tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/early-childhood-learning-9686/articlesEarly childhood learning – The Conversation2023-12-26T17:15:34Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2172472023-12-26T17:15:34Z2023-12-26T17:15:34ZHow counting by 10 helps children learn about the meaning of numbers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564574/original/file-20231208-15-3eojg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C242%2C4383%2C3017&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Using concrete tools or objects matters for fostering mathematical development – but how can children best learn to count by 10?
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<p>When children start school, they learn how to recite their numbers (“one, two, three…”) and how to write them (1, 2, 3…). Learning about what those numbers mean is even more challenging, and this becomes trickier yet when numbers have more than one digit — such as 42 and 608. </p>
<p>It turns out that the meaning of such “multidigit” numbers cannot be gleaned from simply looking at them or by performing calculations with them. Our number system has many hidden meanings that are not transparent, making it <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001145">difficult for children</a> to comprehend it. </p>
<p>In collaboration with elementary teachers, the Mathematics Teaching and Learning Lab at <a href="https://www.concordia.ca/">Concordia University</a> explores tools that can support young children’s understanding of multidigit numbers.</p>
<p>We investigate the impact of using concrete objects (like bundling straws into groups of 10). We also investigate the use of visual tools, such as number lines and charts, or words to represent numbers (the word for 40 is “forty”) and written notation (for example, 42). </p>
<p>Our recent research examined whether the “hundreds chart” — 10 by 10 grids containing numbers from one to 100, with each row in the chart containing numbers in groups of 10 — could be useful for teaching children about counting by 10, something foundational for understanding how numbers work. </p>
<h2>What’s in a number?</h2>
<p>Most adults know that the placement of the “4” and “2” in 42 means four tens and two ones, respectively. </p>
<p>But when young children start learning about numbers, they do not naturally see 10s and ones in a number like 42. They think the number represents 42 things counted from one to 42 without distinguishing between the meaning of the digits “4” and “2.” Over time, through counting and other activities, children see the four as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1053451221994827">collection of 40 ones</a>. </p>
<p>This realization is not sufficient, however, for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.12258">learning more advanced topics</a> in math. </p>
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<p>An important next step is to see that 42 is made up of four distinct groups of 10 and two ones, and that the four 10s can be counted as if they were ones (for example, 42 is one, two, three, four 10s and one, two, “ones”). </p>
<p>Ultimately, one of the most challenging aspects of understanding numbers is that groups of ten and ones are <a href="https://doi.org/10.17226/12519">different kinds of units</a>. </p>
<h2>Numbers can be arranged in different ways</h2>
<p>The numbers in hundreds charts can be arranged in different ways. A top-down hundreds chart has the digit “1” in the top-left corner and 100 in the bottom-right corner. </p>
<p>The numbers increase by 10 moving downward one row at a time, like going from 24 to 34 using one hop down, for instance. A second type of chart is the “bottom-up” chart, which has the numbers increasing in the opposite direction. </p>
<h2>Counting by 10s</h2>
<p>Children can move from one number to another in the chart to <a href="https://doi.org/10.5951/teacchilmath.24.3.00e1">solve problems</a>. Considering 24 + 20, for example, children could start on 24 and move 20 spaces to land on 44. </p>
<p>Another way would be to move up (or down, depending on the chart) two rows (for example, counting “one,” “two”) until they land on 44. This second method shows a developing understanding of multidigit numbers being composed of distinct groups of 10, which is critical for an advanced knowledge of the number system. </p>
<p>For her master’s research at Concordia University, Vera Wagner, one of the authors of this story, thought children might find it more intuitive to solve problems with the bottom-up chart, where the numbers get larger with upward movement. </p>
<p>After all, plants grow taller and liquid rises in a glass as it is filled. Because of such <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/tops.12278">familiar experiences</a>, she thought children would move by tens more frequently in the bottom-up chart than in the top-down chart. </p>
<h2>Study with kindergarteners, Grade 1 students</h2>
<p>To examine this hypothesis, we worked with 47 kindergarten and first grade students in Canada and the United States. All the children but one spoke English at home. In addition to English, 14 also spoke French, four spoke Spanish, one spoke Russian, one spoke Arabic, one spoke Mandarin and one communicated to some extent in ASL at home. </p>
<p>We assigned all child participants in the study an online version of <a href="http://mathchart.ca/chart.html#nt">either a top-down</a> or <a href="https://mathchart.ca/chart.html#reversednt">bottom-up</a> hundreds chart, programmed by research assistant André Loiselle, to solve arithmetic word problems. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.12593">What we found surprised us</a>: children counted by tens more often with the top-down chart than the bottom-up one. This was the exact opposite of what we thought they might do!</p>
<p>This finding suggests that the top-down chart fosters children’s counting by tens as if they were ones (that is, up or down one row at a time), an important step in their mathematical development. Children using the bottom-up chart were more likely to confuse the digits and move in the wrong direction. </p>
<h2>Tools can impact learning</h2>
<p>Our research suggests that the types of tools used in the math classroom can impact children’s learning in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2008.03.005">different ways</a>. </p>
<p>One advantage of the top-down chart could be the corresponding left-to-right and downward movement that matches the direction in which children learn to read in English and French, the official languages of instruction in the schools in our study. Children who learn to read in a different direction (for example, <a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4tt0k00j">from right to left, as in Arabic</a>) may interact with some math tools differently from children whose first language is English or French. </p>
<p>The role of cultural experiences in math learning opens up questions about the design of teaching tools for the classroom, and the relevance <a href="https://theconversation.com/culturally-responsive-teaching-in-a-globalized-world-109881">of culturally responsive</a> mathematics teaching. Future research could seek to directly examine the relation between reading direction and the use of the hundreds chart.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217247/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Helena Osana received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for this research. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jairo A. Navarrete-Ulloa receives funding from the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID) in Chile. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Vera Wagner does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Findings of a study suggest using a ‘hundreds chart’ showing numbers one through 100, beginning with one in the top-left corner, fosters children’s counting by 10s.Helena Osana, Professor, Principal Investigator of the Mathematics Teaching and Learning Lab, Concordia UniversityJairo A. Navarrete-Ulloa, Adjunct assistant professor, Institute of Education Sciences, Universidad de O’Higgins (Chile)Vera Wagner, Research Assistant, Mathematics Teaching and Learning Lab, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1852992022-06-21T02:16:16Z2022-06-21T02:16:16ZHow the early childhood learning and care system works (and doesn’t work) – it will take some fixing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469722/original/file-20220620-25-glwfff.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5533%2C3899&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Recent Victorian and New South Wales government <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-16/nsw-victoria-plan-for-new-preschool-year-education/101155350">announcements</a> may signal the first steps in a profound change to Australia’s early childhood sector.</p>
<p>And it’s been a long time coming. Over the past 30 years there has been a big increase in the use of early learning. There are more parents in the workforce and more children in formal care <a href="https://aifs.gov.au/publications/child-care-package-evaluation-final-report">than ever before</a>.</p>
<p>And our current system is struggling to cope. Access to childcare can <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/mitchell-institute/early-learning/childcare-deserts-oases-how-accessible-is-childcare-in-australia#:%7E:text=A%20childcare%20desert%20is%20a,and%20in%20all%20capital%20cities.">depend on where you live</a>. </p>
<p>Low pay and poor conditions have <a href="https://theconversation.com/early-childhood-educators-are-leaving-in-droves-here-are-3-ways-to-keep-them-and-attract-more-153187">led to major problems</a> with attracting and retaining the skilled workforce we need to deliver early learning and care services.</p>
<p>The state governments’ promises are significant. They follow the new federal Labor government’s <a href="https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7725480/albanese-seeks-legacy-through-child-care">promise</a> to investigate how to introduce universal high-quality childcare.</p>
<p>But a lot of work needs to be done for Australia’s early childhood sector to live up to the promises being made by governments.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-15-billion-promise-of-universal-access-to-preschool-is-this-the-game-changer-for-aussie-kids-185211">A $15 billion promise of universal access to preschool: is this the game-changer for Aussie kids?</a>
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<h2>How does the current system work?</h2>
<p>Australia’s early childhood sector is better thought of as several systems operating under a single <a href="https://www.acecqa.gov.au/national-quality-framework">national quality framework</a>.</p>
<p>Services funded by the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) are the largest part of the system. These include what is traditionally thought of as “childcare”.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/high-childcare-fees-low-pay-for-staff-and-a-lack-of-places-pose-a-huge-policy-challenge-183617">High childcare fees, low pay for staff and a lack of places pose a huge policy challenge</a>
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<p>These services use a subsidy-based funding model where providers set their price and charge parents a fee.</p>
<p>The federal government supports the cost through a subsidy, based on family income and paid directly to the childcare service.</p>
<p>A major part of the NSW and Victorian government announcements is an expansion of preschool programs.</p>
<p>Whereas childcare can cater for children aged 0 to 5 years, preschool is more focused on the year or two years before school. Preschool involves structured play-based learning in a range of settings. These include schools, standalone centres and, increasingly, alongside childcare services in centre-based day care.</p>
<p>By expanding access to preschools, the state governments are offering to create more places, particularly for children aged 3 to 5.</p>
<p>Like the school sector, they will use a direct funding model. This is where governments pay a pre-determined amount directly to a centre based on enrolments. </p>
<p>The NSW and Victorian government also announced measures focusing on the supply-side of childcare. </p>
<p>The Victorian government is promising to establish <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/kindergarten-to-get-a-9b-overhaul-with-more-places-and-longer-hours-20220615-p5atzl.html">50 government-operated childcare centres</a>, bucking a trend of relying on non-government providers to deliver childcare.</p>
<p>NSW will <a href="https://www.treasury.nsw.gov.au/childcare-fund/affordable-and-accessible-childcare">create a fund</a> to support an increase of 47,000 childcare places at non-government providers. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-diversity-can-help-solve-twin-problems-of-early-childhood-staff-shortages-and-families-missing-out-185205">More diversity can help solve twin problems of early childhood staff shortages and families missing out</a>
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<h2>What are the problems with the system?</h2>
<p>The current early childhood system has strengths, but many weaknesses too.</p>
<p>The total amount of subsidies provided is large – about A$8.5 billion per year. But so is the cost to parents. <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/mitchell-institute/early-learning/election-2022-early-childhood-education-care-policy-brief">Estimates based on federal government data</a> suggest the current average out-of-pocket cost for the first child in centre-based day care is A$5,000 per year.</p>
<p>Access is another big issue. Recent <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/mitchell-institute/early-learning/childcare-deserts-oases-how-accessible-is-childcare-in-australia#:%7E:text=A%20childcare%20desert%20is%20a,and%20in%20all%20capital%20cities.">Mitchell Institute research</a> highlights the extent of the problem of “childcare deserts”. These are areas where there are more than three children vying for every available place. </p>
<p>About 35% of Australians live in a childcare desert. And 1.1 million Australians do not have access to a childcare centre at all.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-1-million-australians-have-no-access-to-childcare-in-their-area-179557">More than 1 million Australians have no access to childcare in their area</a>
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<p>Unlike the school system, governments do not have an obligation to provide access to childcare. Instead, providers choose where to operate. Price plays a central role in the system’s design, and weak or unstable demand means it can be too risky to operate in certain locations.</p>
<p>Providers can be encouraged to go where there is more demand and where they can charge more.</p>
<p>Finding the workforce to enable increased supply will be a further challenge to the proposed expansion. The sector is experiencing <a href="https://labourmarketinsights.gov.au/our-research/internet-vacancy-index/">record workforce shortages</a>. </p>
<p>A high-quality workforce is a <a href="https://theconversation.com/greatest-transformation-of-early-education-in-a-generation-hinges-on-qualified-supported-and-thriving-staff-185210">major component</a> of a quality system. Attracting skilled workers and retaining them will be very important.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/greatest-transformation-of-early-education-in-a-generation-well-that-depends-on-qualified-supported-and-thriving-staff-185210">'Greatest transformation of early education in a generation'? Well, that depends on qualified, supported and thriving staff</a>
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<h2>What’s driving the need for change?</h2>
<p>Behind the flurry of announcements are long-term demographic shifts. The proportion of children in formal childcare has increased by 75% since 1996. About 66% of three-year-olds were in a subsidised service in the <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/early-childhood/resources/june-quarter-2021">July 2021 quarter</a>. Nearly <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/cws/69/australias-children/contents/education/early-childhood-education">90% of eligible children</a> were enrolled in a preschool program in the year before they started school. </p>
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<p>If home is where we start from, some form of early learning is where most children will end up next.</p>
<p>Making sure that families are supported in a way that meets their needs and matches a child’s stage of development is vitally important.</p>
<p>The early childhood sector is only part of the response. Meeting the needs of families and children also <a href="https://cpd.org.au/2021/11/starting-better-centre-for-policy-development/">requires reform</a> of parental leave, maternal and child health services, and other wraparound services.</p>
<p>The announcements made by the federal, NSW and Victorian governments set the scene for the next stage of reform in the early childhood sector.</p>
<p>Designing a system that delivers affordable, accessible, high-quality early childhood education and care will require a lot more work, and a lot more resources than what has just been announced.</p>
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<p><em>This article is part of The Conversation’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/breaking-the-cycle-119149">Breaking the Cycle</a> series, which is supported by a philanthropic grant from the Paul Ramsay Foundation.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185299/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Hurley works for the Mitchell Institute who receive funding from Minderoo's Thrive By Five to undertake research into early childhood education and care. This article is part of The Conversation's Breaking the Cycle series, which is about escaping cycles of disadvantage. The series is supported by a philanthropic grant from the Paul Ramsay Foundation.</span></em></p>The system has several elements and many problems. Making it fit for purpose will take a lot of work and even more resources than those that have just been announced.Peter Hurley, Policy Fellow, Mitchell Institute, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1852102022-06-20T19:57:36Z2022-06-20T19:57:36Z‘Greatest transformation of early education in a generation’? Well, that depends on qualified, supported and thriving staff<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469636/original/file-20220620-26-pcgbyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=18%2C0%2C5961%2C4016&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australia’s two most populous states, New South Wales and Victoria, have set the target of delivering an extra year of learning for all children before they start school. Billed as “the greatest transformation of early education in a generation”, last Thursday’s <a href="https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/joint-commitment-transform-early-education">announcement</a> follows close on the heels of the new federal government’s <a href="https://anthonyalbanese.com.au/media-centre/budget-reply-2022">legacy vision for childcare</a>, with an extended childcare subsidy to increase access. </p>
<p>These moves are well justified. There is compelling evidence that such investments could lift productivity by increasing parent employment and children’s development gains and improving life chances for the most disadvantaged. </p>
<p>Realising the promise of these gains, however, depends entirely on the <a href="https://theconversation.com/low-paid-womens-work-why-early-childhood-educators-are-walking-out-91402">availability of a qualified, supported and thriving workforce</a>. We can’t deliver high-quality learning without them. Developing such a workforce must be an urgent priority given Victoria’s target date for the new program is 2025 and NSW’s is 2030.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-15-billion-promise-of-universal-access-to-preschool-is-this-the-game-changer-for-aussie-kids-185211">A $15 billion promise of universal access to preschool: is this the game-changer for Aussie kids?</a>
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<h2>What do we mean by high quality?</h2>
<p>Not all early education programs deliver on the promise of promoting children’s development and learning. “<a href="https://anthonyalbanese.com.au/media-centre/labors-plan-for-cheaper-child-care-budget-reply-2022">Cheaper childcare</a>” may enable parent workforce participation. But it is unlikely to deliver the long-term benefits of promoting children’s learning and closing equity gaps. </p>
<p>Quality matters. The first five years of life are a critical period in human brain development. The quality of experiences in these years lays the foundations for lifetime achievement and well-being. </p>
<p>For this reason, research seeks to identify the essential components that go beyond child-minding to delivering high-quality early childhood education and care.</p>
<p>More than two decades of research has shown the interactions between educators and children are the critical element of optimal child learning. Policy-regulated features, such as physical resources and staff qualifications, help support higher-quality learning. Yet they alone are not enough to deliver on the promise of improving children’s life chances and reducing the stark inequities among children starting school, as documented by the 2021 <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/early-childhood/announcements/report-now-available-2021-australian-early-development-census">Australian Early Development Census</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/preschool-benefits-indigenous-children-more-than-other-types-of-early-care-149724">Preschool benefits Indigenous children more than other types of early care</a>
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<h2>What really matters for early learning?</h2>
<p>For this reason, researchers in this field focus on identifying the qualities of educator-child interactions that best support children’s learning and well-being. Our Australian research has examined the long-term effects of instructional, organisational and emotional qualities of interactions. </p>
<p>Instructional qualities are focused on teaching content and language interactions. Organisational interactions are focused on setting behavioural expectations and maintaining predictability. Emotional interactions are focused on relationships between child and educator, including regard for the child’s perspective. </p>
<p>Analysing data from <a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-016-2985-1">E4Kids</a>, Australia’s largest study of early childhood education and care quality, the emotional qualities of interactions emerge as the critical factor. <a href="https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cdev.13811">Our study</a> published last week in Child Development, tracked 1,128 children across three years of early education to ask how change in instructional, organisational and emotional qualities of educator-child interactions was associated with each child’s rate of learning. </p>
<p>We found instructional and organisational aspects of interaction did not reliably predict child learning. Changes in the emotional environment did predict language development. </p>
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<p>Further, in <a href="https://research.qed.qld.gov.au/#/manage-findings/99cc245e-3055-4282-9ea7-c71d6af25df6/">a study</a> for the Queensland government, we linked the qualities of the early learning environment at age four to the subsequent school achievements (maths, science, English, NAPLAN) of the children participating in E4Kids. Again, the emotional quality of interactions was the key predictor of outcomes. We could still see the effects in secondary school.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-diversity-can-help-solve-twin-problems-of-early-childhood-staff-shortages-and-families-missing-out-185205">More diversity can help solve twin problems of early childhood staff shortages and families missing out</a>
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<h2>It all depends on a stable and supported workforce</h2>
<p>Emotionally positive early childhood education and care environments require a stable and supported workforce. Globally, there is a <a href="https://www.oecd.org/education/good-practice-for-good-jobs-in-early-childhood-education-and-care-64562be6-en.htm">shortage</a> of qualified early childhood educators. Australia is no exception. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10833-020-09382-3">workforce study</a> included a national survey and detailed study of services in metropolitan, regional and remote locations. We found one in five educators intended to leave the sector in the next year. In tracking a cohort of educators, each year one in three left their service. In remote settings the attrition rate was one in two. </p>
<p>This represents a serious loss of relationships for children and their parents. As educators leave, they take with them their depth of knowledge of each child and family. </p>
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<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/low-paid-womens-work-why-early-childhood-educators-are-walking-out-91402">Our research</a>, and a <a href="https://bigsteps.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Exhausted-undervalued-and-leaving.pdf">2021 survey</a> by the United Workers Union, found those who stay are often stressed. They feel unable to deliver the optimal emotionally supportive environment. </p>
<p>Early childhood workers are paid well below average weekly earnings. Many struggle financially or depend on spouses or family members for financial support to continue in the job they love. Those studying for a degree are often doing so to move to the school sector where pay, conditions and status are better. </p>
<h2>Need to boost workforce is urgent</h2>
<p>Without significant investment in the workforce, the new early education strategies will lack solid foundations and may well fall short on the promise they offer.</p>
<p>A workforce strategy for the next decade, <a href="https://www.acecqa.gov.au/national-workforce-strategy">Shaping Our Future</a>, was published in September 2021. It acknowledges the need for better pay, conditions and professional recognition to grow and sustain the workforce. The strategy also recognises their well-being as important, though it emphasises individualised supports for well-being, not systemic change. </p>
<p>However, the stated strategy to remedy the crisis is to “investigate options” for improving pay and conditions and well-being supports by 2025. That’s when the extra year of preschool learning is due to begin in Victoria. Our research, and the timing of the announced changes, suggests an urgent need to move from investigation to immediate action to stem the exodus of qualified early childhood educators and enable those who stay to thrive.</p>
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<p><em>This article is part of The Conversation’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/breaking-the-cycle-119149">Breaking the Cycle</a> series, which is supported by a philanthropic grant from the Paul Ramsay Foundation.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185210/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karen Thorpe receives funding from the Australian Research Council as a chief investigator on the Centre of Excellence for Children and Families across the Life Course ( CE200100025) , the Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child (CE200100022) and a current Discovery Project (DP190102981). She has also been funded by the Queensland Government and Commonwealth Departments of Social Services, Education and Health to undertake studies of early child development. This article is part of The Conversation's Breaking the Cycle series, which is about escaping cycles of disadvantage. The series is supported by a philanthropic grant from the Paul Ramsay Foundation.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Azhar Potia's research is supported partially by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (Project ID CE200100025). He has also received funding from Government departments such as the Queensland Department of Education and the Department of Health, and NGOs such as the Former Origin Greats, Social Ventures Australia and Beyond the Broncos.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Rankin's research was supported (partially or fully) by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (Project ID CE200100025). He has also been funded by the Queensland Government and Commonwealth Departments of Social Services and Education.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sally Staton has previously received research funding from the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council, from the Queensland Government Department of Education, and from NGOs including Social Ventures Australia and Early Childhood Australia. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Sandy Houen's research is partially supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (project ID CD 200100025) and the Australian Research
Council Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child (project ID CE200100022). She has previously received funding from the Queensland Government Department of Education and Social Ventures Australia.
