community child care co-op ra issue 85, autumn 2008ttler · school hall come full circle. ... email...

RattlerCommunity Child Care Co-opIssue 85, Autumn 2008

Registered by Australia PostPrint Post Publication No. 255003/04732

enviRonmentsmaRgaRet simsthe new politicsmaxine mckew& MORE…

suburbansafaRi

2 ■ RATTLER 85 | AutumN 2008

Community Child Care

Co-operativeLtd. (NSW)

Rattler is published quarterly by Community Child Care Co-operative Ltd. (NSW) and funded by the NSW Department of Community Services, by subscriptions and advertising revenue.

CEO, Community Child CareCarol LymberyEditorial CommitteeLisa Bryant, Eddy Jokovich, Renate Gebhart-Jones, Gerard moon, Wendy Shepherd, Katie SutherlandManaging EditorEddy Jokovich (02) 9280 4150Journalist/Assistant EditorKatie SutherlandArt DirectorDeborah KellyDesign and ProductionARmEDIAPrintingParagon Printers

List of Contributorsmargaret Sims, Kumara tarr, Anthony Semann, Wendy Shepherd, Eddy Jokovich, Katie Sutherland.

ContributionsBy publishing a range of opinions, Community Child Care Co-operative Ltd. (NSW) hopes to stimulate professional development and discussion. You can contact the CEO or managing Editor to discuss your ideas or send in an outline of your article. Copyright is normally held jointly by the publisher and the author. We reserve the right to shorten/edit submitted material.

PhotocopyingPlease email for permission to photocopy or reproduce any article or part thereof.

Subscriptions (02) 8922 6444Annual subscription to Rattler $48.00 (inc. GSt) (4 issues).

Advertising (02) 9280 4150Community Child Care Co-operative Ltd. (NSW) accepts no responsibility for misleading or inaccurate advertisements. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement that contravenes the organisation’s objectives or the Advertising Code of Ethics. Advertisers have responsibility for all information and any claims made in their advertising. Various sizes of advertisements are available. Contact the managing Editor for further information.

Office and Postal AddressAddison Road Community Centre,Building 21, 142 Addison Road, marrickville NSW 2204Phone (02) 8922 6444Fax (02) 8922 6445Email [email protected] www.ccccnsw.org.auABN 81 174 903 921

Community Child Care gratefully acknowledges the support of microsoft Corporation in providing Community Child Care with free software under their Community Assistance Initiative.

Registered by Australia PostPrint Post Publication No 255003/04732ISSN 0819-9132©2008 Community Child Care Co-operative Ltd. (NSW)

Disclaimerthe opinions expressed in Rattler are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Community Child Care Co-operative Ltd. (NSW).

On the cover: Children exploring the dense tropical cover of their local rainforest. Photograph by Susan Kelly.

It’s always fascinating,

and inevitably amusing, to hear young children talking about issues of social justice.

This comment came from a ‘nearly-four-year-old’ who watched Kevin Rudd’s

Apology to Indigenous Australians at her childcare centre: ‘It made me feel so happy and so sad at the same time. I felt so sad that the government took all the Aboriginal children away, but then really happy and excited that Kevin Rudd gave them back.’

While there are a few mixed messages in there, children’s perspectives like these are invaluable and immensely reassuring. They make me feel that the child-care sector is doing its bit to widen awareness of equality.

Also hugely reassuring is the fact that the Rudd Government has, so far, stuck to its word. I look forward to this government delivering on its election promises. If it can, the future looks bright for early childhood education and care.

We discuss the sector’s positive response to the elec-tion on page 14 and speak to Maxine McKew about her new role as Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood Education and Child Care.

Our cover story in this issue is ‘the importance of environmental education’. As children spend less and less unstructured time outdoors, childcare can provide an opportunity to learn about nature in and out of the classroom.

Also in this issue, we hear from Margaret Sims on the growing international research that backs our lobbying on staff to child ratios. And we discuss the importance of aesthetics in early childhood education and care settings.

Finally, we visit St Jude’s Child Care Centre, Randwick. New community-based centres are few and far between these days, so it’s refreshing to hear about the dedication of a church committee that followed its dream.

Happy reading!

Carol Lymbery

Chief Executive OfficerCommunity Child Care Co-operative Ltd. (NSW)

message fRom the ceo

RATTLER 85 | AutumN 2008 ■ 3

RattleR 85 autumn 2008

4 the LOWDOWN A roundup of what’s on, what’s up and who’s where.

6 NeW trADItIONs The opening of St Jude’s Child Care Centre sees an under-used school hall come full circle.

10 evIDeNCe fOr ChANgeMargaret Sims’ ground-breaking research on stress levels in children emphasises the effects of a quality care environment.

14 prOmIse WAtCh We have a new government, but will they keep their promises? Eddy Jokovich points to one key indicator: the May budget.

16 NurturINg NAture LOversKumara Tarr discusses strategies for bringing the vitality of the natural world into early childhood settings.

22 CLeANINg up Our ACtDo childcare environments need a rethink? Wendy Shepherd and Anthony Semann put forward the ‘yes’ case.

28 CLOse upMaxine McKew, Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood Education and Childcare, talks to Rattler about her new role.

30BOOKWOrm A sneak preview of what’s new on the shelves.

p6

p10

p16

Contents

■ the lowdown

what’s on, who’s where in the world of childcare.

something to say?Wewanttohearfromyou!!Rattleriskeentohearfromourreadersaboutwhatturnsthemon.Impressed?Lessthansatisfied?Tellusaboutit.Emailyourthoughtsto: [email protected]

ContributorstoRattlerarealwayswelcometoo.Weseekarticlesonsocial,economic,educationalandpoliticalissuesthataffectthechildcareindustry.Checkouttheinformationforwritersatwww.ccccnsw.org.au/rattler

the big pictuReItisestimatedthatLabor’s$31billiontaxpolicywillbringanextra65,000peopleintowork.However,anannualsurveyhassuggestedthatthisnumbercouldinfactbedoubledifproblemswithchildcarecostandavailabilitywerefixed.

TheAustralianBureauofStatisticssurveyrevealedthat130,400womenblamedalackofsuitablechildcareforbeingoutofwork.

Themostcommonlycitedproblemwithchildcarewasthatitwastooexpensive(32percent),followedbyalackofavailability(30percent)andchildrenbeingtooyoungortoooldforthetypeofcareavailable(20percent).

LaborhaspromisedtolifttheChildCareTaxRebatefrom30to50percent,establish260newlongdaycarecentresandspend$77milliontrainingchildcareworkers.

Babies Proms concerts at the Sydney Opera House make for a wonderful excursion.

TheDrum,thenextofferingfromtheProms,isamusicaladventurefeaturingIndiandance,percussionandthesitar.

BasedonatraditionalIndianfolktale,itisaboutayoungboywhodreamsofowningadrum.Hismothercan’taffordtobuyone,soinsteadgiveshimapieceofwood.Hethenlearnshecanfulfilhisowndesiresbybeingkindandhelpfultoothers.

PerformancesareWednesdaystoSundaysfrom16–27April,10am,11amand12pm.Ticketsare$14forregisteredchildcaregroups.Forbookingsphone(02)9250 7777orwww.sydneyoperahouse.com

SORRy‘let us resolve over the next five years to have every indigenous four-year-old in a remote aboriginal community enrolled in and attending a proper early childhood education centre or opportunity and engaged in proper preliteracy and prenumeracy programs.’–PrimeMinisterKevinRuddinhisApologytoAustralia’sIndigenousPeopleon13February2008.

DidyourcentredoanythingtomarktheNationalApology?TheseSorryhandsarefromFerncourtPublicSchoolinMarrickville,butRattlerisinterestedtoknowhowearlychildhoodeducatorstalkaboutreconciliationissueswithyoungchildren.Ifyou’dliketoshedsomelight,[email protected].

BEATINgtheDRuM

letteR to the editoR

HiEveryone,

JustwritingtoletyouknowthatRattlerisagreatmagazineandtheBookwormpageisespeciallyusefulforkeepingthislibrarianuptodatewithresourcesthatneedtobepurchasedforstaffandstudents.

