In July 2025, Australian early learning services faced a reckoning not only with child protection protocols—but with their values. The phrase “They’ve sent a male”, reportedly uttered as a relief educator arrived for shift work, revealed how fear has been weaponized in ways that quietly exclude men from the workforce.
This guide distills the heart of the Early Years Learning Framework into clear, actionable reference points for educators. Grounded in evidence and everyday practice, it highlights the guiding principles and intentional actions that support every child’s learning, well-being, and sense of belonging. Whether used in planning, reflection, or team training, these prompts and insights help ensure that pedagogy is not just compliant but deeply connected, culturally responsive, and emotionally attuned.
Victoria is set to roll out a state-based Early Childhood Workforce Register this August—but sector advocates are raising red flags over critical exclusions that may undermine the very purpose of the reform.
Under a new bill, centres that seriously breach standards will have one month to rectify issues before losing taxpayer-funded subsidies. While framed as a grace period to avoid sudden shutdowns, critics worry that such leniency could prolong children’s exposure to risk.
In the wake of devastating safeguarding failures, the Albanese Government has introduced legislation granting federal authorities new powers to respond to serious breaches in early childhood settings. Centres that pose harm to children or flout standards may face public exposure, funding loss, and closure—all within a 30-day compliance window.
As part of their ECEC Professional Learning Program, TAFE NSW will be conducting a free webinar on the Circle of Security. Join Karthika Viknarasah, an experienced early education leadership expert, for an insightful webinar exploring the principles of the Circle of Security. This session will delve into how secure relationships support social competence, emotional regulation, and healthy stress response systems.
Here’s a curated set of critical reflection questions designed to provoke deep thinking around educator-to-child ratios in early childhood settings.
In early childhood education, minimum ratios is one of the most insidious drivers of burnout across the sector. When minimum standards become maximum limits, educators are expected to absorb overwhelming cognitive and emotional loads while maintaining composure, care, and compliance. The result? Chronic stress, professional dissonance, and rising attrition. Ratios don’t just affect supervision—they shape every moment of decision-making, relational engagement, and safeguarding. The following article provides research on the effect of ratios on educators.
Simple songs about consent gently introduce children to concepts like body autonomy, boundary-setting, and respectful communication in ways that feel playful, affirming, and easy to remember. By pairing repetitive rhymes with hand motions, call-and-response, and relatable scenarios, these songs help children internalize messages such as “I can say no,” “I ask before I touch,” and “My voice matters.” Whether used in circle time, transition moments, or home routines, they offer educators and families an emotionally safe, joyful way to teach consent from the ground up.
Charged with 73 counts involving eight children aged five months to two years, Brown now faces potential additional charges, as investigators continue to compile evidence. The latest court update granted police an extension until December to finalize their hand-up brief.
This cheat sheet offers quick, accessible reference to major theorists and concepts that shape early education practice. It includes Theories, Concepts, and Documentation Prompts, Quick Tips for Embedding Theory in Documentation, Prompts for Reflective Language, List Of Theorist Language and more.
