAMILIES www.cela.org.au/2020/05/08/ home-learning-resources

7. ECEC VIABILITY – WHAT OUR SECTOR NEEDS NOW TO SURVIVE www.cela.org.au/2020/03/31/ ecec-viabliity 8. CAR PARK TRANSFORMED INTO ANJI-PLAY INSPIRED PLAY SPACE www.cela.org.au/2020/06/05/ anji-play-inspired-space 9. TO QUEUE OR NOT TO QUEUE? www.cela.org.au/2020/02/25/ queue-or-not-to-queue 10. KEEPING STAFF AND STUDENTS SAFE DURING COVID-19 – PART 2 www.cela.org.au/2020/05/04/ keeping-safe-part-2

Stay on top of current issues and stories that inspire quality early education: www.cela.org.au/amplify-signup RATTLER ISSUE 131 | JULY 2020 | 27

SHOWCASING

PROFESSIONALISM IN ECEC BY KEETA WILLIAMS

arly childhood professionals are on an ongoing journey in search of recognition. Many in the sector believe that the work of educators in prior-to-school settings is not valued through respectable pay rates, government messaging and public perception. Primary school teachers are more likely to be viewed as professionals than teachers working with babies and young children, despite having similar or identical degrees.

When educators are recognised as professionals a ripple effect occurs: the importance of education in the earliest

years of a child's life is understood; families are more confident for their children to engage in early childhood programs; and educators benefit from increased self-esteem, job satisfaction and career longevity. Educators know the significance of their work, and they can be the driving force behind a change in public perception. Educators can promote themselves as professionals through intentional daily actions, adopting best practices, and by initiating twoway discussions with families about professionalism.

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MORE THAN A QUALIFICATION: WHAT IS PROFESSIONALISM? Andrea Nolan, Professor of Early Childhood Education at Deakin University, says "Professionalism in early childhood education is more than just a qualification. It is characterised by self-regulation, specialised knowledge, and adherence to a professionally formulated code of ethics as well as the right disposition and capacity to continue learning and establish functional working relationships."

Professor Nolan's research with Dr Tebeje Molla, also from Deakin University, has determined five key dimensions of professionalism in early childhood educators: expertise, deliberation, responsiveness, integrity and recognition. Professor Nolan defines these dimensions as follows:

"Those holding leadership roles have a significant responsibility to ensure that professional language is used when discussing educators."

⊲ EXPERTISE Specialist knowledge and skills in teaching and curriculum but also the importance of professional dispositions. ⊲ DELIBERATION The ability to critically reflect on one’s professional practices and the theories and assumptions that inform the practices. ⊲ RESPONSIVENESS The ability, readiness and resourcing to recognise, and professionally respond to, conditions of disadvantage and vulnerability. ⊲ INTEGRITY Being respectful and respected, conducting oneself in an ethical way and maintaining appropriate standards of confidentiality with students, families and colleagues. ⊲ RECOGNITION A dimension of professionalism, as educators need to feel valued and respected for their professional work. In Australia, research has shown that 1 in 5 early childhood educators plan to leave the profession, and many feel undervalued. “Our research confirms this claim with educators stating that parents and the community have little understanding of the work required and little concern about qualifications,” shares Professor Nolan.

NOT "WOMEN'S WORK" Professor Nolan believes that as the Early Childhood Education and Care sector is largely a female dominated profession, attracting low wages for the work that is undertaken, it is easily undervalued by the general public being seen as ‘women’s work’.

"These views are strongly gendered and misrecognise the important link between caring and early childhood education,” says Professor Nolan. There are misunderstandings as to the role of the educator in guiding children’s learning through a play-based approach, promoting a view that the job is nothing more than ‘child minding’ which leads to a questioning of why you would require a qualification to undertake this kind of work."

exposing students to professional networks and encouraging them to take part in ongoing professional learning - the university runs early childhood teaching conferences and facilitates professional experience placements built on partnerships with high quality early childhood services.

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS LEARNING PROFESSIONALISM

Janaki Aiyer is Children's Services Practice Manager for Catholic Care Diocese of Broken Bay. She demonstrates professionalism in her own work through her use of language and discussions with families about the value of early childhood education.

Deakin University prepares pre-service early childhood teachers to become professionals by utilising the Australian Professional Standards for Graduate Teachers as determined by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). During their course, students are provided with opportunities to measure themselves against these benchmarks. Deakin University furthers this emphasis on professionalism by

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EDUCATORS PUTTING PROFESSIONALISM INTO PRACTICE

"I believe language used within the sector has a huge impact on how the wider community perceives us," says Ms Aiyer. “Those holding leadership roles have a significant responsibility to ensure that professional language is used when discussing educators.

"It is quite disappointing when you hear politicians and media referring to us as childcare workers. All educators working in the sector are qualified and deserve to be as valued and respected as any other profession. I use any opportunity to educate families and the wider community about what we do and why it is crucially important to a child’s development, brain development, social development and creating the future generation." Aiyer says that her team of educators demonstrate professionalism through consistent training, discussions with their peers and participating in tertiary education. Her educators reflect on current practices and make necessary changes to ensure positive interactions with the children, families and peers are embedded within the learning environment. "Individual educators promote professionalism through their conduct and through the passion they have for their job. They will often go above and beyond because they believe that they play a significant role in the lives of the children and families they serve."

HOW DO FAMILIES DEFINE PROFESSIONALISM? Educators can take responsibility for change by listening to families about their beliefs on professionalism. Feedback - both positive and negative - can help educators reflect, to improve their practices and reshape public opinion. These parents share their thoughts on how childcare services can be viewed as professional: "The childcare director must show that they have an active interest in my child and the other children in the centre. I gauge the interactions. A professional operator knows my name and engages in conversation with me on arrival and departure. They tell me how my child was during the day, whether it was good or bad." Melinda Olek "I'd love to know what strategies they are using to help my child achieve their goals so that we can support it at home." - Krystal McInerney "Demonstrate and communicate with

parents the importance of play-based and child-led learning at this age level, and normal child development at this age level. The importance of social and emotional learning and how that is being facilitated. I think sometimes there is too much downward pressure on children and 'too much too soon' in terms of academic skills and school readiness. Providing a safe and emotionally responsive, caring environment. That’s what I valued from childcare educators for my child." Jemima Althorpe

CHANGING PUBLIC PERCEPTION Educators can influence how their work is valued and perceived by families and the wider community by consistently demonstrating and talking about professionalism. Opportunities exist every day for early childhood educators to showcase themselves as professionals:

Communicate professionally ⊲ Refer to yourself and your colleagues as "professionals" and "educators", not "childcare workers". Identify as belonging to a "sector", not an "industry". ⊲ Ask colleagues to proofread written communication before displaying on walls or sending to families. ⊲ Be clear and respectful when speaking with colleagues, children and families. Be an active listener.

