Edition 2, 2017QKindyand early childhood

4 Elders make a difference

10 Sally and Possum are back

14 It’s census time again

A thousand reasons to make the early

years countRead more on page 18

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QKindy and early childhood 3

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The Department of Education and Training is committed to providing inclusive early childhood programs.

We know early childhood education is vital to the positive development of our children.

We have continued our focus on supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged families, so all children have the best start to their education.

Recently, the department launched the $10.56 million Pathways for Early Learning and Development (PELD) program, following the successful pilot program.

This program focuses on children’s development and addresses family needs like poverty, housing, domestic and family violence and mental health issues, supporting vulnerable children to participate in kindy and successfully transition to school.

We are focused on improving the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and providing these families with greater access to early education and health care.

We are committed to increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kindergarten participation in

Queensland to at least 95 per cent by 2018, up from 93.1 per cent in 2016.

That’s why in August, the $1.5 million Deadly Kindies campaign was launched at C&K Koobara Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Kindergarten in Zillmere.

Deadly Kindies will encourage families to register interest in kindy at early health checks and families will receive the necessary support and information they need to go ahead and enrol (read more on page 7).

Our wonderful Elders as Storytellers ads and videos encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families to enrol their children in kindergarten.

These Elders share the importance of kindy and encourage families to take an active role in their children’s early learning (read more on page 4).

In July, playgroup families celebrated the Play Stars initiative’s first birthday with cake and lots of laughs (read more on page 13).

This year, a new transition statement consent form was introduced, making it easier for parents and carers to share their child’s kindy transition statement with their new school.

The consent form will increase the number of transition statements that schools receive as they prepare to welcome each child and plan for their ongoing learning development (read more on page 9).

We had a record number of kindy children take part in the Premier’s Reading Challenge this year with 12,000 children reading 56,234 books.

The department will continue to deliver programs to ensure all Queensland children have access to quality early education.

Jim Watterston Director-General Education and Training

WelcomeWelcome to our Summer 2017 edition of QKindy and early childhood magazine.

3 Welcome

Access initiatives

4 Elders make a difference

7 Deadly Kindies gains a new recruit

Quality programs

8 Active partners in learning

10 Sally and Possum are back

12 A place for every family

13 Happy birthday Play Stars

Educators

14 It’s census time again

Learning at home

16 Venture beyond the words

17 Developing fine motor skills with playdough

18 A thousand reasons to make the early years count

17 Developing fine motor skills

13 Happy birthday Play Stars7 Deadly Kindies gains a new recruit

Cover photo by Gilimbaa

INCLUDES PLAYDOUGH RECIPE

4 Access initiatives QKindy and early childhood

Elders make a differenceSix Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders and community members

are drawing attention to the powerful role ancestors, Elders, families and early childhood educators play in children’s early development.

Uncle Billy Thaiday

Uncle Billy Thaiday is a Torres Strait Islander Elder from Iama Island in the Torres Strait. Uncle Billy’s theory is families are first teachers and we must work together to instil education and culture in early years learning, especially for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

‘The Elders are the keepers of knowledge. We have to pass the message on about our culture.’

Sharron Lindh

Proud Wiradyuri Gamilaraay woman, Sharron “Mirii” Lindh is passionate about cultural education and wellbeing for children, families and educators. Along with 27 years’ experience in early childhood and primary sectors, Sharron’s life experiences enable her to share her unique culture to provide better educational outcomes for all.

‘Together, we can create a new dreaming story for our little ones and help them discover their own song, their own story, their own dance.’

Aunty Maureen

Aunty Maureen Mossman is a descendent of the Guggandji people of Yarrabah and an Elder in her community of Cairns. Having grown up in a time when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people fought for the right to be seen and heard, Aunty Maureen believes early childhood education is the basic foundation for giving children a better chance in life.

‘I would say go, go and find out what the kindergarten or playgroup has to offer.’

