ECA NSW Mid-North Coast Regional Group Invites you to our Regional Symposium: Celebrate, Collaborate, Innovate

Saturday 24^th March 2018, Slim Dusty Centre, Kempsey

Guest speakers Nikki Buchan and Thea O’Connor will ignite your curiosity as we celebrate early childhood education across the mid-north coast. There will be plenty of opportunities to collaborate with peers.

Program                                                                                                         8:30am Registration                                                                                        9:00am Welcome and acknowledgement of country

9:30am Nikki Buchan keynote and panel discussion will focus on innovative ways to create environments that foster resilience and well-being of children. Our panel will consist of early childhood professionals sharing their stories from working in the field.

11:00am Morning Tea

11:30am & 12:10pm Breakout sessions carried out in the middle of the day will focus on several roundtable conversations addressing different topics which challenge early education professionals. The aim of these is to create dynamic dialogue and establish a network for ongoing support and critical reflection between interested ECEC professionals.

• Being a pedagogical leader: Navigating the challenges
• Transition to School: Working in collaboration
• Managing work /study Balance
• Fostering Inclusion through Deep and Authentic connection
• Supporting secure Attachment Relationships
• Leadership: The challenges of leading a team
• Building authentic Relationships with Families.

1:30 Thea O’Connor keynote and her interactive session will foster understandings of work place well-being and personal performance.

3:30pm Symposium Close.

Ticket purchases and further details: www.stickytickets.com.au/64251

Places for the 2018 Early Childhood Australia, North Coast Conference are filling fast. With Maria Aarts as the key note speaker.

23rd & 24th March, 2018, Mantra at Kingscliff

Our exciting Masterclass/Keynote presenters
• Marte Meo International founder Maria Aarts. Maria’s renowned theory based teaching method builds capacity in families, educators and carers of young children by developing the observational and communicative knowledge and strategies that support the integral emotional and social connections and interactions between individuals. Her methods and research are utilised in many countries all over the world today.

• Sarah Moore is the founder and CEO of Early Education Leadership, the creator of Leadership without Limits, an in-depth program that looks to “raise personal awareness, shift perspectives and promote Conscious Leadership in order for individuals to recognise their full potential and lead in ways that create significant change”, whatever your professional/personal position.

Saturday Session Presenters Include:

Liam McNicholas . Liam is a Canberra-based early childhood teacher, freelance writer and advocate, particularly focusing on early learning in political and policy contexts. He is the editor of the NQF news and analysis website The Framework. Liam’s session considers: A Whole New World – The New Child Care Package. July 2018 will see one of the biggest shifts in early childhood education and care ever in Australia. What do services and leaders need to know? What should you be preparing for? And what will it mean for children and families? This engaging session will explore all these big questions as well as giving a framework and background to why these changes are occurring.

Annette Sax: Annette is a Taungurung and has worked in the Early Childhood profession for 27 years. For the past 17 years, she has been the small business owner and Education and Creative Arts Director of Yarn Strong Sista Pty Ltd, an Aboriginal Education Consultancy that provides Storytelling, conducts Cross Cultural training with Teachers, and develops culturally appropriate resources. Annette is an artist, storyteller and illustrator who paints using ochre and wattle sap on canvas as well as felting on silk. In this workshop, Annette will guide educators to gain an insight into the importance of the ‘Walert Walert’ -Possum Skin Cloaks. Learn about Aboriginal Pedagogy culture through the contemporary story Bartja and Mayila, written by Dr Sue Atkinson-Lopez, Yorta Yorta Author, and illustrated by Annette. After the story Annette will facilitate a creative experience and participants will have the opportunity to make a Possum Skin Necklace using materials collected from Country.

Mark Carthew – An author, teacher, poet, editor and musician, Mark is well known for his books, conference and workshop presentations exploring literacy, movement, rhyme, poetry, music and drama. Mark’s latest books The Great Zoo Hullabaloo! & Marvin and Marigold: The Big Sneeze were both shortlisted for this year’s Speech Pathology Australia Awards … and Book#2 in the Marvin and Marigold SERIES; Marvin and Marigold: A Christmas Surprise has just been released in both Australia and the UK. Mark will weave interactive games, music and movement into this session, linking all to the joyfulness of literacy and language play! More information on our wonderful session line-up in coming weeks!

