The Early Education Show

By Lisa, Leanne and Liam

Education

What's The Early Education Show about?

Talking the policy and politics of education and young children in Australia.

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Budget 2021 and early child...

05.12.2021

The Federal Government has just released its Budget for 2021 and 2022, which - after sustained advocacy from a variety of people and organisations - includes increases in spending in many areas - including early education. But while billions of ...

The Early Education Show episodes:

05.12.2021 Budget 2021 and early childhood education The Federal Government has just released its Budget for 2021 and 2022, which - after sustained advocacy from a variety of people and organisations - includes increases in spending in many areas - including early education. But while billions of ...
04.22.2021 Are we doing enough to protect children from abuse? (with Deanne Carson) There have been a spate of media articles recently concerning child sexual abuse linked to educators working in the early education sector. This episode, Lisa talks with Deanne Carson, a leading Australian sexuality educator, researcher, speaker, author and Founder and ...
04.18.2021 BONUS: Universal access funding (with Ingrid Stitt, Victorian Minister for Early Childhood) Interview with Ingrid Stitt, Victorian Minister for Early Childhood, on Universal Access funding.
04.08.2021 We need to talk about reporting (with Jenni Hutchins) Leanne discusses sector reporting practices with Big Fat Smile CEO Jenni Hutchins.
03.25.2021 The NQF Review A discussion about the ongoing 2019 NQF Review.
03.11.2021 What can we look forward to in 2021? We're back for another year of banter about all things early education in Australia! In our first episode of 2021, we let everyone know what we did on our summer holidays and reflect on the experiences of women that have ...
12.20.2020 2020 Year in Review / Q&A Lisa, Leanne and Liam look back on 2020, ahead to 2021 and answer some listener questions.
12.03.2020 The Trends in Community Children’s Services Survey We discuss the Trends in Community Children’s Services Survey with Daniela Kavoukas and Nikki Graham from Community Child Care Association in Victoria.
11.19.2020 The Anti-Bias Approach in Early Childhood We discuss the new edition of The Anti-Bias Approach in Early Childhood with Dr Red Ruby Scarlet, Tasha Huddy, Sharon Mathers and Rukmini Bose-Rhaman.
11.18.2020 BONUS: Family Matters Report 2020 (with Sue-Anne Hunter) A discussion about the Family Matters Report 2020 with Sue-Anne Hunter.
11.12.2020 Early Childhood Voices Conference 2020 We preview The Early Childhood Voices Conference with Dr Tamara Cumming, Professor Sue Dockett, Professor Bob Perry and Professor Gail Gillon
10.29.2020 Can Thrive By Five change Australia’s early education sector? Early education is currently enjoying a higher political profile than usual. The first COVID-19 lockdown back in March and April saw the Government investing in free early education - but only temporarily. The Federal Opposition has made funding changes to ...
10.15.2020 Which children’s books should every early education service have? While there is no limit to the kinds of resources and materials that can be used to support the learning of young children, it’s hard to argue that the most important of all is books. The research is clear that ...
10.01.2020 Should early education services be supporting families? Australia’s early education sector is about children’s learning and wellbeing in the first five years. Educators and teachers have qualifications and training that are focused on children’s education. Yet, the sector also plays a largely unofficial role in supporting families. ...
09.03.2020 Is social media good or bad for ECEC? Social media users in Australia are some of the most active in the world. 60% of the country are active users of Facebook, with 50% of the population logging on at least once a day. In Australia, there are 16 ...
08.20.2020 What's happening in Victoria? Part 2 A few weeks ago, we discussed the worsening COVID-19 situation in Victoria and how it was affecting services, children, families and professionals. Soon after we released that episode - things became even more intense. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews declared a ...
08.06.2020 Social justice and COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic has been described as a “spotlight” - shining a bright light and illuminating the existing inequalities in our societies. Early education is no exception. While services have been fighting to survive a complex maze of last-minute funding ...
07.23.2020 What's happening in Victoria? After a first wave that affected the entire country in March and April, COVID-19 cases are now particularly affecting Victoria. The Melbourne area is in lockdown, and early education services are finding themselves back in a situation where they are ...
07.09.2020 Expert Insights from UOW Early Start Listen to three fantastic conversations that are part of University of Wollongong Early Start’s Expert Insight series, facilitated by Leanne Gibbs. The discussions include: Dr Gai Lindsay on children and the arts Associate Professor Cathrine Neilsen-Hewett and Professor Marc de ...
06.25.2020 What does the history of advocacy for early education tell us about today? (with Eva Cox) COVID-19’s impact on the early education sector has meant that we’ve been having advocacy conversations that we didn’t expect to be having in 2020. The Government implemented free early education - for a short time. Early childhood educators were seen ...
06.09.2020 Early education is “snapping back”. What does it mean for children, educators and families? The Federal Education Minister has announced that the Child Care Subsidy system will be back on Monday July 13, along with a number of other new measures. From the Government’s perspective, the economy is getting back to normal, and the ...
05.27.2020 How do families and the sector work together for a better ECEC system? This episode, we’re bringing you the audio from an online Town Hall Meeting conducted by parent advocacy group The Parenthood on Tuesday the 26th of May. Lisa was invited to speak on the panel, alongside Danielle Wood, an economist from ...
05.22.2020 How do educators support children during times of change and uncertainty? Like the rest of Australia, the early education sector has had to significantly change the way we operate over the last two months to managed COVID-19 risks. A lot of this time has been spent worrying about funding and financial ...
05.14.2020 How do we advocate for free ECEC after COVID-19? Australia’s early education sector has been given a huge shake-up during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Child Care Subsidy system was replaced with a Government Relief Package that provided centres with 50% direct Government funding, and eliminated the usual gap fee ...
04.30.2020 Why have ECEC services and schools been treated differently during the COVID-19 crisis? The COVID-19 health crisis continues to affect the entire world. Governments have had to respond to the effects of this crisis in different ways, as we have seen right here in Australia. For those of us who work in early ...
04.14.2020 How has COVID-19 changed the early education sector so far? The COVID-19 health emergency has changed so much of our society, and for the early education sector has overturned almost everything about how we operate. Over the last 6 weeks we have seen an increased focus on infection control and ...
