Is your child about to start early education and care?

As a big milestone, it is normal for children and parents to both feel a mixture of excitement and nervousness about the new stage of life. A positive start can make all the difference and with the right support, children feel safe, settled and ready to learn.

For parents and caregivers, the most daunting adjustment can be the anxiety of being apart for the first time or worrying about how your child will cope through this change. Separation anxiety is common, although easily addressed with a positive outlook and a few expert tips from professional educators.

This change can be as challenging for the child as the grown-ups involved. You may find that you both have an unexpected emotional response. For this reason, it’s important to focus on the benefits so that all parties can quickly transition into a healthy, happy routine.

BEFORE YOU START

Most early childhood services will have an orientation prior to commencing, which may be a couple of hours in care for you and your child to familiarise yourselves with the new surroundings and routine.

• Become familiar: Familiarise your child with the new environment in advance. Pre-plan a visit for your child where he or she can meet the educators and experience the environment for themselves. Talking with educators about what your child will be doing will build your confidence. If possible, driving past the location, pointing it out to your child and discussing it, will make the space feel safe, so that your child can look forward to this new milestone, minimising their anxiety and developing their understanding of the upcoming change.

• Be prepared: Organisation and preparation is key to minimising rush on the morning of your child’s first day. Children are sensitive to the stress of adults, so the more organised you are, the more seamless you can make morning drop-offs. Prepare their bag the night before, plan or lay out their clothes, and have a routine already in mind to get you from A to B, to make the morning stress-free for you both.

• Tell the educators about your child: To help them better understand your child, talk to the educators about your child’s sleep patterns, temperament, special interests, favourite activities, likes and dislikes, developmental stage or needs, and any special family circumstances. This will help educators tailor the experience to truly meet the needs of your child, ensuring your child feels a real sense of belonging at the service.

THE FIRST DAY

You and your child will likely have some mixed emotions on their first day of care. Expect that you will both be excited and nervous about this new experience. Your child will look to you for what to do/how to respond. 

• Be calm: Children of all ages can feel your emotional levels and they respond to these. If you are anxious they will feel this and respond the same way. Try to be as calm and positive as possible.
   
• Introduce yourselves: Approach the educators and introduce yourself and your child. Talk about something exciting your child has recently experienced or something they like – for example a favourite game or activity. This is especially important for toddlers and preschoolers, as it creates an opportunity for your child to talk to the educator while having the physical support of their you present.
   
• Take your child on a tour of the room: Show them where their locker is, where their belongings will be kept and reassure your child they can access these throughout the day. Show them where the bathroom is and/or the nappy change areas depending on your child’s stage of development. Point out the similarities and differences to familiarise them with the surroundings.

• Recognise their feelings: If your child or baby is cuddling you tightly, soothe them and calmly talk about what is happening. If your child begins to cry take a moment to sit with them and calm them down. Reading a book together can be a good distraction and help settle them into the environment.
   
• Keep calm and say goodbye: It may be tough, and there can be the temptation to sneak off, but a calm goodbye with a kiss and cuddle at drop-off, even if your little one is in tears, is what experts recommend. Avoiding a drawn-out goodbye makes it easier for you both and avoids confusion for your child. It is helpful to give your child an identifiable timeline for your return (e.g. ‘After afternoon tea you will have a play and then I will be back to pick you up,’ rather than ‘I’ll be back soon’). Maintain your trust in the professionals you have chosen for your child. They will acknowledge and comfort him or her, supporting them to settle in and begin to explore new experiences and friends.

• Give them a family photo: A photo or small album of photos of your family can be a great comfort for your child in care and also a great way to foster a link between home and care environments as the educators can engage in conversations with your child about their family. It may also be helpful for your child to have a transitional object – such as a comforter or special toy – to help them feel secure during this early stage.

• At pick up: Don’t be alarmed if your child becomes distressed when you return to pick them up. It has been a big and emotional day for them on their first day/week of care and they are happy to see their families return for them.Encourage your child to wave or say goodbye to their educators to continue to foster a positive relationship. Remind your child they will be returning to school tomorrow or another day.
   
• Debrief and discuss: Educators will be happy to share with you an update from your child’s day on pick-up. It’s important to continue the conversation with your child, asking questions about their day and learning about their feelings as they embark on this new phase. Positive conversations will help your child adjust and understand the experience, while making you feel involved in their development.
   
• Be prepared for the next day: If your child has had a great first day with no tears when you left, be prepared that it may be different the next day you come to care. The first time it was all new and exciting, the second time they recognise a routine is forming and might not want another day away from their family. If they do become upset, follow the same routine and be consistent in your approach.