QKindy and early childhood Access initiatives 5

Walk with us and hear stories from communities, families and Elders at www.qld.gov.au/biglearninglife

Suzanne Thompson

Suzanne Thompson was born and raised in Barcaldine. Working with local community members, Suzanne facilitated the creation of the artwork Ngana Waguna Woori Mumba, meaning ‘we grow children together’ in the Alice River language of the Inigai country. The artwork shows how children and elder generations continue to learn and grow together throughout the early years.

‘We all are involved in that growth and that learning and sharing, of bringing our young ones through because they’re our future leaders.’

Aunty Jenny Wyles

Aunty Jenny Wyles is an Elder from the Bindal people’s traditional owners and the Birrigubba Nation. Aunty Jenny says education is the key for success, and to close the gap between non-Indigenous and Indigenous people in this country we must instil education and pride into our children during their early years.

‘Our families are our first teachers. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what communities you are; your home, your parents, your grandparents are first teachers.’

Aunty Ruby Rose

Aunty Ruby Rose is a Mununjali and Wangerriburra Elder who lives in the Scenic Rim region of South East Queensland. Aunty Ruby Rose is passionate about creating places of “belonging” for young children where Elders can mentor and teach stories about our ancient landscape.

‘We walk alongside our jahjums (little ones) and share the journey with them. That way, all our children will enjoy their lifelong learning and have a future of shared tomorrows.’

Children develop a strong sense of self and cultural identity when Elders and elder generations pass down knowledge, language and a connection to culture, country and community.

Meet the Elders who are sharing their stories as part of the department’s Elders as Storytellers social marketing campaign, aimed at increasing the number of children participating in playgroup and kindy.

Photography credit: Smoke Creative

6 Access initiatives QKindy and early childhood Photography credit: Smoke Creative

QKindy and early childhood Access initiatives 7

Just a day after his final State of Origin series, Johnathan Thurston took his biggest sidestep yet and set his sights on promoting education and health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Prepped, ready and passionate about change, Thurston, a Deadly Kindies ambassador, has been working with the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH) and the Queensland Department of Education and Training to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children as they move into kindy.

‘I’m a dad to three little ones and I know just how important kindy is,’ Thurston said.

‘I’m in a position where I can make a change and it’s something I’m really passionate about.’

The Deadly Kindies program provides children in South East Queensland with access to free, pre-kindy health checks at their local Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS), to ensure they receive the right health care and support for a successful start to kindy.

As part of the program, three- and four-year-olds, who have their age-appropriate health check at an AMS and register

their interest in kindy, will receive a Kindy Kit which contains a kindy backpack, shirt, hat, lunch box, drink bottle, library bag, sheets and blanket.

IUIH Chief Executive Officer Adrian Carson said getting kids prepared for and engaged in education directly impacted their health and wellbeing, their families and future generations.

‘While the Kindy Kits give kids the items they need for kindy, making sure our kids are kindy-ready also relies on providing them with access to a range of services like speech therapy, audiology and eye health checks,’ he said.

‘These services help our little ones to participate in kindy and develop the skills they will need when they go to school.’

‘It means more kids will be up to date with their health checks, more kids will be able to access the health services they need, and more kids will be enrolling in kindy.’

To find a clinic and book your child in for a pre-kindy health check, visit www.deadlykindies.com.au

To find out more about kindy in Queensland, contact the Queensland Government on telephone 13 74 68 or visit www.qld.gov.au/earlyyearscount (search for “kindy”).

Deadly Kindies gains a new recruit

Photography credit: Peter Waddington Photography

8 Quality programs QKindy and early childhood

Young children ask a lot of questions because they are curious and fascinated by the world around them and have a strong desire to understand their surroundings.

By listening and answering your child’s questions you are encouraging their enthusiasm for knowledge and learning.

By the time children start school they’ve developed interests and strengths after years of learning at home, kindy and in the community.

Prep teachers at Walkerston State School are ensuring students retain their curiosity and love of learning well into their schooling by building on these interests and strengths.

Teachers encourage families to remain involved in their child’s learning at school and use a range and balance of age-appropriate teaching practices, known as pedagogies.

Age-appropriate pedagogy (AAP) is interactive; children shape their learning experiences with their teacher and become more involved or engaged in learning.

