Shows
FULL POWER PODCASTS1 E7 : Leanne Brown (Eat, Pray & Self Love / The Real Housewives of Cheshire)This week, we have another incredible guest—Leanne Brown. You might know Leanne from The Real Housewives of Cheshire, her inspiring book GRACE GRATITUDE GRIT, or her vibrant social presence.In today’s episode, we’ll dive deep into Leanne’s life, exploring her journey, her passions, and where she’s taking her life through the practice of yoga. This conversation offers a unique glimpse into Leanne’s evolution and her commitment to personal growth and well-being.Tune in for an inspiring and insightful chat you won’t want to miss! 🌱✨Leanne's Socials:
2024-09-301h 01
The Early Education ShowLiam’s Early Education JourneyEarlier this year, Liam was interviewed by Lecturer Kathrine Whitty for a video to her Masters students at the Australian Catholic University. It was an opportunity to discuss all things early education, including Liam's professional journey in the sector, and Kath and the ACU were kind enough to share the audio of the interview for the Early Education Show.
2023-05-0444 minThe Early Education Show2022 Year in ReviewWe've been away for a while - but we couldn't let as big a year as 2022 pass without getting the gang back together.
We mostly remember how to podcast, but it's been long enough that Liam managed to forget that a microphone only works when it's... plugged in. Apologies for his terrible sound. He promises to do better in 2023.
2022-12-1551 min
How AI Built This#68 Leanne FitzpatrickLeanne Fitzpatrick is back!If you haven't had a chance to listen to Leanne's data story before - go check out episode 15. Since that show, Leanne has moved on to be the Director of Data Science at the The Financial Times and I was keen to bring her back on for a chat about that move and the challenges of working in a much more established organisation. We also touched on being back in Manchester, the buzzing Manchester data community, going back to live events, speaking at events and everyone's favourite topic...
2022-01-1849 minThe Early Education ShowWe need to talk about reporting (with Jenni Hutchins)Under the National Quality Framework, professionals and services need to report a range of serious incidents to their regulatory authorities. But why don't we talk more about how services approach reporting and reporting behaviours with their teams? Leanne sits down with Big Fat Smile CEO Jenni Hutchins to discuss why a positive culture of reporting is so important.
Find the full show notes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2021-04-0840 minThe Early Education ShowThe Anti-Bias Approach in Early ChildhoodAnti-bias approaches in early education are about centring equity, tackling bias and creating beautiful ethical learning experiences and environments with and for children in the early years. Now about to be released in its fourth edition, The Anti-Bias Approach in Early Childhood has been a key publication in the history of exploring diversity, identity and inclusion in Australia’s early education sector.
To discuss the new edition of the Anti-Bias Approach, Lisa and Liam are joined by the book’s editor Dr Red Ruby Scarlet, and three of the book’s contributors - Tasha Huddy, Sharon Mathers and Ru...
2020-11-191h 13The Early Education ShowBONUS: Family Matters Report 2020 (with Sue-Anne Hunter)Family Matters has this week launched the Family Matters Report 2020, which examines how Australia is faring in improving the safety and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
To talk about this report, Liam is joined by Sue-Anne Hunter. Sue-Anne is a proud Wurundjeri woman, and National Chair for the Family Matters Campaign.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2020-11-1821 minThe Early Education ShowEarly Childhood Voices Conference 2020The Early Childhood Voices Conference is a free international multidisciplinary fully online conference about innovations in early education. International speakers will present research in a virtual online space about innovations to improve the lives of children, families and practitioners during early childhood or within the early childhood sector.
It can be very difficult for early childhood professionals to access, or afford, high-quality professional development, so this is an excellent opportunity that we wanted to find out more about. So to do that, we’re joined by one of the lead organisers of the event, Dr Tamara Cumming, an...
2020-11-121h 06The Early Education ShowIs social media good or bad for ECEC?Social media users in Australia are some of the most active in the world. 60% of the country are active users of Facebook, with 50% of the population logging on at least once a day. In Australia, there are 16 million Facebook users per month, 15.5 million YouTube users, 9 million Instagram users and 5.8 million Twitter users. With such widespread usage it is not surprising that the use of social media in the education and care sector is huge. But is the sector’s use of social media a force for good or not?
We thought it was time we explored the po...
2020-09-031h 02The Early Education ShowWhat's happening in Victoria? Part 2A few weeks ago, we discussed the worsening COVID-19 situation in Victoria and how it was affecting services, children, families and professionals. Soon after we released that episode - things became even more intense. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews declared a State of Disaster, and announced Australia’s toughest lockdown. Melbourne has effectively shut down, and early education services have once again faced a whole new world of policies and funding.
