Early Childhood News Headlines

The Qld Office for Early Childhood Education and Care is working collaboratively with early childhood education and care services in regions that have been affected by cyclonic activity and floods. Some services have been affected by cyclonic activity and flood waters and may be temporarily closed or operating at a reduced capacity. Services in these regions are working to provide care for children from surrounding impacted services. Qld DET, 4 February 2011.

WA's teacher of the year Susan Sheridan has been described as an innovator in early child education. Honoured with the $25,000 Premier's Teacher of the Year award, Mrs Sheridan was credited by judges as an outstanding leader whose initiatives had led to huge improvements in school attendance and literacy in her young students. The West Australian, 6 December 2010.

Progress is being made towards all Australian children receiving high-quality early childhood education, according to progress reports on the COAG commitment to achieve universal access by 2013. DEEWR, 21 October 2010.

The University of Sydney's Institute for Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education (IISME), is developing a new study unit in a program designed to challenge primary school students' dislike of maths. Research has discovered that interest, attitude and basic skills in mathematics are formed at the primary school level, and that this is the learning stage where much good work can be done in getting kids to be interested in maths early in their school lives. The University of Sydney News, 28 August 2010.

Three-year-olds are being tested at Queensland private schools before being selected amid increasing pressure to perform in Prep. Teachers have blamed national tests for most of the 'extremely dangerous' pressure. News.com.au, 22 March 2010.

The first national curriculum framework for early childhood, recently presented to the Australian government by a Charles Sturt University-led consortium, is the product of extensive nationwide consultation with those working in the early childhood sector and a diverse range of other people interested in children's learning in early childhood settings, including parents. CSU News, 27 July 2009.

More Aboriginal people are studying to become early childhood teachers under a SA Government scholarship program currently underway with Macquarie University in Sydney. The Warawara Aboriginal teaching program is delivered in intensive blocks of training four times a year at the university, allowing students to continuing working in their current jobs. Premier of SA, 7 July 2009.

Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) has joined forces with with HiT Entertainment, to use Thomas the Tank Engine and his railway friends in an educational game. 'We know children with autism relate particularly to Thomas and now we have the chance to build on that relationship' Aspect CEO Adrian Ford said in a statement. ABC News, 27 May 2009.

A new report says Australia is one of the worst countries in the developed world when it comes to early childhood development. The research from Save the Children reveals young children's wellbeing in Australia is ranked 27th out of the 43 developed countries surveyed across the globe. ABC News, 5 May 2008.

An Expression of Interest process has commenced and encouraged parties to register their interest in the future of ABC Learning centres with the receiver. A number of organisations have already contacted the receiver, and others have contacted various arms of Government, with a view to expressing their interest in potentially buying or otherwise operating individual, or several ABC Learning Centres. DEEWR, 11 November 2008.

The decommissioning of edna will commence on 30 June 2011, and be completed on 30 September 2011. This decision is the outcome of a recent review. For further information on which services will be affected, please visit the site.

Children as young as 15 months are being given compulsory Japanese lessons as part of Kool Kids Early Learning Centre's curriculum. goldcoast.com.au, 24 May 2011

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) will expand its early childhood degree by offering students the opportunity to study at Caboolture campus for the first time next year. QUT's Head of School of Early Childhood, Professor Ann Farrell, said offering the option to study the four-year degree at Caboolture campus would boost the number of qualified and registered teachers in Australia. QUT News, 17 May 2011

A Queensland University of Technology (QUT) study looking at the napping habits of preschoolers and how sleeping patterns affect their learning, could provide parents and day-care staff with guidelines for the optimum sleep requirements. QUT News, 19 May 2011

CQUniversity Early Childhood student Jessica Esmond has been awarded the QCWA (Queensland Country Women's Association) Central Highlands Division Annual Bursary. CQU News, 13 May 2011

The Minister for Early Childhood, Peter Garrett, and the Minister for Employment Participation and Child Care, Kate Ellis, today announced more than $32.4 million to further the early childhood reform agenda. The funding consists of a $9.2 million Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) package to assist the early childhood workforce to access training and $23.2 million over four years for the Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) to be met from within existing resources, bringing total funding for AEDI to $28 million (indexed) for each three year cycle.

Children with disabilities and their parents are likely to benefit from music therapy sessions, which can improve social, motor and communication skills, Queensland University of Technology (QUT) research has found. QUT News, 6 May 2011

Deakin University researchers have found that being physically active in childhood could protect against depression later in life. Dr Felice Jacka, a researcher with Deakin's School of Medicine based at Barwon Health in Geelong, said that being physically active as a child may be important to adult mental health. Deakin University News, 3 May 2011

Dr Jennifer Masters, from the Early Childhood Education program at La Trobe University, will take paintings by Loti Floyd, 5, and Audrey Grose, 4, to the World Forum on Early Care and Education in Honolulu, which she is attending on behalf of La Trobe University. Bendigo Advertiser, 30 April 2011

A school district in the U.S. has voted to spend $200,000 to give each of its 285 kindergarten students an iPad2 to use in the classroom. The school district will be bringing the tablet devices into kindergarten classrooms with the aim of increasing literacy rates from 62 percent to 90 percent. LiveScience, 19 April 2011.