For example, if a child is curious about stick insects, the teacher will make connections to the Australian Curriculum to explore this interest.

The class might keep stick insects in a special classroom enclosure and use inquiry learning to think about how the

environment affects living things. The children are actively engaged in the learning.

Prep teacher Sharon Lovatt said because families knew so much about their children it was beneficial for them to get involved at school and in the school community.

‘When we invite families into their child’s learning at school, we get a better insight into the child’s strengths and interests, which allows us to better engage children in learning,’ Mrs Lovatt said.

‘We learn more about the customs, cultures and languages that make up our school community and the families learn more about the curriculum and how children learn; they become our partners in their child’s education.

‘By using age-appropriate pedagogies and incorporating the children’s interests and culture, the learning becomes more relevant and meaningful, and children are more engaged and motivated to learn.

‘AAPs are changing the way we look at curriculum and teaching and learning, and we are noticing a real improvement in students’ outcomes, academically and socially.’

Principal Jamie Feeney said the school held an event at the end of each term so the students could show their parents what they had learnt, and how they had learnt, at school.

As a parent, your child has probably asked you “why” more times than you can count. Why is the sky blue? Why do we sneeze? Why do trees have leaves? Why do birds lay eggs?

Active partners in learning

9QKindy and early childhood Quality programs

‘Last term, the children invited families to their art gallery where they showcased their learning in visual arts, English, geography and history,’ Mr Feeney said.

‘We also used the art gallery as an opportunity to invite the community to learn more about Prep at Walkerston, as part of our transition-to-school program.

‘Instead of a presentation to the community from me or staff members, our children spoke to families about their experiences in Prep.’

Supporting successful transitions

Mr Feeney said the interactive nature of age-appropriate pedagogies supported children at Walkerston State School as they transitioned from home or kindy to school.

‘The active learning better enables the children to engage with the curriculum from the very first day,’ he said.

Mum Jena-Rose Millar said the school’s use of age-appropriate pedagogies helped her daughter Ngaire’s transition to school.

‘I was worried about Ngaire moving from play-based learning at kindy to sitting at a desk at school because she’s a hands-on learner,’ Ms Millar said.

‘But this program allows her to actively get involved, and incorporates her learning interests.

‘It makes me feel more comfortable knowing where Ngaire is at in her learning and what she’s doing at school.’

Transition statements

Prep teachers use transition statements to support children moving from kindy to Prep.

Towards the end of the kindy year, teachers develop transition statements with contribution from parents and carers and children.

The statement contains information about learning and development, and includes suggestions to support continued learning.

At the beginning of each year, Mrs Lovatt uses the transition statements in conversations with parents as a starting point for getting to know the students in her class.

‘The transition statements help us to get to know the children’s interests and support them as they settle into their new environment as well as making early planning decisions,’ she said.

‘We look at the information about each child’s social and emotional development, and the information provided by parents about their child’s interests and motivations is usually very helpful.’

Mrs Lovatt said the Queensland Government’s introduction of the transition statement parent/carer consent form would make it a lot easier for parents and kindies to share more statements with schools.

‘With the new consent forms, parents won’t have to remember to bring their statement to school.

‘The kindy will be able to send them directly to us before the children start school which will make it a lot easier for us to begin planning for a confident start .

‘Hopefully this will result in us receiving a greater number of statements and enable us to more effectively support children and families.’

To find out more about age-appropriate pedagogies, visit www.det.qld.gov.au/ageappropriatepedagogies

To find out more about transition statements and the transition to school, visit www.qld.gov.au/transitiontoschool

Photography credit: C2 Images

Join Sally and Possum and their new friend Skip for more fun-filled adventures exploring science, technology, mathematics and engineering, using Auslan (Australian Sign Language).

Watch the new season of Sally and Possum on ABC KIDS or visit www.sallyandpossum.edu.au

are backare back

Photography credit: Khemistry Pty Ltd

vv

Sometimes a little time out is the best way to deal with what’s happening in your life.

Whether your young family is doing it tough, has a new baby, has moved towns or interstate, or just wants a fun space to be together and play, there’s a welcoming and relaxed place you can go.