KimHeldoorn

Library Manager, Campbelltown TAFE



confeRences and eventswhat’s onsocial Justice in early Childhood group Annual Conference ThrowingTheBabyOutWithTheBathwater12April2008CommissionforChildrenandYoungPeople,Sydneyinfo:www.socialjusticeinearlychildhood.org

Community engagement: A rewarding Business The1stNationalIndigenousFamilyandCommunityStrengthsConference14-16April2008The5thAustralianFamilyandCommunityStrengthsConference16-18April2008universityofNewcastle,NSWinfo:(02)49842554orwww.pco.com.au/family

every Child matters 2008 Conference 14–15May2008MelbourneParkFunctionCentreOlympicParkinfo:(03)62833214or

[email protected]

under eights Week Ourchildren,ourworld,ourfuture23-30May2008EarlyChildhoodAustralia—QueenslandBranchinfo:(07)33524640or

[email protected]

World education forum International Conference Being,BecomingandBelonging:TheEconomicImperativeinEducation26-28June2008AdelaideConventionCentreinfo:(02)62421800or

[email protected]

early Childhood Australia Biennial Conference 3–6October2008Canberrainfo:(02)62421800or

[email protected]

calling all natuRe loveRs! Tell us about your environmental education program and WIN!

Whatagroovyprize!ThankstoEducationalExperience,Rattlerreaderscanwinanultra-SlimA3LightPanelvaluedat$181.50(incl.gST).

TheLightPanelisperfectforprojectsaroundnature—forviewingitemscollectedonexcursionorcreatingadisplay.Lightweight,durableandportable,itcanbeusedonatabletopormounted.

Towin,simplytellusin50wordsorlesshowyouencourageenvironmentaleducationinyourcentre.YoumaywanttocheckoutKumaraTarr’sarticleonpage22forideas.

Competition closes 31 April 2008. To enter, email your answer to [email protected] MACS inTamworthwhowonourlastprize,theListeningCentre.Askedtodescribetheirliteracyprogram,theytoldustheyvalueliteracylearningthatisculturallyreflective.

Birreleeincludestraditionallanguagerevitalisationbysingingsongsingamilaraaylanguageandintroducingnewwordswithpicturecardsandbooks.ThecentreisproducinganearlyliteracyDVDforfamiliesandcommunityinEnglishandgamilaraaylanguage—tobesharedathome.

Anhonorable mentiongoesouttoMudgee Preschoolfortheircompetitionentry.

CuLTuRALTREASuRECHESTThe Cultural Treasure Chest is a new DVD about valuing cultural diversity in children’s services.

LaunchedinDecember,itencompasses:multiculturalperceptions;buildingrelationshipswithculturalandlinguisticdiversefamilies;multiculturalprogramming;benefitsofmulticulturalperspectives;refugeechildren;andsupportservices.

ProducedbyEthnicChildCareFamilyandCommunityServicesCo-operativeLimited,theDVDcosts$33(plus$5postageandhanding)andisavailablebycalling(02) 9569 [email protected]

win

!COMPETITION


■ at the coalface

Clockwise from top: ChildcareworkerMichelleHine(left)withdirectorFarahMessinaandchildren;enjoyingthenewofferings;theplaygrounddirectly

contrastswiththelimestoneofStJude’schurch;theschoolhall’soriginalwroughtirongates.

When St Jude’s School in Randwick opened in the 1890s, there were no classrooms—just one big hall on the

grounds of the Anglican church. Beyond its wrought iron gates, some 200 pupils would gather en masse to get their daily dose of good formal learning.

These days, within the hall’s history-encased walls, magnificent high ceilings and stained glass windows, education of a completely different nature is taking place. The heritage-listed property is now home to St Jude’s Child Care Centre, which opened last November.

The hall, which was used for ballet classes after the school closed in the 1930s, has undergone a significant architectural overhaul to ensure regulations are met for a state-of-the art early childhood centre for 59 two-to-five year-olds.

Respecting the building’s traditional character, the architects have successfully married the old with the new.

Most activity is carried out in the grand hall itself, while an additional classroom has been added to the rear of the building. Its construction does not look out of place, however, with its big, arched windows tying in with the original design.

The renovation, including the pristine new playground, neatly juxtaposes the church’s sandstone walls and a crumbling old cemetery. In fact, it seems strangely natural to have all the energy and fervour of a childcare setting amongst so much history and tradition.

Director Farah Messina describes her delight in working at the centre so far: ‘What I love about the whole thing is that it started off as a school and it’s come back full circle.

‘For me it’s been a wonderful experience. The people I’ve encountered within the St Jude’s community have been the most generous, the most lovely, the most caring, the most open-hearted people I could ever wish to work with.’

The project was instigated by St Jude’s church about four years ago, shortly after an independent company approached the parish council to build a childcare centre on the church grounds.

‘After due consideration we rejected this proposal,’ explains St Jude’s church treasurer David Cohen. ‘But then some months later our

It’sraretohearaboutanewcommunitychildcarecentreopeningthesedays.Butredtapeandset-upcostsdidn’tdeterStJude’s

AnglicanChurchinRandwickfromtakingupthechallenge.Katie sutherlandreports.

PHOTOgRAPHS:DEBORAHKELLY,ALLENNASH


newTRADITIONS

PHOTOgRAPHS:KATIESuTHERLAND


PHOTOgRAPHS:KATIESuTHERLAND

minister Rev. Greg Job came up with the idea to build our own centre and thereby, hopefully building up our own church community as time goes by.’

The council agreed that the project was financially viable, established an organisation called St Jude’s Child Care Inc and consulted St Jude’s honorary architect Geoffrey Danks.

The centre is funded through a combination of parish funds, internal and external loans, as well as private donations. Its management committee consists of 10 people, including five directly elected by the church, an independent treasurer and secretary, and three parents—still to be appointed.

‘It’s certainly been a worthwhile investment. We’re providing a community service for parents at a reasonable daily rate [fees are $72 per day],’ says Cohen.

‘But there’s a high cost involved. [Building a childcare centre] is not a simple process and it’s not only the Department of Community Services (DoCS) you have to go through.

‘To start with, you have to draw up your plans and apply for a development application (DA). The DA alone took us nine months for approval. You have to have patience.’

Cohen says St Mary’s church in Waverley and other community-based childcare centres were helpful in providing advice and guidance based on their own experience with childcare.

‘You’ve really got to be sure of what you’re doing—particularly with the regulations required by the many licensing authorities, including DoCS.’


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Messina agrees that the project had its hiccups and took longer than expected, but was well worth the wait.

‘It’s been a huge thing for the committee to realise their vision,’ she says. ‘Four or five years ago they would have had no insight into childcare at all, then to take on this enormous project… I’m sure they’ve lost many nights’ sleep over it.’

Enrolments have been quickly filled, with the centre helping to address a lack of childcare places in the heavily-populated eastern suburbs. A banner on the side of the building has been the only advertising needed.

Messina, who established, managed and sold her own childcare centres in the Southern suburbs of Sydney, jumped at the opportunity to work in a community-based setting.

‘I’m very passionate about special needs children and being community-based is one way we can offer them the care they deserve. Special needs children require so much extra care and support within the community. If we can help even one child it’s been a beneficial exercise.’

A teacher with a Master of Special Education has been appointed, alongside two other early childhood teachers, two associate diploma-qualified educators and four or five assistants.

The church has also offered the services of a family pastoral worker. As well as reading to the

children—namely religious-based stories across a range of cultures—she will be available to families of St Jude’s Child Care.

‘I guess there are times of your life when you do go through crisis and it’s good to have someone you can talk to,’ says Messina.

‘Particularly for families with a special needs child, what they encounter in their journey through life can be very frustrating and it can be beneficial to have someone in the community who can listen to and support them.’


CARING fOR YOuNG ChILDREN, or caregiving, is a role significantly undervalued in our society. However, growing interna-tional evidence demonstrates the link between children’s experi-ences in the early years and their longer term outcomes.

Extensive research has demonstrated that the most effective strategy in buffering the stress children experience is found in secure attachments/relationships.1,2,3 Children who have secure attachments with their parents are more likely to be successful academically and socially and are more likely to be mentally and physically healthy.

