Episodes

It's been a while since we got rid of a Prime Minister, so the Liberal Party went a bit mad and now we have to get used to saying the words "Scott Morrison, Prime Minister" and not feeling ill. We chat about that, then reflect on the legacy of outgoing Education Minister Simon Birmingham before taking a look at the new old white bloke in the job - Dan Tehan.

This week features an interview with Meredith Chan and Karen Fong from Mia Mia Child and Family Centre, talking about the history and philosophy of the historic service and their approaches to infants and young children.

This week we reflect on the passing of early childhood artist, author and educator Ursula Kolbe; then we chat with Associate Professor Sheila Degotardi about her recent research on the quality and quantity of language being used in ECEC settings with young children.

This week we have a chat about recent media on the lack of Federal Government funding for four-year-old preschool after 2020, and then discuss how Governments are supporting the sector to improve quality ratings.

It's a very special episode this week: a recording of our first ever live episode from the Social Justice in Early Childhood Conference held at Redfern NSW on Saturday July 28. We discuss why we think the biggest social justice issue facing the early childhood education sector is the Child Care Subsidy.

We also speak with the committee behind the Social Justice in Early Childhood group.

This week Lisa, Leanne and Liam take a look at the history and challenges of trying to make the ECEC sector more "flexible". We discuss 24-hour centres, the big 2013 flexibility trials and what we think might happen with the new Child Care Subsidy system.

To mark NAIDOC Week, Leanne has a chat with Kim King, the Acting Chairperson of Yenu Allowah Aboriginal Child and Family Centre. Kim shares her story about establishing the integrated service, and its future.

This week, Lisa and Liam take a look at the first week of the Child Care Package - what’s made the news and what’s been the experience for services and families.

This week it's the second part of our coverage of the Realising the Potential Early Childhood Forum that was held on Friday June 8. This week we hear Lisa's interviews with Andrew Hume, the CEO of Gowrie Victoria; Anthony Semann, presenter, researcher and head of professional learning organisation Semann & Slattery; and then a joint interview with Charlene Smith from the Mitchell Institute; consultant and President of ECA Victorian Branch Catharine Hydon; and the author of the Lifting Our Game Report Professor Deb Brennan.

This week is the first of two episodes with interviews from speakers at the Victorian Government's Realising the Potential Early Childhood Forum that was held on Friday June 8. This week, Lisa speaks with Simon Kent from the Victorian Education Department, Joce Nutall from ACECQA and the Australian Catholic University, and consultant, trainer, writer and researcher Anne Kennedy.

Friend of the podcast Karl Hessian joins us (before being defeated by technical difficulties!) to discuss how ready the sector, and the community, is for the new Child Care Package. 

We take a quick look at some sector resources for National Reconciliation Week, before taking a look at the challenges faced by the early education sector in Western Australia and the Northern Territory with Child Australia CEO Tina Holtom.

After taking another look at the Federal Government's decision last week to cease funding the National Quality Agenda, we then cross the aisle to take a look at the Labor Party. What would early education policy look like if Labor won the next election?

Lisa and Liam break down this week's Federal Budget and what it means for early childhood education. Mostly by complaining about it.

This week we discuss a new "skills forecast" developed for RTOs providing children's services qualifications, and how it fits into the broader picture about the educator workforce in Australia right now.

This week we have an interview with Megan Mitchell, the inaugural National Children's Commissioner. Commissioner Mitchell discusses why a Children's Commissioner is so important, the successes and areas of improvement for Australia in relation to children's rights, and what she will be working on over the next two years.

This week Liam has a chat about the role of the Educational Leader with Doreen Blyth, part of the fantastic Educational Leaders Association. Doreen discusses how the Association brings leaders from across Australia together, how educators can think about advocacy, and some of the challenges facing Educational Leaders today.

Lisa and Liam take to the streets this week, as hear from a range of educators who joined the Big Steps Big Walk Off on Tuesday March 27 at rally events in NSW and the ACT.

Join United Voice: www.bigsteps.org.au/join

Next Tuesday (March 27), United Voice will be organising walk-off actions for early childhood educators. Lisa and Liam are joined by United Voice NSW organiser Bettina Moltke to discuss why educators should be walking off the job, how important it is to get families involved, and the importance of taking action together as a sector.