Promote your program ⊲ Use every interaction with families as an opportunity to promote early childhood education and the service's program. ⊲ Ensure the program and learning documentation is accessible and easily understood by families. ⊲ At the end of each day, tell families what their children learned, not just what they did.

Engage in professional networking ⊲ Approach educators at neighbouring services and establish your own professional

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networking group. ⊲ Utilise social media groups and hashtags to connect with other educators, in Australia and internationally. ⊲ Attend professional events, seminars and forums in person, or participate in webinars online.

Upgrade your qualifications ⊲ Remember that studying offers many benefits, not just a potential wage increase. Educators who are unsure about upgrading their qualification may ask themselves: "do I want this to be my job or my profession?" ⊲ Attend workshops or enrol in short courses, to upskill and expand your knowledge. Share what you learn with other educators at your service. ⊲ Consider additional study in a different but relevant field e.g. leadership, foreign languages, or inclusive education.

Embrace big changes ⊲ Review the name of your service, even if this is a big task. The terms "childcare centre", "children's centre" and "early learning centre" convey different messages. What impression does your current name give? ⊲ Review your service's branding and marketing material. What values do your logo, website and printed material communicate? Community centres may consider asking families if they know a designer who will volunteer their services for a redesign. ⊲ Be courageous, and open-minded to different ideas. Listen to your colleagues and make your own innovative suggestions for ways your service can become more professional.

Keeta Williams is a journalist and former early education professional who specialises in topics covering parenting and early childhood education.

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www.cela.org.au/learning-and-development/masterclasses RATTLER ISSUE 131 | JULY 2020 | 31

COVID-19 PANDEMIC SPECIAL REPORT

DISADVANTAGE AND CHILD VULNERABILITY The need for urgent attention BY CELA RESEARCH AND POLICY MANAGER MEGAN O'CONNELL

In this report we reveal the profound impact of disadvantage before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the need for close and continual government and community attention to support children to thrive.

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WHAT DO WE MEAN BY DISADVANTAGE? There are numerous ways disadvantage and vulnerability can be categorised. We can look to economic disadvantage and indicators of poverty – such as how many families are jobless or living below the poverty line, or social risk factors like homelessness and living in out of home care. We can look at risk factors that increase the likelihood of children failing to thrive or use datasets on developmental vulnerability. In this piece we will highlight how children are faring across a broad range of these indicators. An alternative, or complementary option, is to focus on indicators of child wellbeing and look at what needs to be in place for children to thrive. ARACY’s The Nest Framework1 provides an agreed vision on the six outcomes children and young people need to thrive including being loved and safe, having basics, being healthy, learning, participating and cultural identity.

HOW WERE CHILDREN FARING BEFORE COVID-19? NATIONAL INDICATORS Australia reports against a range of national and international indicators on child development and child safety. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare provides a comprehensive report on how Australia’s 5.5 million children are tracking. Australia’s Children2 notes some positive developments in the last decade including the appointment of a National Data Commissioner and an E-Safety Commissioner. However, key statistics around child and family disadvantage remain too high: ⊲ Child deaths by suicide and hospitalisations for self harm have increased. ⊲ 17% of children under 5 live in poverty. ⊲ The percentage of children in out of home care has increased by 18% in the last five years with around 50,000 children in out of home care.

⊲ There has been a 27% increase in reported substantiations of child abuse from 2012-2013 to 2016-2017. ⊲ Almost one in seven (13.9%) children aged 4–17 were assessed as having mental disorders in the previous 12 months. Certain cohorts of children, such as children in out-of-home-care, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and children in remote areas are more likely to experience child and family disadvantage. Child poverty has an impact on disadvantage – limiting the capacity of children to have their basic needs addressed. Levels of poverty have usually remained around 18%, and have reduced only marginally in the last decade3. A key contributor to poverty is unemployment. Around 300,000 children were in jobless households in 2019, and children in jobless households are more likely to suffer from deprivation than other children in poverty. 4 The Australian Early Development Census provides national data on how children are faring in their first year of school, and shows a strong link between disadvantage and vulnerability. Overall: ⊲ More than 1 in 5 children, over 60,000 children in Australia each year, start school behind their peers as they are developmentally vulnerable.5 ⊲ One in three children in the most disadvantaged socioeconomic areas are assessed as ‘developmentally vulnerable’, compared to one in six children in the most advantaged areas. ⊲ Nearly half of all children in very remote areas are assessed as ‘developmentally vulnerable’, compared to one in five children in major cities. ⊲ Over forty percent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders children are assessed as ‘developmentally vulnerable’, compared to twenty percent of non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.6

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NEW SOUTH WALES INDICATORS New South Wales uses a range of indicators to determine if a child is vulnerable under the Their Futures Matter7 framework. These relate to the circumstances of the children’s household, and their birth. A child is considered vulnerable if they have a parental risk factor, such as a parent in custody, with mental illness requiring hospital or ambulatory care, drug and alcohol use or domestic violence. A child with 2 or more risk factors such as being born prematurely, or born after 41 weeks, with a birth defect, low birth weight, or with a low APGAR score, with parents who smoke or late antenatal care are also considered vulnerable. Using these factors, nearly 7% of the NSW population is vulnerable and likely to need greater support from government services throughout their lives8.

DISADVANTAGE DURING COVID-19 The current pandemic has had effects on every Australian, although the impacts are not equally shared. The immediate health impacts have been closely followed by economic impacts and social impacts, as millions of employees have lost their jobs and people across the country have been forced into an extended period of selfisolation. Several researchers have argued that the COVID-19 outbreak, including the shifting of schooling online for a period of time, will impact children negatively with estimates of up to half of all children experiencing disadvantage9. By using ARACY Nest indicators we can examine how COVID-19 is contributing to child vulnerability. BEING LOVED AND SAFE – HAVING CLOSE CONNECTIONS AND ATTACHMENTS With children required to stay at home with their families, there are major concerns about Australian children who are not safe at home. Families who are already stressed may be further impacted due to isolation and economic pressures, whilst family

violence is more hidden given the absence of physical visits by care workers or attendance at school and work. Opportunities for early intervention are more limited given the lack of face to face visits, and difficulty connecting people to support. There is a risk that, without monitoring and intervention, family violence will continue to escalate.