Given these changes, we wanted to come back to Victoria and see what this new situation means for the sector there. We’re joined by Sarah...
2020-08-201h 03The Early Education ShowSocial justice and COVID-19The COVID-19 pandemic has been described as a “spotlight” - shining a bright light and illuminating the existing inequalities in our societies. Early education is no exception. While services have been fighting to survive a complex maze of last-minute funding changes, the focus has had to be on funding and economics. But existing social justice concerns haven’t disappeared, and may in fact be getting worse.
To discuss how COVID-19 has changed the landscape for social justice and the early education sector, Lisa, Leanne and Liam are joined by Dr Red Ruby Scarlet (activist, early childhood teacher-researcher, consul...
2020-08-061h 07The Early Education ShowWhat's happening in Victoria?After a first wave that affected the entire country in March and April, COVID-19 cases are now particularly affecting Victoria. The Melbourne area is in lockdown, and early education services are finding themselves back in a situation where they are having to balance health and safety, financial viability and an uncertain funding arrangement. While most of the sector is focusing on just transitioning back to the Child Care Subsidy, many Victorian services are facing a much tougher battle.
Leanne and Liam are joined by Julie Price, the Executive Director of Community Child Care Victoria, and T...
2020-07-2355 minThe Early Education ShowExpert Insights from UOW Early StartListen to three fantastic conversations that are part of University of Wollongong Early Start’s Expert Insight series, facilitated by Leanne Gibbs. The discussions include:
Dr Gai Lindsay on children and the arts
Associate Professor Cathrine Neilsen-Hewett and Professor Marc de Rosnay on how to support children’s emotions when the world is changing
Dr Lyn Cronin on school transitions during COVID-19.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2020-07-0951 minThe Early Education ShowWhat does the history of advocacy for early education tell us about today? (with Eva Cox)COVID-19’s impact on the early education sector has meant that we’ve been having advocacy conversations that we didn’t expect to be having in 2020. The Government implemented free early education - for a short time. Early childhood educators were seen as frontline workers - but not supported properly. Will this be a brief moment before we get back to normal, or have things changed for good? Australia has had lots of changes to our early education system before, thanks in no small part to advocates and feminists who pushed for fairer and more equitable policies and systems. What d...
2020-06-2548 minThe Early Education ShowEarly education is “snapping back”. What does it mean for children, educators and families?The Federal Education Minister has announced that the Child Care Subsidy system will be back on Monday July 13, along with a number of other new measures. From the Government’s perspective, the economy is getting back to normal, and the early education sector is first cab off the rank for “snapping back”. But the Government’s planned transition is complex and will require an already-strained sector to once again adjust to significant changes. What does this all mean for children, educators and families?
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2020-06-0954 minThe Early Education ShowHow do families and the sector work together for a better ECEC system?This episode, we’re bringing you the audio from an online Town Hall Meeting conducted by parent advocacy group The Parenthood on Tuesday the 26th of May. Lisa was invited to speak on the panel, alongside Danielle Wood, an economist from the Grattan Institute; Polly Dunning, a teacher and writer; and Jay Weatherill, the CEO of Thrive by Five.
The event was hosted the Parenthood’s campaign director Georgie Dent, and tackled a variety of important questions - including how families have been affected by the funding changes to the sector, what free ECEC would mean for...
2020-05-271h 02The Early Education ShowHow do educators support children during times of change and uncertainty?Like the rest of Australia, the early education sector has had to significantly change the way we operate over the last two months to managed COVID-19 risks. A lot of this time has been spent worrying about funding and financial security, but it’s also opened up opportunities for experimenting with new ways of working. This episode, we wanted to turn the conversation back to children and educators and hear from early education professionals about how children are responding to these changes.
We’re bringing you a conversation with six people from the Northside Community Service team Liam...
2020-05-2254 minThe Early Education ShowHow do we advocate for free ECEC after COVID-19?Australia’s early education sector has been given a huge shake-up during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Child Care Subsidy system was replaced with a Government Relief Package that provided centres with 50% direct Government funding, and eliminated the usual gap fee paid by parents. In effect, children are now getting their early education for free. But the current funding system is short term and doesn’t fit all centres. This episode, we’re going to ask the question - how do we advocate for properly-funded, permanent, universal and free early education after COVID-19?
Find the full shownotes at earlye...