</span></em></p>Research confirms that a focus on restoring the well-being of educators is vital to deliver the gains promised by huge new investments in early childhood learning and care.Karen Thorpe, Professor, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of QueenslandAzhar Potia, Research Fellow, Institute for Social Science Research, The University of QueenslandPeter Rankin, Research Fellow in Statistics and Developmental Psychology, The University of QueenslandSally Staton, Senior Research Fellow, The University of QueenslandSandy Houen, Research Fellow, Institute for Social Science Research, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1852112022-06-17T03:52:49Z2022-06-17T03:52:49ZA $15 billion promise of universal access to preschool: is this the game-changer for Aussie kids?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469399/original/file-20220617-25-2lqs96.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=77%2C12%2C8666%2C5747&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Celebrations greeted Thursday’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jun/16/what-the-new-year-of-preschool-education-means-for-parents-and-children">co-ordinated announcement</a> by the NSW and Victorian governments that they will invest $6 billion and $9 billion, respectively, to provide 30 hours a week of play-based learning for all children in the 12 months prior to primary school. It’s a promising indication of growing public and political support for valuing our children and the voices of women and families. </p>
<p>There is clear evidence that quality early childhood education and care benefit children not only <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/0034654319837540">at the time they attend</a> but is likely to have an enduring <a href="http://www.thefrontproject.org.au/initiatives/economic-analysis">life-long impact</a>. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/play-based-learning-can-set-your-child-up-for-success-at-school-and-beyond-91393">Play-based learning can set your child up for success at school and beyond</a>
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<h2>Investment in children is worth it</h2>
<p>This investment in resourcing children with opportunities for play-based early childhood education is likely to have positive impacts on children’s learning and development. The benefits include:</p>
<ul>
<li>social and emotional well-being</li>
<li>cognitive development</li>
<li>communication and language development</li>
<li>physical development. </li>
</ul>
<p>This week’s announcements are extremely important for the nation’s children as <a href="https://www.aedc.gov.au/data-explorer/">2022 data</a> from the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) show that 21% of children in NSW and 19% in Victoria are assessed as “vulnerable” in at least one area of development when they start school. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/report-finds-every-1-australia-spends-on-preschool-will-return-2-but-this-wont-just-magically-happen-120217">Report finds every $1 Australia spends on preschool will return $2, but this won't just magically happen</a>
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<h2>But beware ‘schoolification’</h2>
<p>Australia’s mandatory national curriculum framework, the <a href="https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-02/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf">Early Years Learning Framework</a> (EYLF), states:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Play-based learning is a context for learning through which children organise and make sense of their social worlds, as they engage actively with people, objects, and representations.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Within the framework there is: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“a specific emphasis on play-based learning [that] recognises the importance of communication and language (including early literacy and numeracy) and social and emotional development”. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Children have a <a href="https://www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention">right to play</a>. Care needs to be taken to ensure this right is upheld with the rollout of 30 hours a week of early childhood education.</p>
<p>Early childhood educators need to be fully versed in the power of play. They will have to take care to ensure this “play-based” approach does not result in “<a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/starting-strong-2017-9789264276116-en.htm">schoolification</a>” of our early childhood programs. It will be essential to <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-outcomes-parents-should-expect-from-early-childhood-education-and-care-94731">assure parents</a> of the importance and value of play. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-failure-at-6-data-driven-assessment-isnt-helping-young-childrens-learning-169463">A failure at 6? Data-driven assessment isn't helping young children's learning</a>
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</em>
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<h2>How does Australia compare to other countries?</h2>
<p>Provision of 30 hours-a-week access to early childhood education and care for all children is termed universal access. It’s deemed to be the gold standard for early childhood service provision. </p>
<p>In addition to the state governments’ initiative, the newly elected federal government has commissioned a Productivity Commission review of early childhood care and education to support a universal 90% childcare subsidy. Access to good-quality and affordable early education and care is regarded as a fruitful investment in children. </p>
<p>Equitable access in the Nordic countries is one reason they are renowned as world exemplars of excellence in early childhood services. A 2017 UNICEF report on quality education ranked Finland first and Norway ninth. <a href="https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/890-building-the-future-children-and-the-sustainable-development-goals-in-rich-countries.html">Australia was 39th</a> of the 41 countries. </p>
<p>This suggests Australia has a long way to go to reach international standards used by UNICEF to determine if programs are meeting all preschoolers’ needs.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-diversity-can-help-solve-twin-problems-of-early-childhood-staff-shortages-and-families-missing-out-185205">More diversity can help solve twin problems of early childhood staff shortages and families missing out</a>
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<h2>Children will still miss out for years to come</h2>
<p>Based on the NSW and Victorian governments’ plans for a new free year of preschool <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-16/nsw-victoria-plan-for-new-preschool-year-education/101155350">from 2030 and 2025</a> respectively, is Australia finally on the road to achieving authentic and universal access to excellent early childhood education and care? Or does our slow approach throw up other problems that may become barriers to achieving quality early learning experiences for all children now and in the future? The extended rollout period means many children may miss out. </p>
<p>Our children and parents deserve more than just promises. If it is truly universal access, it should be available at no cost to all children across all ages in the years before school. </p>
<p>Many key issues must be considered before rolling out free preschool. Factors such as ensuring equity in attendance, meeting demand, and <a href="https://childcarecanada.org/publications/other-publications/22/04/more-spaces-creating-universal-child-care-norway">evenly distributed availability</a> are critical for flexibility and choice. </p>
<p>The NSW government <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-15/nsw-governments-$5b-childcare-plan/13929738">announcement</a> included measures to provide for better access. Equitable access arrangements will <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ejed.12007">enable mothers and fathers to participate equally</a> in the workforce. This means parents can fully engage in paid work with suitable hours for children and their paid work. </p>
<h2>Don’t compromise on quality</h2>
<p>Parents also need to feel assured their children are getting good-quality education and care, so the focus on quality must be maintained. </p>
<p>Resourcing of the sector has to be carefully considered to safeguard free access when rolled out. A recent <a href="https://childcarecanada.org/publications/other-publications/22/04/more-spaces-creating-universal-child-care-norway">report</a> on Norway emphasises that to sustain a quality play-based preschool program it must be underpinned by:</p>
<ul>
<li>clear values and principles</li>
<li>appropriate level of resources to ensure long-term viability</li>
<li>inclusivity</li>
<li>a well-qualified, engaged and supported workforce.</li>
</ul>
<p>However, there is already a <a href="https://labourmarketinsights.gov.au/our-research/internet-vacancy-index/">shortage</a> of qualified teachers in the early childhood education and care sector. A key reason is they suffer <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1836939119841456">poor work conditions</a> compared to primary school teachers. </p>
<p>Attending a quality play-based program for 30 hours a week will provide children opportunities to develop and enhance their development. To achieve those outcomes, it is imperative that the newly announced initiatives are genuinely resourced for quality learning experiences and equitable opportunities. </p>
<p>If that happens, we’ll ensure Australian children thrive during their childhood and have a seamless and positive transition to school. And that will set them up for the life we all want for them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185211/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This story is part of The Conversation's Breaking the Cycle series, which is about escaping cycles of disadvantage. It is supported by a philanthropic grant from the Paul Ramsay Foundation.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle M. Neumann does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The two biggest states have jointly committed to a huge investment in early childhood education and learning over the next decade. But delivering high-quality universal preschool access won’t be easy.Wendy Boyd, Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, Southern Cross UniversityMichelle M. Neumann, Associate Professor in Early Childhood Education, Literacy and Digital Technology, Southern Cross UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1694632021-11-23T18:58:23Z2021-11-23T18:58:23ZA failure at 6? Data-driven assessment isn’t helping young children’s learning<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432551/original/file-20211118-15-scwi3p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5863%2C3896&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Children’s <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/childhood/providers/edcare/veyldframework.pdf">early years</a> from birth to the age of eight are crucial for their social, emotional and intellectual development. However, early years education in Australia is fragmented. It operates across two spaces, the pre-compulsory period, often called early childhood education, and the first three years of compulsory schooling.</p>
<p>In recent times the focus in these three years has been on assessment that produces numerical data. Teachers need to demonstrate children are meeting standards. </p>
<p>In contrast, in the pre-compulsory years the focus is on observing and interacting with the child. Practices are based on the belief that all children have agency and are capable learners.</p>
<p>A chasm has opened up between these <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Early-Childhood-and-Compulsory-Education-Reconceptualising-the-relationship/Moss/p/book/9780415687744">separate education systems</a>. Children go from playing to being tested in the blink of an eye. This abrupt change in young children’s education is problematic.</p>
<h2>What does research tell us about the early years?</h2>
<p>A <a href="https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au/bitstream/handle/10072/391647/Dunn356707Accepted.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y">2015 review</a> of research on best practices in the early years identified key factors in successful teaching and learning. The review noted the importance of:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>a smooth transition between pre-school education and compulsory school education</p></li>
<li><p>play-based learning</p></li>
<li><p>seeing children as capable and having agency in their learning</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/english/literacy/speakinglistening/Pages/teachingpracdialogic.aspx">dialogic interactions</a> involving <a href="https://earlychildhood.qld.gov.au/earlyYears/Documents/language-dialogic-in-action.pdf">rich discussions</a> between children and between
children and teachers. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Australia has introduced a mandated curriculum and a national assessment program in primary schools. The review noted this meant many early years teachers have adopted a more formalised and narrow approach to learning in schools. It isn’t appropriate for young children. </p>
<p>We can see the resulting <a href="https://researchnow.flinders.edu.au/en/publications/where-are-the-early-years-of-school-in-contemporary-early-childho">divide between non-compulsory and compulsory</a> early years education in Victoria. On the one hand, teachers need to acknowledge the needs of children from birth to eight years. On the other hand, for those between the ages of five and 12, the <a href="https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/">Victorian Curriculum</a> requires teachers to assess and report against curriculum standards. </p>
<p>The focus on formal assessment and numerical data in the early years of schooling means children as young as six can be labelled as failing. In countries like Finland and Singapore, which have been <a href="https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/strongperformers/">identified</a> as <a href="http://timssandpirls.bc.edu/pirls2016/international-results/pirls/student-achievement/pirls-achievement-results/">high-performing</a>, children do not even <a href="https://expatchild.com/school-starting-ages-around-world/">begin formal schooling</a> before the age of six or seven. </p>
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<p><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.2304/ciec.2014.15.2.185">One study</a> has described the early years in countries like the United Kingdom, America and Australia as being at the mercy of top-down policy development, leading to “a highly prescriptive and assessment-driven early years climate”. <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-Datafication-of-Primary-and-Early-Years-Education-Playing-with-Numbers/Bradbury-Roberts-Holmes/p/book/9781138242173">UK researchers</a> have identified the “datafication” of early years education and its impacts on children and teachers. And <a href="https://researchoutput.csu.edu.au/en/publications/a-sociological-analysis-of-australias-naplan-and-my-school-senate">Australian researchers</a> used the term “adultification” to describe the unrealistic expectations placed on young children.</p>
<h2>So what happens in our schools?</h2>
<p>My doctoral <a href="https://minerva-access.unimelb.edu.au/handle/11343/268186">research</a> found “datafication” and “adultification” defined the early years of schooling in Victoria. I engaged with more than 100 early-years teachers to explore their literacy teaching and assessment practices. The recurring theme was these teachers were expected to frequently assess young children in formal ways that provided numerical data. </p>
<p>Teachers voiced frustration. One described the early years as “death by assessment”. Another lamented that community expectations were unreasonable, saying “people are hung up on data, numbers”. </p>
<p>There was an overwhelming sense that the teachers knew their children best and should be given the agency to assess and plan for literacy teaching rather than being required to use a suite of commercially produced assessment tools. </p>
<p>The Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (<a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/childhood/providers/edcare/veyldframework.pdf">VEYLDF</a>) is designed to support early years teachers working with children and families. Its premise is that children have the greatest opportunities to develop neural pathways for learning and are also most vulnerable to negative experiences from birth to eight years. </p>
<p>The framework is based on research into best practice for children in these years. Rather than formal assessment based on numbers, the VEYLDF advocates for assessment that is authentic and responsive to how all children can best demonstrate their learning and development.</p>
<p>The Victorian Education Department <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/childhood/professionals/learning/Pages/veyldf.aspx">encourages</a> teachers in schools to use the framework. However, little is known about how many actually use the framework to inform teaching and learning.</p>
<p>Making it mandatory to report against curriculum standards from the time children begin compulsory schooling sets the boundaries for how many teachers operate. It is hard to have a foot in both camps when reporting against these standards is mandatory and you feel compelled to prepare children for what comes next – which includes <a href="https://www.nap.edu.au/">NAPLAN</a>, the national assessment program.</p>
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<img alt="Group of laughing and smiling children together among trees" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432555/original/file-20211118-18-1xgrfo5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432555/original/file-20211118-18-1xgrfo5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432555/original/file-20211118-18-1xgrfo5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432555/original/file-20211118-18-1xgrfo5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432555/original/file-20211118-18-1xgrfo5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432555/original/file-20211118-18-1xgrfo5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432555/original/file-20211118-18-1xgrfo5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Death by assessment’ threatens the joy young children find in learning.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Schools can still let children be children</h2>
<p>However, some schools are turning their backs on the relentless measuring of young children’s attainments. <a href="https://www.sjfootscray.catholic.edu.au/">St John’s</a>, a multicultural primary school in Melbourne’s inner west, is one example. You only need to look at the school <a href="https://www.sjfootscray.catholic.edu.au/learning/">website</a> to see its philosophy differs from many others. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“St John’s Horizon [a school community-developed vision] clearly states ‘KIDS AT THE HEART’ which encapsulates our focus and belief in the image of the child – the child who is capable, curious, full of wonder, rich in knowledge, able to construct and co-construct his or her own learning. We believe in JOY – Joy in learning.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>A conversation with the then principal, Gemma Goodyear, gave me an insight into these beliefs, which are inspired by teaching and learning in schools in <a href="https://www.reggiochildren.it/en/reggio-emilia-approach/">Reggio Emilia</a>, Italy. Goodyear said children do not come to school to be “fixed”, and the teachers engage them by providing meaningful, contextualised learning experiences. And, yes, through their focus on rich learning they still get great results without relentless testing.</p>
<p>It is time to revisit the early years of schooling and ensure teachers have the skills and understandings they need to support learners in this phase. These years should be a time when children become engaged and excited about learning, a time of great joy, and a time when children are allowed to be children.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169463/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Martina Tassone does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A chasm has opened up between early childhood learning and the first years of compulsory schooling. Kids go from playing to being tested in the blink of an eye, and their learning is poorer for it.Martina Tassone, Early Childhood and Primary Course Coordinator and Language and Literacy Lecturer, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1661062021-09-22T19:56:03Z2021-09-22T19:56:03ZChildren learn science in nature play long before they get to school classrooms and labs<p>The number of preschools pursuing learning through nature play is growing fast worldwide. However, the effectiveness and impacts of this approach is largely untested, and we recently completed the first large-scale study in the world to explicitly research nature play in early childhood education. </p>
<p>By mapping the learning of scientific concepts in nature play in a range of early childhood settings, we demonstrated how young children engage with science long before they get to school classrooms and labs.</p>
<p>Our <a href="http://www.childhoodnatureplay.com/the-mudbook-nature-play-framework/">research shows nature play</a> is a highly effective way of embedding STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — in early childhood education. These areas share connections and practices, and <a href="https://www.proquest.com/docview/873954028?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true">research</a> increasingly shows that “regardless of ability, young children are ready, willing, and able to engage in STEM activities”. </p>
<h2>What exactly is nature play?</h2>
<p>Nature play is a popular way to respond to parent and teacher concerns about children’s limited time in nature and potentially too much screen time. It’s generally seen as unstructured play in natural settings, involving child-led interactions with nature. </p>
<p>Inspiration for nature play is often attributed to Scandinavian “<a href="https://www.growingwildforestschool.org/post/the-brief-history-heritage-of-forest-schools-around-the-world">forest school</a>” models. However, its origins run far deeper. Indigenous practices, for instance, notably understandings of Country and self as entangled, rather than separate, <a href="https://sk.sagepub.com/reference/the-sage-handbook-of-outdoor-play-and-learning/i2516.xml">support many of the key features of nature play</a>. </p>
<p>Early childhood education in some countries such as Germany, Finland and Denmark has a <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/history-of-education-quarterly/article/abs/friedrich-froebel-a-selection-from-his-writings-by-irene-m-lilley-cambridge-cambridge-university-press-1967-180-viii-pp-475/381D5F9FDE73834FA6AE6F4F05227092">long tradition of nature play</a>. For instance, “kindergarten” means “children and garden” in German, showing kindergarten’s roots in nature-based learning.</p>
<h2>What was the research project?</h2>
<p>Our <a href="http://www.childhoodnatureplay.com/">research project</a> in urban and regional early childhood settings in Queensland uncovered a vast number of key concepts explored through nature play. Many were connected with Indigenous ways of knowing about the planet. Others were more aligned with environmental science or STEM concepts. </p>
<p>With funding from the Queensland government’s <a href="https://education.qld.gov.au/about-us/reporting-data-research/research/research-funding/education-horizon">Education Horizon</a> scheme, our team worked with 20 early childhood education centres. There were ten sites in South-East Queensland, nine in Central Queensland and one in far north-western Queensland. </p>
<p>The project design involved both children and early childhood educators as researchers — 31 educators and 152 children (aged four to five) in all. The children and the educators collected data to research their own nature play experiences and practices. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-worry-your-childs-early-learning-doesnt-stop-just-because-theyre-not-in-childcare-134668">Don’t worry, your child’s early learning doesn’t stop just because they’re not in childcare</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>We explored children’s activities, ideas and beliefs about nature, and their relationships with/as nature. Understandings were diverse and ranged from seeing humans as separate from nature, to humans being part of nature — humans as nature. </p>
<p>The recently published <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339925347_Research_Handbook_on_Childhoodnature_Assemblages_of_Childhood_and_Nature_Research_Assemblages_of_Childhood_and_Nature_Research">Research Handbook of Childhoodnature</a> found centring childhood in nature, as childhoodnature — with humans being understood as part of nature — is a vital foundation for nature play. As one four year old said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“When I’m outside I learn about nature. Nature is what we’re in now. The trees are nature. The sky is nature. The creek is nature. The ants are nature. We are nature too, because we look after nature – and not break it.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>We found educators’ lack of confidence or understanding of science concepts need not limit exploration of STEM in early childhood education. Instead, participating educators reframed any limits to their knowledge as “<a href="https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.680.1528&rep=rep1&type=pdf">an opportunity rather than an embarrassment</a>”. </p>
<p>The educators became active co-learners alongside children, rejecting the traditional perception of teachers as the source of all knowledge. To make the most of STEM opportunities in nature play, educators must understand their role as curious “<a href="https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/jul2016/beyond-bouncing-ball-toddlers-and-teachers-investigate-physics">scientists in action</a>”. They problem-solve, investigate and discover alongside children. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/let-them-play-kids-need-freedom-from-play-restrictions-to-develop-117586">Let them play! Kids need freedom from play restrictions to develop</a>
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</em>
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<p>Our research identified environmental science concepts as the area of scientific learning participants most often engaged with through nature play. This means environmental science, as a discipline of teaching and learning within STEM, has an important contribution to make to children’s scientific learning. </p>
<p>Like all STEM disciplines, environmental science emerges in the early years and will build in complexity throughout a child’s life. The educators in this study embraced nine distinct nature play practices and lessons:</p>
<ol>
<li>place/Country-responsive play — such as bushwalks and other excursions on Country and learning from and with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders</li>
<li>non-human play — deep observation of plants, clouds, natural objects and other species</li>
<li>slow play — giving children the time and freedom for sustained, unhurried, uninterrupted play, including child-directed free play and artmaking</li>
<li>sensorial play — stimulating children’s senses and an awareness of the body through noticing, paying attention, foraging, smelling, feeling, touching and deepening connection </li>
<li>risky play — climbing trees, hanging upside down, balancing, rope swings, navigating creeks, building campfires, using tools, wrestling and exploring without adult supervision<br></li>
<li>imaginative play — also known as make-believe play, fantasy play, symbolic play, pretend play and dramatic play. Children often role-play as a way of exploring and making sense of the world </li>
<li>construction/creative play — whittling, sawing wood, building tunnels and bridges, painting, drawing, dancing, singing, drumming, nature journaling, nature collage, weaving, felting, sculpting, and clay work</li>
<li> discovery play — using a digital microscope, experimenting with natural resources, exploring shadows and light, floating and sinking, and watching insect and animal behaviour, as a way to think deeply about the world and learn how it works</li>
<li>death play — observing dead animals decomposing over time, role-playing death/dying and learning about life cycles to explore death, dying or grief.<br></li>
</ol>