Family stress is also an issue, with an absence of respite placing increased stress on families with children with a disability or other caring responsibilities, and cramped housing causing stress for families seeking to work or learn from home11.

“Parents and children are living with increased stress, media hype, and fear, all challenging our capacity for tolerance and long-term thinking. For many, the economic impact of the crisis increases parenting stress, abuse, and violence against children.”

Material basics are stretched in many households. Basic needs such as food and shelter can be stretched in the face of the economic crisis. Some children are heavily reliant on the meals provided by early childhood education providers and schools and are at risk of poor nutrition during extended periods of service closure. Overcrowded homes are more problematic during COVID with families at home all the time.

There are mixed reports of family violence increasing, with a 94% increase in phone traffic and an average 20% increase in time spent with callers to a helpline for male perpetrators of family violence10. The Family Law Court has also faced an escalation in parenting orders.

HAVING MATERIAL BASICS INCLUDING HOUSING, CLOTHING, FOOD AND WATER

Tasmanian researchers highlight a multitude of stories from teachers and social workers supporting families at present:

“Some of the homes in which I have completed home visits in this area do not have beds for students but rather mattresses on the floor for multiple children to share. These home environments do not have basic furniture/equipment let alone desks for students, resources for them to use, good lighting (some don't have electricity) and therefore no ability to access online learning12”. BEING HEALTHY – PHYSICALLY, DEVELOPMENTALLY, AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY Children are at risk of poor health on a multitude of fronts. The risk of child obesity increases during self-isolation as opportunities to exercise, and motivations to do so, are curtailed13. Developmental risks are heightened for children requiring early intervention and support. The move to telehealth is of benefit to children and families but may not be as efficacious as face to face treatments. Further, some children receive an intensive

range of supports, for example during schooling, that cannot be mirrored in a remote environment.

-19 employment shock risks to children The psychological and their families are immense. Beyond Blue and Kids Helpline have is likely to hitunprecedented double-digits increases in had calls,ofwith parents andwork children alike Proportion those losing expressing increased anxiety and who remain ‘employed’ 40% 50% 60% normal support unable to access their 14 mechanisms in person 12.3% 11.0% 9.8% . 13.8%

DISADVANTAGE POST COVID As Australia begins to ease COVID related restrictions, levels of disadvantage are likely to remain elevated. One of the largest impacts of COVID will be its effects on unemployment. Short term relief measures like JobKeeper and increased Jobseeker payments have relieved pressure on families, but as these measures elapse in the next four months financial pressure on families is likely to increase. Unemployment is likely to remain high as Australia emerges out of COVID-19 Figure 3.7:with Even with JobKeeper, may face the worst restrictions, modelling predictingAustralia unemployment will stay at between 10 unemployment rate since theInstitute. Great Depression and 15 percent. Source: Grattan Unemployment rate since federation, with our three projected scenarios

LEARNING FORMALLY 12.2% 10.8% AND INFORMALLY

15.1% The benefits 13.4% of children 11.7% attending early

childhood education are immense, particularly for the most vulnerable e range ofchildren. plausible scenarios Many children for arethe not en further illustrateearly some scenarios attending education at present, hown in Table 3.1. who can keep children at with families home doing so, either on government of the people outorofaswork continueIn the advice a precaution. d half theinterests remainder drop of the and of safety out for children mployment rate will hit 12.2 per cent. educators regarding social distancing, yment rate in Australia since the and in response to the financial n the 1930s. burden posed by the introduction of Early Education y a 40 perthe cent of Childhood the people who areand Care Relief Package, many early etting paid by their employer, and childhood services are operating at a employed’ will stay in the labour force. reduced capacity and will continue to ate would hit 15.1 per cent. do so for at least the next few months. maywho be challenged to provide er cent of Families the people are thrown a stimulating learning environment for aid, and a relatively small proportion children from home, particularly if they n the labour force. In this case, the at the same only’ 9.8 are per working cent. But even thistime. would n Australia for nearly three decades. For vulnerable families, limited access to resources and support ent rate in these three scenarios in with the closure of facilities such as l unemployment rate. libraries and playgroups may further limit their capacity to support their children’s learning. PARTICIPATING AND HAVING A POSITIVE SENSE OF CULTURE AND IDENTITY These two facets of The Nest are less directly impacted by COVID-19, particularly for young children whose prime form of participation is likely to be with family and early childhood education. Some opportunities to participate remain – such as through the internet, but these are dependent on access to technology, the locating of suitable content and at times parental capacity to pay. The sense of isolation from wider family is likely to have a negative impact on children’s understanding of their culture and identity in the short term.

Notes: Data are annual prior to 1966; quarterly from 1966-78; and seasonally adjusted monthly data thereafter. Sources: Butlin (1977), ABS (2007) and ABS (2020a). Source: Grattan Institute

It is concerning that lower income workers are the most likely to have lost work 28 – this will place greater pressure on low-income families who were already struggling to pay rent or mortgages and feed a family. It is likely we will see an increase in homelessness as a result, with more families struggling to afford material basics. We are also likely to see more families experiencing stress and mental health problems and continued greater incidence of family violence. We know that periods of isolation can worsen people’s mental health, and for some people the effect will be long lasting. For some children the trauma of being in isolation will have lasting mental health effects. Access to services will be stretched both due to continuing distancing measures being in place, and financial constraints. The Childcare Subsidy resumes on July 13, with an eased activity test for children whose families have lost work due to COVID-19. However, the cost of childcare may continue to be a barrier for families. More families are likely to need to apply for Additional Child Care Subsidy to cover the cost of care due to their financial hardship.

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WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE? If children cannot access early childhood education and care, if they do not have stable homes, food, and care, they will be unlikely to develop and thrive as adults. The individual impact on this is large – and the impact on society is immense. In a time of economic hardship, we cannot afford to lose sight of our disadvantaged children as reducing vulnerability will increase our long term economic productivity16. We know the benefits of early intervention. CELA will continue to advocate to State and Commonwealth Governments so support for children and families is increased in the current and post COVID period. We will continue to work with and for your services and families, and together we can share with the government what needs to be done to support all children to thrive.