COMMUNICATION

Every child and family is unique, so communication is the most effective way to navigate this milestone. This experience is new, but it can also be exciting, and should be nurtured with the positive attention that it deserves.

Talk honestly with each other at home, and draw on the support of the educators, who are highly experienced with the challenges of families and children encountering new routines.

As you work together with your early childhood service, you will feel informed and empowered by the experience, so that you can be the best support to your child as they grow and adjust.

“When we feel safe, we explore, we learn, we grow”.

— (Kids Matter, Australian Early Childhood Mental Health Initiative)

Did you know?

More than 44 per cent of NSW children are not developmentally on track when they start school, according to the latest Australian Early Development Census, an Australian government initiative that measures how children have developed by the time they start school.

The census looks at five key areas of early childhood development: physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills, and communication skills and general knowledge.

Language and cognitive skills saw the most significant shift in the most recent report, with the percentage of children who were ‘developmentally vulnerable’ in this area increasing from 6.6 per cent in 2018 to 7.3 per cent in 2021.

Not being developmentally on track can have significant and lifelong consequences for a child.

Why Early Childhood Education and Care Matters

The early years of a child’s life are critical for their cognitive, social, and emotional development. This period is marked by rapid brain development, where the foundations for future learning, health and wellbeing are established.

Research has shown that participation in high-quality early education and care leads to better outcomes at school and later in life.

“The first five years of a child’s life are vital for their health, development, learning and wellbeing. Children who participate in quality early childhood education and care, and who get the right support services, such as health and development checks, are more likely to succeed at school and have improved lifelong educational, social and economic outcomes.”

Reference: ‘Putting a Value on Early Childhood Education and Care in Australia’

In the report ‘Work and Play: Understanding how Australian Families Experience Early Childhood Education and Care‘, 83% of parents said that educators and carers have a significant impact on young children’s learning and wellbeing.

“Parents clearly see the early childhood education and care sector’s value in providing an environment of support and growth and setting children up for success at school and beyond, with this belief strengthening as their children approach school age,” states the report.

Preschool options for your child

The two most popular options for preschool are Community Preschool, or a preschool program within an Early Childhood Education & Care (ECEC) service. ECEC services are often referred to as daycare/childcare centres but these are outdated terms that can cause confusion about what the services actually offer.

Similarities between Community Preschool and ECEC Services:

• University and tertiary qualified educators – with the same minimum standards set by the government for teacher qualifications and educator/child ratios.

• Deliver a curriculum based on the national Early Years Learning Framework.

• Allow families to access government fee support.

• Are regulated under the National Quality Framework, Australia’s system for regulating early learning and school age care.

Differences between Community Preschool and ECEC Services:

Opening hours

• Community preschools usually operate on school hours (9-3pm) and school terms/holidays, meaning they are open approximately 41 weeks per year. This may be challenging for working families. Generally, due to the more structured nature of the program, families will have less flexibility and choice regarding which days their child can attend the service.

• ECEC services are open longer hours to suit working families (approx 10-11hrs per day) and operate during school holidays. Most services only close briefly over the Christmas/New Year period, meaning they are open 50-51 weeks per year. ECEC services generally provide more flexibility around the availability and choice of days the family would like to attend.  

Hours of school preparation

• With the shorter daily hours and only 41 weeks per year of care, community preschools offer around 750 hours of preparation prior to starting school.

• By comparison, a preschooler in an ECEC service will have accessed approximately 1500 hours of preparation prior to starting school – double that of a community preschool.

Convenience

• A community preschool is only open to children aged 3-6 years. Families are generally required to provide morning tea, lunch, sheets for rest time, etc.

• Most ECEC services cater for children from infants up to 6 years, meaning families can access care for younger siblings in the same location. Services are generally all-inclusive, with nutritious snacks and meals provided by the service.

Early Education and Care benefits the whole family

Parents identify that the benefits of early childhood education and care accrues beyond the child to the whole family, and extend beyond the monetary benefit of income earned while young children are in education and care.

According to the report, ‘Counting the Cost to Families: Accessing Childcare Affordability in Australia; The Front Project’.: “77 per cent of parents surveyed agreed that access to early childhood education and care services is important for the mental health and wellbeing of the whole family.”

The Explore & Develop difference:

One of the benefits of choosing an Explore & Develop service is that they are independently owned and operated, with the owner onsite to oversee daily operations.

While every Explore & Develop service is tailored to the needs of its local community, they have the following important features in common:  

• Educational play-based programs that support each child’s physical, social, emotional, personal, spiritual, cognitive and linguistic aspects of learning
• Children are supported in their social and emotional development – making friends, learning to share, co-operating, taking turns, building resilience, being independent and developing empathy for others.
• Children develop confidence and self-esteem through a sense of belonging to their service and their peer group. 
• Beyond the classroom programs are offered, with a focus on connecting children with nature, sustainability practices and engaging with their local community. 
• Partnerships are offered for families to be involved and connect with other families. 
• High-quality, caring and qualified Educators and Early Childhood Teachers who have access to ongoing professional development programs designed to equip them with the knowledge and inspiration required to provide high-quality services.  