<p>The project uncovered a vast number of key scientific concepts and terms explored through nature play. These were organised under the key areas of earth, ecologies, relations, materials, bodies, time and weathering. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419626/original/file-20210906-17-1ulwifo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419626/original/file-20210906-17-1ulwifo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419626/original/file-20210906-17-1ulwifo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=922&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419626/original/file-20210906-17-1ulwifo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=922&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419626/original/file-20210906-17-1ulwifo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=922&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419626/original/file-20210906-17-1ulwifo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1158&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419626/original/file-20210906-17-1ulwifo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1158&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419626/original/file-20210906-17-1ulwifo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1158&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Common science concepts and terms identified within nature play.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This is not a prescriptive list, nor are these the only scientific concepts nature play enables. Rather, they are starting points to activate discussion and help children learn. When STEM concepts are inspired by the children’s interests, curiosities and questions, learning is more powerful, engaging and enduring. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/should-i-let-my-kid-climb-trees-we-asked-five-experts-125871">Should I let my kid climb trees? We asked five experts</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166106/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amy Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles receives funding from the Queensland Government Department of Education Horizon funding scheme.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexandra Lasczik receives funding from the Queensland Government Department of Education Horizon funding scheme.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karen Malone receives funding from Queensland Government under their HORIZON funding scheme. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Linda Knight receives funding from Queensland Government Department of Education Horizon Scheme</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Maia Osborn receives funding from receives funding from the Queensland Government Department of Education Horizon funding scheme.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mahi Paquette does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>New research demonstrates the many aspects of nature play that make it a great way for young children to gain STEM knowledge.Amy Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles, Executive Dean, Faculty of Education, Southern Cross UniversityAlexandra Lasczik, Associate Professor, Arts & Education, Southern Cross UniversityKaren Malone, Professor, Environmental Sustainability and Childhood Studies, Swinburne University of TechnologyLinda Knight, Associate Professor, Early Childhood: Creative Practice and Digital Media, RMIT UniversityMahi Paquette, Research Associate, Faculty of Education, Southern Cross UniversityMaia Osborn, Research Fellow, Faculty of Education, Southern Cross UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1503232020-11-24T13:07:07Z2020-11-24T13:07:07ZKids as young as 3 years old think YouTube is better for learning than other types of video<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/370146/original/file-20201118-23-9jbwm7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C7%2C4910%2C3502&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many children stuck at home during the pandemic are watching more YouTube videos than ever, for both entertainment and education.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/college-of-southern-nevada-student-jordyn-leal-tutors-news-photo/1268608752?adppopup=true">Ethan Miller/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em></p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>Young kids believe that YouTube videos are better for learning than TV shows or videos created on a researcher’s smartphone. They also view people in YouTube videos to be more real than those on TV but less real than those featured in a researcher-created smartphone video. These are the <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.570068">major findings</a> from a pre-COVID-19 study conducted in U.S. children’s museums in 2019. </p>
<p>We asked children aged 3-8 to look at images that we told them came from YouTube, television or a researcher’s smartphone. Then, we asked them to tell us if they believed that the person in the video was real or not, as well as which videos they would prefer to watch and which they thought would be best to learn from. </p>
<p>Across the range of ages in the study, children thought people in videos recorded on a smartphone were most likely to be real, followed by YouTube. They considered people on TV as the least likely to be real. This suggests that kids recognize that YouTube is distinct from other media formats, perhaps because it hosts both clips featuring real people and videos with fictional characters. It appears that children have picked up on this and make judgments about YouTube accordingly. </p>
<p>We also found that kids preferred to watch YouTube just as much as TV and more than a video on a researcher’s smartphone.</p>
<p>And finally, regardless of their age, children were more likely to view YouTube content as educational than either TV or smartphone-recorded videos. We believe this might help them learn more from educational content on the platform, because they are already primed to find learning value in the videos. </p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://parents-together.org/survey-shows-parents-alarmed-as-kids-screen-time-skyrockets-during-covid-19-crisis/">COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased</a> the amount of time many children spend using digital media. One of the most popular screen activities for kids is <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/the-common-sense-census-media-use-by-kids-age-zero-to-eight-2020">watching YouTube videos</a> for both entertainment and education. Our research provides some of the first insights into how children understand what they see on YouTube and their perceptions of its educational value.</p>
<p>[<em>The Conversation’s newsletter explains what’s going on with the coronavirus pandemic. <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=coronavirus-going-on">Subscribe now</a>.</em>]</p>
<p>As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly all schools <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/03/20/as-classes-move-online-during-covid-19-what-are-disconnected-students-to-do/">moved to online instruction</a> in March with only a few days’ notice, and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/11/half-of-us-elementary-and-high-school-students-will-study-virtually-only-this-fall-study-shows.html">many schools</a> have continued to educate only virtually this fall. Others have had to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/18/nyregion/nyc-schools-covid.html">quickly pivot</a> to virtual learning due to rising numbers of COVID-19 cases after opening up in person at first. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.3800">Teleconferencing</a> and YouTube videos of lessons supplanted classroom instruction and completely changed the educational landscape. Understanding YouTube’s potential to encourage learning will help teachers and caregivers make informed decisions regarding how to go about remote education.</p>
<p>Our findings also have implications for how schools should teach young kids about <a href="http://teccenter.erikson.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/TEC-MediaLiteracy-Report.pdf">media literacy</a>. Given that YouTube’s popularity among children has grown exponentially, it’s important that children learn to think critically and question the messages and content that they experience through YouTube and other streaming video platforms.</p>
<p><iframe id="iSq4G" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/iSq4G/4/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>What still isn’t known</h2>
<p>Although our research suggests that children believe that YouTube is better for learning than TV or smartphone videos, we still don’t know if children actually do learn more when they watch YouTube. We will try to find out in the future. However, it’s possible that by simply believing that YouTube has greater educational value, kids may be more engaged and thus learn more from watching YouTube videos than when they encounter educational videos elsewhere.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/150323/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>YouTube may have more potential to encourage children to learn than you’d think.Brenna Hassinger-Das, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Pace University Rebecca Dore, Senior Research Associate in Early Childhood, The Ohio State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1408472020-06-24T20:16:10Z2020-06-24T20:16:10ZWhat is family day care? And how is it different to long day care in a child care centre?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343096/original/file-20200622-75512-1q5l5r3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C17%2C5991%2C3961&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Choosing care for your child when returning to paid work can be <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2304/ciec.2013.14.2.168">challenging</a>, and to the uninitiated the terms can be confusing. One alternative to long day care in a larger child care centre is known as family day care. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.startingblocks.gov.au/other-resources/factsheets/family-day-care-or-centre-based-care-long-day-care-which-one-to-choose/">Family day care</a> is where a child is educated in a small group in a family style atmosphere at an educator’s home, seeing the same educator or educators each day. </p>
<p>The ratio in family day care is one educator for a maximum of seven children, and there can be no more than four children who are preschool age or under (per educator). The educator’s children must be counted in those seven children if they are under 13 years and not being cared for by another adult at the premises.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/permanently-raising-the-child-care-subsidy-is-an-economic-opportunity-too-good-to-miss-136856">Permanently raising the Child Care Subsidy is an economic opportunity too good to miss</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>All family day care educators must hold or be “actively working towards” at least an <a href="https://www.acecqa.gov.au/qualifications/requirements/family-day-care-services">approved certificate III level education and care</a> qualification. (In South Australia, though, a family day care educator must hold at least an approved certificate III level education and care qualification.)</p>
<p>All family day care educators must hold an approved first aid <a href="https://www.acecqa.gov.au/qualifications/requirements/first-aid-qualifications-training">qualification</a> and have undertaken approved training in anaphylaxis management and emergency asthma management. </p>
<p>The approved provider of a family day care service must read — or ensure a nominated supervisor or a person in day-to-day charge of the service has read — a person’s working with children check before the person is engaged or registered as a family day care educator as part of the service. You can see which check applies in your state or territory <a href="https://www.familydaycare.com.au/resources-and-links/regulations">here</a>.</p>
<p>There’s a clear focus on learning and development based on the principles, practices and learning outcomes of the <a href="https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-02/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf">Early Years Learning Framework</a>. The educator will plan an educational program for each child, share it with families and invite family input. </p>
<h2>What’s the difference between family day care and long day care in a child care centre?</h2>
<p>The most obvious difference is size.</p>
<p>Child care centres are usually much bigger and busier, with children usually grouped according to age. There are various <a href="https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/educator-to-child-ratios">educator-to-child ratios</a> for each age group and it may be different depending on your state (as you can see <a href="https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/educator-to-child-ratios">here</a>).</p>
<p>Like family day care, child care centre staff are required to have a <a href="https://www.acecqa.gov.au/qualifications/requirements/children-preschool-age-or-under">qualification</a> in early childhood education and care. The qualifications required will depend on their roles and responsibilities. </p>
<p>Routines at long day care centres are usually tailored to the needs of each child, especially for very young children, but may move to routines that are more based around a group dynamic as the child gets older (for example, having lunch time at the same time).</p>
<h2>How to choose a family day care provider that’s right for you</h2>
<p>If you’re interested in family day care, start by finding out which registered providers are <a href="https://www.careforkids.com.au/family-day-care">near you</a>. Then, you can organise a visit to the educator’s home. </p>
<p>When judging the <a href="https://www.startingblocks.gov.au/other-resources/factsheets/family-day-care-or-centre-based-care-long-day-care-which-one-to-choose/">quality</a> of the care and educational program, it helps to ask yourself:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>is the care child-focused, or time-focused? (For example, are nap times tailored to each child or grouped at the same time of day?)</p></li>
<li><p>how many children does the educator have each day and what are their ages? </p></li>
<li><p>what learning experiences are available for the children each day and will this suit my child? </p></li>
<li><p>do the children attend a playgroup during the week? For some parents, this represents bonus social interaction opportunities but for others it’s not a priority</p></li>
<li><p>are meals provided and if so, how is the menu determined? </p></li>
<li><p>how does the educator manage supervision of children indoors and outdoors?</p></li>
<li><p>are there other people in the home when family day care is provided and how do you feel about that? </p></li>
<li><p>what ratings did the family day care service achieve under the National Quality Standards (more on that in a minute)?</p></li>
<li><p>does the cost suit your budget?</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Family day care services are part-funded by the Australian government, and the costs <a href="https://www.careforkids.com.au/child-care-articles/article/77/how-much-does-child-care-cost">vary</a> across services and family income. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343118/original/file-20200622-75496-oypzv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343118/original/file-20200622-75496-oypzv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343118/original/file-20200622-75496-oypzv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343118/original/file-20200622-75496-oypzv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343118/original/file-20200622-75496-oypzv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343118/original/file-20200622-75496-oypzv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343118/original/file-20200622-75496-oypzv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343118/original/file-20200622-75496-oypzv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Family day care services are assessed for the quality of the education and care under the federal government’s National Quality Standard.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How the regulator judges quality</h2>
<p>Family day care services and long day care services are assessed for quality of education and care under the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority’s <a href="https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/national-quality-standard">National Quality Standard</a>.</p>
<p>Seven quality areas are assessed and rated to determine a quality rating, including the educational program, childrens’ health and safety, the physical environment, staffing, relationships with children and families, governance and leadership. </p>
<p>State and territory regulatory authorities assess and rate family day care services as either “exceeding”, “meeting”, “working towards”, or “significant improvement required” using the <a href="http://snapshots.acecqa.gov.au/Snapshot/detailedratings.html">National Quality Standard</a>, also known as the NQS.</p>
<p>Here’s how family day care <a href="http://snapshots.acecqa.gov.au/Snapshot/overallratings.html">compared</a> with child care centre-based care, according to the regulator’s data as at March 31, 2020:</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343108/original/file-20200622-75479-1uw27v6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343108/original/file-20200622-75479-1uw27v6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343108/original/file-20200622-75479-1uw27v6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=162&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343108/original/file-20200622-75479-1uw27v6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=162&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343108/original/file-20200622-75479-1uw27v6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=162&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343108/original/file-20200622-75479-1uw27v6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=203&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343108/original/file-20200622-75479-1uw27v6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=203&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343108/original/file-20200622-75479-1uw27v6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=203&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ratings results for centre-based care, as at March 31, 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://snapshots.acecqa.gov.au/Snapshot/overallratings.html">Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343109/original/file-20200622-75496-17r0a3r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343109/original/file-20200622-75496-17r0a3r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343109/original/file-20200622-75496-17r0a3r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=145&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343109/original/file-20200622-75496-17r0a3r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=145&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343109/original/file-20200622-75496-17r0a3r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=145&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343109/original/file-20200622-75496-17r0a3r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=182&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343109/original/file-20200622-75496-17r0a3r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=182&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343109/original/file-20200622-75496-17r0a3r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=182&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ratings results for family day care, as at March 31, 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://snapshots.acecqa.gov.au/Snapshot/overallratings.html">Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, there is great variation across and within each service and centre. Finding out as much as you can about each provider on your shortlist can help inform your decision. </p>
<p>Many families <a href="https://epubs.scu.edu.au/educ_pubs/1099/">prefer</a> the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/183693911003500202">home-like</a> family environment of family day care for their children, especially when they are young, and then move their children onto long day care when the child is old enough to want friends.</p>
<p>It can be a trade-off between a small intimate family-like atmosphere for a more active, stimulating environment with many more people. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/caught-in-an-intergenerational-squeeze-grandparents-juggle-work-and-childcare-47939">Caught in an intergenerational squeeze, grandparents juggle work and childcare</a>
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</em>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140847/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Wendy Boyd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Choosing child care when returning to paid work can be hard and to the uninitiated the terms can be confusing. One alternative to long day care in a larger centre is known as family day care.Wendy Boyd, Senior Lecturer, School of Education, Southern Cross UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1344452020-03-26T13:59:37Z2020-03-26T13:59:37ZCoronavirus: 5 tips for navigating children’s screen time during social distancing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322840/original/file-20200325-168903-5jruxh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=31%2C51%2C1816%2C1221&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Screen time can benefit children over age two if it's the right kinds of programming.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://pixabay.com/photos/children-tv-child-television-home-403582/">(Vidmir Raic/Pixabay)</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>During this pandemic, it is fair to say that pre-COVID-19 family routines may shift, or even completely fall apart! In our new COVID-19 reality, daycare and school are cancelled, parents are working from home and families are engaging in social distancing, leaving no peers for kids to play with. </p>
<p>It’s understandable that children and adults may be using screens (television, devices, tablets and video games) more than they typically would, or exceeding the <a href="https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/American-Academy-of-Pediatrics-Announces-New-Recommendations-for-Childrens-Media-Use.aspx">recommended limits</a> of one hour per day for kids ages two to five, and no screen time for kids under 18 months of age (with the exception of video chatting).</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322846/original/file-20200325-168918-bonwut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322846/original/file-20200325-168918-bonwut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322846/original/file-20200325-168918-bonwut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322846/original/file-20200325-168918-bonwut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322846/original/file-20200325-168918-bonwut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322846/original/file-20200325-168918-bonwut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322846/original/file-20200325-168918-bonwut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Children under 18 months do not benefit from screen time.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Kaku Nguyen/Pexels)</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>As child psychologists and screen time researchers, we are receiving questions from parents about how to manage children’s screen time during these unprecedented times. Those questions include: “How much is too much screen time?” and “Can screen time be beneficial in some cases?” Below we provide research evidence and recommendations for best practice screen use for young children during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>
<h2>1. Select high quality, educational programming</h2>
<p>Screen time can benefit kids over the age of two, when it’s the right type of content. In our research, we find that programming developed with education in mind, such as <em>Sesame Street</em>, can have some small but beneficial effects on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.0327">children’s language skills</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/educational-tv-shows-for-kids">Higher quality programs</a> are more likely to gear their content to the needs of young children by having a coherent story line and by pacing the program to the developmental level of children. Educational programs often label objects and speak directly to children, which can be helpful for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13043">learning new words and sounds</a>.</p>
<p>In children under the age of two, research suggests <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00079">very little learning occurs from screens</a>, even if the content is educational. Thus, limiting screen use in very young children to video-chatting with family and friends or short bouts of screen viewing (10 to 15 minutes) may be the best approach.</p>
<h2>2. Watch or engage in screens together</h2>
<p>There is evidence to suggest that when children and caregivers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.0327">watch screens together</a> children are more likely to learn new words. Past research has shown that parents can help their children when using media together by <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/a0032463">directing their child’s attention to specific content, discussing what is being viewed</a> and reinforcing what they have learned by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2014.01.002">making it relatable</a> to the child’s day-to-day activities (e.g., “That’s a blue truck!”).</p>
<p>This means that when possible, sit down with your child and enjoy media together. Talk about what you are seeing on the screen and get children thinking about what they are watching by asking them engaging, open-ended questions (e.g., “What happened to character X today?”, “Character X is sad, why do you think that is?”), or by describing or labelling what’s on the screen (“Dora has a backpack on and Boots is purple!”).</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322845/original/file-20200325-168903-dda3ul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322845/original/file-20200325-168903-dda3ul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322845/original/file-20200325-168903-dda3ul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322845/original/file-20200325-168903-dda3ul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322845/original/file-20200325-168903-dda3ul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322845/original/file-20200325-168903-dda3ul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322845/original/file-20200325-168903-dda3ul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Video chat with loved ones is a healthy way for children to use devices.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Alexander Dummer/Unsplash)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>3. Use screens for human connection</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/American-Academy-of-Pediatrics-Announces-New-Recommendations-for-Childrens-Media-Use.aspx">Pediatric guidelines</a> encourage using video chats with family, friends and loved ones, even for young infants and children. Social connection is important for children and is seen as a healthy way to use devices.</p>
<p>During the COVID-19 pandemic, consider reaching out to family members, as well as neighbours in your community, school mates and friends to stay socially connected. Ask the individual on the video chat to interact with your child by singing, dancing and/or reading them a story. </p>
<p>You can also join the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51915723">caremongering</a> movement and engage your child in social activities that are safe at a distance within your neighbourhood (for example, a <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/window-scavenger-hunts-canada_ca_5e738edcc5b6eab77943a9f1">neighbourhood window scavenger hunt</a>).</p>
<h2>4. Balance screen time with other activities</h2>
<p>We know that children learn best when they are engaging in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-3556">interactions</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1921653117">conversations</a> with their parents, siblings or grandparents. These “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=KNrnZag17Ek&feature=emb_logo">serve and return</a>” or back-and-forth exchanges between parents and children, are the building blocks of children’s brain development. During COVID-19, try to offset screen-time activities with ample <a href="https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/serve-and-return/">serve-and-return</a> interactions that build children’s brain and bodies.</p>
<p>While parents may loosen up screen time limits during COVID-19, we don’t want them to throw out all the rules! That’s because there is evidence, especially early in child development, that too much screen use is associated with poor <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.3869">brain development</a>, as well as delays in children meeting their <a href="http://jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.5056">developmental milestones</a> (like walking, talking, writing). However, these results are based on children who have patterns of screen use that lasted longer than a few weeks of social distancing.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322847/original/file-20200325-168922-1eza9x7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322847/original/file-20200325-168922-1eza9x7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322847/original/file-20200325-168922-1eza9x7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322847/original/file-20200325-168922-1eza9x7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322847/original/file-20200325-168922-1eza9x7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=554&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322847/original/file-20200325-168922-1eza9x7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=554&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322847/original/file-20200325-168922-1eza9x7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=554&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Create a schedule that balances screen time with device-free family time.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(National Cancer Institute/Unsplash)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A good idea might be to <a href="https://www.healthychildren.org/English/media/Pages/default.aspx">create a schedule</a> for online as well as offline activities, such as physical activity, sleep, healthy eating, reading, learning activities and <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/videos/devicefreedinner-attention-funny-or-die">device-free family time</a>. Together, these activities can help children maintain mental and physical health. Also, screen use before bedtime can impact kids’ <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2016.2341">quality and duration of sleep</a>, so when planning your schedule, try to reserve the last 60 minutes of the day for device-free time (a board game or reading time, for example).</p>
<h2>5. Model healthy device habits</h2>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/323016/original/file-20200325-168918-qssji2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/323016/original/file-20200325-168918-qssji2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/323016/original/file-20200325-168918-qssji2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/323016/original/file-20200325-168918-qssji2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/323016/original/file-20200325-168918-qssji2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/323016/original/file-20200325-168918-qssji2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/323016/original/file-20200325-168918-qssji2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Try to avoid exposing children to media reports about COVID-19.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pixabay)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We have all been bombarded by the news and social media feeds related to COVID-19, and it’s easy to get sucked into a digital vortex without noticing how much time we are spending on devices. Despite the desire to consume the most recent updates, it’s important to monitor our own media consumption because <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.4495">it can have an impact on levels of child use</a> and interrupt those crucial serve-and-return interactions.</p>
<p>We can be media mentors to children by modelling healthy device habits. We can do this by taking media breaks and modelling device-free priorities (such as reading, cooking, eating, walking) ourselves. </p>