Children who are securely attached to their caregivers, and thus receive sensitive and responsive caring, demonstrate transitory peaks when stressed, but their cortisol levels quickly return to base-line. In contrast, cortisol levels of infants who have insecure attach-ments remain at high levels for much longer periods of time. These patterns of reactivity apply even when caregivers are instructed to respond to signs of distress demonstrating that cortisol responses are not always detectable in overt behaviour4.

The biochemical argument reminds us that the important fac-tor in children’s rearing environment is the amount of stress they experience, and the resources we provide to buffer that stress. This shifts the emphasis of quality caregiving to the relationship dimensions.

Traditionally, quality caregiving was often defined in terms of the learning opportunities offered to children, not on relationships. In

margaret sims is best known for her research on cortisol as a marker of stress in children

and carers. She discusses how scientific evidence can be used

to drive policy change around quality early childhood

education and care.

■ ReseaRch

forchangeevIDeNCe


fact, most professionals in their training were taught NOT to develop close relationships with children as this was considered unprofessional behaviour and in some states teachers are, even now, told they must not touch children (touch is an essential component in building secure attachments).2

The reality is that we are NOT currently offer-ing appropriate support to our caregivers (paren-tal or non-parental) to ensure that all young children receive the caregiving they need in their early years.

The consequences of this are clearly seen in the growing concerns for poor outcomes for our chil-dren. In a recent publication, Stanley, Prior and Richardson accuse Australia of turning its back on children, because outcomes are becoming increasingly worse and we are not doing anything to turn this around.5

Other researchers in the western world talk about the toxic society we have created, which has formed a child rearing environment where our children have fewer and fewer chances of suc-cess, and where the gaps between the advantaged and the disadvantaged grow increasingly wider.6

I have argued previously that tinkering with current programs and supports is not sufficient to create the magnitude of change needed to turn around the increasingly negative outcomes we are experiencing for our children and our society.7

We need a radical re-think of support pro-grams, and the way these are funded. We already have sufficient evidence to know what needs to be done.8,9,7

Research clearly identifies support through pregnancy, and in the early years of children’s lives makes a significant difference to outcomes. The classic early intervention study, the Perry High/Scope program shows that high quality support offered early results in long term improvements in individuals’ educational achievement, health, employment and economic prosperity.10,11

It is my strong belief that military spending represents the single most significant perversion of

worldwide priorities known today … it is estimated that 780 billion dollars was spent on military technology and

training worldwide in 1999.


Benefits to society include decreases in spe-cial education, justice and welfare spending, and increases in tax revenue through improved employment. Cost-benefit analysis of these out-comes now, 40 years on, shows a $17 return for every $1 spent on early intervention.12

Economic analyses of the benefits of early intervention have become a popular tool used to demonstrate the advantages of this type of inter-vention and a number of key organisations have publicised these widely.13

Probably the most influential of these has been the pioneering work undertaken by James Heckman, whose work won a Nobel prize.14,15,16 Heckman shows that the economic return on investment increases geometrically the younger the age group in which we invest.

Whilst we still obtain a return on investment for post-school programs, the return is far greater if we invest in the school years. The return on investment in the years before school is geometri-cally greater again.

The evidence is clear. We need to develop programs to support those rearing young children to ensure that ALL young children experience a quality early childhood. Unless we do this we are unlikely to be able to make sufficient changes to our society to address the escalation of poor out-comes we are currently experiencing.

This does not mean that we divert investment from programs currently operating at school and

post-school years. It DOES mean that, as a soci-ety we need to think carefully about where we choose to spend our money, and where we can make cuts in order to fund new programs.

For example: It is my strong belief that military spending represents the single most significant perversion of worldwide priorities known today … it is estimated that 780 billion dollars was spent on military technology and training worldwide in 1999. According to the UN Human Development program, just five percent of that amount would be sufficient to guarantee basic education, health care and nutrition, potable water, and sanitation to all of the world’s people.17

It is our role to argue for the importance of the early years. It is our role to ensure that caregiving is never allowed to be positioned as unimportant. It is our role to support those who are attempt-ing to improve services in all aspects of the early years (for example the 1:4 Make it Law campaign in NSW arguing for improved adult–child ratios in childcare for infants).

It is our role to point out the total unaccept-ability of the trivialising of caring for children demonstrated in, for example, pay rates [garbage collectors receive more pay than childcare work-ers18] and in the low priority allocated by the fed-eral government to early childhood expenditure [Australia has one of the lowest early childhood expenditures in the world].19

Above all, we need to be vocal about the impor-tance of the early years. We need to provide argu-ments to which people will listen and we need to create a groundswell that will drive policy change. We demand that our young families, and those who support our young families, are appropriately recognised for the importance of the work they

Whilst we still obtain a return on investment for post-school programs, the return is far greater if we invest in the school years. The return on investment in the years before school is geometrically greater again.

A rapt audience listens to Margaret Sims in Sydney


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the coRtisol stoRY

Cortisol is a stress hormone released when humans experience a threat, feel unsafe or unsure of themselves. Ideally, our cortisol levels are highest in the morning just after waking and decline throughout the day.

Attendanceatchildcareisthoughttobeariskfactorforhighstressinyoungchildrenasitinvolvesaseparationfromparents.

‘Myresearchfoundthatchildreninhighqualityservicesdemonstratedadeclineincortisollevelsacrossthechildcareday,’explainsMargaretSims.‘Butthoseincentresratedasunsatisfactorydemonstratedincreasingcortisolacrosstheday.

‘Whilewedonotyetknowhowhighcortisollevelscanbe,norforhowlongtheyneedtobemaintainedforlongtermdamagetooccur,thiscertainlyindicatesthatlowqualitycareisariskfactorforpooroutcomes.’

Chronicallyhighorlowcortisollevelshavebeenlinkedtoproblemswithmemory,healthandimmunity,responsivenesstovaccines,hypertensionandsocio-emotionalproblems.

Sims’studiessuggestchildren’sstresslevelsinchildcarearemoreaffectedbytherelationshipdimensionsofqualitycarethanbyvariationsincurriculum/programming.

Whenchildrendonotreceiveresponsivecareandtheirstresslevelsarenotmanagedappropriatelytheyexperiencechronicstressandconsequences(biologically,behavioural,socialandintheirhealth)arelikelytooccur.

Thusakeyfactorinaqualitycareenvironmentforyoungchildrenistheabilityofadultstomanagechildren’sstresslevels.Ahighqualityearlychildhoodenvironmentisoneinwhichchildren’sstresslevelsarelow,andwhereadultsareavailabletorespondappropriatelytostressreactionstriggered(inevitably)bynormalday-to-dayevents.

do and appropriately supported to do that work. Above all, we need to demand that our children

are valued and that we demonstrate that value in how we support them and their carers. margaret sims is an Associate Professor and head of the School of International Cultural and Community Studies at Edith Cowan university in Western Australia. She is also Program Director for Child and family Studies at Edith Cowan.

*this article is an extract of a paper under review for the Australian Journal of Early Childhood.

References:1. gerhardt,S.(2004).2. Hutchins,T.,&Sims,M.(1999).3. Shore,R.(1997).4. gunnar,M.,Larson,M.,Hertsgaard,L.,Harris,M.,&Brodersen,L.(1992)

5. Stanley,F.,Prior,M.,&Richardson,S.(2005)6. garbarino,J.(2006)7. Sims,M.(2002)8.McCain,M.,Mustard,F.,&Shanker,S.(2007)9. Shonkoff,J.,&Phillips,D.(Eds.).(2000)10.Schweinhart,L.,Barnes,H.,&Weikart,D.(1993)11.Schweinhart,L.,Weikart,D.,&Larner,M.(1986)12.Schweinhart,L.,Montie,J.,Xiang,Z.,Barnett,W.,C,B.,&Nores,M.(2005)

13.Karoly,L.,Kilburn,R.,&Cannon,J.(2005)14.Heckman,J.(1996)15.Heckman,J.(2006)16.Heckman,J.,&Lochner,L.(2000)17.Arias,O.(2000/2001)18.Sumison,J.(2005)19.Elliott,A.(2004)

*Furtherdetailsaboutreferencesavailableatwww.ccccnsw.org.au/rattler


the 2007 Federal election last November resulted in a landslide victory for the Labor Party, bringing hope for a greater

focus on early childhood education. Although there is one seat still in dispute, the ALP picked up 23 new seats, winning 83 seats of the 150 on offer. The victory confirmed what every poll had predicted throughout 2007: there was a sense in the community that after almost 12 years of Coalition rule, it was time for a change of government and a different vision for the future.