Find an Explore & Develop service near you.

References

1. Work and play: Understanding how Australian Families Experience Early Childhood Education and Care’ by K Noble & P Hurley (2021). 
2. 2021 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC)
3. 2014 ‘Putting a Value on Early Childhood Education and Care in Australia’

Download the Learning Through Play eBook

Childcare, daycare, early learning, preschool… however you refer to it, it is one of the most important decisions a family will make during the early years of their child’s life.

Due to its fundamental role in a child’s development, the early education and care sector has moved far beyond merely “childcare.”

Research by the NSW Government shows that 90 per cent of brain development occurs in the first five years of life. As the brain grows, it is strongly influenced by what is happening in a child’s environment and their interactions with people around them.

Enrolling your child in early education is a valuable opportunity to help them explore their world and develop new skills that will stay with them as they grow.

We know that choosing where to send your child can feel overwhelming. We support new families through the process every day, so have identified some important considerations to help guide you in making the right decision for you and your child.

EARLY EDUCATION MATTERS, SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK.

Types of care

There are several different options for early learning and care, all of which are covered by a national regulatory system known as the National Quality Framework.

The options include:

Early education and care services

This type of service is often referred to as daycare/ childcare centre/ long daycare.

However, these are all outdated terms that can cause confusion about what the services actually offer.

Led by university qualified early childhood teachers, these services provide early education programs, including preschool (transition to school) programs, along with offering extended hours to better accommodate the needs of working families.

These services operate during school holidays, and usually accommodate children from around 6 weeks to 6 years of age.

One of the benefits of attending early education and care services is consistency for children and families, as a child can begin in the infant or toddler group and then move through to the preschool age group, having developed a sense of belonging within the service and trusting, respectful relationships with their educators.

Community preschools/kindergartens

Community preschools offer education and care during school terms and school hours only, which may be more difficult for working families to manage. Generally, due to the more structured nature of preschool programs, families will have less flexibility and choice regarding which days their child can attend the service.

These services usually only accommodate children from 3-6 years of age.

Family daycare services

Family daycares offer small group care in a qualified early childhood professional’s own home.

These services tend to be more focused on providing family-style care and may offer children less opportunity for social development due to the small number of children at each service.  

Quality and safety

All service types in Australia are regulated under the National Quality Framework and are monitored and assessed to ensure legal and quality requirements are met.

Ask the services that you’re considering what their ratings are in the seven National Quality Standard areas, as listed below:

Convenience

To ensure your choice of care is a successful one for your family, it is important to make sure it will be convenient for you on an ongoing basis.

Things to consider:

• Centre hours: Different types of services offer different daily hours, with early education and care services offering longer hours all year round – compared with community preschools that typically offer school hours only and are closed during school holidays. Consider what will best suit your working commitments.

• Inclusions: Some services include everything required (including lunch, drinks, hats, sheets and nappies) whereas others require you to pack a daily bag with everything your child needs.

• Location: To help narrow down the best location for you, consider how you will manage the daily drop off and pick up. Does the service offer lots of parking onsite, or is close to public transport? Is it located on the way to work, or close enough to home to make things easier?

• Other children: If you have (or plan to have) more than one child, consider whether a service that can cater to a wider age range would be more suitable for you over a number of years.

Educators

The National Quality Framework also sets out the minimum educator to child ratio requirements, and minimum qualifications of educators, for all early education and care services.

As part of these regulations, all services are required to have a minimum number of university qualified early childhood teachers, depending on how many children are being educated and cared for at the service.

Things to consider:

• Qualifications: What are the qualifications of the staff? Consider the mix of university-qualified teachers and staff members with vocational qualifications.

• Tenure: What is the average length of tenure? Low staff turnover is ideal for continuity of care and usually indicates a high-quality service that looks after its staff. Happy educators are better educators!

• Professional development: Does the service continue to invest in its people and offer an ongoing professional development program that ensures that educators’ skills remain current and best practice?

Management

Does the service director have the maturity and experience to enact decisions on their own and support you when you need it?

Is the service director an owner or an employee?

One of the benefits of choosing an Explore & Develop service is that they are independently owned and operated. The owner is onsite and able to oversee daily operations.

Our highly committed owners are constantly seeking to innovate their services to meet the needs of families and staff, and you have a direct point of contact if you have any concerns.

