Plenty is happening in terms of change and progress in the early childhood education and care sector following the election of a new federal government in May last year.
Our federal union has been participating in the different stages of consultation for the development of a Commonwealth Early Years Strategy, designed to be a “roadmap that sets out a shared understanding of what children and families in Australia need in the early years”.
Read about what IEU representatives who attended one of the key events, the Early Years Summit, shared with policymakers and other stakeholders about our members’ experiences in ECEC centres across the country and the practical reforms the sector needs (Our voice heard on Early Years Strategy).
We catch up with long-term IEU member Lisa Thornburrow, who reflects on her career and the changes she’s experienced working as an early childhood education teacher over the past 40 years (Watching her children grow).
Professor Karen Thorpe from the Queensland Brain Institute speaks to us about her upcoming large-scale longitudinal research project, which will track 600 children from infancy and throughout their ECEC journey to examine what constitutes quality early years education (optimising the first 10,000 hours).
We explore the barriers faced by teachers working in rural and remote settings, a cohort who can often feel isolated, and the importance of IEU membership to improving working conditions and fostering a sense of belonging and community (Rural and remote teachers).
Australians will head to the polls to vote in a referendum later this year.
Learn why the union movement is supporting a YES vote for a First Nations Voice to Parliament as a crucial next step towards reconciliation (Vote ‘yes’ for a Voice).
We hope you find this edition of Bedrock informative and can feel confident that our union is continuing to advocate for early childhood education sector members’ voices at the highest levels.