"In a time of economic hardship, we cannot afford to lose sight of our disadvantaged children."

ARACY, March 2014, the nest: a national plan for child and youth wellbeing, https://www.aracy. org.au/documents/item/182 2 AIHW, 3 April 2020, Australia’s Children, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/childrenyouth/australias-children/contents/health/thehealth-of-australias-children 3 http://povertyandinequality.acoss.org.au/ wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Poverty-inAustralia-2020_Part-1_Overview.pdf 4 AIHW, 3 April 2020, Australia’s Children, https:// www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/ australias-children/contents/health/thehealth-of-australias-children; Sollis, K. (2019). Measuring Child Deprivation and Opportunity in Australia: Applying the Nest framework to develop a measure of deprivation and opportunity for children using the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Canberra: ARACY 5 AEDC 2018 https://www.aedc.gov.au/ resources/detail/2018-aedc-national-report 6 AEDC 2018 https://www.aedc.gov.au/ resources/detail/2018-aedc-national-report 1

https://www.theirfuturesmatter.nsw.gov.au/ NSW Government 2018, Forecasting Future Outcomes https://www.theirfuturesmatter.nsw. gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/673284/ Forecasting-Future-Outcomes-StrongerCommunities-Investment-Unit-2018-InsightsReport.pdf 9 Brown, N., Te Riele, K., Shelley, B. & Woodroffe, J. (2020). Learning at home during COVID-19: Effects on vulnerable young Australians. Independent Rapid Response Report. Hobart: University of Tasmania, Peter Underwood Centre for Educational Attainment. 10 Fitzgibbon, K, Burley, J, Meyer, S. 2020 How do we keep family perpetrators in view during the covid-19 lockdown, The Conversation https:// theconversation.com/how-do-we-keep-familyviolence-perpetrators-in-view-during-the-covid19-lockdown-135942 11 Brown, N., Te Riele, K., Shelley, B. & Woodroffe, J. (2020). Learning at home during COVID-19: Effects on vulnerable young Australians. Independent Rapid Response Report. Hobart: 7

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University of Tasmania, Peter Underwood Centre for Educational Attainment. 12 Brown, N., Te Riele, K., Shelley, B. & Woodroffe, J. (2020). Learning at home during COVID-19: Effects on vulnerable young Australians. Independent Rapid Response Report. Hobart: University of Tasmania, Peter Underwood Centre for Educational Attainment, p.19 13 https://www.foodnavigator.com/ Article/2020/04/09/Could-the-coronaviruspandemic-exacerbate-obesity 14 https://www.sbs.com.au/news/coronavirusworries-have-australian-children-calling-kidshelpline-every-69-seconds 15 https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/ uploads/2020/04/Shutdown-estimating-theCOVID-19-employment-shock-Grattan-Institute. pdf 16 ARACY, March 2014, the nest: a national plan for child and youth wellbeing, https://www.aracy. org.au/documents/item/182

1. MAINTAIN ROUTINES Children will respond to structured environments with clear goals, timelines and structured activities, which make them feel safe. Routines and structure offer hope for a brighter tomorrow. You can provide a place where children experience predictability in a very unpredictable time, and some relief from the drama that may be playing out at home.

2. CONTAIN CONVERSATIONS WHICH ENCOURAGE FEAR Be mindful of parents dropping children off who may be having fearful or graphic conversations within the child’s hearing. Model behaviour that moves the child out of earshot for such conversations.

3. USE YOUR RELAXATION SPACES AND ENCOURAGE MINDFUL ACTIVITIES Mindfulness is the state of being conscious or aware of something, or a mental state achieved by focusing awareness on the present moment while accepting feelings, thoughts and sensations. Mindfulness can help with focus, the development of self-control and resilience, and boosting confidence. Try some mindfulness activities for children: www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2017/06/28/mindfulness-activities-young-children/

4. MONITOR SYMPTOMS OVER TIME Observe any behaviours that are ongoing and are different from before the event. However, keep in mind that some children (especially boys) may act out on their feelings, which can lead to behaviour that may be challenging.

5. NAME AND ACKNOWLEDGE FEELINGS Help children to develop a language to describe their feelings by naming them. For example, say “That must have been very scary for you” or “You must have felt afraid when that happened.” This will also help to validate their feelings.

Summary taken from Amplify article www.cela.org.au/2020/01/14/responding-to-trauma by Jan Ryan of Relationship Australia

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TEACHING SHEET

ways to help trauma affected children

ABORIGINAL STEM

PERSPECTIVES in the Early Years BY DEBORAH HOGER

In recent years we have seen a movement towards incorporating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture into the national STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) curriculum. STEM, which was once a very rigid and definitive discipline, is evolving into something much more fluid and cross-disciplinary. This is opening up unique opportunities for children to be exposed to over 60,000 years of Indigenous experiences; rich sources of knowledge informed by ways of being, knowing and doing that can add great value to our childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education.

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hen educators engage children in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives through STEM, they are actively facilitating opportunities which demonstrate respect and recognition of the world’s oldest continuous living cultures, and at the same they are fostering awareness in children that people from different cultures may consider and interpret problems and situations differently. This, in turn, contributes to nurturing children’s curiosity, creativity and critical thinking skills.

However, it is more than that, because when we look to embed Aboriginal perspectives in STEM, we are not only making a deliberate and conscious decision to acknowledge and to tell the stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia, but we are providing all children (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) with positive learning experiences that will help them to respect and value the cultural knowledge of Aboriginal people. Aboriginal knowledge systems have been formed over many thousands of years of close association with the land and waters upon which we now call Australia. This long term observation and sustained connection to place has enabled Aboriginal people to develop rich, deep and detailed understandings of the world around them. These knowledge systems are holistic in that they encompass social, physical and spiritual understandings of life, which not only informed people’s survival but also helped define people’s relationships to one another, and to the land. This holistic nature of Aboriginal perspectives can help children to think more broadly when considering social and environmental problems. Given that many modern day environmental problems have intertwined and multifaceted social and cultural dimensions, it makes sense to encourage children to view problems in this way and it is a skill which will help them in their later years. Engaging young children through Aboriginal perspectives in STEM does not need to be a daunting path for educators. There are many age-appropriate STEM topic ideas in which we can explore Aboriginal perspectives in the early years.

