Research in Australia

I chose to explore the Early Childhood Australia website at http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/  

I was surprised to see that many of the current issues in Australia are very similar to the current issues here in the United States. Some of the current research and media releases that I saw were related to the cost of childcare, funding for childcare, quality of childcare, e-bullying, and professional development for professionals in the field. I thought it was interesting that Australia is using a similar system of “Quality Improvement Plans” as are being implemented in many states here. Professional qualifications are also in the spotlight according to the following quote:

“As you are undoubtedly aware, from 1 January 2014 the National Quality Standard (NQS) requires that anyone who wishes to be recognized as an early childhood educator must have completed or be actively working towards the minimum Certificate III in Children’s Services. For people who have been working in the sector for many years but don’t have formal qualifications this may seem daunting, others may not see the value in becoming qualified.” (Early Childhood Australia, 2014).

When I looked up information about how to obtain the Certificate III in Childcare Services it was a bit confusing because they use a different system of tracking credits than we do in America, but nevertheless it is something that requires further education even for professionals that have already been experienced from working in the field.

Another interesting topic to read about is cultural awareness. There is a focus on the website for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander involvement and cultural awareness.

Reference:

Early Childhood Australia. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/