<p>Finally, although parents should talk to their kids about COVID-19, try to avoid exposing children to television and media reports regarding the pandemic since viewing disturbing news reports has been shown to elevate children’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0002764203254619">stress levels</a>.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-qandas-answers-to-7-questions-your-kids-may-have-about-the-pandemic-133576">Coronavirus Q&As: Answers to 7 questions your kids may have about the pandemic</a>
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<p>The COVID-19 pandemic will come to a conclusion at some point, but it’s important that we help our children navigate screen use in the best possible way during this uncertain time.</p>
<h2>Online resources</h2>
<p>Parents can visit <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/">Common Sense Media</a>, <a href="https://mediasmarts.ca/parents">Media Smarts</a> and <a href="https://www.pbs.org/parents">PBS for Parents</a>, trusted sources for finding educational and age-appropriate screen time content and <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/resources-for-families-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic">resources</a> for kids. </p>
<p>Common sense media has also compiled a list of free <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/free-online-events-activities-kids-at-home-coronavirus">educationally based online activities</a> that kids can do at home during COVID-19.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134445/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brae Anne McArthur receives funding from Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sheri Madigan receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Canada Research Chairs program.</span></em></p>With parents trying to work from home while schools and daycare services are closed, some children may get more screen time than usual during COVID-19 social distancing.Brae Anne McArthur, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Determinants of Child Development Lab, University of CalgarySheri Madigan, Associate Professor, Canada Research Chair in Determinants of Child Development, Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1317482020-02-16T08:15:34Z2020-02-16T08:15:34ZQuality childcare has become a necessity for Australian families, and for society. It’s time the government paid up<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/315161/original/file-20200213-41652-1ktvtmi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-caucasian-boy-early-learning-counting-607314020">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>An Australian family on the average wage typically spends <a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/reports/australian-investment-in-education-early-learning/">close to A$6,000 out of pocket per year on child care</a>, a new analysis from the Mitchell Institute shows. This is more than the average cost of sending a child to a private primary school. </p>
<p>Unlike the school sector, families don’t have the option to choose a low cost publicly delivered childcare service.</p>
<p>Childcare costs in Australia are among the <a href="https://data.oecd.org/benwage/net-childcare-costs.htm">highest in the OECD</a>, eating up <a href="https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/childcare-costs-are-an-increasing-stress-for-parents-nows-the-time-for-good-policy-making/">around 27%</a> of families’ incomes. Many families are being forced to <a href="https://theconversation.com/not-all-australian-parents-can-access-quality-childcare-and-preschool-they-cant-just-shop-around-130369">choose affordability over quality</a>.</p>
<p>But research shows quality preschool can deliver <a href="https://www.thefrontproject.org.au/images/downloads/Cost-benefit%20analysis_brochure.pdf">$2 of returns to the economy for every $1 invested</a>. Children who receive quality early childhood education and care are also up to <a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Two-Years-are-Better-than-One.pdf">eight months ahead</a> in learning, with the benefit still evident in adolescence.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/report-finds-every-1-australia-spends-on-preschool-will-return-2-but-this-wont-just-magically-happen-120217">Report finds every $1 Australia spends on preschool will return $2, but this won't just magically happen</a>
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<p>If quality early learning delivers public benefits for the country as well as private benefits for families, then there’s a strong case for Australian governments to carry a greater share of the cost.</p>
<h2>How much are we paying?</h2>
<p>Our analysis shows government spending on early childhood education and care has <a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/reports/australian-investment-in-education-early-learning/">escalated over the past ten years by around 140%</a>. This means <a href="https://theconversation.com/both-major-parties-are-finally-talking-about-the-importance-of-preschool-heres-why-it-matters-114974">both sides of politics</a> are recognising early learning is a worthwhile investment. But Australia’s public investment is still <a href="http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/our-work/submissions-statements/state-early-learning-australia-report-2019/">below the OECD average</a> of <a href="https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/education-at-a-glance-2019_f8d7880d-en#page180">0.8% of GDP</a>.</p>
<p>Over the past ten years, families’ investment in early childhood services has grown even faster, by <a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/reports/australian-investment-in-education-early-learning/">about 150%</a>.</p>
<p>Governments contribute a far lower share for early learning than what they contribute to schools. A two-parent, one-child Australian family on an average income of A$85,000 will typically spend around <a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/reports/australian-investment-in-education-early-learning/">A$6,000 a year on childcare fees</a>, with the government contributing about the same amount.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/both-major-parties-are-finally-talking-about-the-importance-of-preschool-heres-why-it-matters-114974">Both major parties are finally talking about the importance of preschool – here's why it matters</a>
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<p>If that child then goes to a public primary school, the government contributes <a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/reports/australian-investment-in-education-early-learning/">close to A$12,000</a>, with minimal costs imposed on the family. Even a private primary school would typically cost the family less than they spend on child care, thanks to <a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/reports/australian-investment-in-education-early-learning/">almost A$10,000</a> per child in government funding.</p>
<p>The early years of life are the <a href="https://www.rch.org.au/ccch/first-thousand-days/">most critical period for brain development</a>. Yet Australian governments are under-investing in early learning, preferring to spend millions remediating gaps once children reach the government-funded school system.</p>
<h2>Investing in parental workforce participation</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/reports/australian-investment-in-education-early-learning/">About half</a> of the increase in Australia’s investment in early childhood services can be explained by the increase in children attending them. Since the early 1990s, the number of children in childcare <a href="https://aifs.gov.au/sites/default/files/publication-documents/1907_cce_early_monitoring_report_citation.pdf">has increased five-fold</a>. <a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/reports/australian-investment-in-education-early-learning/">Our analysis</a> shows since 2008, participation in childcare has increased by around 80%.</p>
<p>Changing family structures have fuelled this rise in demand. In the 1980s, <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6224.0.55.001">most two-parent families</a> had only one adult in the paid workforce. Now, <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6224.0.55.001">more than one in five</a> Australian families with young children have both adults in full-time work. </p>
<p>It’s not feasible to <a href="https://www.childcarecanada.org/sites/default/files/Chap%203.pdf">say this is a private choice</a>, and that the costs of childcare should therefore be borne by the family. For many Australian families, costs of living can only be met by both parents working, and accessing childcare as cheaply as possible.</p>
<p>The impact of childcare costs is greatest for Australia’s most vulnerable children and families. Low-income families are likely to spend a <a href="https://natsem.canberra.edu.au/publications/?publication=ampnatsem-income-and-wealth-report-issue-35-childcare-affordability-in-australia">much bigger proportion</a> of their discretionary income on childcare than high-income families – meaning less is leftover for other family essentials.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/315408/original/file-20200214-11005-83z3jp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/315408/original/file-20200214-11005-83z3jp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/315408/original/file-20200214-11005-83z3jp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/315408/original/file-20200214-11005-83z3jp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/315408/original/file-20200214-11005-83z3jp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/315408/original/file-20200214-11005-83z3jp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/315408/original/file-20200214-11005-83z3jp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/315408/original/file-20200214-11005-83z3jp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">In Australia, most families have both parents in full time work.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-family-spending-time-home-looking-587531531">Shutterstock</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Other families combine care for children with part-time work. Australia has the <a href="https://data.oecd.org/emp/part-time-employment-rate.htm">fourth-highest rate of part-time work</a> in the OECD, and <a href="https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/bulletin/2017/sep/3.html">numbers of part-time workers are growing</a>.</p>
<p>The Australian government recognises that helping families balance work and family life is a worthwhile investment. The childcare subsidy is designed to make it easier for families to work, <a href="https://aifs.gov.au/publications/child-care-package-evaluation-early-monitoring-report">especially working parents</a> on lower incomes.</p>
<p>One problem with subsidies to working families is that <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/child-care-subsidy-activity-test">children miss out if either parent is unemployed</a>. These children stand to gain most from quality early childhood services, which <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/321201fc-ca0c-4c20-9582-7c3dc5c9d1b9/19438.pdf.aspx?inline=true">deliver greatest benefits</a> for children from lower-income homes.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/preschool-benefits-all-children-but-not-all-children-get-it-heres-what-the-government-can-do-about-that-117660">Preschool benefits all children, but not all children get it. Here's what the government can do about that</a>
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<p>More money to families also enables childcare providers to charge more. Education minister Dan Tehan has acknowledged the benefits of the 2018 change to the <a href="http://thespoke.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/whats-story-child-care-costs/">childcare subsidy on costs for families</a> have been <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/childcare-package-all-but-gone-18-months-after-introduction-20200131-p53wlr.html">swallowed up by fee increases</a>. This suggests Australia needs to invest in early learning more wisely. </p>
<h2>Investing in children</h2>
<p>A smarter investment in early childhood education and care focuses on the benefits for children’s learning. This kind of investment ensures all children gain access to quality early childhood services, regardless of what their parents can pay. </p>
<p>In 2009, governments committed to <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/national-partnership-agreements">15 hours of preschool for children in the year before school</a>, recognising this would yield strong public benefits in the long-term. </p>
<p>This investment logic is similar to schools: goverments pay, children learn, and the economy and society benefits. Parents can pay extra if they choose, but every child is guaranteed a quality education. </p>
<p>Few people would question this logic for schools, but the Australian government is <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/universal-access-early-childhood-education">still holding back</a> from funding preschool long-term. This instability creates inefficiencies. <a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/UANP-review-submission_Mitchell-Institute_.pdf">Many preschool staff are on short-term contracts</a> and families are unable to plan their investment in their child’s early learning.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/not-all-australian-parents-can-access-quality-childcare-and-preschool-they-cant-just-shop-around-130369">Not all Australian parents can access quality childcare and preschool – they can't just 'shop around'</a>
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<p>Other countries do this better. Australian families might <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/education/looking-to-swedish-model-of-childcare-and-education-20150518-gh48hj.html">look longingly to Sweden</a>, which provides over 500 hours of free education and care for children aged three to five, and low fees for younger children, matched to families’ income. Sweden is in the <a href="https://www.dca.org.au/sites/default/files/share_the_care_final.pdf">top five countries for working mums</a>, and <a href="http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GCR2018/05FullReport/TheGlobalCompetitivenessReport2018.pdf">top ten for economic competitiveness</a>.</p>
<p>A shift from private to public investment is possible even in early childhood systems more similar to Australia. In Canada, a major review of early childhood funding concluded <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-free-preschool-makes-the-most-sense-for-families-94716">free preschool from age 2.5</a> was the fairest solution, above all other options.</p>
<p>The review also found tax deductions (a solution <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/money/tax/plan-for-tax-deductible-childcare-ought-to-be-on-the-table-20200120-p53t2k.html">proposed in Australia</a>) favoured middle-income families, but <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-an-ontario-tax-credit-for-child-care-is-a-bad-idea-115207">left low-income families behind</a>. This is because they wouldn’t earn enough for tax credits to cover the costs of quality education and care. </p>
<p>Whatever the solution, something has to change. As annual government investment in early childhood <a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/reports/australian-investment-in-education-early-learning/">approaches $10 billion</a>, and families still struggle under the burden of costs, the <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/opinion/child-care-policies-australia-is-waiting-20040113-gdx3o5.html">longstanding “barbecue stopper”</a> of childcare costs needs to become an evidence-based debate about smarter investment.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/131748/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jen Jackson has previously received funding from the Australian Research Council for research on the Australian early childhood workforce.</span></em></p>Quality preschool can deliver $2 for every $1 from government. But families are paying more for it than if they sent their child to private primary school. Some forego quality for affordability.Jen Jackson, Education Policy Lead, Mitchell Institute, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1074952018-12-13T22:13:15Z2018-12-13T22:13:15ZKids with enough stuff disappointed about presents? Modelling limits is the gift<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307724/original/file-20191218-11896-gfkacs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C93%2C4920%2C2917&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Be mindful of what you get excited about, as children will model your lead.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Disappointment is a natural human emotion that occurs after a perceived failure. For our young children, this perceived failure can look like not getting the toy they wanted, not being invited to a classmate’s birthday party or losing their favourite stuffed animal. </p>
<p>It is essential for children’s mental health, well-being and overall development that they experience how to <a href="http://www.easternflorida.edu/community-resources/child-development-centers/parent-resource-library/documents/dissappointment.pdf">deal with disappointment well</a>. But this can be difficult for parents to handle, particularly around holidays that have grown to involve consumerism, gift-giving and expectations. </p>
<p>North American culture often mistakenly links love and happiness with material goods such as toys; the Santa story promises magical wish fulfilment. This can cause conflict for parents when children do not get the “right” gift. </p>
<p>On holidays, there’s social and personal pressure to provide happiness and joy to children through material objects, which can be confused with providing the necessities. For parents who do not have the resources to provide the perfect or desired gift this can cause additional stress, shame, guilt and fear around disappointment.</p>
<p>Parents may feel as though they have let down their child and that they have impacted the child’s experience or memory of their “special day.” </p>
<p>This is especially true if the child has difficulty with or is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01319934">learning to regulate emotions</a> and <a href="https://www.nasponline.org/Documents/Resources%20and%20Publications/Handouts/Families%20and%20Educators/Temper_Tantrums_Guidelines_for_Parents_and_Edcuators.pdf">expresses disappointment through tantrums</a> or sulking. </p>
<p>These behaviours can affect parents profoundly, often leading them to feel badly about themselves or that the child does not love them. </p>
<h2>Focus on traditions over gifts</h2>
<p>The holiday season should be about love, connection and spending time together. This is at the core of all family traditions and what children will remember and bring with them as they develop and eventually have their own families. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/fam-164381.pdf">Traditions and rituals are important</a> for creating meaning and a sense of belonging. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249337/original/file-20181206-128193-yqjagl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249337/original/file-20181206-128193-yqjagl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249337/original/file-20181206-128193-yqjagl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249337/original/file-20181206-128193-yqjagl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249337/original/file-20181206-128193-yqjagl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249337/original/file-20181206-128193-yqjagl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249337/original/file-20181206-128193-yqjagl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Family traditions can create seasonal rhythms that bring joy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>Being a part of something greater than yourself or your immediate family and creating positive loving memories and security are all important for children’s emotional, social and cognitive development. </p>
<p>To help children understand the true meaning of a holiday season, you might delve more into your own traditions. Or you might like to create new family traditions that provide opportunities to connect with each other and your wider community. </p>
<p>Experiences such as baking for others and donating to a food bank or toy drive can help children to understand that the holidays are for making a positive difference.</p>
<h2>Emphasize giving, not receiving</h2>
<p>Changing our focus from giving rather than receiving can help our children develop and appreciate the strength in gratitude. </p>
<p>Research has linked <a href="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_gratitude_is_good">gratitude to significant health and wellness benefits</a> such as improving self-esteem, improving sleep and developing empathy. </p>
<p>The other thing to know is that although disappointment feels awful, it is a part of life and is actually a positive and healthy emotion that’s central to children’s emotional, cognitive and social development throughout their lives.</p>
<p>Parents naturally try to protect their children from pain, to make them feel better from what we deem as negative emotions such as anger, sadness and disappointment. </p>
<p>But it is important for us to equip them with the tools to manage special day and day-to-day disappointments. Because ultimately, as they grow older, those disappointing moments in life become more profound.</p>
<p>When parents support children in dealing with disappointment it can lead to the development of <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1991-98760-000">adaptation</a> and <a href="https://www.beststart.org/resources/hlthy_chld_dev/pdf/BSRC_Resilience_English_fnl.pdf">resilience</a>, which are both important for children in order for them to bounce back from difficult experiences throughout life.</p>
<p>Here are some more ways you can help children deal with disappointment:</p>
<h2>1. Acknowledge your child’s feelings</h2>
<p>Let them know that you understand. It is important to label and validate children’s feelings. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249345/original/file-20181206-128214-1v2xfjy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249345/original/file-20181206-128214-1v2xfjy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249345/original/file-20181206-128214-1v2xfjy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249345/original/file-20181206-128214-1v2xfjy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249345/original/file-20181206-128214-1v2xfjy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249345/original/file-20181206-128214-1v2xfjy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249345/original/file-20181206-128214-1v2xfjy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Be mindful of what you get excited about; children will model your lead.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>Tell your child that you recognize why they are feeling disappointed and that it’s OK to express this emotion.</p>
<p>In order for children to develop a positive sense of self, empathy and social skills, <a href="https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/mental-health-matters/social-and-emotional-learning/emotional-development/feelings-matter">they need to be able to feel, label and talk about all feelings</a>.</p>
<h2>2. Share your own disappointments</h2>
<p>Often when children are disappointed about not receiving what they wanted, they also feel badly because they are told to feel fortunate and thankful for what they have. </p>
<p>To encourage children to embrace and express their emotions, it is helpful to share a story of a time when you also felt disappointments. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249301/original/file-20181206-128187-1p0gbk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249301/original/file-20181206-128187-1p0gbk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249301/original/file-20181206-128187-1p0gbk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249301/original/file-20181206-128187-1p0gbk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249301/original/file-20181206-128187-1p0gbk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249301/original/file-20181206-128187-1p0gbk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249301/original/file-20181206-128187-1p0gbk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The pony that never arrived.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>Perhaps you can remember a holiday when you were young, when you too were disappointed over a dream gift that never arrived. Empathize with your child’s emotional experience to remind them that they are not alone and that their emotions are valid.</p>
<h2>3. Be mindful, stay present</h2>
<p>It’s always important, but especially during the holiday season, to be intentional about the expectations you set for your children. Instead of talking about the gifts under the tree, you could talk about the fun they will have with friends and family during your holiday traditions.</p>
<p>Be present through the disappointment and the behaviour. Disappointment can feel awful for children. The emotion and the behaviour will pass and your child will be stronger and more resilient when they know the boundaries. </p>
<h2>4. Don’t label your child</h2>
<p>During this time, it is important to be mindful of your own language and attitudes. Don’t say: “You’re acting like a baby.”</p>
<p>Although it is difficult, try not to label your child, even if the label describes what he or she has done. You can use questions to motivate change, such as “Are your actions safe?” or “Are your words kind?”</p>
<p>The holiday season brings out the best and worst in all of us, and if we want to support our child’s growth and development it is important that we help them learn to manage and deal with their disappointments everyday. </p>
<p>Through loving, caring relationships our children will always grow and prosper.</p>
<p>[ <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/ca/newsletters?utm_source=TCCA&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=thanksforreading">Thanks for reading! We can send you The Conversation’s stories every day in an informative email. Sign up today.</a></em> ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/107495/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Hide the credit cards and instead build traditions with your kids. Supporting a child through gift disappointment is important to their emotional, cognitive and social development.Nikki Martyn, Program Head of Early Childhood Studies, University of Guelph-HumberElena Merenda, Assistant Program Head of Early Childhood Studies, University of Guelph-HumberLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/914022018-03-22T19:08:33Z2018-03-22T19:08:33ZLow-paid ‘women’s work’: why early childhood educators are walking out<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207223/original/file-20180221-132650-q1qv95.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What might be achieved from the proposed walkout is difficult to predict.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australia’s early childhood educators, including those working in community and private childcare centres, will walk off the job on March 27 to demand <a href="http://www.unitedvoice.org.au/big_walk_off_announcement">better pay</a>. Some centres will be closed for the whole day and parents will be asked to keep their children at home.</p>
<p>This scale of action will no doubt come at a cost to the economy and cause substantial inconvenience to thousands of families. It’s part of a long-running equal pay campaign. </p>
<p>Early childhood educators are among the lowest-paid Australians, with many taking on a second job for a supplementary income. Many <a href="https://theconversation.com/one-in-five-early-childhood-educators-plan-to-leave-the-profession-61279">leave the sector</a> altogether – with low pay identified as the central reason for doing so. This means the sector <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/101622/1/Brief_report_ECEC_Workforce_Development_Policy_Workshop_final.pdf">loses skilled workers</a> at a time when its workforce should be growing in size.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/one-in-five-early-childhood-educators-plan-to-leave-the-profession-61279">One in five early childhood educators plan to leave the profession</a>
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<p>Many would agree current wage levels don’t reflect the <a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/starting-strong-iv-9789264233515-en.htm">importance of caring for and educating children</a>. Positive outcomes for children’s development and emotional security have significant implications for the welfare of families and future economic prosperity. </p>
<h2>Low pay</h2>
<p>Reasons for low pay in the early childhood sector include a high proportion of female workers, the dependency of educators on <a href="https://www.fairwork.gov.au/how-we-will-help/templates-and-guides/fact-sheets/minimum-workplace-entitlements/modern-awards#what-is-a-modern-award">modern awards</a> that set minimum standards of pay and conditions, and various funding models that operate in the sector.</p>
<p>Certificate III qualified educators <a href="http://awardviewer.fwo.gov.au/award/show/MA000120#P279_28075">receive A$809 per week before tax</a>, which is around half the <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6302.0">average weekly earnings for all occupations</a>. There is little difference between educator pay rates under the Children’s Services Award, which covers the majority of workers, and the Australian national minimum wage of <a href="https://www.fairwork.gov.au/how-we-will-help/templates-and-guides/fact-sheets/minimum-workplace-entitlements/minimum-wages">$18.29 per hour before tax</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207224/original/file-20180221-132642-7ebo8c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207224/original/file-20180221-132642-7ebo8c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207224/original/file-20180221-132642-7ebo8c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207224/original/file-20180221-132642-7ebo8c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207224/original/file-20180221-132642-7ebo8c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207224/original/file-20180221-132642-7ebo8c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207224/original/file-20180221-132642-7ebo8c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In highly feminised, caring occupations, there is a tendency to preference the needs of children and families above employees.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some educators leave for better paid and less challenging work elsewhere, often without the requirement for qualifications. For example, educators can earn more money doing night retail work than in the <a href="http://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/childcare/submissions/initial/submission-counter/sub121-childcare.pdf">work they are qualified to undertake</a>. Low wages also contribute to early childhood work being viewed not as a long-term career path, but a temporary employment solution.</p>