Examples of what to explore in order to include Aboriginal perspectives in STEM

WEATHER Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have developed a sophisticated understanding of the local ecosystems and climatic patterns associated with their Country. As a result, traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander seasonal calendars differ from the Western calendar; in some Nations, there can be two, three, four, even six or more different ‘seasons’, which are marked by locally based cues and cycles in the environment. The Bureau of Meteorology has a website called ‘Indigenous Weather Knowledge’ (www.bom.gov. au/iwk), which explores some of the seasonal calendars belonging to different communities across Australia. It is a great starting point for exploring with children how changes in the environment can be used to predict seasonal weather changes, and in exploring the contrasts between Western and Aboriginal calendars.

ABORIGINAL ASTRONOMY Looking to the stars is a natural human inclination and an easy way that children can engage in scientific thinking processes. When we look at this topic through Aboriginal perspectives however, we see that unlike Greek views of constellations, which focus almost exclusively on stars, Aboriginal astronomy focuses on the Milky Way itself, and often focuses on the dark patches between the stars rather than the stars themselves. For Aboriginal people, the skies and the stars also form part of people’s songlines and storylines, through which important cultural information is conveyed and passed on through generations.

CARING FOR COUNTRY The term ‘Caring for Country’ refers to the custodial relationship which exists between Aboriginal people and their communities and the landscape (the air, waters, land, plants, animals and everything in between). Through this relationship, Aboriginal people have a responsibility to look after their Country, ensuring that it is protected physically, but also sustained spiritually, through culture. It is Aboriginal people’s long term caring for Country which has ensured the longevity of the world’s oldest culture. This important cultural framework provides an ideal platform on which to introduce children to environmental science topics like ecological sustainability, plant and animal life, space cycles, land and water management and more.

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When we introduce topics like those cited above to children, we have beautiful opportunities to explore both Western and the Aboriginal STEM perspectives. We can show them that although people may look at the same STEM concept, through different worldviews, people can, and do, form different understandings and ways of seeing things. Incorporating Aboriginal knowledge systems into the early years provides children with a unique opportunity to perceive the world through a different cultural lens. In both the Western context of the scientific method and in Aboriginal knowledge systems; people hypothesise and experiment, make observations about the world around them, look for patterns, verify through repetition, make predictions, and form understandings of the world based on these things.

When we are sharing with our children the wonders of STEM, it need not be one or the other (Western or Aboriginal perspectives), for neither should dismiss or be taught to the exclusion of the other, but rather complement one another and help us to build in our children strong critical thinking skills which will help them to be lifelong innovative thinkers of the future. Author Bio: Deborah Hoger is a Dunghutti woman and owner and director of Riley Callie Resources, a business specialising in Indigenous educational resources. She is passionate about using early childhood as a platform to introduce children to the rich depth of knowledge and unique perspectives that Indigenous Australia has to offer.

Incorporating Aboriginal knowledge systems into the early years provides children with a unique opportunity to perceive the world through a different cultural lens.

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QUOTES FROM PARENTS OF CHILDREN AT SOME OF OUR MEMBER SERVICES

“All children and young people need to play.

The impulse to play is innate. Play is a biological, psychological and social necessity, and is fundamental to the healthy development and well-being of individuals and communities.” Playwork principle 1. via www.playengland.net/playwork-2/playwork-principles/ RATTLER ISSUE 131 | JULY 2020 | 41

CHILDREN & FRIENDSHIP How educators can support children to grow and develop BY CELA RESEARCH AND POLICY MANAGER MEGAN O’CONNELL ocial and emotional learning is a vital part of children’s development. Children grow and thrive in the company of others. New understandings of babies and toddlers reveal how children engage in social relationships with other children from a very young age. This presents opportunities for educators to establish conditions, mirror actions and provide support to help children of all ages to build relationships.

WHY FRIENDSHIP IS IMPORTANT Social interactions in early childhood are vital to children’s development. Some of the ways children develop friendship skills include building connections with each other, using empathy, engaging in risky play and playing learning games together1. “When children have a friend, they learn about themselves and others with friends, there are new possibilities for being and becoming together.”2 Establishing friendship requires a variety of skills – noticing and greeting others, finding ways to interact together and to solve conflicts3.

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The role of teachers and educators in supporting peer relationships in the first three years of life has increased in importance as more children spend time in early childhood settings.

HOW OUR UNDERSTANDING OF CHILDREN HAS CHANGED OVER TIME Our understanding of children and their capacity to notice and bond with other children from a young age has evolved over time. Early views of infants were of solitary beings that were incapable of sharing or forming friendships.4 There was a widespread view that infants engaged in solitary or parallel play and do not communicate with other children5.

However, newer research shows that children are social beings, even as babies. Engdahl’s research in a Swedish preschool showed how one year olds worked in different ways to create friendships – greeting each other, offering play invitations and helping another child6. Engdahl provides an example for how children communicate without words to build friendships: “Robin is playing with trucks. He holds one small and one large truck in his hands. Robin drags both trucks along and walks up to Leo. He stops in front of Leo and looks at him. Leo looks at Robin. Robin gives the small car to Leo and walks away towards the hill, while at the same time looking at Leo. Leo follows Robin with his eyes.” A raft of research reveals the growing level of awareness and communication between children as they develop in their first year.7

HOW EDUCATORS CAN ASSIST Educators can assist children to develop friendships in a number of ways: ⊲ PAYING ATTENTION TO PHYSICAL SURROUNDINGS Educators can pay attention to the physical structure of a room, and how it supports or inhibits interactions between children. Questions to ponder include: » Are children placed together in the same position in highchairs to encourage bonding? » Do you notice children looking at each other, reaching for and touching each other’s food?8 Physical structures can include opportunities for infants and toddlers to move together and use shared equipment such as ladders, large balls and play areas9. ⊲ ENCOURAGING POSITIVE SOCIAL INTERACTIONS Caregivers can engage children in discussions about how to understand the feelings of others, how their behaviours affect others,

"When children have a friend, they learn about themselves and others with friends, there are new possibilities for being and becoming together.”

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and can provide help for children to express their own feelings. Another intervention is ‘igniting peer interaction’, to encourage children to approach peers as well as educators: “When a toddler approaches the caregiver excited at his success with a painting he drew, she can share his excitement and at the same time coach him how to approach a peer and show him the painting10”. More general strategies to support children include responding sensitively and listening, mirroring and being emotionally available, in order to support toddlers to generalise such sociability and modelling in their interactions with peers.11 ⊲ PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING FOR POSITIVE SOCIAL INTERACTION Intentional teaching, using strategies like modelling and engaging in shared thinking, can support educators to meet the social needs of children.12

Do you notice children looking at each other, reaching for and touching each other’s food?

