The Early Childhood Australia website provides a wealth of information about the early childhood field. It gives current news on issues related to early childhood in Australia. The ECA has a Research in Practice series that highlights effective approaches to issues related to young children. Australia's current research topics are similar to those in America. Some of the topics include diversity, bullying, aggression, and effective classroom practices.
After exploring the website further, I realize that the issue of rating/assessing quality exists in Australia as well. The Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority has decided to award a Service of Excellence rating to early childhood programs in the country. But first, they must establish a list of criteria that would identify excellence and quality. I hope that in America we get to the point where there is a universal rating system that rates EC programs' quality. Furthermore, I hope that policy makers require all programs to meet the criteria. I am not sure if this will happen in Australia, but they have taken the first step just by developing a rating system.
Overall, I was impressed with the website and the ECA in general. They prove to be the voice for young children, their families, and EC professionals in Australia. They even welcome members to express their ideas and offer suggestions on issues and trends that they should highlight in the upcoming newsletters. What I like most about this website is that it is updated frequently and all the information and latest news is current. I would recommend this website to anyone who is involved with young children.
Early Childhood Australia website:
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/
I agree with your comment regarding finding universal ratings or criteria for determining quality in early childhood programs. As a parent who has moved several times with my children and toured and interviewed dozens of centers in three different states, it would be nice to know that each state has evaluated the centers on the same criteria. This sounds like a great site to bookmark to use in my future studies.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the fact that America needs to have a standard set of guidelines that are followed accross all states when it comes to the issue of quality in the early childhood field. In the last class I was in, I learned alot about the importance of having a child in a quality center. It can make the difference when a child enters elementry.
ReplyDelete