<p>Our <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/101622/1/Brief_report_ECEC_Workforce_Development_Policy_Workshop_final.pdf">own study</a> of 85 educators in nine <a href="https://www.mychild.gov.au/childcare-information/options">long daycare centres</a> (places where children can be cared for throughout the full day) in Queensland showed educators got significant satisfaction from their work with children. But their continued employment in the sector relied on supplementary income to cover life’s necessities. </p>
<p>For some, their wages were supplemented by a partner who earned a higher income. Others received financial assistance from their parents or worked a second job. Those without additional financial support struggled and were more likely to consider leaving the sector.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/early-childhood-educators-rely-on-families-to-prop-up-low-income-research-finds-69283">Early childhood educators rely on families to prop up low income, research finds</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<h2>Women’s work</h2>
<p>Like many other countries, Australia’s early childhood workforce is <a href="http://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/childcare/submissions/initial/submission-counter/sub121-childcare.pdf">female dominated</a>, consisting of more than 90% women. </p>
<p>Working with young children is often perceived as similar to mothering and something instinctive and enjoyable to women. This view is <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-12/childcare-workers-open-letter-to-david-leyonhjelm/8178296">perpetuated by government</a>, the broader community, and, sometimes, educators themselves.</p>
<p>There is a tendency to preference the needs of children and families above childcare employees. This has been seen in responses to calls for increased wages, where public and political concern has focused on the consequent <a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/38447659/childcare-fees-could-rise-if-educators-succeed-in-pay-claim/">increased cost to parents</a> using early childhood services.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207225/original/file-20180221-132654-56pp05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207225/original/file-20180221-132654-56pp05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207225/original/file-20180221-132654-56pp05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207225/original/file-20180221-132654-56pp05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207225/original/file-20180221-132654-56pp05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207225/original/file-20180221-132654-56pp05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207225/original/file-20180221-132654-56pp05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Although educator wages are low, they are by far the most significant component of the budget of any early childhood service provider.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Industrial issues</h2>
<p>More than 70% of early <a href="http://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/education-workforce-early-childhood/report/early-childhood-report.pdf">childhood educators are award dependent</a>, compared to only 20% of the broader Australian workforce. This means most educators are paid close to the minimum wage, with low variability in pay. </p>
<p>Although some employers attempt to pay more, it’s rare for wages to exceed the award by more than 10%.</p>
<p>The ability for educators to increase their earnings is further reduced by a relatively flat career structure. Length of service is not reflected in salary. Also, opportunities for collective bargaining are restricted by a fragmented sector characterised by numerous single operators with a small number of employees.</p>
<p>Degree-qualified early childhood teachers are particularly disadvantaged. In most states and territories, preschool teachers’ pay is <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/childcare/report/childcare-volume2.pdf">comparable to that of school teachers</a>, but the same teacher leading a preschool program in a long daycare centre could be paid A$7-8 less per hour. This reflects a difference of more than A$13,000 per year.</p>
<h2>Funding models</h2>
<p>Although educator wages are low, they represent around 70% of operating costs for providers. The ability to pay educators more depends on the budget of a given service.</p>
<p>Early childhood services in Australia gain income through parent fees and government funding. Different financial models are used for different service types. </p>
<p>Standalone preschools receive “<a href="https://qed.qld.gov.au/earlychildhood/service/Documents/pdf/queensland-kindergarten-funding-2017.pdf">supply-side funding</a>”, where money flows to the service mainly from government and is linked to operational costs such as the wages of qualified teachers and educators.</p>
<p>In contrast, long daycare services are subject to “demand-side funding”. In this model, there is no <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/research/ongoing/report-on-government-services/2018/child-care-education-and-training/early-childhood-education-and-care/rogs-2018-partb-chapter3.pdf">operational subsidy</a> for providers. Instead, funding is linked to parent fees and designed to <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/child-care-subsidy-0">offset the cost of care for individual families</a>. </p>
<p>These funding systems mean any wage increase in a preschool is largely funded by government, with reduced impact on parent fees. But in long day care, wage increases are more likely to require increased parent fees.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207230/original/file-20180221-132680-legrb6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207230/original/file-20180221-132680-legrb6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207230/original/file-20180221-132680-legrb6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207230/original/file-20180221-132680-legrb6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207230/original/file-20180221-132680-legrb6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207230/original/file-20180221-132680-legrb6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207230/original/file-20180221-132680-legrb6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Parent fees and government funding are the main income for early childhood services.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Where to next for the early childhood sector?</h2>
<p>The current Australian government maintains that wages are a <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/early_years_workforce_strategy_0_0_0.pdf">matter for employers and employees</a>. Unions and some employers argue there should be greater public investment in education and care to enable an urgent increase to wages. </p>
<p>Based on <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/101622/">our research</a>, and an understanding of the Australian education and care sector, improving wages is a shared responsibility. Employers clearly have a significant responsibility toward their employees and some could do better. There is also a need for greater investment from government. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-are-we-doing-on-early-childhood-education-and-care-good-but-theres-more-to-do-89275">How are we doing on early childhood education and care? Good, but there's more to do</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p>There are lessons to be learnt from national and international examples. In Queensland, the <a href="https://qed.qld.gov.au/earlychildhood/service/Documents/pdf/queensland-kindergarten-funding-2017.pdf">Kindergarten Funding Scheme</a> offers a per-child subsidy to support the delivery of a quality preschool education program delivered by a qualified teacher in long day care. </p>
<p>Canada has <a href="https://news.ontario.ca/edu/en/2016/01/2016-wage-enhancement-for-early-childhood-educators.html">recently introduced</a> an early childhood wage enhancement program. In New Zealand, <a href="http://www.education.govt.nz/early-childhood/running-an-ece-service/employing-ece-staff/attestation/">funding incentives</a> have been rolled out for early childhood services with highly qualified educators.</p>
<p>What might be achieved from the proposed walkout is difficult to predict. At the very least, the action is likely to build awareness of longstanding challenges in early childhood education. It might also secure broader community support for wages and conditions that reflect the importance and complexity of early education work.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91402/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Susan Irvine is a member of Early Childhood Australia and has received grant funding from the Australian Research Council and Queensland Department of Education.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karen Thorpe has received funding from The Australian Research Council and the Queensland Department of Education to investigate the early years workforce</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paula McDonald receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p>Research shows early childhood educators are among the lowest-paid Australians, with some finding better pay in other fields such as night-time retail work.Susan Irvine, Associate Professor, School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education, QUT, Queensland University of TechnologyKaren Thorpe, Professor, Research Group leader Development education and Care, The University of QueenslandPaula McDonald, Professor of Work and Organisation, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/765222017-07-11T20:13:29Z2017-07-11T20:13:29ZEleven games and activities for parents to encourage maths in early learning<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176373/original/file-20170630-8179-c8zqsh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Parents can use everyday tasks and routines to encourage learning maths in early childhood.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/education-cards-kids-learning-colours-teaching-463976108?src=o49Sq_s-AIB4c1pC-D83RA-10-55">OnlyZoia/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>How can parents best help their children with their schooling without actually doing it for them? This article is part of our series on <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/parents-role-in-education-40410">Parents’ Role in Education</a>, focusing on how best to support learning from early childhood to Year 12.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Before beginning official schooling, parents can give their young children a boost in learning mathematics by noticing, exploring and talking about maths during everyday activities at home or out and about.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9789811025518#aboutBook">New research shows</a> that parents play a key role in helping their children learn mathematics concepts involving time, shape, measurement and number. This mathematical knowledge developed before school is predictive of literacy and numeracy achievements in later grades.</p>
<p>One successful approach for strengthening the role of parents in mathematics learning is <a href="https://www.thesmithfamily.com.au/programs/numeracy/lets-count">Let’s Count</a>, implemented by The Smith Family. This builds on parents’ strengths and capabilities as the first mathematics educators of their children. </p>
<p>The Let’s Count longitudinal evaluation findings <a href="https://www.thesmithfamily.com.au/programs/numeracy/lets-count">show</a> that when early years educators encourage parents and families to confidently notice, explore and talk about mathematics in everyday activities, their young children’s learning flourishes. </p>
<p>Indeed, children whose families had taken part in Let’s Count showed greater mathematical skills than those in a comparison group whose families had not participated. For example, they were more successful with correctly making a group of seven (89% versus 63%); continuing patterns (56% versus 34%); and counting collections of 20 objects (58% versus 37%).</p>
<p>These findings, among many others, are a strong endorsement of the power of families helping their children to learn about mathematics in everyday contexts. </p>
<h2>What parents can do to promote maths every day</h2>
<p>Discussing and exploring mathematics with children requires no special resources. Instead, what is needed is awareness and confidence for parents about how to engage.</p>
<p>However, <a href="http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9789811025518#aboutBook">our research shows</a> that one of the biggest barriers to this is parents’ lack of confidence in leading maths education at home. </p>
<p>Through examining international research, we identified the type of activities that are important for early maths learning which are easy for parents to use. These include: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Comparing objects and describing which is longer, shorter, heavier, or holds less. </p></li>
<li><p>Playing with and describing 2D shapes and 3D objects.</p></li>
<li><p>Describing where things are positioned, for example, north, outside, behind, opposite.</p></li>
<li><p>Describing, copying, and extending patterns found in everyday situations.</p></li>
<li><p>Using time-words to describe points in time, events and routines (including days, months, seasons and celebrations).</p></li>
<li><p>Comparing and talking about the duration of everyday events and the sequence in which they occur.</p></li>
<li><p>Saying number names forward in sequence to ten (and eventually to 20 and beyond).</p></li>
<li><p>Using numbers to describe and compare collections.</p></li>
<li><p>Using perceptual and conceptual subitising (recognising quantities based on visual patterns), counting and matching to compare the number of items in one collection with another.</p></li>
<li><p>Showing different ways to make a total (at first with models and small numbers).</p></li>
<li><p>Matching number names, symbols and quantities up to ten. </p></li>
</ol>
<h2>Games to play using everyday situations</h2>
<p>Neuroscience <a href="https://www.zerotothree.org">research</a> has provided crucial evidence about the importance of early nurturing and support for learning, brain development, and the development of positive dispositions for learning. </p>
<p>Early brain development or “learning” is all about the quality of children’s sensory and motor experiences within positive and nurturing relationships and environments. This explains why programs such as Let’s Count are successful. </p>
<p>Sometimes it can be difficult to come up with activities and games to play that boost children’s mathematics learning, but there are plenty. For example, talk with your children as you prepare meals together. Talk about measuring and comparing ingredients and amounts.</p>
<p>You can play children’s card games and games involving dice, such as Snakes and Ladders, or maps, shapes and money. You can also read stories and notice the mathematics – the sequence of events, and the descriptions of characters and settings. </p>
<p>Although these activities may seem simple and informal, they build on what children notice and question, give families the chance to talk about mathematical ideas and language, and show children that maths is used throughout the day.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169424/original/file-20170516-6987-1y9l9e3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169424/original/file-20170516-6987-1y9l9e3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169424/original/file-20170516-6987-1y9l9e3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169424/original/file-20170516-6987-1y9l9e3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169424/original/file-20170516-6987-1y9l9e3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169424/original/file-20170516-6987-1y9l9e3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169424/original/file-20170516-6987-1y9l9e3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Parents are encouraged to provide learning opportunities that are engaging and relevant to their children.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/close-little-girl-boy-accounting-583567633?src=jQAx6fgAA732tBFJOJzV0Q-1-17">www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Make it relevant to them</h2>
<p>Most importantly, encouraging maths and numeracy in young children relies on making it appealing and relevant to them. </p>
<p>For example, when you take your child for a walk down the street, in the park or on the beach, bring their attention to the objects around them – houses, cars, trees, signs. </p>
<p>Talk about the shapes and sizes of the objects, talk about and look for similarities and differences (for example: let’s find a taller tree or a heavier rock), count the number of cars parked in the street or time how long it takes to reach the next corner. </p>
<p>Discuss the temperature or the speed of your walking pace. </p>
<p>Collect leaves or shells, and make repeating patterns on the sand or grass, or play Mathematical I Spy (I spy with my little eye, something that’s taller than mum). </p>
<p>It is never too soon to begin these activities. Babies who are only weeks old notice differences in shapes and the number of objects in their line of sight. </p>
<p>So, from the earliest of ages, talk with your child about the world around them, being descriptive and using mathematical words. As they grow, build on what they notice about shapes, numbers, and measures. This is how you teach them mathematics.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/76522/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sivanes Phillipson receives funding from the Australian Research Council Linkage Project (LP 140100548), with partner investigators, Victorian Department of Education and Training and Catholic of Education Office Melbourne.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ann Gervasoni receives funding from the Australian Research Council Linkage Project (LP 140100548), with partner investigators, Victorian Department of Education and Training and Catholic of Education Office Melbourne. She has also received funding from The Smith Family for the Let's Count Longitudinal Evaluation.</span></em></p>There are several ways to help children learn and be interested in maths – even the reluctant ones.Sivanes Phillipson, Associate Professor in Education and Family Research, Monash UniversityAnn Gervasoni, Associate Professor in Numeracy, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/804592017-07-10T20:09:06Z2017-07-10T20:09:06ZHow to encourage literacy in young children (and beyond)<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176705/original/file-20170704-13632-caakrr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Ask your child what their toys did while they were out today or invite them to help you read the mail.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-family-father-children-reading-book-563337706?src=chHsPc-MqV6jr3hDT3JjDQ-1-63">Evgeny Atamanenko/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>How can parents best help their children with their schooling without actually doing it for them? This article is part of our series on <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/parents-role-in-education-40410">Parents’ Role in Education</a>, focusing on how best to support learning from early childhood to Year 12.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Literacy involves meaning-making with materials that humans use to communicate – be they visual, written, spoken, sung, and/or drawn. Definitions vary according to culture, personal values and theories. </p>
<p>We look to a broad definition of literacy as guided by <a href="http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001416/141639e.pdf">UNESCO</a> to be inclusive for all families. Children learn to be literate in a variety of ways in their homes, communities and places of formal education. </p>
<h2>What research tells us</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.unisa.edu.au/Research/Centre-for-Research-in-Education/Research-Projects/ADRAS-Developing-a-community-approach-to-supporting-preschoolers-literacy-in-Fiji/About-the-Project-Team-and-Partners/">New research</a> in three-to-five-year-old children’s homes and communities in Fiji, has revealed that children’s regular engagement in literacy across many different media has supported good literacy outcomes. </p>
<p>There were ten main ways of engaging in literacy-building activities. These included print and information, communication and entertainment technologies, arts and crafts, making marks on paper, screens and other surfaces like sand and concrete, reading and creating images, and talking, telling and acting out stories that were real or imagined. </p>
<p>Children also engaged with reading, recording and talking about the environment, reading signs in the environment, engaging in music, dance, song and, lastly, with texts and icons of religions and cultures. </p>
<p>These activities were enjoyed and valued by children and their families as part of their everyday lives, and were further bolstered by creating books with children in their home languages and English. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177470/original/file-20170710-26358-11e9ova.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177470/original/file-20170710-26358-11e9ova.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177470/original/file-20170710-26358-11e9ova.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177470/original/file-20170710-26358-11e9ova.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177470/original/file-20170710-26358-11e9ova.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177470/original/file-20170710-26358-11e9ova.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177470/original/file-20170710-26358-11e9ova.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Parents and communities include their children in daily activities, encouraging their literacy experiences.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/savusavu-fiji-jan-23-2017indigenous-fijian-567259678?src=nWbOWZv27VcKhJvaZnL0kw-1-6">ChameleonsEye/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This research can be used to add to our discussions on how parents can help develop their children’s early literacy. </p>
<p>The Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research <a href="http://www.education.vic.gov.au/documents/about/research/readtoyoungchild.pdf">found</a> daily reading to young children improves schooling outcomes, regardless of family background and home environment. </p>
<p>The OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) <a href="https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/Parent%20Factor_e-book-new%20logo_FINAL_new%20page%2047.pdf">results</a> also indicate a strong correlation between parents reading and storytelling with children in the early years and reading achievement at age 15, with those students performing one to two years above their peers. </p>
<p>However, it is not just being read to that matters. The adult-child interactions are also very important.</p>
<p>These interactions need to be lively and engage children with the text-in-hand. Alphabet toys and phonics programs alone <a href="http://eprints.ncrm.ac.uk/3132/1/flewitt_occasional-paper3.pdf">offer little</a> to develop literacy, as they focus on a code without contextual meaning. Words, and their letters and sounds, are best understood when seen and applied in everyday experiences, driven by children’s motivations.</p>
<h2>How to be a talking, reading, writing, viewing, and listening family</h2>
<p>There are several practical things parents can do to encourage broad literacy and learning in early childhood years. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Don’t wait. Read what you are reading aloud to your newborn. Children become attuned to the sound of your voice and the tones of the language you speak as their hearing develops.</p></li>
<li><p>Share stories at mealtime. Provide prompts like: “Tell us what your teddy did today”. Alternatively, randomly select from ideas for characters, problems, and settings, for example: “Tell us about an inquisitive mouse lost in a library”. <a href="http://louptales.education/professional-publications/#the-role-of-storytelling-in-early-literacy-development">Oral storytelling</a> provides a bridge to written stories.</p></li>
<li><p>Record on your phone or write down your child’s stories. Turn them into a book, animation, or slide show (with an app). Children will see the transformation of their spoken words into written words. These stories can be revisited to reinforce learning of words, story structure and grammar.</p></li>
<li><p>Talk about their experiences. For example, prompt them to describe something they have done, seen, read or heard about. <a href="http://search.ror.unisa.edu.au/media/researcharchive/open/9915910317701831/53108806660001831">Research shows</a> children’s oral language supports their literacy development, and vice-versa.</p></li>
<li><p>Guide literacy in your children’s play, following their lead. For example, help them follow instructions for making something, or use texts in pretend play, such as menus in play about a pizza place. Children will engage with various texts and the purposes they have in their lives.</p></li>
<li><p>Books, books, books. For babies and toddlers, start with durable board books of faces, animals and everyday things with few words that invite interactivity (e.g., “Where is baby?”). Progress to more complex picture books with rhyming language. Talk about personal links with the stories and ask questions (such as “I wonder what will happen next or where they went to”) as these will support comprehension. Look to the <a href="https://cbca.org.au/">Children’s Book Council</a> for awarded quality children’s literature. </p></li>
<li><p>Talk about words children notice. Be sure the words make sense to children. Talk about what words look like, what patterns, letters and sounds they make. This builds children’s word recognition and attack skills, and understanding of what words in context mean.</p></li>
<li><p>Involve your children in activities where you use literacy. For example, if you make shopping lists or send e-cards, your children could help create these with you. Explain what you are doing and invite children’s participation (e.g., “I’m looking at a map to see how to get to your friend’s house”). Children can meaningfully engage with and create texts and see the place these texts have in their lives.</p></li>
<li><p>Use community and state libraries. Most offer interactive family literacy programs. <a href="http://www.earlyyearscount.earlychildhood.qld.gov.au/">Early Years Counts</a> and The Australian Literacy Educators Association has a <a href="https://www.alea.edu.au/publicresources/resources-for-parents-and-community">range of resources</a> for families. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Above all, be sure the experience is enjoyable, playful, and encourages children’s active involvement. Literacy should be engaging for your children, not a chore.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/80459/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Louise Phillips has received competitively awarded funding from The Spencer Foundation, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, The Queensland Department of Education and Training. Louise is a current and an active member of the Australian Literacy Educators' Association, Early Childhood Australia and the Australian Association for Reseach in Education. The views expressed are of the author and not necessarily of any of these associations. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Professor Pauline Harris holds the Lillian de Lissa Chair, Early Childhood (Research), which is funded by the de Lissa Trust, managed by SA Public Trustee. This position is a partnership between the University of South Australia and the SA Department for Education & Child Development. Pauline has won competitive research grants from the Australian Research Council; Australian AID (Australian Department of Foreign Affairs & Trading); the Lillian de Lissa Trust, managed by SA Public Trustee; University of South Australia; and University of Wollongong. The views expressed here are those of the author and not necessarily these funding sources or Pauline's employers and partners.</span></em></p>Supporting early childhood literacy is not just about reading to your child. Research has found there are many and varied ways to increase literacy in early learning.Louise Phillips, Lecturer, School of Education, The University of QueenslandPauline Harris, Research Chair in Early Childhood, University of South AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/775052017-05-17T19:26:20Z2017-05-17T19:26:20ZKids on social grants are less likely to be obese. They also go to school earlier<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169129/original/file-20170512-3652-3q45ld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Enrolling children in in pre-school is essential for their development.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/cusd/8208379556/">Flickr</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Children whose parents or caregivers receive South Africa’s child support grant are less likely to be overweight or suffer from obesity. They’re also more likely to attend pre-school than those whose households don’t get a grant. </p>
<p>These are the key findings from our study, which looked at how children who received the child support grant fared with those who didn’t receive the grant. The study focused on children aged five to 14 years old.</p>
<p>Health, education and an adequate standard of living is central to <a href="https://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf">a child’s development</a>, enabling them to become productive members of society in later years of life.</p>
<p>South Africa’s child support grant is the country’s <a href="https://www.unicef.org/southafrica/SAF_resources_csg2012book.pdf">most successful</a> poverty alleviating intervention. Almost <a href="http://www.childrencount.org.za/indicator.php?id=2&indicator=10">12 million children</a> live with caregivers who receive R380 a month to meet basic needs. These include access to health care, education and an adequate standard of living.</p>
<p>South Africa’s social security system is one of the most advanced and wide reaching in the developing world, similar in range and impact to Brazil’s cash transfer programme. </p>
<p>A large body of evidence has shown the positive effects of South Africa’s social grants. To determine them, our study looked at two measures among children whose caregivers received the grant: their health in the form of their Body Mass Index (BMI), and their enrolment in education. BMI is the measure of body fat based on weight in relation to height. It can be used as an indicator of obesity – <a href="https://www.gems.gov.za/default.aspx?jHVyCDsvs4U4gesx1Tp6ww==">a growing problem</a> in many parts of the world, including South Africa. </p>