Many researchers point to the need to permit conflict, including not always providing enough of a particular object or toy for each child, in order to allow peer relationships to unfold. Placing objects near children can create conflict situations that enable children to extend their social skills. Approaches to conflict are important - that educators let children try and solve their conflict themselves unless someone is getting physically hurt. Adults can help to support children to express their feelings – for example by

Adams, M. and Quinones, G. Collaborative Pathways to Friendship in Early Childhood (2020) www.routledge.com/CollaborativePathways-to-Friendship-in-Early-ChildhoodA-Cultural-historical/Adams-Quinones/p/ book/9781138305533 2 https://lens.monash. edu/2020/05/06/1380266/covid-19-theimportance-of-young-children-becomingvirtual-friends 3 Rosenthal, Miriam & Gatt, Lihi. (2010). ‘Learning to Live Together’: training early childhood educators to promote socio‐emotional competence of toddlers and pre‐school children. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal - EUR EARLY CHILD EDUC RES J. 18. 373-390. 10.1080/1350293X.2010.500076. 1

asking children how a conflict can be resolved, helping children to use their language to express emotions, and supporting them to understand emotions in others.13 A deliberate approach is needed to understand where a child is at, and what support would assist them to further their relationship skills.

WHAT CAN YOU DO NEXT? Educators already incorporate social and emotional development into their planning – and either explicitly or implicitly reflect upon children’s growing relationships. Educators

Parten, 1932, Piaget, 1962 Degotardi Davis https://doi. org/10.1177/1476718X14538600 6 Ingrid Engdahl (2012) Doing friendship during the second year of life in a Swedish preschool, European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 20:1, 83-98, DOI: 10.1080/1350293X.2012.650013 7 Degotardi Davis https://doi. org/10.1177/1476718X14538600 8 https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1138859.pdf 9 Wittmer, Donna. The Wonder and Complexity of Infant and Toddler Peer Relationships, YC Young Children; Washington Vol. 67, Iss. 4, (Sep 2012): 16-20,22-25. 10 Rosenthal, Miriam & Gatt, Lihi. (2010). 4 5

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observe and reflect on children’s development regularly. As part of this, you can reflect upon: ⊲ where children are at in their social and emotional development – where are their strengths, what can they do next?; ⊲ how their relationships are building and with which children, then planning activities that will enable children to work close to or with friends; ⊲ supporting children to understand social situations and developing their confidence to respond to conflict.

‘Learning to Live Together’: training early childhood educators to promote socio-emotional competence of toddlers and pre-school children. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal - EUR EARLY CHILD EDUC RES J. 18. 373390. 10.1080/1350293X.2010.500076. 11 Wittmer, Donna. The Wonder and Complexity of Infant and Toddler Peer Relationships, YC Young Children; Washington Vol. 67, Iss. 4, (Sep 2012): 16-20,22-25. 12 Degotardi Davis https://doi. org/10.1177/1476718X14538600 13 Ashby, Nicole ; Neilsen-Hewett, Cathrine, Approaches to conflict and conflict resolution in toddler relationships, Journal of Early Childhood Research, June 2012, Vol.10(2), pp.145-161

When you’re with us, you’re always supported It is important that all services are aware of current advice and updates regarding the COVID-19 virus. The amount of information (and misinformation) circulating can be incredibly overwhelming. Stay up to date with rapidly changing information by referring to your member news email or visiting our website for reliable information, resources and guides to share with your team.

www.cela.org.au/member-resources SAMPLE POLICY

COVID-19 SAMPLE RESOURCE POLICY

Physical Distancing Considerations

Dealing with Infectious Diseases

COVID–19 (CORONAVIRUS) QUALITY AREA 2: CHILDREN’S HEALTH AND SAFETY

QUALITY AREA 2: CHILDREN’S HEALTH AND SAFETY

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.” (World Health Organisation)

QUALITY AREA 2: CHILDREN’S HEALTH AND SAFETY

basis and ensure all staff are aware of the vigilance to keep everyone safe on a daily basis.

The topic of physical distancing in an early education setting has led to heated discussion and incredulity, as educators question how it can be possible to enforce such measures in their centres. It is important to be aware of all advice from authorities so that you can make informed decisions and implement control measures that are reasonably practicable. The considerations below will help you to reflect and plan actions around how physical distancing can be implemented in your service so that while you stay open, you provide a safe place for children and staff. We suggest your responses to these be reflected in your self-assessment and Quality Improvement Plan.

Goals / What are we going to do?

Re-evaluating COVID Priorities

As COVID restrictions progressively lift, these are the areas that you need to re-evaluate in the interest of prioritising health and safety of children, educators and families. We urge you to continue to communicate your health and safety priorities and procedures to families on a regular

Physical distancing is one of the key measures currently being utilised to contribute to Australia’s ability to severely limit transmission of COVID-19.

Our education and care service is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment that reduces the chance of being infected or spreading COVID-19. In recognition of the rapid spread of this disease and the ongoing release of information from authorities, our service needs to respond swiftly and correctly to advice from authorities.

Situation

⊲ Implementing vigilant hygiene practices that prevent the spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19 ⊲ Encouraging good health and sanitation

⊲ The department is urging services to accept all children who present to them needing care who are healthy and well. ⊲ If you need to temporarily close, it is the expectation that services will continue to provide education support to children and families and demonstrate how funding is being utilised. ⊲ The AHPPC recommends alternative care arrangements should be considered for those children highly vulnerable to adverse outcomes should they be infected with COVID-19. AHPPC recommends parents seek medical advice for these children.

Question

Things to consider / implement

Have you conducted a risk assessment?

⊲ Which routines and environments present physical distancing challenges to children, educators, and families?

⊲ Monitoring sources of public health information

» Consider mealtimes, when a child becomes sick, toileting, group times, drop off and pick up times, emergency drills, incursions and excursions. ⊲ How can practices and environments be adjusted to manage or eliminate the challenges identified?

⊲ Implementing all measures recommended by authorities and

⊲ How can your service environments best manage the numers of adults and children in each space at any one time?

⊲ Educating and informing our community with current and trusted information.