Elections come and go, as do governments (eventually), and it is now time to revisit the promises that were made to the early childhood education and children’s services sectors. Labor’s key promises to the sector during the election included:

■ 15 hours of early childhood education for every four-year-old child, under the banner of the ‘education revolution’—NSW has the lowest preschool participation rates, and the most expensive places, in Australia. This is a welcome initiative and developments in this area will be closely watched;

■ a promise to build 260 new childcare centres—any increase in the amount of new children’s services is to be welcomed, but more are needed, especially in areas of high demand;

■ six specialised services for children with autism—again, a welcome initiative, but many more services are required to meet demand;

■ an investment of $260 million over four years to form the basis of a long-term process to improve Indigenous child and maternal health services, early development and parenting support, literacy and numeracy in the early years;

■ an increase to the child care tax rebate from 30 to 50 per cent—this is the least desirable pledge, and should be removed altogether. The rebate mainly benefits higher-income families and, increases in user subsidies usually result in higher fees charged by many services, as has been the case with increases in the Child Care Benefit. The rebate should be provided directly to services;

■ an Office of the Commissioner for Children, a National Early Years Workforce Strategy and a National Child Protection Framework. This is also a welcome development that is likely to be strongly supported by the field;

■ a five-category quality improvement system;

■ an extension of JET from 12 months to two years;

■ removing clauses from federal contracts that deter the community sector advocating for its members.

After three months of the new Labor government, the signs are promising. The new Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has indicated that all election promises will be kept; the first being the National Apology to the Stolen Generation, delivered in Parliament on 13 February. The Prime Minister pledged that within five years, ‘every Indigenous four-year-old in a remote Aboriginal community [would be] enrolled in and attending a proper early childhood education centre or opportunity and engaged in proper pre-literacy and pre-numeracy programs’.

Children’s services and early childhood education will be well represented in the new Parliament. Julia Gillard, who became Australia’s first female deputy prime minister, heads the

It’searlydaysforthenewRuddgovernment,andwhilethefutureofchildren’sservicesislookingpromising,onpaperatleast,therealtestwillbeTreasurerWayneSwan’sfirstbudgetinMay.eddy Jokovich reports.

■ national politics

pRomise


departments of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, and Social Inclusion. Maxine McKew, who became only the second person since Federation to unseat an incumbent Prime Minister, is Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood Education and Child Care. Former National Secretary of the Australian Workers Union, Bill Shorten, is Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children’s Services.

There have been some questions about the workload for Julia Gillard, and whether her multiple responsibilities may result in less attention given to the issues affecting children’s services. Maxine McKew and Bill Shorten had illustrious careers in media and the union movement, respectively, but their appointments are surprising, considering they are new to federal parliament. It is not yet clear how they will approach their new positions and, indeed, how they will support the Minister with her large workload.

Labor has also tabled legislation to repeal the WorkChoices package, considered to be a major factor in the Coalition’s election defeat. Australian Workplace Agreements, considered by Labor to be anathema to parents trying to balance the cycle of work, family and childcare, will also be removed.

The machinery of government is often difficult, which even its drivers find hard to control. The Howard Government introduced the notion of ‘core’ and ‘non-core’ promises to the political landscape but, at this early stage, it seems the Rudd Government is keen to avoid those labels and move towards achieving its agenda. How rapidly and how effectively it achieves this agenda is a key question at this stage.

For Labor, the immediate political horizon is paved with gold—as it was for the Coalition up until the point that Kevin Rudd took over the ALP leadership in December 2006. The Coalition, now in opposition, is in disarray over what it stands for and its leader, Brendan Nelson is suffering from very low approval ratings. But it should be remembered that political fortunes can change within a sniff of the breeze. Labor promised much for early childhood education and children’s services throughout 2007 and, now that it is in Government, it must be held accountable to these promises. The wheels of government can be slow and the electorate may be patient with a new government—but the real test will be which measures are actually funded in the May budget. We are all looking forward to a stronger focus on early childhood education as a priority for this Government, as promised.

have you considered nominating for a ceecees award this year?Theyrecognisethehardwork,professionalismandcommitmentofthosewhoworkinthecommunity-owned,centre-basedearlychildhoodsectorinNSW.

Awardnominationswillbecalledforsoon,withtheAwardannouncementsandcelebrationdinnerinAugust.

for more information keep an eye out in broadside, shortside or on the website at www.ccccnsw.org.au

Community Child Care Co-op’s

Awards for those who SHINE

pRomise watch

Nurturing

nature lovers

IN AuStRALIA AND WORLDWIDE, there is growing recognition that children need to spend more time outdoors and in unstructured natural environments.

The reasons cited for this range from the need for physical activ-ity to combat obesity and other physiological health issues to the need for the kind of psychological wellbeing that is said to develop through having a connection with the earth.

The work of Tim Gill in the United Kingdom, the Forest Schools in northern Europe, Richard Louv in the United States and groups such as the Early Childhood Environmental Education Network (Australia) and the US-based Nature Action Collaborative for Children (NACC) all advocate for children to spend time outdoors and in the natural world.

Recently, Australia hosted the ‘Come and Play Outside Symposium’ at the University of Western Australia, said to be the first conference of its kind in the world.

The fact that such a topic can be the focus of two days of inter-national discussion highlights a groundswell of concern about the limited extent to which children can spend unstructured time in the outdoors.

Contrasting childhoods

Children’s discretionary time is increasingly scheduled, monitored by adults and spent interacting with technology of one kind or

Achild’sengagementwiththeenvironmentisviewedbysomeasaninalienablehumanright.Yetmanychildrentodayhavelittledirectcontactwithnature.Kumara tarrlooksathowearlychildhoodeducatorscanteachchildrenabouttheenvironmentinandoutsideoftheclassroom.


■ coveR featuRe stoRY

Nurturing

nature lovers

another—and indoors.1,2 By contrast, when we talk to most adults about their own childhoods they will wistfully recount stories of playing outside in ‘wild’ urban or semi rural areas, away from the scrutiny of adults.

They, like Richard Louv, remember the inter-actions they had with their peers in these environments, the calculated risk taking, the fascination for small pockets of the natural environment, whether it be bird’s nests, frog ponds or wombat holes, and the development of self-management skills, with fondness and satisfaction.3

Tim Gill, the UK’s leading advocate for out-door play, champions the cause of children to be able to play outside safely, in unstructured environments that provide opportunities for physical challenge, appropriate risk taking and reflection.1,2

He also highlights the dangers of what he calls zero tolerance to risk-taking in childhood—one of the main causes of restricting children’s independent outdoor activity. They include underdeveloped physiology, difficulty in making

decisions and in understanding risk.The Forest Schools in northern Europe

advocate for children to spend time in the natural world—the woods or the forest—and report significant benefits for children such as stress reduction, increased ability to concen-trate, improved immune system responses and improved social skills.4

These benefits are evident after a one-semes-ter program where the children spend one morning per week engaged in a learning pro-gram in the forest. Children who spend time in an unstructured play environment are also reported to have better motor coordination5 and an improved capacity for developing empathy.6

Other groups such as the NACC cite engage-ment with and understanding of the natural world as an inalienable human right. In short, in Australia and internationally, exposure to the environment, and environmental education are now seen as necessary aspects of all children’s lives.

Even the United Nations has made a state-ment about the importance of environmental

IllustrationbyAnne-MareeAlthausfromKumaraTarr’sbookWorldWanderer


education as part of a ten-year focus on environ-mental awareness and action:

‘There can be few more pressing and criti-cal goals for the future of humankind than to ensure steady improvement in the quality of life for this and future generations, in a way that respects our common heritage—the planet we live on… Education for sustainable devel-opment is a life-wide and lifelong endeavour which challenges individuals, institutions and societies to view tomorrow as a day that belongs to all of us, or it will not belong to anyone.’7

Relevant education

Whilst the underlying premise for this state-ment is self-evident—and few dispute that we are in the grip of a global environmental crisis—the question remains, how do we, in early childhood settings in Australia, best teach

young children about the natural world?To what extent do we inform them of

the pressing need for action as a basis for environmentally sustainable practices? My concern is that when we teach young children about the environment, even with the best of intentions, they will be overwhelmed at the scale of the problem and with the responsibility for remedying it. In saying that, we know we have to

teach children about the environment; indeed we find it as a key topic in our guidelines for education.8

Commenting on the exponential decline in environmental sensitivity due to ongoing devel-opment, Robert Pyle suggests that children have a reduced environmental exposure due to urban and inner city living. The limited amount of discretionary time that children spend in the environment creates a ‘diminished base-line’ in terms of environmental awareness and leads to a ‘generational environmental amnesia’9.