Not just anyone can become an owner of an Explore & Develop service. We look for early childhood professionals who are genuine in their desire to make a positive contribution to their local community by providing the highest quality early education and care services to children and families.

BOOK A TOUR

The next step is to make an enquiry and book a tour with the service. You may need to visit a few on your list to get a feel for the similarities, differences and aspects that you like the most.

Importantly, trust your instincts. You know your child best, and how they might respond to certain environments and people.

• Does it have a good feeling?
• Are staff friendly and welcoming?
• Do the educators act in a professional way?

Make sure you meet the qualified educators on your tour, especially the ones that will be looking after your child.

THINGS TO LOOK FOR DURING YOUR TOUR

On your visit, there are specific things you can look for and questions you may ask. These include:

Interactions

Establishing quality interactions between children, educators and families is crucial to achieving positive learning outcomes for children. As you walk around the service, observe how educators interact with children and one another.

• Do the educators speak respectfully to the children?
• Are the educators spending time engaging with the children calmly and on their level?
• Are the children happy and engaged?
• Are the children being comforted if they are upset?

Environment and safety

Look around the space and ensure it is adequately resourced for each age group. Children engaging in a range of play experiences is a positive sign.

Look for play spaces that are age appropriate and provide challenges for children to learn, play and develop.

Outdoor environments should extend and challenge not only children’s physical wellbeing, but also encourage children to take considered risks in their play, all the while developing their problem-solving abilities and building their resilience.

• What is the daily routine? Are there a variety of activities each day? 
• Does the physical setting contain natural play spaces where children can explore, discover and develop connections with their environment?
• Is it a clean space? Do the educators model effective hygiene practices to reduce the spread of illness? Be careful not to confuse cleanliness with mess. Most play spaces for children will have spilled paint or toys on the floor. Children are engaged and learning when they are making a mess!
• Do toileting, nappy changing and rest times meet individual needs?
• How does the service utilise the outdoor learning environment? 

The curriculum

Even though it is a group educational setting, educators should be planning for children’s learning on an individual basis through play-based experiences.

Literacy, mathematical and scientific concepts should be embedded into everyday programs. For example – educators singing, talking and reading with infants and toddlers as well as preschool children is crucial.

Children should be provided with hands-on learning opportunities, resources and materials to promote their development.

• How are children’s interests included in the program?
• How are families involved in the program? 

HOW DOES THE CHILDCARE SUBSIDY WORK?

The Australian Government supports families in their choice to use childcare while they are at work by subsiding some or all their childcare fees. This is a means-tested system with more financial support for lower income families.

To be eligible for the childcare subsidy, families must provide the age of the child, the child’s immunisation status and the parents’ residency status. In addition, the chosen childcare service must be an approved provider.

Approved providers include centre-based care, family day care, outside school hours care and in-home care. It does not include community preschool/kindergarten.

Our child care subsidy calculator can give you an idea of how much subsidy you may be eligible for.

WHY CHOOSE EXPLORE & DEVELOP?

At Explore & Develop, we will guide you every step of the way and lead you into a partnership where you are a valuable contributor to your child’s learning.

We offer daily programs that reflect a calm, relaxed and unrushed environment for growing and learning. We value the commitment, dedication, and professionalism of our educators and their desire to give every child a great start in life.

All Explore & Develop services are individually owned and operated by passionate professionals who are on site daily, ensuring high-quality education and care.

We have services across NSW. Click on ‘Locations’ at the top of the screen to find the Explore & Develop service closest to you.

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By Linh Dao

The learning of Auslan sign language inspires and enriches our learning journey.

The learning

We know that babies and toddlers rely on gestures to communicate with others and by the age of two, their non-verbal vocabulary is significant. Embedding sign language as an intentional teaching practice embraces this very nature in young children’s ways of learning and opens a platform in which adults and children share their imagination and perception of the world.

Dr Elizabeth Austin from Macquarie University, who is well-known for her body of research on the link between gestures and education, states that

“Gestures can reflect real-world objects and communicate some aspects of thought more effectively than words.”

(Austin & Sweller, 2017, p2)

This belief also pays reference to Gardener’s multiple intelligence theory which addresses that we all have different learning styles. As such, when we combine gestures and words to describe something, children who are visual or kinaesthetic learners can connect the verbal explanation to the visual presentation. This dual coding process is believed to improve children’s comprehension and retention.

An example of this learning is when I introduced Auslan signing for Isabella’s Garden by Glenda Millard and Rebecca Cool. The tale itself is cumulative and such a great fit to reinforce children’s memory recall as they are new to Auslan signs. Soon enough, signing was taking place everywhere, and the Gulamany children were confidently teaching each other, their older peers and family members how to sign the story with enthusiasm.