One-stop shops, known as Early Years Places, offer families a mix of early childhood activities and support including playgroups, maternity services, child health services and parenting programs.

Parent Michael Jacobs said his local Early Years Place in Kingston East, in Logan City, had welcoming staff who made his family feel safe, comfortable and supported.

‘When our third child was born it was a tough time for my family,’ Mr Jacobs said.

‘From the moment we walked into the Early Years Place we felt comfortable.’

Mr Jacobs said he had completed parenting courses at the Kingston East service which had benefited his family.

‘There are some great techniques out there and once you know them things just click.

‘We are not perfect and it was great to know that’s okay.’

Kingston East is one of more than 50 Early Years Places across Queensland.

Each Early Years Place offers a mix of services tailored to each community and delivered by experienced staff including educators, health professionals and family support workers.

‘The staff have contacts with other providers so if there was anything we needed which they couldn’t provide, they’d link us to what we were looking for,’ Mr Jacobs said.

‘The playgroup was great for the kids because they were surrounded by other families.

‘I have watched my children learn and grow.

‘The early learning classes and playgroup have been great for their development.’

Discover what’s available for your family, visit www.qld.gov.au/earlyyearscount (search for “Early Years Place”).

A place for every family

Quality programs QKindy and early childhood 12

Photography credit: Jason Henry

vv

After many firsts and growth spurts, the Play Stars initiative turned one this year and the milestone was marked with a pop-up playgroup, complete with birthday cake.

Brisbane mother Jen Hutchinson said she had signed up to Play Stars with her son Hendrix when he was five-months old and enjoyed watching him grow and develop over the year.

‘Since becoming a Play Star, Hendrix has become very social and loves to interact with other children and adults,’ Ms Hutchinson said.

‘He loves music and isn’t afraid to show off his dance moves.

‘It has helped him become more outgoing.’

Ms Hutchinson said she had also signed up her second child, five-month-old daughter, Niyah Joy, in September this year.

‘We all get to play games together and bond, and chat with other parents and bubs,’ she said.

‘Being a part of this little community has been great for our whole family.’

Playgroup Queensland Chief Executive Officer Stephen Alderman said Play Stars families could create social connections and support networks, which was especially beneficial for new parents and carers.

‘Joining a playgroup is a great way to spend some one-on-one time with your child, as well as an opportunity to meet other parents and share experiences,’ he said.

‘No two playgroups are the same, which helps families find the right group for them.

‘Whether you are a mum, dad, carer, grandparent or family member, everyone is welcome at playgroup.’

If your child is under 12-months old, redeem your free membership and sign on to be a Play Star.

Find out more at www.playgroupqld.com.au (search for ‘Play Stars’) or phone 1800 171 882.

On a sunny morning in August dozens of crawling and toddling, happy little play stars gathered to mark a special occasion for their group.

Happy birthday Play Stars

QKindy and early childhood Quality programs 13

14 Educators QKindy and early childhood

It’s census time againEvery experience and relationship a child has from when they are born to when they start school strongly affects their future development.

So it’s vital that parents and families have the right kinds of services, resources and support for their children during these early years.

Schools, communities and governments use data collected in Prep classrooms across Australia every three years to pinpoint the right mix of services, resources and support for their local families and children.

This information that teachers collect as part of the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) forms a community-based snapshot of how children have developed across five areas, known as domains.

The five domains include physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills, and communication and general knowledge.

Yarrabah State School teacher Amanda Fourmile has taken part in the AEDC since the first collection in 2009 and said the data gave teachers a broader understanding of the community and the needs of students in the area.

‘At a school level, the AEDC data gives us a good idea of the children’s capabilities, and the global skill sets students bring with them when they start school,’ Mrs Fourmile said.

‘At a community level, it provides opportunities for various organisations to plan to address the longer-term needs of the community and give local children the best possible start.’

Mrs Fourmile said school staff, Yarrabah community members and organisations met regularly to discuss how to use the data to support children’s success in learning.

