Explore our Days of Significance Calendar, featuring quotes and reflective questions. Consult with your families and local communities, as dates and customs may vary.
Possum Skin Pedagogy explores the challenges and opportunities to embed Aboriginal perspectives and presents seven stories to help children learn about the importance of possum skin in preserving and revitalising Victorian Aboriginal culture and identity. This guide provides a deep dive into the rich Victorian Aboriginal culture, focusing on the significance of possum skin as a symbol of cultural preservation. It also offers insights into Aboriginal heritage and identity.
Download the full PDF to read the companion resources ‘Reflecting on the Possum Skin Pedagogy: Journeys and Outcomes (2019)’ and ‘Possum Skin Pedagogy: A Chain of Allies in the Early Years Landscape (2020)’, which includes case studies and reflections demonstrating how early childhood practitioners have incorporated Aboriginal perspectives into their programs.
To cite: Atkinson, S. (2017). Possum Skin Pedagogy: A Guide for Early Childhood Practitioners. Melbourne, Australia: Action on Aboriginal Perspectives in Early Childhood and fka Children’s Services.
Enrolment and orientation are the first steps in building relationships with families and children. It is within these first encounters that early childhood professionals can begin connecting with – and understanding – the cultural values, expectations and experiences of each family participating within the environment.
Our environments play a significant role in supporting families and children to experience a sense of welcome and belonging. Newly enrolling families rely on these environmental messages to determine whether your service is a space where they feel safe, secure and supported. Download our PDF to learn how fkaCS can support your work in creating welcoming spaces for all children and families.
Enrolment and orientation are the first steps in building relationships with families and children. Within these first encounters we begin connecting with and understanding the cultural values, expectations and experiences each of the families participating within our services hold. Download our PDF and explore opportunities to effectively use existing resources to support orientation.
The value of storytelling for children learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) is immense. Storytime provides numerous benefits for all children, including enjoyment, pleasure, and the opportunity to develop imagination and express feelings. It is essential to make stories available in English, and in children’s home languages to provide opportunities to share their culture and understanding, promote diversity, and support language and literacy development. Explore how fkaCS can support you in embedding multilingual and culturally rich storytelling materials.
A multilingual environment needs a strong community to thrive. This guide emphasises the vital role of early childhood professionals in collaborating closely with families to support children’s language development, literacy skills, and identity formation. It also stresses the importance of providing equitable opportunities for children and families to share their knowledge (VCAA, 2020). Download our PDF to read more.
Your pedagogy and practice affords children opportunities to learn about themselves and others, to engage in experiences that support making meaning of the world in which they live, and to learn to use communication as an effective tool within their daily lives. Within your programs, how are children encouraged to make choices that impact their lives, learn in a style that best suits them, and communicate in their most confident voices? Download our PDF to explore ideas and strategies.
Early childhood professionals use various techniques and tools to engage in reflective practice. This involves considering past and future actions, reflecting on implementation methods, and understanding the underlying reasons for choosing specific approaches. The Cultural Inclusion Reflective Practice Toolkit supports organisations in reflecting on their actions and making changes to improve their ability to deliver quality programs. Download our PDF to learn more.
The way children feel about themselves and their identities forms the basis for their ongoing well-being and what they can and want to achieve in life. This also applies to the connections families make with our early learning environments. Download the PDF for more information and reflection prompts.
In our sector, we have put much effort into promoting inclusion for children and families in our early years settings. However, we are now considering the essential elements needed to truly demonstrate the value we place on active participation. According to the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF, 2016), inclusion involves recognizing and appreciating the diversity of all children and their families, including those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, children with disabilities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, and children from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Download our discussion article to explore these concepts in more detail.
As early childhood professionals, we strive to create a welcoming, inclusive and responsive learning environment for all children and families. However, in our efforts to understand, acknowledge and support families from various cultural and language backgrounds, we may unintentionally use terminology that labels cohorts of children and families. Download the PDF to explore helpful strategies to address these challenges.
The concept of ‘inclusion’ in early childhood education has too often been viewed something to ‘do’ or add to an early years program. However, if we focus our attention on the intent of inclusion rather than a categorisation of people to include, it is quite simply, the centre and foundation of any respectful relationship or effective educational practice. Download the PDF to find out more.
The emphasis on transitions often centers around supporting a positive adjustment to school. However, it’s important to remember that transitioning into an early childhood education and care service can be one of the most significant changes that many children and families have experienced so far in their lives. Download this resource to explore ways fkaCS can support your organisation during these critical moments.
Welcoming younger children into Kindergarten services has led to pedagogical considerations and reflections to ensure all children are supported within our programs. A common question that has accompanied the rollout of two years of funded kindergarten is, ‘How can I cater for the three-year-old children in the Kindergarten environment?’ Download our PDF to consider differentiated teaching in action.