It seems clear that the Auslan learning has tapped into the complexity of the children’s narrative comprehension, which later results in their strong sense of confidence to pass on this emerging knowledge.

The teaching

The Auslan teaching has started in many ways at our school. Our friend Meghan from Inner West Paediatrics inspired us to explore sign language as support for children with speech delay. For me, I would say a part of this teaching stems from my ongoing interest in finger play as an ‘old-school’ way of delivering a song or a story using metaphoric gestures.

This intentionality transferred into a considerate selection of Isabella’s Garden to begin using Auslan with, but this hasn’t limited our exploration to literature only. The children soon began asking how to sign things they encountered during the day. Whether we are on excursions or wandering in the garden, we continuously look up and build upon our current Auslan word bank. We listen to children’s interests and co-research with them to build our collective knowledge.

Co-constructing and de-constructing are central to our practice. Very often we ask children questions such as, “If this is yellow [signing], and this is house [signing], then guess what I’m saying? [signing both]” This fosters the children’s capacity to analyse and hypothesise. One of the most challenging signs is ‘tree’ which requires both arms to sign. To support children’s internalisation, we break down the signs according to our own interpretation, “So this is the ground [one arm laying flat], then comes the trunk [the other arm erecting on top of the ground], then blooms the leaves [hand on top swaying].”

My recent conversation with Dr Austin has reinforced our current strategies in teaching Auslan to our 2–3-year-olds. This work has inspired us to reflect on the growth of our curriculum, in which the children have led us to gain a much deeper understanding of what the world means to them through the lens of “two hands and a tale”.

Linh is an early childhood teacher at Explore & Develop Annandale she has an interest in how 2 to 3 years olds learn, young children’s citizenship and how they connect to nature.

References

Austin E. E., Sweller N. (2014). Presentation and production: The role of gesture in spatial communication. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 122(1), 92–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2013.12.008

Austin E. E., Sweller N. (2017). Getting to the elephants: Gesture and preschoolers’ comprehension of route direction information. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 163, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2017.05.016

Dargue, N., & Sweller, N. (2020). Learning stories through gesture: gesture’s effects on child and adult narrative comprehension. Educational Psychology Review, 32(1), 249–276. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09505-0

Dargue, N., & Sweller, N. (2020). Two hands and a tale: when gestures benefit adult narrative comprehension. Learning and Instruction, 68, 1-13. [101331]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2020.101331

Hupp J. M., Gingras M. C. (2016). The role of gesture meaningfulness in word learning. Gesture, 15(3), 340–356. https://doi.org/10.1075/gest.15.3.04hup

Macoun A., Sweller N. (2016). Listening and watching: The effects of observing gesture on preschoolers’ narrative comprehension. Cognitive Development, 40, 68–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2016.08.005

McKern, N., Dargue, N., Sweller, N., Sekine, K., & Austin, E. (2021). Lending a hand to storytelling: Gesture’s effects on narrative comprehension moderated by task difficulty and cognitive ability. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 74(10), 1791–1805. https://doi.org/10.1177/17470218211024913

How do I teach my child to read? At what age should my child learn to write? How do I support my child’s literacy development?

These are all great questions that our educators at Explore & Develop are frequently asked by parents and caregivers.

When referring to literacy in the early years, school-age children may come to mind. However, research shows that language and literacy development actually begins from birth.

As babies begin to interact with the people around them, they start to learn how language works and gain an understanding of how to communicate effectively. Through play, children can transfer this knowledge to other contexts. As their literacy skills develop, the begin to connect spoken language to written language.
 
Research suggests that children who grow up in literacy-rich homes are more likely to do better at school, meaning that parents and caregivers play a vital role in supporting early literacy development.

 
Reading to your child, using a large range of vocabulary, providing drawing materials, spending time playing games and singing are all simple things you can do to help your baby, toddler or preschooler develop their literacy skills.

At Explore & Develop, educators focus on using language in all its forms. We strongly believe that singing, talking, reading and drawing with children of all ages is crucial and will lay the foundation for spoken and written communication to emerge.

Read on for some simple ways to help support your child’s literacy development at home across the core areas of:

• Communication
• Reading
• Writing

COMMUNICATION

Oral (spoken) language forms the foundation for literacy, as children begin to understand the meaning of words and sounds. This is when phonological awareness begins to develop.

A child’s understanding of spoken words will later translate to understanding written language, therefore making them more competent in decoding different texts.

Language learning begins at birth and there are many ways families can support this.