‘We formed an Early Childhood Coalition with staff from kindy, Prep, Mission Australia, Yarrabah Day Care, and the Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service,’ she said.

‘Together we reviewed the AEDC data to develop a team plan tailored to support the children in our community.

‘Working with Yarrabah organisations helps the school to make community connections, support successful transitions and involve community members in the school.’

The group is preparing for the fourth national collection, which will take place in schools across Queensland from May to July 2018.

QKindy and early childhood Educators 15

‘The team gets together before the census data is collected and discusses ways to collect the information,’ Mrs Fourmile said.

Mrs Fourmile said the census didn’t take long for teachers to complete because they had a good understanding of the students and community.

‘We are fortunate in Yarrabah as we invite kindy children to the school every week in Term 4 for an afternoon session,’ she said.

‘This has enabled us to have a stronger relationship with our students and knowledge of their abilities and needs.’

‘Kindy and Prep staff work together regularly and their knowledge of the students and community has been essential.’

To find out more about the AEDC, visit www.det.qld.gov.au/aedc or www.aedc.gov.au

Physical health and wellbeing

Social competence Emotional maturity Language and cognitive skills

Communication skills and general knowledge

Australian Early Development Census domains

Photography credit: Blueclick Photography

16 Learning at home QKindy and early childhood

Maybe one Saturday you had a picnic just like The Very Hungry Caterpillar but instead of eating chocolate cake, ice cream, pickles, Swiss cheese, lollipops and cherry pie, you shared salami sandwiches and a slice of watermelon.

Recent research shows that when reading with a child, using this same concept of linking book characters and plots with what happens in “real” life significantly benefits their literacy and brain development.

Researcher Sarah Nilsen made the findings as part of her honours degree focusing on early childhood literacy development, which is important for school readiness.

Ms Nilsen said that while parents and carers used a range of strategies when reading with their children, connecting books with a child’s experiences was the best way to involve them in stories, encourage a lifelong passion for reading and strengthen parent-child relationships.

‘When parents go beyond the text and actively link the book to their child’s real-life experiences, they’re showing the child how to make meaning of a text and are letting them observe reading strategies used by a more experienced learner,’ she said.

‘Anything can be linked to a book, such as relationships the

child has with family and friends, their pets, animals they’ve seen, places they’ve visited, the weather and coming events such as a birthday party’.

‘Reading stories with your child stimulates their imagination and helps them learn about the world around them, as well as different sounds, words and language.’

Ms Nilsen said helping children to become familiar with books from birth to age five was one of the most important activities families could do to boost their child’s future ability to read and write.

‘The first chapter of a child’s life is a significant time to develop reading and communication skills,’ she said.

‘For parents and carers, the most important thing is just being with their child and building that bond through reading’.

‘By building a secure relationship with children when sharing stories and books, the child will associate reading and learning with a positive, pleasurable experience.’

To find out more about Sarah Nilsen’s study, email her at sarah.nilsen@griffithuni.edu.au

For information about reading with your child, visit www.qld.gov.au/earlyyearscount (search for “reading”).

Has your little one ever pointed out a hairy dog in your neighbourhood and commented that it looks like Hairy Maclary or one that’s as big as a horse like Hercules Morse?

Venture beyond the words

Photography credit: Jason Henry

QKindy and early childhood Learning at home 17

Fine motor skills refer to the movement and control of small muscle groups, including hands, wrists, fingers, feet and toes.

As babies play and explore by moving their hands and feet, they are developing fine motor strength, coordination and control.

They learn about their world through what they see, feel and touch, including exposure to a range of textures.

Bath time for example, is a great time to play using sponges and hand washers for squeezing, cups to fill and empty, and floating toys to reach for and catch.

Playing with playdough is also a fun way for children to experiment and build fine motor skills as they squeeze, poke, pound and roll the dough.

Young children find experimenting with playdough emotionally and physically satisfying.

It is also rich with possibilities for parents and carers to support children’s language development as they talk about the smell and feel of the dough and about children’s creations.

Try making playdough with your child using this recipe and have fun moulding and playing with your creations together.