<p>We found that children whose caregivers received the grant were more likely to have a normal BMI than those who didn’t and therefore less likely to be overweight or obese. And their caregivers were more likely to enrol them in pre-primary schools than those not receiving the grant.</p>
<p>This adds to the body of knowledge showing that the grant <a href="http://www.ci.org.za/depts/ci/pubs/pdf/general/gauge2016/Child_Gauge_2016-children_count_income_poverty_unemployment.pdf">enables</a> caregivers to make healthier food choices and provides them with the means to send their children to school earlier. </p>
<h2>Disadvantaged children</h2>
<p>Early enrolment in education and obesity are both big challenges in South Africa. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/in-south-africa-childhood-hunger-and-obesity-live-side-by-side-43805">Obesity</a> is not only the manifestation of overeating. It can also be caused by eating food that has poor nutritional value and is high in fats and sugar. </p>
<p>Overweight children have a <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-south-africa-childhood-hunger-and-obesity-live-side-by-side-43805">greater risk</a> of developing lifestyle diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease later in life. In South Africa childhood obesity is increasing. More than a quarter of children between the ages of two and 14 years are obese. In our study, 9% of children who received the child support grant were obese compared to 12% who did not. </p>
<p>At the same time, <a href="http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2016-05-17-suffer-the-children-sas-inequality-strikes-hardest-where-it-hurts-the-most/">63% of children</a> younger than 18 live below the poverty line. And <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-child-malnutrition-is-still-a-problem-in-south-africa-22-years-into-democracy-60224">close to 30%</a> of children younger than three are stunted. Stunting is a result of under-nutrition, which in turn hampers the way a child’s brain develops.</p>
<p>Research shows that children living in poverty and who are stunted <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(16)30266-2/fulltext">go to school later</a>. Our findings show that children whose caregivers received the child support grant were more likely to enrol in early childhood development programmes. </p>
<p>It also found that the impact of the grant on child health and education was evident despite household circumstances such as income poverty and limited access to basic services. </p>
<p>We analysed data collected as part of the <a href="http://www.nids.uct.ac.za/">National Income Dynamics Survey</a>. a government funded study that’s repeated every two to three years. </p>
<p>The findings showed that in addition to the child support grant, other factors also influenced children’s development. For example, basic services such as water and electricity were also linked to the early educational enrolment and better child health. This confirms previous <a href="http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/departments/education-and-skills-development/timsssa">research</a>. </p>
<p>Our findings are also in line with studies in Latin America about the benefit of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-brazil-can-teach-the-world-about-tackling-child-malnutrition-64652">Brazilian Bolsa Familia</a> – a conditional cash transfer programme that requires families to comply with certain health and education conditions before getting the grant. </p>
<h2>Added services are a must</h2>
<p>The South African government has highlighted the importance of access to quality early stimulation, education and care for all children. Our research shows that this is becoming a reality for children who receive the child support grant, with likely positive long-term benefits.</p>
<p>On top of this there’s growing evidence that grants reduce poverty and inequality. This is because they enable money to be spent on higher quality food and school related expenses. This means that children stay in school.</p>
<p>Our study also confirms <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-brazil-can-teach-the-world-about-tackling-child-malnutrition-64652">global evidence</a> that social grants need to be accompanied by basic services to ensure that all children are given the opportunity to develop optimally.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/77505/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Child support grants are an income resource that enables caregivers to make healthier food choices and provide the means to send their children to school earlier.Jenita Chiba, Researcher, University of JohannesburgJacqueline Moodley, Researcher, University of JohannesburgLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/719432017-02-01T15:58:38Z2017-02-01T15:58:38ZFoundation teachers are more than simply childminders. Here’s why<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/154721/original/image-20170130-7685-19v3kgv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Having good, well-trained teachers in their early lives benefits children enormously.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reuters</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Teaching young children is complex and challenging and requires laying solid foundations for literacy, mathematics and language learning. It needs dedicated, well-educated teachers, along with mechanisms and resources to support them. </p>
<p>The foundation phase in South Africa, where we conduct some of our research and educate future teachers, includes Grades R (reception year) through to Grade 3 – six to nine year olds. </p>
<p>South Africa has a problem: the status of foundation phase teachers is very low. Many believe that these teachers are basically childminders. This implies that anyone can do it and that one doesn’t need intellect or cognitively demanding university-level education to become a foundation phase teacher. What is especially worrying is that even some student teachers believe this to be true. Research we’ve conducted among our students <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254267848">shows</a> that foundation phase teachers are not taken seriously.</p>
<p>Some of our own experiences in running a “teaching school” at the University of Johannesburg’s Soweto campus suggest that it’s possible to turn these misconceptions around and boost foundation phase teachers’ status. In some high performing education systems, such as Finland’s, being a primary school teacher is a <a href="https://edpolicy.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/publications/secret-finland%E2%80%99s-success-educating-teachers.pdf">highly esteemed</a> career choice. It enjoys equal status with law and medicine.</p>
<h2>Poorly regarded</h2>
<p>We conducted research with 238 student teachers in two cohorts, at the beginning of each academic year in 2010 and 2011. The students were asked why they chose to become foundation phase teachers. We also asked what they thought of foundation phase teachers when they were in high school and what their family and friends said about them. Their comments were enlightening. </p>
<p>Most told us that family and friends were often surprised that they were thinking about foundation phase teaching as a career. This was particularly true if they were perceived as “bright students”. Teaching in general is not seen as an ideal career choice. But foundation phase teaching in particular seems to be very poorly regarded. </p>
<p>Those who express interest in pursuing foundation phase teaching are often bombarded with negative messages. For instance, one student told us that </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The general public looks down on foundation phase teachers. They think that it’s a low class profession. They don’t even believe you if you say you have to study for four years to become a foundation phase teacher. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Some students said they held similar views when they were at school: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I thought a foundation phase teacher was a low class teacher and they are not well educated teachers. They teach young kids simple education and therefore they don’t have to study hard and get high quality education.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is completely contrary to the way in which primary school teachers are viewed in the world’s high performing education systems. Finnish educational expert Pasi Sahlberg <a href="https://edpolicy.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/publications/secret-finland%E2%80%99s-success-educating-teachers.pdf">has written</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Among young Finns, teaching is consistently the most admired profession in regular opinion polls of high school graduates. Becoming a primary school teacher in Finland is a very competitive process, and only Finland’s best and brightest are able to fulfil those professional dreams.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Finnish teacher education is excellent and our faculty has learned from it, adapting some elements to the South African context. We and our colleagues have worked hard to raise the status of foundation phase teachers through advocacy, research and the teacher education programme on the university’s Soweto campus.</p>
<h2>Theory and practical experience matter</h2>
<p>The programme we’re involved in comprises of cognitively demanding coursework, with a strong focus on child development studies. All student teachers are also required to do language, literacy and mathematics courses for three years. During their degree programme they are placed in a variety of schools for practice teaching. But a large proportion of their practical experience is completed in the school located on the Soweto campus – a “teaching school”. </p>
<p>This allows an integration of coursework with practice periods at the school. It’s a model of teacher education that’s been used <a href="https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/46581035.pdf">successfully</a> in Finland since 1972. Though our model drew from the Finnish example, it’s been adapted to South Africa’s particular context.</p>
<p>Research findings from a collaborative University of Johannesburg and University of Helsinki project show that students integrate effectively what they learn in university coursework with what they learn at the school, preparing them well for the world of the classroom. </p>
<p>At the teaching school students also have continuous exposure to expert teachers, and have models of powerful teaching to emulate. Many of the teachers at the school, who serve as mentors for our student teachers, go on to pursue post graduate studies. This also helps shift student teachers’ views of primary school teaching as a soft option and a lowly career choice. </p>
<p>This all suggests that a great deal can be done to shift people’s perceptions of foundation phase teaching. Excellent teacher education
is crucial, but there are other avenues that should be explored.</p>
<h2>Champions are required</h2>
<p>Strong advocacy is required from various segments of society. Also, excellent teaching practices in the foundation phase need to be highlighted in national forums with accompanying messages about the importance of this phase of schooling as the basis for future educational success. </p>
<p>Robust foundation phase teacher education programmes in which student teachers learn to become both producers and consumers of educational knowledge, particularly of child development, are needed. And more dedicated funding in the form of prestigious bursaries for this phase of schooling is required. This would attract more young people, especially those who are talented and academically strong, into this field of study.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/71943/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Gravett receives funding - development grants: USAID, Elma Foundation, </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nadine Petersen receives funding from the National Research Foundation. She is affiliated with the SASOL Inzalo Foundation Board as trustee. </span></em></p>Many people look down on foundation phase teachers, believing it requires little training or expertise. This couldn’t be further from the truth.Sarah Gravett, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Education, University of JohannesburgNadine Petersen, Professor: Teacher education for the primary school, University of JohannesburgLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/717942017-01-25T05:11:39Z2017-01-25T05:11:39ZDo you need to worry if your baby has a flat head?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/154135/original/image-20170124-16066-ygodnr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The number of children with flat head has risen in recent years in part due to SIDS guidelines, which recommend placing babies on their backs to sleep. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/558740821?size=huge_jpg">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Flat head syndrome, also called positional plagiocephaly, develops in babies because of external pressures on the soft, malleable baby skull. It is more common now that babies sleep on their backs, as recommended by SIDS safety guidelines. </p>
<p>While one in five children are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27504717">affected</a> by flat head syndrome, parents receive mixed messages about whether it has an impact on development, and clinicians don’t have good evidence to allay fears.</p>
<p>Our <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28009719">review</a> published this week shows that while not all children displaying a flat head will experience developmental problems, the syndrome can be used as a marker of potential developmental delay. We make the recommendation that children with flat head be assessed for developmental delays.</p>
<h2>What is flat head syndrome and why does it develop?</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27504717">Flat head syndrome</a> presents as a flattened area on the back or side of a baby’s head. In severe cases it can affect the alignment of the ears, eyes and jaw. It’s typically noticed by the parent up to the fourth month of age. It can be present at birth or develop over time, up to about the 18 month mark when the baby’s skull bones are harder and fixed in place. </p>
<p>The syndrome develops because of external pressures to the soft, malleable baby skull. It’s become more common since 1992, when the SIDS safe sleeping campaign <a href="https://www.nichd.nih.gov/sts/campaign/Pages/default.aspx">Back to Sleep</a> (now known as Safe to Sleep) began. This campaign saved lives, and continues to do so.</p>
<p>With the need for rigorous information on whether flat head syndrome leads to developmental delay, we reviewed existing medical literature to inform clinicians and parents on the state of knowledge in this area. There were 19 studies that met our strict quality criteria, in which the children’s ages ranged from three months to ten years.</p>
<h2>Identifying risk</h2>
<p>Our <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28009719">review</a> shows flat head syndrome is a marker of developmental delay. Delay can occur in one or multiple areas of development known as domains. For children with flat head, delays were observed most commonly in the motor domain, controlling muscular activities such as walking (gross motor) and holding a spoon (fine motor). The second and third most common delays were observed in language and cognition (such as speaking or understanding one’s own name).</p>
<p>Although we sought to address whether flat head leads to delays, or whether delays are causing flat head, none of the studies conducted to date are able to answer this question. Thus, given there is a link, but the direction is to be determined, we make the recommendation that children with flat head be assessed for developmental delays. </p>
<p>Simple developmental milestones should be met (within the normal variation). When not met, clinicians (GPs, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses) can use standardised assessment tools to more objectively assess the child’s development and refer for early intervention if necessary. </p>
<p>Our review found children with flat head who had developmental delays on multiple domains (such as motor, learning and cognition), or who had low muscle tone, were a special high risk group where intervention and longer-term follow-up would likely be helpful. </p>
<p>Our review found delays were more common in newborn to two-year-olds, but delays did persist to preschool and school aged children in some cases, although there is less knowledge on the older age groups.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/154160/original/image-20170125-16083-1j9xo05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/154160/original/image-20170125-16083-1j9xo05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/154160/original/image-20170125-16083-1j9xo05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/154160/original/image-20170125-16083-1j9xo05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/154160/original/image-20170125-16083-1j9xo05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/154160/original/image-20170125-16083-1j9xo05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/154160/original/image-20170125-16083-1j9xo05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tummy time is important for babies, giving their malleable skulls a rest from the pressure of lying in one position.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/koadmunkee/5565679203/in/photolist-9tPywg-bfBwwK-ZDJvx-aCj96A-5F4xqN-zv5cG-RiuJ-6xFP5W-cicRKY-6kuKKg-4sCTmw-7iGTaf-6tN9oY-7UeDx4-5wd3m4-biyvA2-Riuw-biyu4B-4ynh9J-7qwz2T-gKwz76-67v5zx-gKfzen-imtJ3n-5EZdoK-6oFixb-6y66xQ-ajyb41-biyqZX-7oStLz-5ZCA25-biyL5M-biyzLn-biyCHz-jrEAWr-biyJnt-9EhUBL-3nEYM8-9Ef1Sk-5cTtCK-ePEJa2-biyEoi-ecCE8-biyB2n-biyTgR-biyPSn-biyGe6-doL8Dq-5gkTiw-9RZqyr">koadmunkee/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Most children with flat head syndrome will be fine</h2>
<p>While it is difficult to say with confidence what proportion of children with flat head will experience a developmental delay, it is likely most children with flat head will be fine in terms of their development. </p>
<p>In the studies included in the review, about 10-25% of the children had developmental delays beyond that expected (although the range observed was 3-51% depending on the study). Some studies presented this in terms of risk, and reported children with flat head were up to ten times more likely to experience developmental delays than children without flat head.</p>
<h2>How parents can prevent or reduce flat head</h2>
<p>The benefits of following the <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/sudden-infant-death-syndrome-sids">SIDS guidelines</a> far outweigh any concerns about flat head, given death could result from not following safe sleeping recommendations. Babies should be put to sleep on their backs in a firm, flat area, free of toys, pillows or other items, in a non-smoking environment. </p>
<p>Home prevention of flat head syndrome is possible. Tummy time while awake and supervised – a little bit every day starting from birth – can help strengthen neck muscles, and provide time off the back and sides of the head. Altering the position of baby while awake (holding, or in a carrier) is also helpful. </p>
<p>Some children are at heightened risk of flat head syndrome, such as premature babies, those with a challenging birth, or who have torticollis (also known as wry or twisted neck), so you should not feel guilty if your child has a flat head. If concerned at any time, you should seek advice from a health professional. Since babies receive vaccinations at several time points during their first year this can be an opportune time to seek assessment and advice.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/71794/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexandra Martiniuk was funded by a University of Sydney Fellowship (2012-2015) and currently an NHMRC Translating Research into Practice (TRIP) Fellowship (2016-2017). She is currently working with Royal Far West.
She s working on ideas (potential devices) to assist in the prevention or treatment of positional plagiocephaly. No device has been developed or tested to date (January 2017). </span></em></p>Parents who notice their child has a flat head should talk to a GP or specialist to see if any treatment is needed.Alexandra Martiniuk, Associate Professor, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/677902016-10-30T19:08:25Z2016-10-30T19:08:25ZTwo years of preschool have more impact than one, research shows<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143613/original/image-20161028-15799-m1cc6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Children with at least two years of preschool achieve much higher scores than those who attend no preschool or only one year.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Providing universal access to preschool programs for all three-year-old children could improve academic results in the longer term and prevent the learning gap that sees nearly one in four children not ready for school when they start.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/reports/two-years-preschool/">Our research shows</a> that it is an achievable – and high priority – policy goal for Australia.</p>
<p>With <a href="http://abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4240.0Main+Features12015?OpenDocument">two thirds</a> of three-year-olds accessing early education and care (ECEC) services, Australia already has the foundations of a universal preschool program. </p>
<p>Australia currently has a national preschool program for all children (around four years old) in the year before school – a significant reform that started in 2008 and now provides 15 hours of preschool, delivered by a qualified early childhood teacher. </p>
<p>It is now time to extend this to three-year-old children, so that all children can access two years of preschool.</p>
<p>In establishing a second year of preschool, the challenge is to:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Make sure all three-year-olds receive the right amount of sufficiently high quality preschool that will have a <a href="https://www.mathematica-mpr.com/news/preschool-academic-skills-grow-stronger">sustained impact on their development</a>.</p></li>
<li><p>Ensure the children <a href="https://aifs.gov.au/publications/access-early-childhood-education-australia/executive-summary">currently missing out</a> because of financial or other barriers have the opportunity to participate.</p></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Educational-opportunity-in-Australia-2015-Who-succeeds-and-who-misses-out-19Nov15.pdf">Nearly a quarter</a> of Australian children start school without the foundations they need to take advantage of learning opportunities at school. And our school systems are <a href="http://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/937-Widening-gaps.pdf">struggling to help them catch up</a>.</p>
<p>There is a <a href="https://www.aedc.gov.au/resources/detail/2015-aedc-national-report">direct correlation</a> between how wealthy a child’s community is and their risk of developmental vulnerability. </p>
<p>Children from low socio-economic status communities are more likely to experience developmental vulnerability – but<a href="https://www.aedc.gov.au/resources/detail/2015-aedc-national-report"> half of all children</a> who are developmentally vulnerable come from the top three fifths of the income distribution. </p>
<p>There are many children across our communities who need the learning environment preschool programs provide; and all children benefit from opportunities preschool provides to develop and master new skills.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143606/original/image-20161028-11256-1h1zm80.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143606/original/image-20161028-11256-1h1zm80.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143606/original/image-20161028-11256-1h1zm80.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=359&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143606/original/image-20161028-11256-1h1zm80.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=359&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143606/original/image-20161028-11256-1h1zm80.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=359&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143606/original/image-20161028-11256-1h1zm80.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143606/original/image-20161028-11256-1h1zm80.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143606/original/image-20161028-11256-1h1zm80.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children experiencing development vulnerability by socio-economic status, Australian Early Development Census.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AEDC 2015</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Many children who start school behind their peers <a href="http://mitchellinstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Quality-Early-Education-for-All-FINAL.pdf">struggle to catch up</a>. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Educational-opportunity-in-Australia-2015-Who-succeeds-and-who-misses-out-19Nov15.pdf">At age 24</a>, 26% of young people aren’t fully engaged in employment, education or training.</p>
<p>Reduced educational opportunity has lifelong consequences for young people and for the broader community and economy.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/reports/two-years-preschool/">Two years of high-quality preschool</a> is one of the most effective strategies we have to change the trajectories of children. </p>
<p>It is a key strategy for investing in the most important economic asset we have - the capabilities of the Australian people.</p>
<h2>Two years of preschool have more impact than one</h2>
<p>For the children most likely to experience developmental vulnerability, two years of high-quality preschool can be transformative. But it has positive impacts for all children. </p>
<p>There are many studies that show the long-term benefits of two years of preschool for children of all socioeconomic backgrounds.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>A <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/373286/RR352_-_Influences_on_Students_GCSE_Attainment_and_Progress_at_Age_16.pdf">landmark UK study</a> showed that students who attended two to three years of preschool obtained higher overall scores in their end-of-school exams, better grades in English and in maths, and took final year exams in more subjects.</p></li>
<li><p>Analysis of international test results (<a href="http://www.llakes.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/36.-Mostafa-Green.pdf">Programme for International Student Assessment - PISA</a>, <a href="http://timssandpirls.bc.edu/pirls2011/downloads/P11_IR_FullBook.pdf">Progress in International Reading Literacy Study - PIRLS</a> and <a href="http://timssandpirls.bc.edu/timss2011/downloads/T11_IR_Mathematics_FullBook.pdf">Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study - TIMSS</a>) show that children with at least two years of preschool achieve much higher scores than those who attend no preschool or only one year. </p></li>
<li><p>The Abbott Pre-K program in New Jersey, which provides two years of high quality preschool programs to all children in priority communities, found <a href="http://nieer.org/sites/nieer/files/APPLES%205th%20Grade.pdf">much greater benefits</a> for the children who attended from age three.</p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143612/original/image-20161028-32322-1w8iztz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143612/original/image-20161028-32322-1w8iztz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143612/original/image-20161028-32322-1w8iztz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143612/original/image-20161028-32322-1w8iztz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143612/original/image-20161028-32322-1w8iztz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143612/original/image-20161028-32322-1w8iztz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143612/original/image-20161028-32322-1w8iztz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143612/original/image-20161028-32322-1w8iztz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Impact of two years of preschool on language and maths at Grade 4.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Abbott Pre-K Study, New Jersey</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/quality_review_0.pdf">Meta-analyses</a> looking at the impact of two years of preschool find that while all children benefit, it provides a major boost to children from low-income households. </p>
<p>This is important because children from poor communities are often significantly behind their peers, even by the age of three. </p>
<h2>Access and quality are the priorities</h2>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/time-for-australia-to-provide-preschool-education-for-all-three-year-olds-64665">Establishing an entitlement to two years of preschool</a> for all children is the most practical and achievable way of boosting the accessibility and impact of our existing early education and care system. </p>
<p>Setting up minimum and consistent hours of attendance and high-quality learning programs, in the way we have for four-year-old preschool, is critical.</p>
<p>Although many three-year-olds currently attending ECEC will be experiencing a high-quality learning environment, this isn’t the case for all children.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Quality levels are <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10409289.2015.1076674?journalCode=heed20">lowest in poorest communities</a>, where children are most in need of exceptional quality. </p></li>
<li><p><a href="http://www.pc.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/199716/sub054-education-evidence.pdf">Only 7% </a>of children in the lowest socioeconomic quintile attended programs delivering the highest levels of instructional support. </p></li>
<li><p><a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10409289.2015.1076674?journalCode=heed20">Quality levels are highest</a> for older children, especially those in four-year-old preschool programs, and much lower for younger children. </p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Foundations are already in place</h2>
<p>The <a href="http://www.acecqa.gov.au/national-quality-framework">National Quality Framework</a> already provides the foundations of structural quality needed for a three-year-old preschool program - appropriate educator to child ratios, and a second early childhood teacher coming online in many services from 2020. </p>