Commentators such as Theodore Roszack10,11, Joanna Macy12 and Randy White13 advocate for the need for children to spend time in the envi-ronment, to develop a relationship with it, in order for any awareness of sustainable practice to be meaningful.

‘We need to allow children to develop their love for the earth, before we ask them to save it.’13

Joanna Macy goes further and says that chil-dren and young people (and adults) can be frozen in state of dysfunctional despair when they understand the extent of environmental degradation.

With these cautionary warnings in mind, it seems that it is important to teach young children about the natural environment in a manner that is positive and apposite with their emotional and cognitive development, and in a manner that allows them to develop a sense of wonder and delight in the natural world.

The early childhood setting

It is important to note at this point that there are many early childhood teachers and services that are implementing environmentally sus-tainable practices as daily, integrated aspects of their program.

They often include innovative water, recycling or gardening projects or teaching children about minimising the consumption of resources.

While this is commendable, I believe we can and should expand children’s awareness of the natural world beyond the responsible use of resources and help them to create an under-standing of and regard for the environment that makes the implementation of these practices second nature.

Environmental understandings can become the basis for the everyday program and support the children’s awareness of their local environ-ment, the flora and fauna, social dynamics of animal species and their habitat. The following story gives an example:

Jason arrives at kindergarten one Monday morning and at news time, tells the group about

…It is important to teach young children about the natural environment in a manner that is positive and apposite with their emotional and cognitive development, and in a manner that allows them to develop a sense of wonder and delight in the natural world.

one step at a time

Building on the success of their Little Green Steps program, Wyong Shire and Gosford City Councils have generously pulled together all of their knowledge in a comprehensive manual on sustainability education within early childhood services.

CalledClimbingtheLittlegreenSteps,themanualprimarilytargetsenvironmentaleducationofficersfromlocalcouncils,butisalsoawonderfullyusefulresourceforpreschoolandlongdaycareeducators.Itoutlinesinformation,strategiesandresourceseffectiveininitiatingandsustainingchangeinearlychildhoodservices.

FundingfortheprojectwasassistedbytheNSWgovernmentthroughtheOurEnvironment–It’saLivingThingprogram.Itisavailablefordownloadfrom:www.livingthing.net.auwww.gosford.nsw.gov.auorwww.wyongsc.nsw.gov.au

WyongShireCouncilalsohasprintedcopiesofClimbingtheLittlegreenStepsavailable.FormoreinformationcontactMareeWhelanon(02)43505555.


his trip to the beach the previous day. The teacher asks what he saw there. He replies that he saw seagulls, jellyfish, and in the distance a whale, but they couldn’t see it very well.

This leads to general discussion about the whales (humpbacks) and to a number of chil-dren recounting things that they had seen at the beach, driftwood, seaweed, crabs etc.

The following morning, after some home research, the teacher arrived with a story pre-pared about a mother whale, who was swim-ming with all her friends from the cold waters of the land of ice and snow, to the warm waters where there were colour coral fish.

She tells the story gradually over the next several days (this stretched into weeks) and includes the differing seascapes through which the mother whale passes. Eventually, the story encompasses the birth of the baby whale, the experiences of the baby as it learns about its environment, the different sea creatures that it meets and finally, the long journey home to the land of ice and snow.

The narrative is full of descriptions of crea-tures from the sea that the children have shown an interest in. Over the weeks of the telling

of the story, the teacher develops verses and songs about the aspects of the story that the children identify with and ask for. She speaks and sings them with the children who ask for them often.

From these stories also come visual and three dimensional art experiences such as painting, drawing, sculpture, and a number of craft expe-riences. The children incorporate many aspects of this content into their play and tell each other stories about the creatures that live in the sea, their habitats, and the social dynamics of the characters in the story.

Because the teacher has researched her topic and all of the characters (sea animals and plants) included in the story, the information that the children have about them is all based on fact, although creatively rendered.

The examples of social dynamics and person-ality traits they have gleaned have worked their way into the children’s framework for under-standing their own social relationships– they can be heard making comments such as ‘I am cranky today like crotchety crab’ or ‘I just feel like floating around like jingle jolly jellyfish’.

They even have a model for symbiotic rela-

Education for sustainable development is a life-wide and lifelong endeavour which challenges individuals, institutions and societies to view tomorrow as a day that belongs to all of us, or it will not belong to anyone.


PHOTOgRAPH:SuSANKELLY

‘‘

■ cuRRiculum

tionships in the Super Sucker fish helping Big Blue (whale) to get rid of the itchy barnacles. The journey through the sea has taken on a life of its own. The children continue to build on it with the help of their teacher and explore it through all available artistic media.

After three months, with the support of the children’s families, an excursion to the sea is conducted. The children are loaded into boats (all appropriate safety precautions are taken) and taken out onto the bay to see the migrating humpback whales.

Every time they see a dolphin, a manta ray, a turtle or a jellyfish, they break into song or verse and tell the adults on board stories about what these animals do. Finally, they see the whales: a mother and her calf playing in the shallow waters of the bay. It seems as if they are breach-ing and tail slapping just to show us what they can do. The day finally comes to an end with children and adults alike declaring it a meaning-ful and moving experience.

These children are now about 23 years old. Those I am still in contact with remember this part of the kindergarten year well. They also remember the stories, songs, verses and art

experiences that taught them about the local animals, insects and plants on a daily basis.

They remember the facts about these things but they also remember the qualities of them, how they move and what makes them interest-ing, clever, wise or beautiful to look at. They remember the interactions between species and the social dynamics that prevail. They know that these animals, insects or plants are worth preserving for their own sake—that the world would be diminished without them.

Intrinsic values

When these young people find themselves mak-ing decisions about the resources they consume or the way in which their work or living circum-stances impact on their environment, they will incorporate their natural respect for the envi-ronment into their decision-making processes.

While the above story gives an insight into how I conducted my kindergarten program and indicates my belief in this approach, I am also passionate about exploring the relevance of this type of environmental education with others.

With this in mind, I conducted a pilot research project in a Sydney CBD childcare service in 2006. The children (18 months to three years) had no outdoor space and their teachers wanted to incorporate additional environmental con-tent into the program and this we did, through the arts.

Every time [the children] see a dolphin, a manta ray, a turtle or a jellyfish, they break into song or verse and tell the adults on board stories about what these animals do.

AnotherillustrationbyAnne-MareeAlthausfromKumaraTarr’sbook

WorldWanderer


After two months, the children, showed a greatly increased understanding of the natural world, told stories about it, sang songs and incor-porated aspects of it into their play. The teachers noticed significant changes in the social dynam-ics and found that that by building on the chil-dren’s awareness and interests they had unlimited content for their program. This research project was the subject of my report at the Education for Sustainability in Early Childhood conference in Sydney last November.

My PhD research focuses on the questions raised during the pilot research project. It will concentrate on the effects of presenting infor-mation about the natural world through the arts, as core curriculum in early childhood.

Kumara Tarr works for the National Childcare Accreditation Council (although her views do not repre-sent the NCAC in any way). Kumara taught kindergar-ten, infants and primary classes for 15 years in Steiner schools in rural settings, which formed the backdrop for thousands of creative program experiences based on the natural environment. She is the author of four children’s storybooks about Australian flora and fauna and a PhD candidate with the university of Western Sydney.

Footnotes1. gill,Tim(2007).CanIPlayOut:LessonsFromLondonPlays,HomeZonesProject.In.London,LondonPlay.

2. gill,Tim(2007).growingup inaRiskAverseSociety.

Come and Play Outside Symposium, university ofWesternAustralia.

3. Louv,Richard(2006).LastChild intheWoods:SavingOurChildrenfromNatureDeficitDisorder.ChapelHill,AlgonquinBooksofChapelHill.