Babies to toddlers:

• Copy the sounds and facial expressions your baby makes. Speak slowly and emphasise the rise and fall of the sounds. Talk to them often from day one.
• Sing with your child, even if you are just making up the words. Sing nursery rhymes if you can as they teach rhythm, rhyme and repetition.
• Talk about everything you are doing and point out interesting things you see around you, including words to describe emotions.
• Have fun with words that rhyme and words that describe a sound, such as animal and vehicle noises.
• Listen to your child. Respond to your toddler’s questions but avoid jumping in with the answer all the time. For example, if your child asks, ‘What’s that over there?’ You could say, ‘What do you think it is?’

Preschoolers to school-age:

• Play rhyming games such as ‘Can you think of words that sound like ball?’ Hall, fall, small etc.
• Play games such as ‘I Spy’ using the first letter of a word or a colour.
• Talk about the past and future – things your child can recall and activities they are looking forward to.
• Share stories at mealtimes, make up stories at bedtime, sing songs and have fun with silly language!

READING

Children will begin to read by looking at the pictures, pointing out and naming familiar objects, noticing patterns such as rhythm and rhyme and then later, recognising letters and words in the text.

Lots of experience with books from birth will help them on their journey with reading.

Babies to toddlers:

• Read aloud with them every day. When reading books, make the animal sounds, be animated, have fun!  They will learn that books are pleasurable.
• Point out objects and actions in the pictures, to teach them  that words are coming from the page.
• Very young children are sensory learners, so choose ‘touch and feel’, ‘lift the flap’ and board books as well as books with repetition.
• Encourage your child to dramatise the actions in the book such as hopping like a kangaroo.

Preschoolers to school-age:

• Point to the words as you read them, to teach them that English is written from left to right. If they are ready, you could also ask them to find a familiar letter in the words.
• Choose different types of books, such as factual books that can answer questions about topics they are interested in. This demonstrates that books provide information, plus gives them opportunities to problem solve and advance their vocabulary.
• Ask them questions about the story. ‘What was the story about?’ or ‘Why do you think he did that?’ or ‘What would you do in that situation?’
• Involve children in reading rhyming books by encouraging them to finish the sentence.
• Point out words found in places other than books – such as on street signs, food packaging labels, public transport and posters at the shops.
• Clap syllables of words.
• Invite your child to make their own story book. Encourage them to think of a storyline, create illustrations and write their words down for them.
• Read your child at least one book a day, give them books to enjoy by themselves and take them to the library from time to time.  Above all, this stage is about showing them that reading should be fun.

“The fire of literacy is created by the emotional sparks between a child, a book, and the person reading. It isn’t achieved by the book alone, nor by the child alone, nor by the adult who’s reading aloud—it’s the relationship winding between all three, bringing them together in easy harmony.”

Mem Fox

WRITING

Before a child can learn to write, they first need to begin making marks such as scribbles, lines and circles with a range of materials.  There is no rush and you can support each step of the process in many ways.

Babies to toddlers:

• Provide babies and toddlers with many opportunities to paint with their hands.
• Provide drawing materials such as chubby crayons, markers and pencils and give them time to explore them independently.
• Make marks in the outdoor environment using chalk on the pavement, fingers and rakes in the sand, sticks in the dirt or water with paintbrushes on the fence.
• Show an interest in the marks your child makes. Comment on the patterns and colours they have used.
• Provide them opportunities to paint with brushes both inside and outside, on the floor and at an easel. Compliment them on their effort and display their work with pride.

Preschoolers to school-age:

• Encourage drawing with a range of materials and begin to introduce new ones such as finer markers, triangular pencils, charcoal and oil pastels.
• Add drawing opportunities during play, such as adding a book to their their doctor set or a notepad next to their toy phone.
• Invite them to write their name on birthday cards, even if it is an unrecognisable mark.
• Involve them when you are writing a shopping list.
• Encourage them to talk about their drawings with open ended questions, for example, ‘Tell me about your drawing’. This allows them to describe their marks and symbols in their own way. Even better, write their words down for them and then read it back to them.
• Invite them to write their name on their artwork, even just their first letter. Or with their permission, write it for them while they are watching.
• Provide materials to play with that have letters on them, such as alphabet puzzles, letter blocks, magnetic letters on the fridge and magazines for cutting.
• Invite your child to make their own book with illustrations and write some words if they are ready.

We hope you have lots of fun using some of these simple tips and activities to help build your child’s early literacy skills.

For more helpful articles and advice, visit our Resource Library here.

If you’d like to find out more about how we can help support your child’s early literacy skills, contact your closest Explore & Develop Service. All of our Services are owned and operated by local early childhood experts, who are onsite daily and committed to your child’s safety and development.

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References:

Department of Education & Training (2022). Belonging, Being, Becoming – The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia v2.0.

Explore & Develop Transition to School Program Booklet

Fox, M. (2001). Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever.

