Issues and Trends: Change, Contexts, Consequences, Constants Revisited

The three consequences I found from learning from the international early childhood field are learning from others, sharing your knowledge, and keep up with changes around the world.

Learning from others:  As a member of the educational fields it’s a great value to be able to learn from others.  There have been times when I have spoken to my contact and she has told me about an idea that she had and I have tried it myself.  Even though we are in different parts of the world there are ideas and experiences we can share with each other.  Through my contacts I have had two new groups on Facebook page that have great ideas and experiences to learn from.

Sharing your knowledge:  What a great way to be able to encourage others.  Not only am I learning from them but they can learn from me as well.  Many are curious about what happens here in America as we are with what happens around the world. 

Keeping up with changes around the world:  Without this class I may not have even tried to find out what was going on outside of America.  I was so consumed with what needs to be changed here and fully understanding that what is happening here is happening all around the world.  As I grow in this field I learn that we need to stay up with what is happening everywhere.  We need to keep an open mind and learn from every avenue we can. 

I would like to thank everyone that read my blog and contribute to my learning.  This was a great experience and I learned from a lot through this class.  I wish everyone continuous success with their journey. 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

This week I only received two responds back from my question.

Here is my original post:

Thank you are for helping with my class this is the last set of question for a while
What issues regarding quality and early childhood professionals are being discussed where you live and work?
•What opportunities and/or requirements for professional development exist?
•What are some of your professional goals?
•What are some of your professional hopes, dreams, and challenges?
if you can please feel free to answer any or all of the above questions

The responds:

Kitty Cardway Here's a ECE study group you may find helpful Sherry. Well over 350 members, and facilitated by trainers, you're sure to find some support when you have questions or need clarification
https://www.facebook.com/groups/357227694446099/

Sherry Daniels thanks for the add

Kitty Cardway It's a pleasure. Post your question there and I'm sure you will get pointed in the right direction

Sherry Daniels The question or the personal thoughts and goals of others

 

Kitty Cardway Whichever you are looking for professional support with

Sherry Daniels Thanks again I did post the questions there

 

Kamal Gondara Q1 by legislation staff are required to do aleast 3 workshops or seminars for professional development and the government had provided funding for services to organise professional development training for the staff which will be paid by the government.

 

Kamal Gondara For more information on this you can go on this website https://www.education.gov.au/long-day-care-professional...

Long Day Care Professional Development Programme | Department of Education

On 10 December 2013, the Australian Government...

education.gov.au

 

 

FACT SHEET: PLANNING AND EVALUATING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

 

It is strongly recommended that services funded under the Long Day Care Professional Development Programme (LDCPDP) take a strategic approach to identifying and planning their approach to professional development. There is no “one size fits all” way to do this.  This fact sheet provides a list of questions services might ask as they consider how best to spend, and report on, funds allocated under the LDCPDP.

 

1.      Undertake an environmental scan

·         What qualifications are required to meet the National Quality Standards?

·         What has the service achieved already in terms of improving outcomes for children? What is going well? Are there areas for improvement identified in the Quality Improvement Plan (QIP)?

·         What are your aspirations for educators and for the service?

·         Do the priorities in the QIP need to be updated?

·         Use evidence to assess the progress your service is making towards the QIP. Record this as a baseline and use it to report on the decisions you made under the LDCPDP.

 

2.      Planning for professional development

·         It is recommended that educators are engaged in the professional development decision making process in order to build ownership and commitment

·         What do educators need to learn, know about, understand and put into practice in relation to each of the identified priorities in the QIP?

·         How does professional development meet the workforce requirements of the service

·         Select professional development activities strategically: choose  activities that will have a long term impact on the quality of the service and resist ‘quick fix’ or ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach that may not improve service quality

·         What are the requirements to achieve the next level of rating under the NQF? Use this to set goals and milestones against which you can track the outcomes

·         Will activities be more focussed on training (hands on practical and technical skills or competencies to carry out a particular task) or professional development (designed to stimulate longer term sustained changes in the thinking, knowledge, skills and approaches to educators’ practice)? Or a balance between the two?