04.02.2020 Did the Government just announce universal free access to ECEC in Australia? “As of Sunday night, What we will be doing is turning off the old system and going to a new system.” Those were the words of the Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan earlier today, as he stood next to the ...
03.31.2020 How can we stay connected to children and families during isolation? The COVID-19 situation remains the biggest issue facing Australia’s early education sector. Although the Government is saying that early education services should remain open to support the economy, children are leaving services in droves. It seems likely that at some ...
03.24.2020 How can we stay healthy at work during a pandemic? Early education services and professionals have not had detailed advice from Health Departments or Education Departments about exactly what infection control processes services should be following during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak. As Leanne, Lisa and Liam are not infection control ...
03.17.2020 What does the coronavirus outbreak mean for the early education sector? After an unprecedented summer of fire and smoke, communities around Australia are facing yet another emergency situation. Coronavirus, or COVID-19, is spreading around the world, with the World Health Organisation officially declaring it a pandemic. Although the risk to most ...
03.05.2020 Working with young children during the climate crisis Australia has just come out of a terrible summer of unprecedented bushfires. According to the Australia Institute, More than half of all Australians have been directly affected by bushfire crisis, including millions suffering health effects. This includes young children and ...
02.20.2020 How is Australia faring on protecting children’s rights? (with Megan Mitchell, National Children's Commissioner) The inaugural National Children’s Commissioner Megan Mitchell has released her final report on children’s rights in Australia. It’s described as a “full and frank look” at how Australia is faring on a range of areas related to children and young ...
12.22.2019 2019 Year in Review / Q&A It's the end of another year, which mean's it's time for our annual Year in Review episode! We look back on the year that's been for early education, look ahead to 2020 and answer some listener questions. Find the full ...
12.12.2019 The Hive & Collaboration 4 Learning 6000 children under 5 live in Mt Druitt in NSW. 33% of those children are considered ‘developmentally vulnerable’ when they start school. The Hive is an initiative started in 2015 by the Ten20 Foundation, United Way Australia, and NSW Family ...
11.28.2019 A star (ratings system) is born (with Anthony Semann) The NSW Government has announced that services in NSW will be required to display a star rating alongside their usual National Quality Standard rating, in an apparent bid to help families better understand ratings. The star ratings have had a ...
11.14.2019 Celebrations in early education services Christmas, Anzac Day, Melbourne Cup, Mother's and Father's Days, Australia Day - celebrations have become a controversial and challenging topic for many in the early education sector. This episode, we take a look a like at why celebrations are so ...
11.04.2019 Working with infants and toddlers (with Dr Andi Salamon & Lauren Hibberson) This episode, we’re spending some time thinking about educator and teacher practice in the first three years. There’s a huge amount of advocacy out there for the importance of the first five years, but plenty of research points to the ...
10.25.2019 BONUS: A national commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people (with Richard Weston, CEO of SNAICC) This week, SNAICC and Family Matters have released a Position Paper endorsed by more than 80 organisations and individuals calling for the establishment of a national commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people. Liam talks with ...
10.17.2019 Recruitment and retention (with Melissa Armstrong) This episode, we’re taking a look at one of the biggest frustrations out there in the sector - recruitment and retention. With subsidies flowing and the market-model growing, Australia’s early education sector needs more educators and teachers than ever before. ...
10.03.2019 All the Reviews News This episode, we’re taking one of our deep dives into early education policy. There are currently three major reviews being conducted into key parts of Australia’s early education sector. Right now, the Universal Access partnership for preschool funding, the National ...
09.12.2019 Family Day Care (with Anita Jovanovski) Over the last few years, Family Day Care has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Multi-million dollar frauds of the subsidy system have made headlines, and have seen the Government focus on cracking down on those rorting ...
08.29.2019 Is too much expected of Centre Directors? One of the most important roles in the early education sector is the Centre Director. As well as usually being the Nominated Supervisor and individually responsible for ensuring the Law and Regulations are upheld in their service, Directors are also ...
08.15.2019 Advocacy is everybody's job (LIVE from the SJIEC Conference) This episode, it’s a special live edition of the podcast recorded at the Social Justice in Early Education Conference. We discuss what public policies and what practices in our sector are infringing on the capacity of all Australian children to ...
08.01.2019 Are we too child-centred? (with Dr Tamara Cumming) The National Quality Framework, at its most fundamental level, is about positive outcomes for children in their learning and wellbeing. It sets the standard for quality, and raises the bar for the provision of children’s services in Australia. But the ...
07.18.2019 Documentation and planning in a digital world (with Melanie Elderton) Quality Area 1 - educational program and practice - is the Quality Area of the National Quality Standard that is most likely to be rated Working Towards. The sector is still working through the new requirements of the NQF, and ...
07.04.2019 Engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives (with Jessica Staines) Valuing Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures is one of the guiding principles of the National Quality Framework. However, engaging with Indigenous perspectives can be a daunting prospect for many services. Why is it so important for educators and ...
06.27.2019 June 2019 News Round Up Lisa, Leanne and Liam take a look at news from the sector in June. Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
06.20.2019 The Reggio Emilia Educational Project (with Jan Millikan) This episode, Leanne talks to Jan Millikan about the Reggio Emilia Educational Project. What are the principles that underpin the Reggio Emilia Educational Project? And how can they be applied in an Australian context? Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
06.06.2019 Professional identity (with Catharine Hydon) How educators view themselves and their profession is a key part of early education practice. Experienced sector consultant Catharine Hydon joins Lisa and Leanne for a discussion on professional identity - what it means, why it's important, and how we ...
05.23.2019 What does the election result mean for early education? The podcast team gather to look at the surprising election result that has seen Scott Morrison returned as Prime Minister of a Coalition Government. What does this result mean for the sector, and what should advocates do over the next ...