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SAMPLE CHECKLIST

CELA IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY COMMUNITY CHILD CARE CO-OPERATIVE

Review Date 27 May 2020

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COVID-19 Risk Assessment Tool

COVID-19

Communicating with parents

Disclaimer: This information is accurate as of 19 June 2020. Members are advised to monitor the CELA website and Face book page for further updates as they become available.

Risks

The service can no longer provide education and care.

⊲ Correct communication does not occur in the event the service is closed. ⊲ Correct communication does not occur when the service reopens.

QA2 2.1.2 states “Effective illness and injury management and hygiene practices are promoted and implemented”. Exceeding theme 3 states “Practice is shaped by meaningful engagement with families and/ or the community”. Principle 2 of the Early Years Learning Framework reinforces the importance of working in partnership with parents and engaging in shared decision making. In a time of ‘social distancing’ we face a challenge to maintain focus on relationship building. Use the following checklist to help you plan and initiate practices that are guided by the NQS and EYLF while helping you to build partnerships with families and the broader community.

⊲ Cleaning and disinfection procedures are not implemented.

Likelihood Unlikely

Risk Rating Severe

⊲ Those who have been in contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the last 14 days. A contact is defined as anyone who has been in contact with a known case, including the 24 hours before the case became symptomatic. ⊲ Those with fever or symptoms of acute respiratory infection (e.g. cough, sore throat, runny nose, shortness of breath) symptoms. RE-EVALUATING COVID PRIORITIES | PAGE 1

Staffing Arrangements during COVID-19 QUALITY AREA 4: STAFFING ARRANGEMENTS QUALITY AREA 7: GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP

Potential Emergency Situation: The service is directed to close by NSW Health. Hazards

⊲ Those who have returned from overseas in the last 14 days.

COVID-19 SAMPLE RESOURCE POLICY

CELA has created this new tool to act as a risk assessment in the context of COVID-19. The tool will help you to navigate through a number of COVID-19 related scenarios, outlining hazards, risks, likelihood and potential control strategies.

The unprecedented impact of COVID-19 is an opportunity to revisit our National Quality Standards and ensure that, as well as responding to trusted sources of information and direction, we align our decisions and practices with our guiding frameworks.

The following visitors and staff (including visiting workers) should not be permitted to enter the facility:

Last updated: 23 APR 2020

Introduction

QUALITY AREA 2: CHILDREN’S HEALTH AND SAFETY QUALITY AREA 6: COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES

Current advice

Current service ⊲ Services should be open unless directed to shut by NSW Health or the Regulatory Authority. provision

For services

Our service will apply measures that prioritise health and safety, including:

Last updated: 23 APR 2020

COVID-19 RESOURCE

Introduction

Policy Statement

Disclaimer: This information is accurate as of 23 April 2020. Members are advised to monitor the CELA website and Face book page for further updates as they become available.

SAMPLE POLICY

Control Strategies

⊲ The service implements a process to rapidly communicate with staff (including casual workers), visitors, families, the regulatory authority and the local public health unit. This will be implemented with regards to the service confidentiality policy and procedures. With reduced participation across all service types, it is likely that many educators may not be ⊲ A 101 Notification of Incident will be submitted through the NQA ITS within 24 hours. required to work at the service or may do so on a rotational basis. A number of educators may

Introduction

⊲ When the service is re-opened, a notification will be submitted through the NQA ITS. ⊲ The service will follow existing protocols for cleaning and disinfection for outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness/gastroenteritis outbreaks. This will include the following steps: » Put on gloves

have health matters that prevent them from attending work. In the event of a prolonged forced closure, whole teams may be working from home. We provide you with some great ideas on how to make working from home productive in our Amplify! article here www.cela.org.au/2020/03/31/productive-team

» Make up a fresh container of correctly diluted detergent and warm water (spray bottles are not recommended).

We have also compiled some considerations for you below that focus on:

» Immerse a cloth, wring it out, and clean the area vigorously to loosen germs.

⊲ Setting priorities

» Rinse away germs with clean water

⊲ Service considerations

» Dry the surface to make it harder for germs to survive or grow » After this process, disinfect the clean and dry area, following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Checklist to help build partnerships

⊲ Resourcing remote workers ⊲ Setting expectations ⊲ Home office work, health and safety

Access trusted sources of information on a daily basis so that you are informed

⊲ Security and confidentiality

and knowledgeable, including Australian Department of Health, Regulatory Authority, Public Health and Fair Work Ombudsman.

CELA COVID-19 RISK ASSESSMENT TOOL | PAGE 1

⊲ Wellbeing ⊲ Communication

Communicate the latest information with educators so as they are reliable sources of knowledge

Develop a COVID-19 policy then communicate and implement this diligently

CREATED: 19 MAR 20

Review Date 21 April 2020

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CELA IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY COMMUNITY CHILD CARE CO-OPERATIVE

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If you would like to discuss your service’s specific circumstances or information relating to COVID-19, we are only a phone call away - 1800 157 818. We are committed to supporting you during these challenging times.

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MANAGING EDUCATOR WELL-BEING IN CHALLENGING TIMES VIEWS FROM EARLY CHILDHOOD ORGANISATIONS BY DR HELEN LOGAN, DR TAMARA CUMMING AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR SANDIE WONG - EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR WELL-BEING PROJECT

n these troubling times, early childhood organisations are increasingly concerned about the well-being of their educators. Everyone is being bombarded with information since the outbreak of COVID-19, and we know that educators need to be well and safe to provide high-quality programs for children, families, themselves and the organisations that employ them.

Research about educator well-being has focussed mainly on educators with less attention to the views of their organisations. But, because educator well-being is the responsibility of educators AND their organisations, our study focused on the views of senior managers of early childhood organisations (Logan, Cumming and Wong, 2020). It confirmed that educator well-being is something that involves numerous complex challenges for organisations. Our study is part of an ongoing project, The Early Childhood Educator Wellbeing Project (ECEWP), conducted by researchers at Charles Sturt University and Macquarie University. It takes a holistic approach to investigating educator well-being in the context of their work environments. We asked 11 senior managers of large early childhood organisations about their views of educator well-being. We wanted to gather insights about the

challenges their organisations face in supporting educator well-being and ways they are overcoming them. Educator ill-being is very expensive for employers because of workers’ compensation, absenteeism and the cost of ‘back-filling’, as well as recruitment costs in response to high rates of staff turnover. For organisations that employ hundreds of educators, the impact of compromised educator wellbeing is magnified by disruptions to the continuity of care for children through staff turnover; increased organisational and employment costs through fees paid to employ casual staff; and increased insurance premiums for workers’ compensation. In Australia, these costs can be a particular problem for employers because staffing is their greatest expense. The estimated cost of replacing a workplace injury-affected educator is 26 weeks of average wages, around AU$24,375 (Safe Work Australia 2015), and the level of staff turnover in the ECEC sector is estimated at around 30%. Further, factors in the work environment (such as organisational culture, workplace health and safety and industrial conditions) have profound effects on educators’

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well-being. Organisational sciences research tells us there are clear links between “workplace practices, employee well-being and organisational improvements” (Grawitch, Gottschalk & Munz, 2006, p. 13). These challenges are more difficult than ever before because organisations and educators face unprecedented challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Hence, now more than in previous times, there is a strong business case for attention to educator well-being.