4. Archimedes Training LTD. (2007) http://www.forest-schools.comRetrieved28/7/2007,2007.

5. Phenice, Lillian, A. and griffore, Robert, J. (2003).‘YoungChildrenandtheNaturalWorld.’ContemporaryIssuesinEarlyChildhood4(2):167-171.

6. Feral, Crystal-Helen (1999), Connectedness andDevelopment:ATheory. IsEcopsychologytheAnswerto Emotional Well-Being? Annual Convention of theNational Association of School Psychologists. NewOrleans,LA.

7. united Nations Decade of Education for SustainableDevelopment2005-2014.

8. Australian government (2005), Educating for aSustainableFuture:ANationalEnvironmentalEducationStatement forAustralianSchools,Departmentof theEnvironmentandHeritage,CurriculumCorporation.

9. Pyle, Robert (2007). Losers,Weepers: The Extinctionof Experience and the Dimishing Baseline. Comeand Play Outside: a Multidisciplinary Symposium,universityofWesternAustralia.

10.Roszak, Theodore (1992). The Voice of the Earth: AnExplorationofEcopyschology.NewYork,Touchstone.

11.Roszak,Theodore,gomes,Mary,E.,andKanner,Allen,D., Eds. (1995). Ecopsychology: Restoring the Mind,HealingtheMind.SanFrancisco,SierraClubBooks.

12.Macy,Joanna(1995).WorkingThroughEnvironmentalDespair,Ecopsychology:RestoringtheEarth,HealingtheMind.ibid.

13.Carrol,Kathleen (2007),Aguide togreatFieldTrips,Chicago,ChicagoReviewPress.


■ enviRonments


Practitioners … need to dream about possibilities, not just of known landscapes but places of otherness, wonder and delight.

‘ ‘


Beyondtheinstitution:Cleaning up our act

It’stimeforearlychildhoodstafftorethinkthetraditionsinwhichenvironmentsareorganisedforlearning.Anthony SemannandWendy

Shepherdprovidesomeinsightandinspirationinthislivelyemailexchange.

thIS CONVERSAtION documents an ongoing discussion regarding the importance of design, space and aesthetics for young children in for-mal education and care settings and for moving beyond the institution that is the early child-hood setting.Wendy: 17 January 2008 subject: visible signs of tenderness

Hi Anthony: It’s funny you should ask if I have current reference materials or resources about environments for young children. One of our parents, an architect, left me an article today about a kindergarten in Japan, designed by Takaharu and Yui Tezuka.

It is an building is shaped like an oval dough-nut, with a central circular playground. The building has a flat roof, which serves as an addi-tional play space, reflective I guess of the clever use of space in Japan.

Children and staff having access to the roof via stairs, a slide or scramble nets wrapped around the branches of the trees growing next to the building. One of the trees grows through one of the classrooms and through the roof.

The centre looks remarkable—and the chil-dren and staff look very engaged in the small groups on the roof, in the playground and class-rooms, which look uncluttered and pristine.

The furniture doesn’t look like standard kin-dergarten furniture. These children are obvious-ly viewed as having the potential for accepting challenges, being inventive and able to solve the problems of dealing with the nets.

There is a sense of serenity when looking at the photos. I think you’d enjoy reading this article, ‘Learning Curve’, from the Architectural Review. It certainly makes one think about chil-dren’s environments.

Anthony: 17 January 2008

I’ll try to source the article. It’s refreshing to know architects are thinking outside the square in design of learning environments.

Wendy: 17 January 2008

Yes—when I see images like this from over-seas, I immediately relate back to the images in my mind of early childhood centres around Australia. Many of the centres I’ve seen are oper-ating in either revamped buildings, community halls or old homes. More recently though, cen-tres are now being purpose-built in the suburbs, the country and in the cities.

Some are very beautiful and some reflect the design for centres that already exist. For some mysterious reason though, they all look very similar, perhaps not the building itself but the internal spaces, furniture, equipment, clutter and the playgrounds of either colourful rubber or astro-turf and the miles of shade cloth—not forgetting the dried paint on the concrete (a reminder of painting experiences of the past).


Why do you think this is?


There are lots of reasons for this phenomenon, for this way of thinking about and provisioning environments for young children.

For a start, there’s the obligatory shoestring budget. No-one ever has the spectacular fund-ing that children’s programs need. This leads to a ‘never throw anything out’ strategy.

Secondly, there is a lack of consultation with practitioners when planning and building cen-tres. There are the hurdles and barriers that legislation imposes on people’s ability to dream about what is possible.

COLLAgE:DEBORAHKELLYWITHTHANKSTOERNSTHAECKEL


Time, ratios and staffing numbers are a con-straint for caring for the environment. It is these operational elements that make it difficult.

Sadly, cleaning is overlooked as an essential strategy for maintaining the environment, furni-ture and resources. Cleaning and caring for the equipment and resources saves money in the long run. Clutter becomes invisible to the eye of the educator as we become desensitized to what Alain de Botton (2006) calls ‘visible signs of tenderness’. The visible signs of tenderness in early childhood settings could be simply clean and well maintained equipment and furniture and shelves that aren’t cluttered. Fresh flowers, baskets of leaves or a cosy retreat all contribute to the de-institutionalisation of early childhood environments.

Surely, all that we do as teachers should be done with a tenderness or a sensitivity for the children’s sense of self and well-being.


So why is there such resistance to change? How do these habits become everyday practices to a point where we don’t notice the impact this has on children.


I do believe this ‘normalisation’ of children’s environments is the result of the lack of vision for children’s landscapes.

Takaharu and Yui Tezuka were obviously able to have a vision (with a budget to match) about a space for children like no other.

Fortunately, there are a few architects who specialise in early childhood and there are a few landscape architects who ‘dream about outdoor play spaces for children first, then fit the regula-tions into the plan’ (Ric Macconaghy).

Practitioners also need to dream about possi-bilities, not just of known landscapes but places of otherness, wonder and delight.

Stefania Giamminuti asked at a symposium: ‘Do you have a space in your school where a child can see the drops of rain on the glass?’ That is a good question to ask as it is not about borrowing someone else’s ideas, furniture or equipment. It is about the very minutiae of an environment, an opportunity for learning that is found in a very unexpected place.

We simply need to begin to think beyond the ‘institution’ that we work in each day and to clean up our act! More thinking required…

Anthony: 18 January 2008 subject: A millimetre apart

I couldn’t agree more! After reading your email I rushed to my copy of Alain De Botton’s (2006) book The Architecture of Happiness to reread and I quote:

‘Aesthetes force us to consider whether happi-ness may not sometime turn on the presence or absence of a fingerprint, whether in certain situ-ations beauty and ugliness may not lie only a few millimetres apart, whether a single mark might not wreck a wall or an errant brush stroke undo a landscape painting.

‘We should thank these sensitive spirits for pointing us with theatrical honesty towards the possibility of a genuine antithesis between com-peting values: for example an attachment to beautiful architecture and the pursuit of an exu-berant and affectionate family life.’

On these pages: some of the unique playscapes at the innovative fuji Kindergarten by tezuka

Architects in tokyo, Japan

My experience in working in a range of chil-dren’s services alerts me to the importance of educators having access to quality environ-ments—where their teaching endeavours are well resourced and within an environment con-ducive to good teaching.

While I acknowledge the complexity in trying to define what makes a ‘good’ teaching environ-ment, I am not trying to argue that there is one environment which is ‘good’ and one which ‘is not’. What I am grappling with is the need to take time to consider our environments and how they are organised.

This treads a fine line in competing values, however your idea of a ‘dream’ speaks to me.

De Botton’s reminder of ‘beauty and ugli-ness may not lie only a few millimetres apart’ challenges me to think about how those small everyday practices, which may be evident in children’s programs walk ever so finely across that millimetre. For example, the placing of unloved, disused or lost property on top of children’s lockers, the peeling away of laminate table tops from their backing, the placement of lost children’s clothing in baskets at entrances.

Perhaps this is a middle class value about aes-thetics, or as De Botton names it, ‘competing values’. All children and adults have the right to beauty (however it may be defined), the right to well-resourced environments and the right to ‘visible signs of tenderness’.