Older episodes

The Early Education Show

What's The Early Education Show about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Early Education Show episodes:

Budget 2021 and early childhood education

Are we doing enough to protect children from abuse? (with Deanne Carson)

BONUS: Universal access funding (with Ingrid Stitt, Victorian Minister for Early Childhood)

We need to talk about reporting (with Jenni Hutchins)

The NQF Review

What can we look forward to in 2021?

2020 Year in Review / Q&A

The Trends in Community Children’s Services Survey

The Anti-Bias Approach in Early Childhood

BONUS: Family Matters Report 2020 (with Sue-Anne Hunter)

Early Childhood Voices Conference 2020

Can Thrive By Five change Australia’s early education sector?

Which children’s books should every early education service have?

Should early education services be supporting families?

Is social media good or bad for ECEC?

What's happening in Victoria? Part 2

Social justice and COVID-19

What's happening in Victoria?

Expert Insights from UOW Early Start

What does the history of advocacy for early education tell us about today? (with Eva Cox)

Early education is “snapping back”. What does it mean for children, educators and families?

How do families and the sector work together for a better ECEC system?

How do educators support children during times of change and uncertainty?

How do we advocate for free ECEC after COVID-19?

Why have ECEC services and schools been treated differently during the COVID-19 crisis?

How has COVID-19 changed the early education sector so far?

Did the Government just announce universal free access to ECEC in Australia?

How can we stay connected to children and families during isolation?

How can we stay healthy at work during a pandemic?

What does the coronavirus outbreak mean for the early education sector?

Working with young children during the climate crisis

How is Australia faring on protecting children’s rights? (with Megan Mitchell, National Children's Commissioner)

2019 Year in Review / Q&A

The Hive & Collaboration 4 Learning

A star (ratings system) is born (with Anthony Semann)

Celebrations in early education services

Working with infants and toddlers (with Dr Andi Salamon & Lauren Hibberson)

BONUS: A national commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people (with Richard Weston, CEO of SNAICC)

Recruitment and retention (with Melissa Armstrong)

All the Reviews News

Family Day Care (with Anita Jovanovski)

Is too much expected of Centre Directors?

Advocacy is everybody's job (LIVE from the SJIEC Conference)

Are we too child-centred? (with Dr Tamara Cumming)

Documentation and planning in a digital world (with Melanie Elderton)

Engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives (with Jessica Staines)

June 2019 News Round Up

The Reggio Emilia Educational Project (with Jan Millikan)

Professional identity (with Catharine Hydon)

What does the election result mean for early education?

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