When planning your approach to the first day and orientation period, it’s important to support families and the service to have positive experiences within their first encounters when it matters most. What are the needs of families and children in the service during orientation? It may be beneficial to support reflection and implementation with a model discussed in this resource. Using a structured approach to reflection will assist in developing responsive and holistic practices that reflect the needs of the service, families, and children, and highlight any gaps to address in orientation processes.
Language, culture, and identity are closely intertwined. Current academic discussions emphasise that language encompasses more than just words, phrases, and sounds; it also shapes social interactions (Evans, 2014). Moreover, culture is not only intertwined with language but also embedded within it (Evans, 2014). Respecting children’s cultural identities, including their languages, is fundamental to culturally competent practice. Download our PDF for tips and strategies.
Discover how to enhance family engagement in early childhood education through effective digital communication tools. This article provides practical strategies for using platforms like email, SMS, and video calls to create accessible, meaningful interactions with families, particularly those from multilingual backgrounds. Learn how to implement structured communication approaches that foster connection and collaboration, ensuring families feel included in their child’s learning journey. By exploring various online resources and thoughtful planning techniques, you can build a comprehensive communication toolkit that supports equitable engagement and strengthens relationships within your service.
When planning and assessing children’s learning, early childhood professionals employ a range of tools and techniques to gain a holistic understanding of each child (VEYLDF, 2016). This process includes selecting suitable assessment instruments and fostering open communication with children, families, communities, and other professionals. Explore our educator resource to discover valuable ideas, strategies, and reflection checkpoints for enhancing your assessment practices.
fkaCS is excited to announce the release of Dr Priscilla M. Clarke’s publication, Learning English as an Additional Language in Early Childhood, 2nd Edition. Complete with a new look and available for download as an eBook, this popular resource guides educators in supporting children learning English alongside their home language/s.
Language plays a central role in children’s development. It is largely through language that children formulate and express their thoughts. Using language children are able to interact with others, to interpret their experiences, to organise their thinking and make sense of their world. The most important experiences for children are those in which they are actively involved (Clarke, 2019, p. 2).
To cite: Clarke, Dr. P. (2019). Learning English as an Additional Language in Early Childhood (2nd ed.). Melbourne, Australia: fka Children’s Services.
Curious about how to effectively support multilingual children and families in early childhood education? Learn the differences between interpreters, translators, and fkaCS Community Language Support Workers, and how they can enhance culturally inclusive practices in your service.
People face all sorts of barriers when accessing an early childhood education and care (ECEC) service. In particular children and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds face attitudinal barriers which may include but are not limited to awareness and access barriers, communication and language barriers, structural barriers, trust/respect and identity barriers. Download the PDF and discover strategies to overcome potential barriers faced by multilingual children and families in ECEC.
The choices made by early childhood professionals, especially in environmental design and resource selection, are crucial in fostering a sense of identity and social inclusivity. Our early years learning environments support children’s natural curiosity while allowing them to explore their identities, those of their peers, and the broader local community. It is important for early childhood professionals to align the environment with the cultural and social fabric of its participants. Many factors need to be considered when making informed curriculum decisions, especially in selecting materials and resources available to children in the learning environment. Download our PDF to explore how fkaCS can support you in selecting culturally rich and multilingual resources and materials.
fkaCS Community Language (Bilingual) Workers assist Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) staff by facilitating communication with children and families in their home language. These workers, employed by fkaCS and guided by consultants, help achieve the following outcomes:
Enhance Cultural Awareness: Enable the exchange of information between educators and parents about the child, family life, and participation in the learning environment.
Promote Identity and Wellbeing: Create an environment where the child’s home language is spoken, fostering a sense of identity, belonging, and wellbeing.
Support Educator-Child Relationships: Facilitate communication to strengthen connections between key educators and the child.
Encourage Peer Interaction: Support communication among children to enhance relationship-building and their sense of wellbeing.
Bridge Family Connections: Provide a shared language to facilitate communication between the service and families.
This article challenges traditional early childhood celebrations, encouraging educators to reflect on their significance and inclusivity. It highlights the importance of recognizing diverse cultures and identities, providing strategies for meaningful celebrations that foster belonging. By engaging with this piece, you’ll gain insights into enhancing your pedagogy, creating inclusive environments, and empowering children to embrace their cultural heritage while understanding and appreciating the diversity around them. It’s a valuable read for anyone seeking to enrich early childhood education practices in a multicultural society.
This article offers a critical examination of family-centred practice in early childhood education and care. Download the PDF to explore its principles, benefits, challenges, and practical applications across diverse contexts.