Conference fees include registration, breakfast, coffee/tea, morning tea and buffet lunch
Full Registration – Masterclass, reception by the pool, conference- $500 $400 (ECA Member)
Masterclass plus by the pool reception- $250 $200 (ECA Member) Conference plus by the pool reception- $340 $272 (ECA Member) Conference Only- $290 $232 (ECA Member) Masterclass Only – tickets not available till February $200 $160 (ECA Member) Reception only (for guests or partners of conference attendees $65 $52 (ECA Member)

*Reception by the Pool is held Friday evening

PDF End of Feb ECA Conference Flier

All queries to: farnorthcoast@nsw.earlychildhood.org.au For bookings go to: https://www.trybooking.com/TRWY

Note: ECA Member 20% discount will automatically be added when “ECA” is inserted into the discount/promotion box

Conversations Evening

ECA NSW Members and Executive in Penrith

Guest Speaker Professor Deb Brennan

 Lifting our game: Report of the review to achieve educational excellence in Australian schools through early childhood interventions

Date: Thursday, 15^th March 2018

 Where: Penrith Panthers Hunter Room

Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm

About Professor Deb Brennan

Professor Deborah Brennan BA (Hons), MA, PhD, FASSA, is one of Australia’s leading researchers in comparative social policy, early childhood education and care and gender and politics. Deborah has held visiting positions at the London School of Economics, Oxford University, Trinity College Dublin and the University of Melbourne. She is a member of the NSW Ministerial Carers Advisory Council, a former President of the Australian Political Science Association and was the Inaugural Convenor of the National Association of Community Based Children’s Services (NABCBS). She is a member of the International Advisory Board of the United States Study Centre, University of Sydney. Deborah serves on the editorial advisory board of Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State and Society, Families, Relationships and Societies and the Journal of Poverty and Social Justice. She is a member of the Feminist International Institutionalist Network (FIIN), the International Network on Leave Policies and Research and the Network on Migration and Care in the Asia-Pacific. Deborah leads the University of NSW component of a Commonwealth funded Collaborative Research Network that links the Social Policy Research Centre (UNSW) and the Centre for Children and Young People (Southern Cross University).

The report was led by Susan Pascoe AM and Professor Deborah Brennan.

Deb will speak on the report and then join a conversation on educational excellence in Early Childhood services.

Free for ECA Members and $15 for non members.

Bookings essential : URL: https://ecanswprofbrennan.eventbrite.com.au

Light Supper provided from 6pm. RSVP 14^th March, 2018.

 Illawarra/South Coast’s first meeting for 2018:

Date:                     Monday 12th Feb, 2018

Time:                     6.00pm – 7.45 pm

Venue:                 Alunga Children’s Centre

                               32 Robyn Road, Albion Park Rail, 2527

RSVP:                    Friday 9th Feb  – Reply email – linda@ectarc.com.au 

The focus of this meeting will be to provide members with the opportunity /time to discuss topics such as: current publications/resources that support best practice and our advocacy work.

Please email through any suggestions for discussion topics or provocations. 

Proposed topics to date:

• Revised NQS Exceeding themes
• Live Wires – Information and resources about young children and technology
• Shoalhaven Special Interest Group (SIG) Inclusion Network
• Next event update

Cost: Nil

Reply email – linda@ectarc.com.au

The Fabulous Far North Coast ECA Region Conference is to be held on the 23rd and 24th March, 2018.

Venue: Mantra at Kingscliff. 

Masterclass/Keynote presenters are:

• Marte Meo International founder Maria Aarts. Maria’s renowned theory based teaching method builds capacity in families, educators and carers of young children by developing the observational and communicative knowledge and strategies  that support the integral emotional and social connections and interactions between individuals. Her methods and research are utilised in many countries all over the world today.

• Sarah Moore is the founder and CEO of Early Education Leadership, the creator of Leadership without Limits, an in-depth program

that looks to “raise personal awareness, shift perspectives and promote Conscious Leadership in order for individuals to recognise their full potential and lead in ways that create significant change”, whatever your professional/personal position.