<p>We have <a href="http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/FlagPost/2015/March/The_review_of_universal_access_to_early_childhood_education">achieved near-universal enrolment</a> in preschool for four year olds in the past five years. We can do the same thing for three year olds.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/67790/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stacey Fox does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Two years of high-quality preschool is one of the most effective strategies we have to change the trajectories of children from disadvantaged backgrounds.Stacey Fox, Policy Fellow, Mitchell Institute, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/598152016-05-25T05:15:24Z2016-05-25T05:15:24ZWhy is childcare such a hard sell in the federal election?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/123893/original/image-20160525-25239-lpztq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Children who attend preschool are more likely to be ready to learn when they start school.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Spending on early years education seems to be a tough sell for politicians.</p>
<p>A significant number of Australians, both politicians and voters, see “childcare” as a service to help parents get back to work, despite growing recognition that early education is important for children’s learning and development.</p>
<p>The discussion tends to focus on household budgets and the ability of mum (mostly) to go back to work.</p>
<p>While these are important issues that families face every day, we don’t treat school in this manner – we don’t make decisions about whether children can go to school based on how much their parents work and earn and, likewise, this shouldn’t factor into decisions about young children accessing quality early learning. </p>
<h2>Early education as important as school</h2>
<p>Education is figuring strongly in the election campaign, but the focus has been on <a href="https://theconversation.com/federal-election-2016-whats-on-the-table-for-schools-58399">Gonski reforms</a> and the funding each party is willing to make available for schools. </p>
<p>Both the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-coalitions-real-agenda-for-australian-schools-53308">Coalition</a> and Labor have said that we need to target spending on schools. But neither party is focused on where spending can <a href="https://theconversation.com/government-must-boost-attendance-rates-in-early-education-57983">make the most difference</a> – the early years before school starts. </p>
<p>In the federal budget the government <a href="https://theconversation.com/federal-budget-2016-education-experts-react-58592">shelved its early learning policy</a> for at least another year.</p>
<h2>Early learning matters</h2>
<p>Children’s sensitivity to learning in many areas, such as language and understanding symbols, <a href="http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/inbrief-science-of-ecd/">peaks before the age of five</a>. </p>
<p>Foundational skills such as peer relationships, emotional regulation and behaviour, problem solving and planning are also <a href="http://aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=10737421521">developed in the preschool years</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/123871/original/image-20160525-25239-1075yv6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/123871/original/image-20160525-25239-1075yv6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=313&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123871/original/image-20160525-25239-1075yv6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=313&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123871/original/image-20160525-25239-1075yv6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=313&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123871/original/image-20160525-25239-1075yv6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123871/original/image-20160525-25239-1075yv6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123871/original/image-20160525-25239-1075yv6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sensitive periods in early brain development.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/parliament%5Ccommit.nsf/(Report+Lookup+by+Com+ID)/5D835C076D06D025482579B400070FB5/$file/EHSC+Report+No+deleted+pages.pdf">Education and Health Standing Committee</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It is up to governments now to heed the evidence and be bold with their policy proposals – put aside some payment for play based learning. </p>
<p>Parents are their children’s first and most important teachers, but high quality early education also has <a href="http://eprints.ioe.ac.uk/5309/1/sylva2004EPPEfinal.pdf">positive impacts for all children</a> and particular benefits for disadvantaged children.</p>
<p>Children who attend preschool are more likely to be <a href="http://aedc.gov.au/resources/detail/early-childhood-education-and-care-and-the-transition-to-school">ready to learn</a> when they start school. </p>
<p>They are likely to do better on NAPLAN and have <a href="http://education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/research/preschoolparticipationandqualissummarypaper2013.pdf">higher maths and literacy levels</a>. </p>
<p>We know that there is <a href="https://theconversation.com/should-we-change-the-way-we-measure-student-progress-in-schools-56422">a widening gap in learning outcomes</a> – it is evident when children start school, and it grows over time. </p>
<p>We end up with a <a href="http://mitchellinstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Educational-opportunity-in-Australia-2015-Who-succeeds-and-who-misses-out-19Nov15.pdf">quarter of young people not fully engaged</a> in education, training and employment at age 24. </p>
<p>What is less well known is that these performance gaps are can be predicted (and changed) much earlier on. </p>
<p>Given this weight of evidence, investment should be flowing into the early years, but it’s not.</p>
<h2>Childcare or learning?</h2>
<p>There is a big difference in the way government talks about childcare and the way child development experts talk about early learning.</p>
<p>Research shows that many Australian families are unaware of the <a href="http://aracy.org.au/projects/engaging-families-in-the-early-childhood-development-story">science of early childhood learning and development</a>. Quality play based learning with peers in early education and care supports children to develop greater confidence and resilience in school.</p>
<p>As a result, families tend to think of childcare as <a href="http://frameworksinstitute.org/assets/files/Australia/au_mtg.pdf">a safe place for children</a> to be while they work, whereas experts think of early education and care as a place that can amplify children’s learning and help build their social skills and emotional regulation.</p>
<p>Part of the problem is that the Australian government has historically funded childcare <a href="http://oecd.org/australia/1900259.pdf">primarily to encourage women to participate in the workforce</a>. </p>
<p>The government’s language around childcare subsidies is intrinsically linked to the workforce agenda – the government’s policy is entitled <a href="http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/legislation/billsdgs/4511107/upload_binary/4511107.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf#search=%22legislation/billsdgs/4511107%22">Jobs for Families</a> rather than Outcomes for Children. </p>
<p>Government funding of early education and care is seen as something that helps household budgets, not an investment in children that is essential for future jobs and growth. </p>
<p>Yet early education is an investment that is equally important as our longstanding national commitment to ensuring all young people have access to a school education.</p>
<h2>Need for universal access to preschool</h2>
<p>Government has a role to play in reinforcing the pivotal role of early learning in building children’s capabilities. </p>
<p>One step in the right direction would be for government to commit to sustainable, ongoing funding for universal access to preschool in the year before school. </p>
<p>There is currently a short-term National Partnership Agreement to provide <a href="https://theconversation.com/government-must-boost-attendance-rates-in-early-education-57983">15 hours of early education</a> to children in the year before school, but many children are not accessing the number of hours needed to make a difference and cost remains a barrier for some families.</p>
<p>Establishing <a href="http://mitchellinstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Quality-Early-Education-for-All-FINAL.pdf">preschool education as a legislated entitlement</a> equivalent in status and importance to primary and secondary schooling, would bring Australia into line with other OECD countries. </p>
<p>This would help in part to re-frame the community’s views around the impact of preschool.</p>
<p>To shift the focus from “childcare” to “early education”, we also need a public education campaign to give families access to information on the science of children’s learning and development.</p>
<p>Communicating the key insights of cutting-edge science in ways that resonate can help create community support and public demand for investment in the early years.</p>
<p>There is <a href="http://frameworksinstitute.org/assets/files/Australia/au_mtg.pdf">great demand</a> for more information from parents, but we need to communicate these messages more effectively.</p>
<p>A national campaign could also help build community understanding of what high-quality early education looks like and why it matters. </p>
<p>Australia’s <a href="http://acecqa.gov.au/national-quality-framework">National Quality Framework</a> does a good job of setting benchmarks for a quality early education and care system, but is <a href="https://aifs.gov.au/sites/default/files/publication-documents/rr28.pdf">not well understood</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://everyonebenefits.org.au/">Early Learning, Everyone Benefits</a> is a grassroots campaign aiming to shift community perceptions – government could fast track its impact by committing to ongoing funding to this vital education sector.</p>
<p>The challenge is to ensure workforce participation imperatives do not undermine access to quality early learning for all children.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/59815/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Government funding of childcare is seen as something that helps get mums back into work, instead of setting children up for learning before they start school.Stacey Fox, Policy Fellow, Mitchell Institute, Victoria UniversityMegan O'Connell, Policy Program Director, Mitchell Institute, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/496932016-04-06T09:45:34Z2016-04-06T09:45:34ZWhy make-believe play is an important part of childhood development<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107823/original/image-20160111-6981-j1axdq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Trying on new roles. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/11454785166/in/photolist-isdLxY-iiie9s-iihX6r-isdoKs-8az3Zm-pavLsT-isd5JP-isdNPm-moKZsn-dyPQMd-isdcun-ise6Xr-moMM8C-isdvYW-isdJUY-isdXze-isdJdh-iiiw2e-isdKGj-isdang-isdpgs-isdXyT-moLAjp-moMGsq-isd7px-isdbKg-ise4xM-isdHT9-isdQrE-isdqqS-isd9sF-isdEyJ-iiicqu-ise6We-isdLBf-isdb84-isd6vP-isdmyd-isd5Wn-isdCXY-dyPQQ1-isdkys-isd8tr-isd7HZ-jMA7Tc-nqh9Ej-8ag3X2-2htcw-y1kA3z-isdemZ">Boston Public Library/Flickr</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Visit any preschool classroom during free play and you will likely see a child pretending to be someone else. Make-believe play is a ubiquitous part of early childhood. And beyond being fun for kids, pretending and other kinds of <a href="http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo3617303.html">imaginative play</a> are also believed by some to be <a href="http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195393002.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780195393002-e-003">critical to healthy child development</a>. </p>
<p>Research has found a relationship between pretend play and a child’s <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10400419.2005.9651477#.VucalYwrJhA">developing creativity</a>, <a href="http://imaginarycompanions.uoregon.edu/files/2014/07/TaylorCarlson1997-qwbe8t.pdf">understanding of others</a> and <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1985-00967-001">social competence with peers</a>.</p>
<p>As a psychologist who studies imaginary play and childhood development and is no stranger to the preschool classroom, I have met many children for whom an imaginary friend or impersonation of a character is more than just an amusing pastime. Such activities often reflect what children have on their minds.</p>
<p>So how might imaginary play lead to benefits for kids? And does imaginary play make for more socially astute kids? Or is that that kids who more socially adept tend to engage in this kind of play more?</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107815/original/image-20160111-6964-ql7e7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107815/original/image-20160111-6964-ql7e7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=442&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107815/original/image-20160111-6964-ql7e7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=442&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107815/original/image-20160111-6964-ql7e7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=442&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107815/original/image-20160111-6964-ql7e7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107815/original/image-20160111-6964-ql7e7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107815/original/image-20160111-6964-ql7e7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pretending and learning.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/joybot/19156808315/in/photolist-vbPDGx-fie1tZ-e1XaXq-7k6DhM-fitfmA-fitewY-4nU97i-frYqkt-az5Azs-7imNMJ-76ZGCz-6XbTsP-6jNrAD-8WpyZH-nJbwJT-nro8bB-yPNGEs-qxKoR-ueZjSX-uUooNV-8WsD2h-bVvQMo-vc8HXB-8rGN25-bCMmqb-9snbMe-9wF8Zp-8WTeMf-8WTf8b-fidZDc-9t7S2k-fitcGQ-8WTeL1-nt9UXF-fidYN6-fidZd2-STFYX-v7xwdK-b3uGxv-9ggzZC-v9v6i3-ueYbma-9fY4wf-a4NCra-uUdLYs-9Lnhaz-9sqbeq-cERHTj-rjh1Xf-5EsEEZ">Sarah Joy/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Learning to think from different perspectives</h2>
<p>Imaginary play could encourage social development because children are simultaneously behaving as themselves and as someone else. This gives them a change to explore the world from different perspectives, and is a feat that requires thinking about two ways of being at once, something that children may have difficulty doing in other circumstances.</p>
<p>You can imagine how this could be a part of a child’s developing social abilities.</p>
<p>For instance, if a child is pretending to be a mother, he or she must imagine what it would feel like if the baby cries or doesn’t behave. If a child is pretending to be the family dog, he or she needs to figure out how to communicate with the “owner” without speaking. </p>
<p>The child who creates an imaginary friend has the opportunity to explore all the nuances of friendship – without having to manage the unpredictability of another person’s behavior or risking the friendship ending.</p>
<p>The child who impersonates a superhero can play out and achieve goals such as helping others and performing daring rescues. This kind of power is not easily found in early childhood. Getting to be the hero and taking care of others must be a nice change from being taken care of and ordered around. </p>
<h2>Learning the delicate art of negotiation</h2>
<p>When children play these make-believe games with other kids, they must constantly consider their own behaviors and signals to send clear messages about what they are doing. And they also have to pay attention to signals coming from other participants in the game and learn how to decipher them. </p>
<p>This kind of communication also happens in real-world interactions. But within the world of fantasy play, successful coordination requires extra attention to all of these details. Children must engage in sophisticated levels of communication, negotiation, compromise, cooperation and coordination to keep the play moving forward. </p>
<p>In fact some research suggests that children engaging in social pretend play spend almost as much time negotiating the terms and context of the play <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0885-2006(89)90015-X">as they do enacting it</a>. This might come in handy as they grow up and manage the rules of neighborhood games of Capture the Flag, the division of labor on group projects in high school and the benefits associated with a first job offer. </p>
<h2>Are the benefits of play correlational or causative?</h2>
<p>The studies that connect pretend play to all of those positive outcomes are correlational. In other words, a socially astute, competent child might be more interested in pretend play, rather than pretend play making a child more socially astute. Alternatively, some other variable, like parenting, might be responsible for connections between engagement in fantasy and getting along well with others. </p>
<p>In fact, Angeline Lillard, a prominent scholar in the field, looked at dozens of studies with her colleagues, and found <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/features/bul-a0029321.pdf">little evidence to support</a> the idea that pretend play causes positive developmental outcomes. </p>
<p>Instead, these authors assert, pretending might be one route to these outcomes. Or both pretend play and positive outcomes might be supported by other factors, such as the presence of supportive, encouraging adults, play that focuses on positive, pro-social themes, and the characteristics of the children themselves, such as their intelligence and sociability. </p>
<p>At the same time, the researchers are also quick to point out that children love to play and are motivated to do so. Adults who want to foster perspective-taking, empathy, negotiation skills and cooperation would do well to think about how lessons related to these skills could be embedded in the materials, themes and general content of children’s imaginative play.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/49693/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tracy Gleason does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Research has found a relationship between pretend play and a child’s developing creativity, understanding of others and social competence with peers.Tracy Gleason, Professor of Psychology, Wellesley CollegeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/559312016-03-17T23:05:56Z2016-03-17T23:05:56ZFactCheck: has there been a massive increase in child care costs under the Coalition government?<blockquote>
<p>The Liberals went to the election promising more affordable child care, but the government’s own figures released today show a massive increase in the cost of child care for millions of families since the 2013 election. – <strong>Shadow minister for early education, Kate Ellis, <a href="http://www.kateellis.com.au/child_care_costs_rocket_under_liberal_government">media release</a>, March 6, 2016.</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The cost of child care is not just an issue for parents – it can affect the whole economy because expensive child care can dissuade parents from working and paying tax when they’d otherwise like to.</p>
<p>Labor’s shadow minister for early education, Kate Ellis, said there’s been a “massive increase” in child care costs since the 2013 election of the Coalition government.</p>
<p>Is it fair to link rising child care costs with the election of the Coalition government in 2013?</p>
<h2>Checking the source</h2>
<p>When asked for data to support her assertion, a spokeswoman for Ellis directed The Conversation to compare the latest data from the <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/node/39481">March 2015 Early Childhood and Child Care in Summary report</a> with the <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/node/39601">March 2013 Early Childhood and Child Care in Summary report</a>.</p>
<p>The spokeswoman said that comparing the data from March 2015 (when the Coalition was in government) with March 2013 (when Labor was in government) showed:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>… a marked difference in the out-of-pocket percentages at all income brackets, which results in a significant out-of-pocket difference for the time period.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You can read the spokeswoman’s full response <a href="http://theconversation.com/full-response-from-a-spokeswoman-for-kate-ellis-56210">here</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/114905/original/image-20160314-11267-13u7vos.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/114905/original/image-20160314-11267-13u7vos.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/114905/original/image-20160314-11267-13u7vos.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114905/original/image-20160314-11267-13u7vos.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114905/original/image-20160314-11267-13u7vos.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114905/original/image-20160314-11267-13u7vos.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114905/original/image-20160314-11267-13u7vos.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114905/original/image-20160314-11267-13u7vos.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Provided by spokeswoman for Kate Ellis</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It’s true a basic comparison of the data does show a rise in child care costs under the Coalition government. However, the trend was underway before the Coalition came to power.</p>
<h2>The long history of rising child care costs</h2>
<p>In fact, child care costs have been outpacing the rise in the <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/webfaq.nsf/home/Consumer+Price+Index+FAQs#Anchor1">consumer price index</a> since at least 2009. </p>
<p>To calculate the consumer price index (CPI), the Australian Bureau of Statistics examines price changes over time for a hypothetical “basket of goods and services” typically bought by Australian households. Child care is one of the services in that imaginary basket.</p>
<p>The ABS has been tracking child care costs every quarter since March 1982, and that index is expressed in chart form below. Remember, this chart doesn’t show the <em>dollar cost</em> but rather an [<em>index</em>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Index_(economics) – a statistical measure of change.</p>
<iframe src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/EkY6P/2/" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" oallowfullscreen="oallowfullscreen" msallowfullscreen="msallowfullscreen" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>As you can see, the underlying trend of rising costs has not been greatly affected by government policy. The general trend in price increases looking back to early 2009 is roughly unchanged. </p>
<p>See those two big dips in the line chart? Those two significant periods of decrease in the out-of-pocket (net) price paid by parents coincide with the <a href="http://www.aph.gov.au/binaries/library/pubs/rn/2005-06/06rn03.pdf">introduction of the child care tax rebate in 2005 under the Howard government</a>, and its <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/federalelection2007news/rudds-childcare-plan/2007/10/21/1192301128547.html">expansion in 2008 under the Rudd government</a>.</p>
<p>Data compiled by the University of Canberra’s National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM) for the <a href="http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MjM5ODkzfENoaWxkSUQ9LTF8VHlwZT0z&t=1">2014 AMP-NATSEM Child Care Affordability in Australia report</a> showed the rise in child care prices has outpaced inflation since before the last federal election in 2013.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/115052/original/image-20160315-17738-17vql9h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/115052/original/image-20160315-17738-17vql9h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/115052/original/image-20160315-17738-17vql9h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115052/original/image-20160315-17738-17vql9h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115052/original/image-20160315-17738-17vql9h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115052/original/image-20160315-17738-17vql9h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115052/original/image-20160315-17738-17vql9h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115052/original/image-20160315-17738-17vql9h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cost of child care in Australia compared with CPI and household income.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MjM5ODkzfENoaWxkSUQ9LTF8VHlwZT0z&t=1">AMP-NATSEM Child care affordability in Australia report 2014. Chart uses data from ABS Consumer Price Index, NATSEM Household Budget Report. Note: This is an index and offers a base point of comparison, rather than a dollar figure.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In other words, while it’s true costs have risen since the last federal election, that trend was underway long before the current government took power in 2013.</p>
<h2>What’s driving rising child care costs?</h2>
<p>Firstly, demand is high and supply is low. <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-women-than-ever-are-in-the-workforce-but-progress-has-been-glacial-54893">Female participation in the workforce has been growing</a>, which is driving up demand for child care.</p>
<p>There seems little prospect of falling demand on the horizon, and that keeps prices high.</p>
<p>Child care is an expensive business because it’s labour intensive. Labour costs make up the vast majority of costs for child care centres.</p>
<p>Since 2012, the <a href="https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj7uLjYpsTLAhUCtJQKHZshBloQFggfMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acecqa.gov.au%2Fnational-quality-framework&usg=AFQjCNFvzprK4_RpgMeK_Lig8UDiA2esYg">National Quality Framework</a> has also placed additional cost pressures on child care centres. The national framework required more physical space per child, more staff per child, a higher presence of qualified early childhood teachers, and more qualified (and more expensive) staff.</p>
<p>All of this requires child care centres to spend more dollars per child and increases costs for parents.</p>
<p>The evidence is that the general trend in child care prices and costs has followed the same trajectory from 2013 to 2015 (under the Coalition government) that it was on from 2009 to 2012 (under the Labor government).</p>
<h2>What can be done?</h2>
<p>There are two basic policy options to drive down child care costs: increase assistance to families or intervene in the market to stop rising prices.</p>
<p>Both come with big costs.</p>
<p>Increasing subsidies would lower the cost of child care for families. The two big drops in the net child care cost in 2005 and 2008 show the large effect that increasing assistance to families can have.</p>
<p>But these subsidies are very expensive for the taxpayer. Alongside the drops in net child care price in 2005 and 2008, there were continuing increases in the gross price of child care. Subsidies go up; child care providers raise the price.</p>
<p>Secondly, although increased assistance to families brings some increase in employment, the increases are small. </p>
<p>For married and partnered women – the group whose working behaviour is most sensitive to changes in the cost of child care – we estimate that <a href="http://ftp.iza.org/dp6606.pdf">to achieve a 1% increase in hours worked</a>, government needs to <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1475-4932.2012.00797.x/abstract">reduce the price of child care</a> by between 5% and 10%.</p>
<p>Some may argue that additional child care subsidies lead to improved outcomes for children, better options for families, and a commitment to a range of policies that enhance and support gender equality. </p>
<p>The government could take over the provision of child care as it does primary education, or impose some kind of price control on child care. Both currently seem unlikely.</p>
<p>The Coalition government’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/government-predicts-substantial-participation-boost-from-big-child-care-spend-41578">current proposal is to link child care payments to a benchmark price</a>. This is presumably to impose some downward pressure on prices. It remains to be seen how this benchmark price would be adjusted every year, and whether or not this would lead to an increasing gap between subsidies and actual costs to families.</p>
<p>Finally, removing quality restrictions on child care centres could reduce price pressures. This, however, runs contrary to the early childhood education objectives and demand from parents for higher quality child care.</p>
<h2>Verdict</h2>
<p>It’s true there’s been an increase in the cost of child care under the Coalition government. However, Kate Ellis’ description of a “massive increase in the cost of child care for millions of families since the 2013 election” obscures the fact that the trend was underway for years before the current Coalition government came to power. <strong>– Robert Breunig</strong></p>
<hr>
<h2>Review</h2>
<p>This is a sound analysis. The author has provided evidence that clearly demonstrates the rising costs of childcare to families and that costs are rising at a rate faster than inflation. </p>
<p>The author’s conclusion that this trajectory began prior to the Coalition assuming government in 2013 is accurate and justified.</p>
<p>These rises are related to an increasing mismatch between supply and demand, along with improvements in the quality of the early childhood programs being offered as a result of the <a href="https://www.coag.gov.au/early_childhood">Quality Reform Agenda</a> instigated by the ALP and agreed by all governments through the Council of Australian Governments in 2009.</p>
<p>However, it is important to note that the implementation of the reforms in early childhood were not primarily in response to parental demand. The reforms were based on extensive international research evidence, including <a href="http://www.oecd.org/edu/school/startingstrongiiearlychildhoodeducationandcare.htm">a major OECD 20-country review</a>. To consider winding quality reforms back as one option for reducing costs would, in my opinion, be detrimental to the national interest. <strong>– Susan Krieg</strong></p>
<hr>
<p><div class="callout"> Have you ever seen a “fact” worth checking? The Conversation’s FactCheck asks academic experts to test claims and see how true they are. We then ask a second academic to review an anonymous copy of the article. You can request a check at checkit@theconversation.edu.au. Please include the statement you would like us to check, the date it was made, and a link if possible.</div></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/55931/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robert Breunig receives funding from the Australian Research Council for his research on child care.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Susan Krieg receives funding from the Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation.
