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Child Care Industry News
March 4, 2014
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This week we welcome guest contributor Luke Touhill who offers his opinion on the advantages to be gained from offering children "real" life learning experiences. Also the latest facts and figures from ACECQA.
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This week we showcase an article by Early Childhood Consultant Luke Touhill. Luke is highly experienced in the early childhood sector with more than twenty years' experience working as a teacher, service director, manager, trainer, academic and consultant.
Luke strongly believes in the idea of incorporating 'real' experiences, such as cooking, gardening and woodwork into early childhood programs and the article he has submitted provides strong evidence for this style of learning experience.
"Real" Learning: Cooking, Gardening and Woodwork for Young Children
Cooking, gardening and woodwork are all examples of "real" experiences – meaning that they involve children in using real tools and real materials to undertake real everyday tasks. When children participate in them they are not pretending to cook, to garden or to make things – they are actually doing these things. Which is not to say that pretend play is not a valuable experience – far from it. But there is something about the chance to use "real" tools and engage in "real" grown–up experiences that holds immense appeal for most children.
To a child the adult world is powerfully attractive. Surrounded by the daily goings-on of parents, teachers and all the other "grown ups" in their lives, children are often bystanders to an adult world that is both an integral part of their experience while also remaining tantalisingly out of reach. As a result there is something of the forbidden in even the dullest of adult chores; something that makes even the washing up a fascinating and compelling experience for the average preschooler.
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ACECQA's fourth national report on children's education and care services assessed and rated against the National Quality Standard (NQS) has just been released.
The snapshot provides analysis and information on the state of the sector, progress of assessment and rating, quality ratings of services and waivers held by services for the fourth quarter 2013.
The Snapshot shows that at 31 December 2013:
- There are 14 116 children's services across Australia
- 4508 or 32 per cent of services have received a quality rating
- More than half (59 per cent) of all rated services are rated as Meeting or Exceeding NQS
- 74 645 supervisor certificates have been issued
- 4.9 per cent of services across Australia are operating with waivers.
The individual results for the 4508 children's education and care services already quality rated are available online.
The next quarterly update will be available in May 2014.
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