·         Are there benefits in networking and coordinating professional development across other services in your local region?

·         How will the professional development plan be reviewed? How will you measure the outcomes of the professional development? How is it making a difference?

·         What information will you need to collect to report on improvements?

 

3.      Undertaking Training and Reflecting on Professional Development

·         What are we learning?

·         How will the new learnings be embedded into programs, practices or policies?

·         How are educators sustaining engagement over time?

·         Is there sufficient time and ongoing support for educators to undertake professional development, and reflection?

·         Are your choices in line with the LDCPDP programme guidelines?

 

4.      Evaluating Professional Development

·         How have individual educators, and the service, applied what has been learnt?

·         What support is required to apply new knowledge and skills?

·         What have been the overall benefits for children, educators and families?

·         Are you now delivering a higher quality in those areas identified as priorities?

·         What milestones have been achieved?

·         What would you have done differently?

·         How will the results contribute to planning future professional development?

 

5.      Reporting

·         How might you report what has been achieved in the QIP? Do the priorities need to be revised as a result?

What have you documented in relation to expenditure of LDCPDP funds as you have worked from identification of professional development priorities through planning, implementation and evaluation

 

http://docs.education.gov.au/node/36303

 

I first like to thank the ladies for their insight and a look into their culture and education system.  I plan to continue to learn from them after this class is over.  The plan thing I pulled from this experience is no matter where you live that there is issue with every educational system.  I believe that as humans we need to improve the educational system worldwide.  We need to continue to reach out to other across the world and get their insight and give them ours.  We can learn from each other.

Sharing Web Resources Part 3

This week was the 44th Annual Conference  http://www.nbcdi.org/events

The conference  started on 11/11/14-11/14/14

I would have love to attend the event.  I believe that the sessions would have been helpful to myself and others in the field.  This would have been something if I had time to plan for I would have attended.  After reviewing the conference seminars I found that there is a wealth of knowledge and information that can helpful in understanding equity and excellence in the early care and education.  There is a semiars focusing on the parents, the child and the educator. 

You can also learn how to become an affiliate.  You may ask what is an affiliate.

The Affiliates are the heart of our organization.  In over twenty communities across the nation, these volunteer-driven networks partner with children, families and other organizations to implement culturally-relevant and research-based programs promoting literacy, health, juvenile justice, parent engagement and college-readiness, while advocating for better, stronger and more effective policies for children ages 0-8 at the local, state and federal level (http://www.nbcdi.org/who-we-are/affiliates).

This is something that ounce I complete my degree I will be looking into.  This website is helping me see that my job is more than just educating the children.  I am more deterimened than ever to continue to educate myself, my staff, the children, and the families in community. I will also someday like to be a voice for my community in time I know that will happen.

Here is a glance of the conference schedule.
http://www.nbcdi.org

Getting to Know Your International Contacts Part 2

I sent out some emails to my contacts and have not received a response as of yet. So I decided to post a status on the actual page and have received several responses and also notice that there was a conversation going on about improving the quality of education in Australia.

Here was my post with the responses:

Hello Group as someone you may know I am writing a blog for one of my classes I am currently studying to get my Master's in Early Childhood Education, The question I have for the group is:
What issues related to excellence and equity are at forefront of professional discussions in your country?
Your responses will be added to my blog. Thanks for you help with this.


Kamal Gondara The demand for early childhood care and education programs and also in recognition of the critical importance of educational experiences during the early years.

Sherry Daniels What is your country or you doing to improve these issues

Kamal Gondara Enforcing more qualified staff and funding for early childhood industry

Urith Shield The need for EC professionals to be recognised paid accordingly. More of GDP needs to be allocated to funding in EC to realise more quality ECECS.