</span></em></p>Labor’s shadow minister for early education, Kate Ellis, said there has been a massive increase in child care costs under the Coalition government. Is that an accurate reflection of the data?Robert Breunig, Professor of Economics, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/509842015-11-24T04:29:51Z2015-11-24T04:29:51ZHow playing the ‘School Game’ helps kids on their journey to literacy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/102470/original/image-20151119-18431-soa1g8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A boy in the Ivory Coast practises reading his letters. Children can learn a lot about reading from each other during the "School Game".</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Legnan Koula</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When you think of early home based reading, you may picture a mother and child poring over a brightly coloured book. Research has proved that caregivers offer children <a href="https://theconversation.com/sharing-picture-books-with-kids-can-make-them-smarter-and-more-attentive-47657">important support</a> in their schooling through this kind of experience.</p>
<p>But what happens when a parent is too busy or tired to read? Or when there are no cheerfully illustrated children’s books? In many disadvantaged homes parents may be absent, work away from home, have little formal schooling, or not be interested in reading. Most homes in South Africa have fewer <a href="https://nicspaull.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/howie-et-al-pirls-2006-sa-summary-report.pdf">than ten books</a>.</p>
<p>So what does happen in disadvantaged homes? I <a href="http://rw.org.za/index.php/rw/article/viewFile/55/148">asked</a> a group of teachers who were educated in the rural Northern and Eastern Cape during apartheid how they learned to read. They came from homes without suitable reading materials and went to schools with few books. In spite of this, most of these teachers could read before they even reached school age.</p>
<p>It emerged that many were taught by other children, either by siblings doing homework, or in what they called the “School Game,” known in some contexts as ‘Playing School.’ It seemed worth investigating this game, particularly as these children later became successful students and teachers.</p>
<h2>The School Game</h2>
<p>In the interviewees’ accounts, the School Game was played with children from the household, farmstead or village. Older children took the lead, imitating their own teacher. They would write words or letters on zinc fences or water barrels with charcoal or white clay, or use brown wrapping paper as ‘books.’</p>
<p>Role play games like this one, in which children imitate adults in a familiar context, have <a href="https://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/201201/Leong_Make_Believe_Play_Jan2012.pdf">well known benefits</a> for the children playing them. While they play, children practise memory, language, social and oral skills. They learn to negotiate, cooperate, solve problems and practise self regulation. Best of all for disadvantaged children, role play games need only the resources children themselves provide.</p>
<p>For the individuals I questioned, the most important benefit of the School Game was that they arrived at school with a strong sense of themselves as successful readers. This motivated them. They were noticed and praised by teachers, principals and inspectors. At home, reading enabled these children to enter the adult life of the family by reading to or for family members. </p>
<p>One of them wrote:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>This pretend play school made me very proud of myself and led me to like reading books. As the time went by I learnt to use other books as well as reading the bible for my grandmother and I was bragging about that to my friends.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Apart from motivation and the general benefits of any role play game, how else can the School Game support early literacy learning? It seems to provide two important learning opportunities through peer teaching and practice.</p>
<h2>Preparation for real school</h2>
<p>By teaching their peers in this game, children presented reading as a valued activity when adults were not necessarily modelling literacy in the home. Also, because the School Game copied local teachers, it prepared children for the local school and its expectations. </p>
<p>A research participant whose eight year old sister taught her to read at the age of five wrote:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>When I started school I already had a background of books, so I grasped everything easily and became a fast learner. That motivated me to always do my best in reading because it made me feel proud of myself.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Secondly, the School Game helped children to recall and practise school learning. One participant commented: “This helped me a lot because in a way it was reinforcing what I was learning at school even though I was not aware (of it).” <a href="http://www.academia.edu/5513501/Enhancing_Memory_Retention_through_Repetition">Repetition and practice</a> benefit the memory, a powerful tool in the service of literacy learning.</p>
<h2>Lessons in learning</h2>
<p>It has become commonplace to blame a range of home and environmental deficits for the low levels of literacy achievement among underprivileged children. The difficulties of becoming a reader in a disadvantaged environment should not be under estimated. But the rewards of becoming a reader, as in all communities, are enormous. One participant said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I never passed a written piece of paper on the street without picking it up and reading it. One day after school I picked up a piece of paper only to realise it was soiled. The other children made it a joke (laughing) saying that it served me right because I liked to pick up paper like a mad person and one day I would pick up a snake wanting to read it. Even after that nasty experience I continued reading every piece of reading material I came across.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This study suggests that teachers and teacher educators should not ignore the benefits of play structures like the School Game to promote extramural learning and positive experiences among learners. It reminds teachers and teacher educators that disadvantaged communities may still provide rich, affirming literacy learning experiences for children.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/50984/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Caroline van der Mescht received funding for this research from the Sandisa Imbewu Project, Department of English Language and Linguistics, Rhodes University.</span></em></p>The benefits of learning through play are well documented. In rural communities in South Africa, “playing school” produces passionate lifelong readers.Caroline van der Mescht, Lecturer in Academic Literacies and English Language Teaching, Rhodes UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/480902015-09-24T20:15:15Z2015-09-24T20:15:15ZWhat a difference a portfolio makes: early learning is not babysitting<p>The reorganisation of federal ministerial portfolios this week moved early childhood education and care (ECEC) from social services to education, with Simon Birmingham assuming ministerial responsibility. This movement is not unusual as childcare policy-making is not easily siloed into one portfolio. </p>
<p>Childcare policy is related to social welfare, education, employment and health. The cross-portfolio nature of childcare policy means that successive governments prioritise it in different ways, at times locating it within social welfare and at others including it in education.</p>
<h2>Has childcare historically been education or social services?</h2>
<p>In 2013, the incoming Coalition government positioned childcare in the education portfolio. Tony Abbott named Sussan Ley as assistant education minister with responsibility for early childhood education and care. A reshuffle transferred these ECEC responsibilities to social services (Scott Morrison assumed responsibility). </p>
<p>If we trace the history back further, it is in the first Rudd ministry (2007) that the word childcare is used in any ministerial portfolio. <a href="http://example.com/http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;db=HANDBOOK;id=handbook%2Fnewhandbook%2F2014-10-31%2F0062;query=Id%3A%22handbook%2Fnewhandbook%2F2014-10-31%2F0052%22">Julia Gillard</a> held the portfolios of education, employment and workplace relations alongside social inclusion. Maxine McKew held a prime ministerial and cabinet portfolio as parliamentary secretary for early childhood education and childcare. In a subsequent shuffle, Kate Ellis assumed ministerial responsibility for early childhood education, childcare and youth. </p>
<p>Under the Howard government, childcare was included in the children and youth affairs portfolios and at times also located in the family and community services portfolios.</p>
<p>Now we have a situation where responsibility for childcare is named and located in the education portfolio. </p>
<p>Many of the changes in the past reflect a confused and confusing attitude to early learning. In Australia, as in many other countries, learning and education are often positioned as different to childcare. This positioning has a long history. </p>
<h2>Early learning isn’t a means to an end, it’s an end in itself</h2>
<p>Similar to the situation in many Western countries, the establishment of childcare services in Australia was related primarily to women’s participation in the <a href="http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/405557">labour market</a>. The emphasis in childcare was on health and therefore practices focused on hygiene, safety and regularity of routines such as sleeping, eating and toileting.</p>
<p>In comparison, historically, preschools had primarily educational aims. The emphasis was on learning.</p>
<p>While internationally and within Australia there have been many attempts to align the purposes of childcare and education, the common perception is that they are different. One of the underpinning assumptions of this difference is that “real” learning begins at school (or preschool). </p>
<p>Most often engagement with the “three Rs” is viewed as more important than the learning that has occurred before it. This perception persists despite the research evidence from <a href="http://issuu.com/bernardvanleerfoundation/docs/a_good_start_advances_in_early_chil">neuroscience, economics and social science</a> that the experiences and learning in the first 2000 days of life, before a child enters primary school, are critical in establishing trajectories in health, learning and behaviour.</p>
<p>The variability in the way ECEC is positioned in public discourse reflects its complex nature. ECEC is both a public service and an educational endeavour. Availability, affordability and access to quality childcare are important for children, families, communities, the economy and <a href="http://theconversation.com/university-a-worthwhile-investment-for-individuals-and-society-oecd-31516">civil society</a>.</p>
<p>However, in the current debates about childcare, the rhetoric of the labour market still dominates discussion regarding the importance of childcare for the economy. This is because government responsibility for young children has been framed in particular ways using a market-driven approach. </p>
<p>As a result, the provision of childcare in Australia is based on a “demand” model rather than “supply”. Childcare is seen as a private affair rather than a public good. Parents and families are constructed as “consumers” and “clients”. </p>
<p>From this perspective, care and education are the responsibility of the individual family rather than a shared task between family, community and government. Children are caught in the middle as “profitable assets”.</p>
<p>It’s a positive move to shift ECEC responsibility back to the education portfolio. This move signals the importance of learning in the early years, rather than positioning childcare as primarily a welfare or labour market issue. </p>
<p>Given the contemporary importance and status of international comparisons of educational outcomes, the Australian public and policy debates must be attentive to the fact that, in OECD comparisons, the countries that are performing best invest much more than <a href="http://theconversation.com/childcare-may-be-expensive-but-its-worth-it-in-the-long-run-28551">Australia in ECEC</a>. </p>
<p>The countries that view childcare as a public, shared, important responsibility demonstrate the relationship between consistent ongoing investment in early childhood education and long-term educational outcomes.</p>
<p>If Australia is to live up to its aspirations of being the innovative clever country, it needs to pay serious attention to the learning that occurs before children enter primary school. Viewing childcare as important learning rather than babysitting so mum can go to work is a good place to start.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/48090/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Susan Krieg has received funding from The Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation. </span></em></p>The reorganisation of federal ministerial portfolios this week moved early childhood education and care from social services to education. This is a good thing.Susan Krieg, Associate Professor, Flinders UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/426242015-06-23T04:42:16Z2015-06-23T04:42:16ZBeing seen as well as heard can transform children’s lives<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/84852/original/image-20150612-1481-11qpyop.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Children need to get involved in classroom decisions that affect them, rather than just answering questions when prompted to do so.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Thomas Mukoya /Reuters</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Children thrive when they are allowed to get involved in making decisions and given space to ask questions about things that concern them. They <a href="http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/sites/default/files/docs/Putting_Children_at_the_Centre_final_%282%29_1.pdf">learn</a> to communicate well and believe in themselves. This is particularly true in a classroom setting.</p>
<p>The concept of participation is multi-dimensional and has been interpreted in many different ways. At its simplest, participation is about allowing children to get involved in making decisions that affect their own lives. For instance, this will involve the teacher giving children a say in how one area in a classroom should be set up. </p>
<p>But some teachers and other adults still believe that children should be seen rather than heard. Children are not encouraged to ask questions in class, or are urged to respond only to a teacher’s instructions. </p>
<h2>How teachers view participation</h2>
<p>In South Africa, <a href="http://www.southafrica.info/services/education/edufacts.htm#02">Grade R</a> – also known as the reception year – is the entry year into the foundation phase of primary schooling. Children are four or five when they enter Grade R.</p>
<p>There is a great deal of research which shows <a href="http://magazine.good.is/articles/why-early-childhood-education-matters">how valuable</a> early childhood education is to overall learning and development. As with many countries’ school systems, the major focus in South Africa is on ensuring that children can be promoted to the following grade. This means that even in Grade R there is little or no emphasis on child participation. Instead, teachers are trying to prepare their young learners for entry into Grade 1.</p>
<p>Part of my research was into how Grade R teachers understood child participation and how – or if – it was implemented in their classrooms. Five Grade R teachers who worked at public and independent (private) schools in the Western Cape province were interviewed. </p>
<p>It was found that teachers’ beliefs about child participation are not standardised and universal. They are socially, culturally and contextually constructed. The context in which teachers grow up and their own memories of childhood have a bearing on their ideas on childhood, images of children and their notions of child participation. </p>
<p>It’s not just teachers who are reluctant to prioritise child participation. Some student teachers at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology told me they viewed child participation as a challenge or problem. They were worried that if they let children get more involved, discipline would suffer, especially in overcrowded classrooms. There are <a href="http://www.childrencount.ci.org.za/indicator.php?id=6&indicator=44">supposed to be</a> 40 learners per teacher in primary schools, but <a href="http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Politics/Overcrowding-at-6-000-schools-20080113">in reality</a> that figure is often far higher. </p>
<p>Most student teachers have also never seen what active child participation looks like during their teaching practice sessions. They struggle to imagine how it could be productive or constructive.</p>
<h2>Children love to take charge</h2>
<p>The children I observed showed the highest levels of participation during <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/06/how-finland-keeps-kids-focused/373544/">free play time</a>, which is when they are given the chance to choose what they’d like to play with, and where.</p>
<p>They showed great agency, shaping their own agendas and displaying strong levels of assertiveness. They proved to be skillful negotiators and, through imaginative play, displayed strong levels of agency. </p>
<p>As soon as teachers were present, though, the adults took on an instructive role, made decisions and expressed their opinions. The teachers didn’t see the value of and the rich meanings that emanated from the children’s participation.</p>
<p>Initially I hoped to talk to children about what they liked and disliked and what they were doing, but this proved to be difficult. This has led me to think about new ways of researching <em>with</em> children in future endeavours.</p>
<h2>Where to from here</h2>
<p>This research makes it clear that a paradigm shift is needed. Teachers need to listen to their young learners and value their opinions. Children must have the space to make decisions about issues that affect them. These imperatives are already <a href="http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf">enshrined</a> in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, of which South Africa is a signatory.</p>
<p>If this paradigm shift occurs it will enhance learning and this can ultimately help shape a new citizenry. It will also bring South Africa into line with the approaches of countries like <a href="https://www.msd.govt.nz/documents/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/archive/2003-involving-children.pdf">New Zealand</a>, Australia, the <a href="http://www.participationworks.org.uk/about-us">UK</a> and Portugal. They are all serious advocates of listening to children and subscribe to ways of teaching that encourage participation.</p>
<p>This can only happen if teachers are trained to improve their approach to teaching. They must learn what child participation actually means and how to invite it into their classrooms. It’s also important that parents embrace the concept of participation and come to understand how it can help their children to learn and develop.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/42624/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Naseema Shaik received funding from the National Research Foundation for the research discussed here.</span></em></p>At its simplest, participation is about allowing children to get involved in making decisions that affect their own lives and their own learning experiences.Naseema Shaik, Lecturer, Language in Education, Cape Peninsula University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/378492015-02-23T06:00:17Z2015-02-23T06:00:17ZProductivity Commission childcare report shows blind faith in market<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/72712/original/image-20150223-21907-1n18v1m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Productivity Commission's report on childcare will help inform the Abbott government's soon-to-be-unveiled 'families package'.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Paul Miller</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Productivity Commission’s <a href="http://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/childcare/report">final report</a> on childcare and early childhood learning has been a long time coming. Its recommendations will now <a href="http://www.theleader.com.au/story/2897050/learning-curve-morrison-says-productivity-commissions-childcare-report-a-key-input-to-governments-families-package/">reportedly</a> form a key part of the Abbott government’s promised “families package”. </p>
<p>So far, most of the response to the report has focused on the shift in funding models and its recommendation of a single means-tested subsidy paid directly to the childcare service. Little attention has been paid to many other recommendations that radically shift the basis of funding and types of services. It is particularly important to examine the assumptions on which its recommendations are based.</p>
<p>Many of the proposals derive from assumptions that the funding of these services should ensure minimal interference, with a classic, market-based model for meeting “demand”. These assumptions ignore the Productivity Commission’s evidence that the current market-based supply of services is not responding adequately to non-mainstream parental needs. </p>
<p>These concerns were clearly articulated by families as part of the reason for setting up the inquiry. Most parental submissions and parent groups claimed that there were:</p>
<ul>
<li>inadequate places for children under two; </li>
<li>maldistributed locations of services – so some areas, for example the inner city, lacked places; </li>
<li>costs were often too high in areas with fewer places;</li>
<li>a lack of flexibility; and</li>
<li>many good services had long waiting lists. </li>
</ul>
<p>As the Productivity Commission’s terms of reference acknowledge:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The child care and early learning system can be improved because families are struggling to find quality child care and early learning that is flexible and affordable enough to meet their needs and to participate in the workforce.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>None of these issues have been addressed per se – except by adding <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/nannies-and-a-single-payment-recommended-by-childcare-report-20150219-13jc0n.html">nannies to the mix</a>, which raises other issues. The Productivity Commission’s <a href="http://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/childcare/report/childcare-volume2.pdf">view</a> on these areas is that the market will provide if some parents improve their demands:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>In Australia, ECEC [early childhood education and care] services are supplied under a market model, with services delivered by mostly non-government providers on a fee-for-service basis. Governments continue to have a major role in funding, regulating quality and, in some cases, providing services.</p>
<p>Choice is a key benefit of a market-based model. In most markets, parents have some capacity to choose between similar providers and there is competition. </p>
<p>Because long day care providers commonly cross-subsidise fees, parents may not realise the full cost of the services they use and the allocation of childcare places is unlikely to be efficient. Services for children two years and under tend to be under-priced, meaning that parents demand more services than they would if fees reflected the full cost of delivering services. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>There is never any acknowledgement that parental “choice” is seriously inhibited by the lack of services in many areas of high need. </p>
<p>The final point above is a bizarre illustration of market solutions. It assumes that higher costs would reduce demand, disposing of the problem. This fails to deal with the needs of those whose parental leave expires well before children reach the three-year-old stage. </p>
<p>Despite statements that under-twos cost twice as much as over-threes, the proposed fee for younger children is set for under-threes and so is little more than the next age group. This may be the result – albeit unacknowledged – of the lack of data on GDP-based benefits for under-twos in care.</p>
<p>Similarly, the proposed withdrawal of any government funding for non-disadvantaged children, whose primary carer has no workforce needs, makes it clear that public childcare funding is available only for economic, not social, needs. If there is no increased GDP output, there is no need for care. </p>
<p>This exclusion of children currently entitled to support entirely removes the original social functions of local children’s services as part of a community that supports families’ other needs. </p>
<p>Another economic absurdity that ignores children’s needs is the Productivity Commission’s critique of parents who fail to move children to cheaper services because of needs for relationship stability, thus undermining competition.</p>
<p>The hardline market approach is further reinforced by the punitive proposals that non-profit services lose tax-deductible donor status and payroll and other exemptions. The ill-founded assumption here is that because they often use these funds to “cross-subsidise” fees and upgrade services, they are ruining the commercial price signals – and presumably the profits of investors. </p>
<p>The above points illustrate serious flaws in the Productivity Commission’s approach. This raises issues both about the market model and the wider recommendations being offered. These issues highlight the differences between a community service model and a commercial one, as well as indicating that a pure market model doesn’t work.</p>
<p>Given that this area receives A$7 billion annually, the government should address identified market failures by devising a hybrid approach that would mix aspects of the market approach with conditional funding tied to meeting child and community needs.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/37849/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eva Cox does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many of the Productivity Commission’s proposals derive from assumptions that the funding of these services should ensure minimal interference, with a classic, market-based model for meeting “demand”.Eva Cox, Professorial Fellow Jumbunna IHL, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.