Should we neglect this approach as part of our pedagogical endeavours, we may risk creating a hierarchy between those children who should

have access to such environments and those who should not—based on our own judgements of families, communities and life experiences.

Wendy 19 January 2008 subject: A question about values

I think you’ve expressed exactly what I’ve been struggling with over the years: the notion of values. Is a clean environment and well-main-tained furniture, resources and equipment only the privilege of a certain group or class? I believe it is not, although that excuse has been offered to me on various occasions.

As teachers are we not the transmitters of social values within a transformational curricu-lum? Do we not strive for equity for all children regardless of circumstances? Should we not model taking care of the environment?

Anthony: 19 January 2008 subject: visions of happiness

It’s late at night and I’ve just arrived home from presenting a professional learning program, but I couldn’t resist responding.

‘Transmitters of social values’—what an inter-esting concept to consider as educators.

We seem to have been caught up in the ‘eve-rydayness’ of work and overlooked the impor-

PHOTOgRAPHS:BOTTOMLEFT:KATSuHISAKIDA,ALLOTHERS:TEZuKAARCHITECTS


tance of the environment and the aesthetics of space and objects.

De Botton writes eloquently about messages that buildings transmit: ‘Buildings speak—and on topics which can readily be discerned. They speak of democracy or aristocracy, openness or arrogance, welcome or threat, a sympathy for the future or a hankering for the past.’

It’s timely that we critically review the mes-sages that environments transmit. The tradi-tional organisation of early childhood environ-ments, the institution, should be challenged. I believe that environments hold out for us an invitation to be specific kinds of people. They do have the ability to speak of ‘visions of happi-ness (De Botton).’

Wendy: 20 January 2008 subject: memories

I’ve just reread Lyndon and Moore’s Chambers for a Memory Palace (1994). There is a passage that captures what I’m trying to say about the need for care to be taken in making functional spaces inspirational places for young children:

‘Places are spaces that you can remember, that you can care about and make part of your life. Much of what is built now is too tepid to be remembered. The spaces with which we are surrounded are so seldom memorable that they mean little to us. We think it should be otherwise (I do too). That the world should be filled with places so vivid and distinct that they can carry significance.’

What makes a space memorable for children their families and for staff?

■ Thinking about environments should start at the gate and continue along the path up the entrance and then within.

■ The environment should:– have an air of freshness and serenity;– be clean, well maintained and organised

with no clutter or visual barriers;– reflect cultural elements that are important

to the community;– promote a sense of wellbeing, tranquility,

wonder and delight;– have places and spaces for moving between

experiences, for meeting and connecting, for networking and for contemplating or for simply being alone with one’s thoughts;

– reflect the choices made by children, their voices and their experiences;

– be filled with opportunities and invitations to engage;

Nurturingcreativity:theinvitingsettingofMiaMiaChildandFamilyStudy

Centre

PHOTOgRAPHS:JANETROBERTSON



– reflect the richness of the relationships that have developed over the years;

– respect and value childhood;– provide rich memories for life.

The environment should sing the song of the joy of teaching, the characteristics of the people who work and live in this space and their dreams for a landscape of possibilities.

It’s hard for me to remove the lyrical content from these ideas —I feel so passionately about environments.

Stefania Giamminuti’s view that aesthetics is the opposite of slovenliness and that beauty and culture have their place in early childhood and that it is our responsibility to build culture, and create a memory is worth considering.

She believes that a child’s world should be a world of the possible. What do you think?

Anthony 21 January 2008 subject: thinking differently

A recent conversation with Stefania reminded me of the subjective nature of aesthetics. We were discussing the architecture of two great cities, Sydney and Melbourne.

After some discussion and debate I had to acknowledge my bias towards the harbour city given my connection and history to it.

As such, I believe it is critical that educators

engage in a critical dialogue with their col-leagues. We all come to education with our own personal views, values and ‘truths’.

The challenge is to seek possibilities for chil-dren, acknowledging biases and preferences, and to critiquing the aesthetics we create.

This process of self-exploration can never be a totally neutral practice nor can it be totally inclusive given the diversity of our own values and thinking. Here within lies the challenge.

I’m not sure if I have an answer to this Wendy, but I do have a quote to provoke both our think-ing. Foucault (1985) reminds us:

‘There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.’

Anthony Semann is the director of Semann and Slattery www.semannslattery.com for the past 15 years, he has worked as an educator, innovator and advocate. he is well sought-after as a presenter, facilitator and public speaker.

Wendy Shepherd is the director mia mia Child and family Study Centre at the Institute of Early Childhood, macquarie university. She also works in the academic program of the Institute of Early Childhood in the management and Young Children and the Arts units. As an early childhood teacher, Wendy has experience teaching in early primary, preschool and currently as a long day care director.

maxine

mckew

The Hon. Maxine McKew made history by ousting former Primer Minister John Howard from his seat of Bennelong last November. Now she is getting on with her role as Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood Education and Child Care. Before entering politics, she worked as a journalist for more than 30 years—notably as a skilled political interviewer and anchor for ABC TV until her resignation from Lateline in 2006.


what does YouR Role as paRliamentaRY secRetaRY entail?MyroleinvolvescloseworkwithMinisterJuliagillardinimplementinganambitiousprogramforearlychildhoodlearning.SincetakingonthisroleIhavebeenattemptingtomeetwithallthekeystakeholdersandstateministers.TheearlylearningpolicyframeworkisbeingdriventhroughtheCouncilofAustraliangovernments(COAg)process—myroleistoensure,onbehalfoftheMinister,thatallourpoliciesinthiscriticalareaareworkedthroughinatimelymanner.

how do You feel about the state of eaRlY childhood education and childcaRe?Theimportantpointtomakeisthatacrossthecountrytherearesomeoutstandingexamplesandcentreswhereyoungchildrenarereceivingqualitycareandastimulating,enrichinglearningexperience.Butalso,around20percentofourchildrenhavenoexposuretopreschool.TheRuddgovernmentiscommittedtoprovidinguniversalaccesstoqualityaccreditedlearningforeveryfour-year-oldby2013.Thisisthebestwaytoensurethatchildrenareschool-ready.Weknowthatchildrenlearnmoreinthefirstfiveyearsthanatanyothercomparableperiod.Wewantallchildrentohavehappyandsuccessfulyearsatschool,andinordertoachievethis,wehavetostartearly.It’swhywesaytheeducationrevolutionbeginsbeforeschool,withfreshinvestmentinearlylearningopportunities.

what, if anYthing, did the howaRd goveRnment get Right with childcaRe?Thepreviousgovernmentbegantheworkofregularisingqualitystandardsforchildcare.TheRuddgovernmentwillberollingoutA-Estandardsforchildcareandanearlylearningframework.ThebigdifferenceliesinthefactthattheCommonwealthwillnolongerbeapassiveprovideroffundingbutinsteadwillbeamuchmoreactiveplayerintheearlylearningarea.TheRuddgovernmentwilldeterminequalitystandardsandastimulatinglearningsettingforallouryoungchildren.

how aRe You ReseaRching YouR poRtfolio?LongbeforeIenteredpolitics,IwasinspiredbytheworkandwritingsofProfessorFionaStanley.Shemakesacompellingcasethatonfartoomanymeasuresofchildren’shealthanddevelopment,thesocialgradientsareincreasing.Thisisasorryindictmentofaprosperouscountry.MorerecentlyI’vefamiliarisedmyselfwiththeresearchthathasbeendonebyKathyWalker,FrankOberklaidandAlisonElliott.Allofthemaredrivenbywhatthescienceistellingus.Researchintoearlybraindevelopmentsuggeststhattheenvironmenttowhichayoungchildisexposedintheearlyyearsinfluencestheanatomyandphysiologyoftheimmaturebrainandhelpsprogramthedevelopmentofneuralcircuits.Theymakethefurtherpointthatifweinvestintheearlyyears,witharangeofeffectiveprogramsaroundfamilysupportandqualitylearning,thenwe

candoagreatdealtooffsettheeffectsofadverseearlyexperiences.