Kamal Gondara True

The conversation is on going and you are more than welcome to come join in the group on facebook again is:

 Learning Through Sharing Networking In Early Childhood Education and Care. 


https://www.facebook.com/groups/learningthroughsharing/540193562778366/?notif_t=group_comment




‎Ashleigh Smith
Documentation of children's learning is so much more than just a way of displaying children's work. We shouldn't be so caught up on pointless documentation and questions of "How many obs do I have to do per child?" - It's not about that.
We need to start "Being" in the moment with our children.
Quantity of documentation is pointless if it is not meaningful. QUALITY documentation will show a holistic picture of the child's learning processes and allow Educators to further their understanding of each child's learning journey.

              

Here is an article that Ashleigh Smith

THE HON SUSSAN LEY MP

Assistant Minister for Education

 MEDIA RELEASE

Ms Ley’s media contact: Troy Bilsborough 0427 063 150 Department Media: media@education.gov.au

25/09/2014



50,000+ LDC educators benefit from professional development investment
 More-than 50,000 long day care educators will benefit from the largest-ever government investment in professional development for the sector, Assistant Minister for Education Sussan Ley announced today.

The Abbott Government’s $200 million Long Day Care Professional Development Programme (LDCPDP) supports LDC services with the cost of training and upskilling their educators. This includes specific support for early childhood teachers and regional, rural and remote services to address respective skill shortages.

Ms Ley said the strong uptake further demonstrated the commitment of both the sector and the government to delivering high-quality education and care for Australian families.

Ms Ley said it also backed the Abbott Government’s decision to redistribute Labor’s Early Years Quality Fund (EYQF) equitably amongst the sector after an independent report found the controversial Labor fund would have benefited only one-third of long day care educators.

"The long day care sector has worked hard in recent years to improve quality and meet the requirements of the National Quality Framework and we want to ensure that investment continues," Ms Ley said.

"However, unlike Labor, we also understand this increase in quality costs money to implement and maintain at a time when many services are already struggling to keep their prices down.

"In fact, a report by the national regulator found the average ongoing cost of administering the National Quality Framework was $140,000 per year for a long day care centre with 15 educators and 75 places.

"The Government’s $200 million commitment is aimed at helping long day care services deliver high-quality education and care for families by ensuring they can afford to train and educate their staff as part of these higher quality standards, as well as cover the cost of backfilling positions while they’re off the floor."

Ms Ley said about 54,000 educators in total were expected to benefit from the LDCPDP, with funding offers being made from today.

Ms Ley also attributed part of the significant uptake to the Abbott Government’s commitment to a fair and streamlined application process, compared with Labor’s rushed ‘first-in, first-served’ approach that only gave services two business days to prepare applications.

"It’s important to remember the vast majority of long day care educators would never have received one cent if this money was allowed to continue to be funnelled into Labor’s dodgy union slush fund," she said.

"At the end of the day this is about equitable access to professional development support for long day care educators and this fantastic result demonstrates it’s achievable without the need for a union card."

The LDCPDP replaces Labor’s controversial EYQF, which was shut down after being found by an independent PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report to be a vehicle for union recruitment that would have seen 70 per cent of long day care educators unable to access the funding.  

Ms Ley’s media contact: Troy Bilsborough 0427 063 150 Department Media:
media@education.gov.au


This is a response I received

The issues currently facing early childhood services in Australia include;

- Staff qualifications and training -  A raise in standards of qualifications and training has been put in place by ACECQA who have control over the Childcare and Early Education sector. 

- Government Funding for Early Education & Care - There is never enough government funding!! A constant uphill battle for all people in our industry who are striving to create quality services and programs. 

- Quality programs being implemented nationally- ACEQCA governs the Early childhood sector through a strict ratings and assessment criteria where each service is regularly being rated and guided to meet the national quality framework, legislations and expectations of the early childhood industry. Many centres are not meeting the set out standards and are closely monitored by and supported to achieve the expectations by ACECQA. 

Kind Regards,

Ashleigh Smith