Mielonen, A. & Paterson, W. (2009). Developing Literacy through Play. Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education 3(1).

Phillips, L. & Harris, P. (2017). How to encourage literacy in young children (and beyond) – https://theconversation.com/how-to-encourage-literacy-in-young-children-and-beyond-80459

Raising Children Network – raisingchildren.net.au (Developing Literacy/Literacy Activities)

Strickland, D. & Riley-Ayers, S. (2006). Early Literacy: Policies and Practice in the Preschool Years. National Institute for Early Education Research. Issue 10.

The making of the Ngurra Mural

by Madeleine Gill 2022

The Ngurra children at Explore & Develop Annandale undertook a mural project with Madeleine Gill, Early Childhood Teacher late last year and early this year. This article by Madeleine reflects on the process and details of the Ngurra mural creation…

“It began with a green sanded down wall, a ‘blank cavas’.

After two coats of base coat, the children sat with me and helped me to brainstorm ideas. As I watched them doing their own drawings alongside me, I began to think about how we could create an artwork that was inspired by the space, the children and the greater community here in Annandale. At the same time, I noticed the children experimenting with shapes in their drawings and decided that we could use squares to space out the painting.

December 2021

A trip to the art studio was in order. After all that prep work, the children were keen to add some colour to the wall. A few of the children joined me on the walk, carrying their paint pots, ready to choose colours. The group selected four main colours – green, blue, red and orange, and with a dollop of white added to each, we set off to our painting station.

The children seemed hesitant to join me, as I sat on the painting tarpaulin with our colours. It was a very different experience to our usual painting -we had never used tape on our pages before. While we had painted the wall earlier in the year, perhaps the blank canvas and the tape made them pause. In the end, I had to make the first mark, swirling some blue and white on my sponge and dabbing it on one of the squares. After that, the children jumped in, adding colour to the squares with enthusiasm.

With the background done with the help of the Bilby children, it was time for my turn.

January 2022

The first square I decided was going to reflect where we are in the grander scope, Sydney’s Inner West. I incorporated the Harbour Bridge and the ANZAC Bridge as two landmarks the children of Annandale would be familiar with. Whether because they had walked by them, or because they saw them often as they moved about in their lives. And of course, that meant water. Bringing in some of my experience with Indigenous art, I decided to depict the movement of the water in the harbour through the connecting of a number of watering holes.

The second square was much more zoomed in, depicting Booth Street and its intersections surrounded by trees and animals. With Annandale, and Booth Street in particular, being on a hill, I again brought in some Indigenous symbols to show the hilly terrain of the area.

The third square I thought I’d show some love to our favourite places and animals. The Faraway Tree painted in one corner with Frankie and Mr Watzi in their natural habitats.

Finally, the fourth square depicts our space here at Explore & Develop Annandale – five gathering spaces all connected and people sitting around them together.

Throughout, the mural are nods to our various groups, the animals behind the names, from this year and last year. I wonder if you can spot them all?

If you’re interested in watching the process up close and in fast forward, see below the link to a time lapse video of the painting sessions.”

Madeleine Gill is a Jerrinja woman, Early Childhood Teacher and Artist. Maddi’s culture is central to who she is and we at Explore & Develop Annandale feel grateful that she feels safe to share it with the children and our community. We acknowledge that we live, work and play on the land of the Gadigal people which was, and always will be Aboriginal land.

By Irene Vidaic

• We teach the children and the children teach us:

Knowledge is life – we know you’re never too old or too young to start learning. At Explore & Develop Parramatta, our Educators are intentional in their teaching and educational programs, while following children as authors of their own learning. Together, we inspire each other and ensure we are open to learning for all.  

We are lifelong learners, supporting children to have the best start to schooling with our ‘transition to school’ and ‘foundation for life’.

• We know it takes a village to raise a child:

We are a ‘home away from home’. Partnerships between families and Early Childhood Education and Care Services are like a puzzle – we work together, we share our knowledge – coming together for your child.

We co-ordinate additional external services to connect with our community, working with Parramatta Council, dentists, speech pathologists, health care professionals and learning providers for a variety of
in-house opportunities to support children’s learning and development. Our Service also has a local artist who inspires our children weekly through art and cultural knowledge.

• We love beautiful spaces:

Our learning spaces speak for themselves, designed for open-ended exploration, holistic learning and opportunities for endless discoveries.

We source high quality and sustainable resources, supporting local businesses and communities. The children have many opportunities to run, explore and express themselves in our outdoor environment.

• Play is an integral and essential part of early childhood:

Your child will be excited to come to Explore & Develop Parramatta, where a day of learning through play awaits. Through play, we ignite the children’s curiosity, imagination, creativity and their learning. Risky play, dramatic play, sensory play, exploratory play, schematic play, creative play, symbolic play, and much more. The opportunities for play are endless!