Developing fine motor skills with playdough

Cooked playdough recipe

What you need:

• 1 cup of flour• ½ cup of salt• 1 cup of water• 1 teaspoon cooking oil• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar• food colouring

What to do:

1 Mix flour and water to a paste.2 Add salt and cream of tartar.3 Stir over medium heat until thick.4 When cool, add oil and colouring.5 Knead until smooth.

Cooked dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two months.

Want to make uncooked playdough instead? Find the recipe and other fine motor activities at www.qld.gov.au/earlyyearscount (search for “playdough” or “fine motor”).

Learning at home QKindy and early childhood18

Experiences with parents, family and other people in a child’s first thousand days have a lasting impact on brain development.

From before birth to their second birthday, a child’s brain is a powerhouse of activity; taking in sounds, sensations, social cues and more.

In the first three years, a child’s brain will grow from approximately 25 per cent to between 80 and 90 per cent of an adult brain.

With each new experience a child is exposed to, their brain cells make neural connections, known as synapses.

As synapses are stimulated over and over by environmental experiences, they become “hardwired”, laying the foundations for future knowledge and skills development.

They must be strong to support further growth in later years.

During this time, building strong and supportive relationships with your child will have a lasting impact on their wellbeing and a positive impact on lifelong learning potential.

The good news is, the things you do out of instinct and the moments you love to share with your child help their brain to develop.

A look, smile, conversation or cuddle; each moment with you makes a difference.

Moments with you count

Every child is unique.

By responding to, playing with and interacting with your child from day one, you are supporting early brain development and stimulating learning and memory circuits.

At each stage of a child’s development,

different activities and experiences unlock new developmental opportunities as a result of chemicals released in the brain.

Close relationships and time spent with parents, family members and other people in a child’s life are all early learning opportunities.

When your baby sees you smile, the brain releases chemicals in their body that make them feel safe and stimulate brain development.

Reacting to your baby’s babble, mimicking their sounds and actions, and talking to them helps them to feel safe and loved.

Doing this also helps them to learn the sounds of language and understand two-way communication, building the foundations for language development.

To find more ways to make the early years count, visit www.qld.gov.au/earlyyearscount

A lot can happen in a thousand days.

A thousand reasons to make the early years count

Photography credit: Gilimbaa

QKindy and early childhood Learning at home 19

3-5 years

3 years

6-9 months

2-6 months

Ante-natal

Play Care Talk & listen Read & count Encouragewww.qld.gov.au/earlyyearscount

Brain timeline6-9 months

By nine months your child’s brain can form connections between what they see, hear, feel and taste. Key learning opportunities for early

development are provided through interactions with parents and close family members.

2-6 monthsYour baby’s brain is developing as a result of the experiences

and relationships they are exposed to each day.

3 yearsBy three years of age a child’s brain has around 1000 trillion brain connections (synapses).

3-5yearsBy school, a child’s brain

development is built upon the now solid foundation created in

the first five years.

Ante-natalYour child’s brain has

already started developing.

All five senses begin to function before birth.

Contact usTelephone

Early childhood information service: 13 QGOV (13 7468)

For information about early childhood education and care in Queensland, including finding a quality learning program and the right service for your family’s needs.

*Calls from mobiles charged at applicable rates.

Postal address

Early Childhood Education and CareDepartment of Education and TrainingPO Box 15033CITY EAST QLD 4002

Online

Email: ecec@det.qld.gov.au

Please include your enquiry and contact phone number in your email.

The Early Years Count website: www.qld.gov.au/earlyyearscount

For information to support your child’s early learning and development with activities and games for the home as well as information on quality early childhood services and programs.

Facebook: @TheEarlyYearsCount

Join the community for regular updates.

Early Childhood Education and Care website: www.earlychildhood.qld.gov.au

For the latest news on early childhood education and care in Queensland.

Universal access to early childhood education is a national initiative being implemented by the Queensland Government in partnership with the Australian Government. QKindy and early childhood is proudly funded and supported by the Queensland and Australian governments. Information in this magazine is correct at the time of publication.

Photography credit: Jason Henry