WHAT SENIOR MANAGERS TOLD US The senior managers in our study told us that supporting educators’ wellbeing was a key priority to ensure educators’ physical and emotional safety. Nevertheless, this priority was not without its challenges. Some managers reported implementing programs to target emotional safety. They noted specific pressures for directors’ well-being because of their role in providing emotional and practical support to educators. One senior manager explained: “Educators often come to them [directors] in highly stressed and anxious states and just being able to manage them is challenging.”

However, perhaps a perceived reluctance of educators to report mental health issues is an indication of broad systemic problems in educators’ working conditions. Given the low rates of worker’s compensation claims for psychological injury, but the high number of average days off required when claims are made (Cumming, Wulff, Wong and Logan 2020), it seems that educators’ mental health should be an area of great concern and investigation. The senior managers we spoke to also confirmed multiple and complex demands of educators’ work. Another senior manager explained: “There’s certainly a growing level of dissatisfaction about what’s expected of educators now versus what was expected of an educator 5, 10, 15 years ago… there’s tensions around the stress between the administrative components and how educators can give all of their time to the children.” At times, the complexity of educators’ work was not easily evident to other staff and families within their organisation. But, not being able to fully account for these complexities tends to overshadow how educators’ well-being can best be supported.

Our study found that current support for educator well-being is not sufficient to ensure educators’ physical and emotional safety in many organisations. At a time of national crisis this finding suggests an imperative to provide directors with targeted and tested interventions to support their leadership and emotional well-being as well as manage the work-related stress of their staff. Most senior managers we spoke to perceived a rise in educators’ mental health issues, particularly for educators who work with families experiencing stressful situations. Another senior manager explained: “We’ve seen a significant increase in mental health issues with families, and we have a growing number of custody issues between parents with children, which puts our staff in the middle of it.”

Although managers were aware of an increase in the mental health concerns of families, the extent to which these issues affected the educators themselves was difficult for managers to pin down. Absences due to mental health illnesses often went unreported, taken as ‘unexplained’ sick days, thereby obscuring the state of educators’ mental health. Despite this obscurity, support strategies for mental health were being implemented in some organisations. For instance, debriefing sessions for educators who had experienced traumatic workrelated events, mental health first aid courses and access to mental health resources.

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For us, support for educator well-being involves a whole of service approach that is influenced by policies, practices and relationships. Our study found that current support for educator well-being is not sufficient to ensure educators’ physical and emotional safety in many organisations. The recruitment and retention of well-qualified staff was found to be a major issue for most organisations. It is an issue that is exacerbated by the complexities of educators’ work for which the impact on their personal well-being is not easily evident to themselves and others within their organisation. Greater attention to work environments is required to take account of the complexity of educators’ work and what it is like for adults to work in an environment designed primarily for children. In these work environments educator well-being can be protected by the provision of adequate resources, such as leadership and emotional

competence training, for directors, as well as support for managing their work-place stress. Moreover, well-designed break rooms can create better work environments, whereas, educators’ well-being can suffer without relief from the demands of their physical and emotional work. At a policy level, comprehensively embedding practices to support educator wellbeing within ECEC organisations and the national regulatory frameworks could provide directions to guide the operation of services. This preCovid-19 data gives us space to think about how we might better support educators’ well-being AND the organisations that employ them by breaking with the past and reimagining the early childhood sector anew.

FURTHER READING Find out more about resources that support educator well-being and the Early Childhood Educator Well-being Project by visiting our facebook page at: www.facebook.com/ EarlyChildhoodEducatorWellbeingProjectECEWP

This pre COVID-19 data gives us space to think about how we might better support educators’ well-being AND the organisations that employ them by breaking with the past and re-imagining the early childhood sector anew.

REFERENCES Cumming, T., Wulff, E., Wong, S. & Logan, H. (2020). Australia's hidden hazardous workplaces. Bedrock, 25(1), 16-17. Grawitch, M. J., Gottschalk, M., & Munz, D. C. (2006). The path to a healthy workplace: A critical review linking healthy workplace practices, employee well-being and organizational improvements. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 58(3), 129-147. doi:10.1037/1065-9293.58.3.129 Logan, H., Cumming, T & Wong, S. (In press). Sustaining the work-related wellbeing of early childhood educators: Perspectives from key stakeholders in early childhood organisations. International Journal of Early Childhood. Safe Work Australia. (2015). Cost of injury and illness statistics. Retrieved from https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/statistics-and-research/statistics/costinjury-and-illness/cost-injury-and-illness-statistics

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EDUCATOR WELLBEING FILLING AN EMPTY BUCKET NESA REGISTERED PD | WEBINAR OR FACE TO FACE This session will explore where you find your ‘flow’ and what depletes your energy. It is important for educators to identify what fills their bucket and enable them to be present when working with children and their team mates. Drawing from Positive Psychology, Neuroscience and Emotional Intelligence this workshop aims to support educator wellbeing.

WEBINAR

FACE TO FACE

2 HOUR SESSION

5 HOUR SESSION

DATES 24 JULY, 13 AUGUST OR 2 DECEMBER

DATES 17 JULY OR 18 NOVEMBER

FIND OUT MORE https://booking.ccccnsw.org.au/sessions/ course/0/1764

FIND OUT MORE https://booking.ccccnsw.org.au/sessions/ course/0/1695

CELA prioritises the wellbeing, health, and safety of all participants and CELA facilitators. As a result, we have implemented a range of additional requirements to help us continue to deliver training in a responsible manner, in line with advice from the Australian Government. Please contact us on 1800 157 818 if you have any concerns.

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