Saturday Session Presenters Include:

Professor Joce Nuttall: Prof. Nutall leads the Teacher Education research program in the Learning Sciences Institute Australia at Australian Catholic University. Joce will present a way of thinking about the development of people and practices at a systems level. This approach offers a powerful alternative to professional development strategies that pay attention to individuals, such as feedback and coaching. The session will put the emphasis on practice, rather than attitudes and beliefs, with the aim of fostering sustainable change for quality improvement in early childhood services.
Caroline Jordan: Caroline is an Occupational Therapist with over 30 years’ experience collaborating with families and Childhood Educators to help children reach their full potential. Sensational Days is an interactive workshop which examines the diverse sensory processing profiles that children may have and strategies to support these in ECEC settings. It will cover the association between self-regulation and sensory regulation; individual differences in sensory processing; how / why some sensory strategies work and a model to help you decide which strategies might best suit specific situations.
Robin Grille: Robin Grille is an internationally acclaimed psychologist, parent educator and author of ‘Parenting for a Peaceful World’ and ‘Heart-to-Heart Parenting’. In this workshop Robin will discuss and consider the explosion of scientific research around the world in child development, emotional intelligence, brain development and the human heart, including the key childhood experiences that promote children’s emotional intelligence.

On-going information about the full program to be released over the coming weeks!
Conference fees include registration, breakfast, coffee/tea, morning tea and buffet lunch

Full Registration – Masterclass, reception by the pool, conference- $500 $400 (ECA Member)
Masterclass plus by the pool reception- $250 $200 (ECA Member)

Conference plus by the pool reception- $340 $272 (ECA Member)

Conference Only- $290 $232 (ECA Member)

Masterclass Only – tickets not available till February $200 $160 (ECA Member)

Reception only (for guests or partners of conference attendees $65 $52 (ECA Member) *Reception by the Pool is held Friday evening

All queries to: farnorthcoast@nsw.earlychildhood.org.au

• For bookings go to: https://www.trybooking.com/TRWY
• Note: ECA Member 20% discount will automatically be added when “ECA” is inserted into the discount/promotion box

Looking forward to seeing Sydney members and friends at the ECA NSW Conversations Evening.

Guest speaker is Gabrielle Sinclair, CEO, ACECQA.

Gabrielle will speak on ACECQA today. This will be followed by Chris Legg, ECA National NSW Board Member  . Chris will discuss the ECA strategic plan and the Everyone Benefits Campaign.

Date: Thursday 2nd November

Time 6.30-8.30pm

Venue: Randwick TAFE.

Carpark Entry via John Street Randwick

Auditorium. . Block B. Level 2

Cost with supper included. $10 for members. $15 non-members. Supper available from 6pm.

RSVP https://ecanswrandwicktafe.eventbrite.com.au/

Hope to see you there.

ECIA presents an Inclusion Symposium
Partners in practice 2017

Collaboration partnerships, exploring ways for improving referral pathways and inclusive practice in the context of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI)

Date : 30TH NOVEMBER
THE AUDITORIUM, ST BARNABAS, 57 – 61 MOUNTAIN STREET, BROADWAY, SYDNEY

Keynote Speakers:
John Nash is Department Chair and Associate Professor of Educational
Leadership Studies at the University of Kentucky and the founding director of
the Laboratory on Design Thinking in Education, or dLab. John is a specialist in
the application of human centered design in education. He teaches a range of
courses on design thinking, school technology leadership, and school reform.
His current research agenda focuses on the methods to design and prototype
innovations in education. He has held faculty positions at Iowa State University
and the University of Texas at El Paso.

Beth Rous is Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership Studies,
College of Education, and Research and Policy Associate at Human
Development Institute, at University of Kentucky. She is a former special
education teacher at the preschool, elementary and middle school levels. Since
1990, she has secured over $97 million in federal and state grants/contracts to
support the design and large-scale implementation of early care and education
programs with a focus on children from vulnerable populations.
Beth Rous :How do we truly fulfil the promise of full access and participation of young children with disabilities in early childhood education and care services? In their keynote, Drs. Nash and Rous will discuss how design thinking can be used to engage children, families and professionals as co-creators of inclusive programs and services. An overview of design thinking will be presented, along with specific examples and tools that demonstrate how the challenges of inclusion can be addressed through a human centred approach.