which alp policY pRomises about eaRlY education will be implemented fiRst?Allofourelectioncommitmentswillbehonoured.FromJuly1thisyear,thechildcarerebatewillincreasefrom30percentto50percentandthefirstofthenewquarterlypaymentswillbedeliveredfromOctober.Wehavealreadymovedonthefurtherroll-outoftheimportantAustralianEarlyDevelopmentIndexandhaveestablishedanOfficeofEarlyChildhoodEducationandChildCare.Weareworkingnowonthetimetableanddeliverymechanismfortherolloutofour260earlylearningcentres,universalaccesstopreschoolforallfouryearolds,theA-Estandardsandanearlylearningframework.

what would be YouR optimum eaRlY child-hood education and caRe sYstem?ThatchildrenacrossAustralia,nomatterthecircumstancesoftheirbirth,growuphealthy,happyandeagertolearn.Thisstartswithahealthypregnancy,andtheoptimallearningandgrowthenvironmentforchildrenandtheirparents.Thisissomethingthatshouldgalvanizeallofus—parents,communitygroups,localcouncilsandallgovernmentagencies.Wewillnotbetheluckycountryuntilwegetthisright.

pRime ministeR kevin Rudd has Resolved to have eveRY indigenous fouR-YeaR-old in eaRlY childhood education. how do You implement such a majoR undeRtaking?Itisamajorundertakingandacriticalone.AnIndigenouschildinaremotecommunityhasthesamerightsasanychildlivinginthesuburbsofnorthernSydney.TheRuddLaborgovernmenthasmadeaprecisecommitment—preschoolavailabilityforIndigenousfour-year-olds.Wearelookingatdifferentmodelsandtherearemanyoutstandingexamplesoperatingrightnow.FionaStanley,forinstance,citestheexampleoflocaleducatorsandtheworktheyaredoingwithchildrenintheKimberley.TheC&KgroupinQueenslandalsoprovidesanexcellentserviceinareasinCapeYork.Ourchallengeistothinkoutsidethebox—todrawonthegoodworkthatisalreadybeingdone,buttousetheimmenseresourcesoftheCommonwealthtoworktowardsredressingtheimbalanceforthosewhoaremissingout.

do You miss anYthing about YouR foRmeR life as a jouRnalist?No.IwasreadyforchangeandI’mnotfrightenedofchange.Infact,Iembraceit.Ihad30marvellousyearsasajournalistandworkedinmanydifferentfieldsandplaces.ButIgottoapointinmylifewhereIwasdrawntoplayingadifferentroleinpubliclife.TakingonthechallengeofthefightinBennelongwasthebiggestundertakingofmyentirelife.Butitpaidoff.NowIhavetodeliverforthepeopleIrepresentandforworkingfamiliesacrossthecountry.

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mckew PHOTOgRAPH:COuRTESYOFLORRIEgRAHAM


BookwormBookworm is rattler’s literary roundup,

where Katie Sutherland previews what’s new on the shelves—resources for you

and storytime books for all ages.

guess what?By mem fox Illustrated by vivienne goodmanpublished by scholastic Cost: $24.99DaisyO’gradyisaneccentricoldladywithapenchantforanimals,broomsticksandpunk-rockbands.Issheacursingcacklingcrankyold

witch?You’llhavetoguess,asMemFoxdemonstratesheruncannyknackofengagingchildrenandreadersalike.

Originallypublishedin1988,guessWhat?hasbeenrepublishedforanewgenerationtoenjoy.Thehighly-detailedillustrationsarefullofsurprisesandwillstrikeachordwithnostalgicadults.TheyhaveadistinctlyAustralianflavourandrevealallmanneroficons—fromKeen’s

mustardtoSpecialK.

Theremightbeabitofexplainingtodoaroundsomeofthepictures,forexampleDaisy’swallmountedanimalheads,butthiswilljustaddtotheinteractivefunandintrigue.

naturally: the outdoor playspace for children birth to five yearsedited by sue elliotpublished by pademelon pressCost: $89.95Intheirintroduction,SueElliotandJulieDavisrevealthatthispublicationislargelyinresponsetotheemergenceofsyntheticandgenericoutdoorplayspacesinearlychildhoodcentresinAustralia.

Theyexpresstheirdismaythat:‘Inacountrywheretheoutdoorlifestyleofbushandbeachisiconic,itisaparadoxthatthenextgenerationisincreasinglycoopedupindoorsorplayingin…placeswherethereisnotatreetoclimb,acicadanymphshelltodiscoveroramudpietobemoulded.’

Assuch,theyhaveteamedtogetherwithagroupofwell-respectedauthorscommittedtoimprovingchildren’soutdoorplayspaces—andsubsequentlytheirhealth,wellbeingandconnectionswithnature—aswellaspromotingeducationforsustainability.

Thepricedoesseemexpensiveforapaperback,butthe224-pagebookisfull-colourandatreasuretroveofideasforanyoneinvolvedinearlychildhoodservices.It’spackedwithbeautifulbigphotographsandcasestudiesfromsettingsaroundAustralia.

kids count: better early childhood education and care in australia edited by elizabeth hill, Barbara pocock and Alison elliott published by sydney university press Cost: $39.95

Thisisanimportantbookthatusesstatisticalevidencetoclearlyspelloutwhereimprovementisneededinearlychildhoodeducationandcare.

Aselectionofthecountry’sleadingearlychildhoodresearchers,teachers,advocatesandsocialpolicyexpertstalkatlengthaboutissuessuchasthevalueofcommunity-basedovercorporatisedchildcare;cortisolstudies;costandsubsidies;regulationandqualityofcare.

AchapterontheSwedishearlychildhoodmodelandaproposedsetofpolicyprinciplesmakeiteasytoseeexactlywhatanidealsystemwouldlooklike.

WiththeelectionofaLaborgovernment,thistimelyandthoroughly-researchedpublicationwillhopefullybeusedtoinfluencepolicyandbringonmuch-neededchange.

imagination and play in the electronic age By Dorothy g. singer & Jerome L. singer published by harvard university press Cost: $39.95

There’snodenyingthattelevision,computersandvideogamesplayahugeroleinchildren’slivestoday.Whatisn’tknownistheeffectthesemediumshaveoncreativityandimagination.

Whilethisbookdoesgointodetailaboutthetoxicityofviolentimagesintechnology,italsopromotessomedistinctpositivesoftheelectronicage.

DorothyandJeromeSinger,bothprofessorsinthePsychologyDepartmentatYaleuniversity,arguethatsomescreentimecanenrichchildren’screativity,empathyandimagination,andcanevenpromoteschoolreadiness.

Whilethebookdedicatesmanypagestotheroleofplayinearlylearning,itwillstillprovidenewandinterestingmaterialtoearlychildhoodpractitioners.AndalthoughwrittenwithAmericanovertones,thecontentisstillveryrelevanttoanAustralianaudience.

most of these books are available from the book garden (02) 9634 2558, or check

with your local bookstore.

Community Child Care Co-operative

Ltd. (NSW)

ResouRces and adviceCommunity Child Care Co-operative Ltd (NSW) provides advice and up-to-date information for committee members, staff and families. Please call us to discuss issues, concerns or ideas about the operation or management of your service.

consultancYWe offer personalised consulting on all aspects of management and early childhood services operations. We will identify solutions by working with you to formulate a plan of action.

tRaining and customised pRofessional developmentCommunity Child Care Co-operative Ltd (NSW) offers training sessions through Children’s Services Central (see calendar at www.cscentral.org.au) and can provide customised training sessions at your service. We also offer a wide range of accredited training. Please see our website or call us to discuss.

advocacYCommunity Child Care is the peak organisation in NSW representing community based children’s services. We have a variety of campaigns running at all times to ensure children and families in NSW can access affordable, high quality early childhood services.

for more information, call us on: 8922 6444Or go to our website: www.ccccnsw.org.au

Providing collaborative leadership in the creation of a child-focused community

statement of apology and commitment to

aboriginal and torres strait islander people

statement of apology and commitment to

aboriginal and torres strait islander people

community child care co-operative ltd. (nsW) acknowledges the loss of family, cultural identity, land, language and community of aboriginal and torres strait islander people through the policies and practices of australian governments, organisations and people.

We unreservedly apologise for the ongoing suffering and loss that these policies and practices have caused to aboriginal and torres strait islander children, parents, families and communities.

Community Child Care Co-operative Ltd. (NSW)26 May, 1998

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community child care co-op ra issue 85, autumn 2008ttler · school hall come full circle. ... email...

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