• We are sure you would agree with us:

After so many years of caring for and educating children, families always return, referring more families and their friends. Explore & Develop Parramatta is not just a service, it’s a family.  We have been individually owned operated since opening our doors 16 years ago for my daughter, Isabelle. Sixteen years on, both my daughters are working alongside me as passionate, dedicated Educators who strive for quality and excellence.

We are sure you will agree we are the right fit for you!   

Please feel free to call us on tel:  (02) 9898 1100 or enquire here. We’d love to hear from you!                                              

Hello,

It is fantastic to see 80 per cent of the population of NSW being double-vaccinated. This is a great step in protecting vulnerable people in our communities and a big help in getting life back to normal.

Of course, during the pandemic, the Early Childhood Education and Care sector became an essential service and our teams adapted to the challenges of working on the front line.

I am really proud of the efforts of everyone in the Explore & Develop community – educators, children, parents, and of course our franchise owner/operators over the last few months for doing everything possible to maintain a safe environment for all.

In this newsletter I would like to share the latest research on the impacts of COVID-19 on young children and what role families can play to help keep them safe.

I am also happy to share some positive changes that have been made to the Child Care Subsidy that will provide greater financial support for some families.

I am looking forward to a brighter 2022 where we can enjoy all the freedoms whilst staying safe.

Kind regards.

Belinda Ludlow
CEO of Explore & Develop

Risk -v- Benefits

It is mandatory for all Early Childhood Educators and staff across NSW to have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccination by Monday 8 November 2021 and all Explore & Develop services will be compliant with this requirement.

Explore & Develop services follow the current requirements and advice of NSW Health and take all necessary precautions to minimise the risk of further transmission of COVID-19 in our service community.

In addition to vaccinations, our Explore & Develop services have implemented a number of control measures that have included increased cleaning and hygiene practices and altering requirements to drop-off and pick-up procedures to suit each specific location.

Recent data published by the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NIRS), with the support of the NSW Ministry of Health and NSW Department of Education looked at the transmission of COVID-19 in schools, early childhood settings and households in 2020 and 2021.

The research concluded that although most children in this study had no or mild symptoms from COVID-19, however, household transmission was a much more pressing issue.

The report findings indicated that the impact of cross contamination of COVID-19 for children that attended an Early Childhood Education and Care service or school, was the highest in the family home. In their studies with this age group, they found 70.7 per cent of overall transmission was among household contacts.

Additionally, the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute recommends that to protect children and adolescents in the community and keep schools and Early Childhood Education and Care services open, we should encourage parents and adults of all ages to be vaccinated now.

We are confident that this, in combination with support from our community, will minimise risk and help to keep the Explore & Develop services open and children learning face-to-face beside their peers. This is so important, as we know that children’s brains develop connections faster in the first five years than at any other time in their lives.

A child’s participation in an organised Early Childhood Education program assists in the development of their cognitive abilities and also enhances their social and emotional skills while they interact with their peers.

In fact, “full participation in education is essential for children to learn and develop socially, but also for family and societal functioning,” says Doctor Archana Koirala, Paediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist at the University of Sydney.

Ultimately our priority is to minimise risk as much as possible, so that all children and families can experience the benefits of Early Childhood Education and Care.

Increased Child Care Subsidy Support

Under the current Child Care Subsidy arrangements, the Federal Government capped the maximum benefit that it contributed to the cost of child care at $10,665 per year for families that earned over $190,015. However, from Friday 10 December 2021, this annual cap will be removed, meaning that more families will be able to benefit from this increase in funding.

This is an important change, as many families would cease receiving Child Care Subsidy half way through the year and were required to cover 100 per cent of the cost of care for the second half of the year. As a result, some families were forced to limit the amount of days that their child or children attended, by either seeking care by other means, or limiting the number of days of workforce participation.

In addition, from Monday 7 March 2022, families with more than one child may be eligible to receive a 30 per cent higher subsidy, up to a maximum of 95 per cent subsidy for the second and younger siblings. This increased subsidy is available for families earning less than $354,305 per year, who have more than one child aged five or under, who attend Early Childhood Education and Care.

If you would like to estimate how the increased Child Care Subsidy will affect your child care fees (as of Friday 10 December, 2021) please utilise the Explore & Develop Child Care Subsidy Calculator.

We are encouraged that these changes to Child Care Subsidy will be implemented, assisting to make Early Childhood Education and Care more affordable and accessible to families.

References

• COVID-19 Vaccines Frequently Asked Questions
• Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
• COVID-19 Delta Variant in Schools and Early Education & Care Services in NSW Australia Report