2020-05-1457 min
How AI Built This#15 Leanne FitzpatrickLeanne is the Head of Data at Hello Soda in Manchester but last year made the move to Austin, Texas. In this episode we chat about Leanne's career, what she has learned managing remotely and how that set her up for Covid-19! Delighted to be able to get Leanne on and I hope you enjoy! As always, we're brought to you by the wonderful people at Cathcart Associates.Music by Noisyfilter from Fugue
2020-05-131h 02The Early Education ShowWhy have ECEC services and schools been treated differently during the COVID-19 crisis?The COVID-19 health crisis continues to affect the entire world. Governments have had to respond to the effects of this crisis in different ways, as we have seen right here in Australia. For those of us who work in early education, we’ve seen some stark differences between how ECEC services and schools have been treated when it comes to health advice, closures, funding and more. This episode, we look at those differences, think about why they’ve appeared, and how we respond as advocates both during and after this crisis.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com...
2020-04-301h 05The Early Education ShowHow has COVID-19 changed the early education sector so far?The COVID-19 health emergency has changed so much of our society, and for the early education sector has overturned almost everything about how we operate. Over the last 6 weeks we have seen an increased focus on infection control and hygiene practices, the sector nearly collapse as enrolments dropped, educators and teachers start to think about how to work with children remotely, and the Government implement a completely new funding model over a single weekend. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
In this episode, we’re taking a step back, and taking a breath. We’re goi...
2020-04-1459 minThe Early Education ShowDid the Government just announce universal free access to ECEC in Australia?“As of Sunday night, What we will be doing is turning off the old system and going to a new system.” Those were the words of the Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan earlier today, as he stood next to the Prime Minister Scott Morrison and announced wholesale and immediate changes to how Australia funds early education. It’s hard to underestimate what this will mean, but what we know is the sector has four days notice that the Child Care Subsidy system - which took over nearly 3 years to develop and legislate - will be gone, and a new system...
2020-04-0246 minThe Early Education ShowHow can we stay connected to children and families during isolation?The COVID-19 situation remains the biggest issue facing Australia’s early education sector. Although the Government is saying that early education services should remain open to support the economy, children are leaving services in droves. It seems likely that at some point services will be directed to close. What does this mean for young children and their learning? What does “remote learning” look like in the early years? How can we stay connected to children and families during a period of isolation?
To help us discuss these questions, we’re joined by Jo Grimmond and Martha Johnson from the...
2020-03-311h 04The Early Education ShowHow can we stay healthy at work during a pandemic?Early education services and professionals have not had detailed advice from Health Departments or Education Departments about exactly what infection control processes services should be following during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak. As Leanne, Lisa and Liam are not infection control experts we decided to ask someone who is. Kylie Warren Wright is Goodstart Early Learning’s National Safe Work and Wellbeing Manager, and she’s responsible for giving health and safety advice to over 650 early education services. Lisa chatted with her to discuss how we can stay healthy at work during a pandemic.
2020-03-2443 minThe Early Education ShowWhat does the coronavirus outbreak mean for the early education sector?After an unprecedented summer of fire and smoke, communities around Australia are facing yet another emergency situation. Coronavirus, or COVID-19, is spreading around the world, with the World Health Organisation officially declaring it a pandemic. Although the risk to most people is minimal, countries - including Australia - are having to take significant steps to try and minimise its impact. These measures will have a big impact on early childhood services, and the children and families they work with. This episode, we’ll try to provide as much facts and clarity as we can about the situation we’re all...
2020-03-171h 06The Early Education ShowWorking with young children during the climate crisisAustralia has just come out of a terrible summer of unprecedented bushfires. According to the Australia Institute, More than half of all Australians have been directly affected by bushfire crisis, including millions suffering health effects. This includes young children and their families, as well as educators and services. Entire communities will be dealing with this summer for years to come. This episode, Lisa and Liam discuss what working with young children now means as we face an ongoing climate emergency that will affect the children we work with long into the future.
Find the full shownotes at...
2020-03-0551 min
The Early Education ShowHow is Australia faring on protecting children’s rights? (with Megan Mitchell, National Children's Commissioner)The inaugural National Children’s Commissioner Megan Mitchell has released her final report on children’s rights in Australia. It’s described as a “full and frank look” at how Australia is faring on a range of areas related to children and young people, and makes over 80 recommendations to improve our record.
This episode, Lisa, Leanne and Liam have a discussion about how the early education sector is engaging with issues of children’s rights, before we hear from an interview Liam conducted with Megan Mitchell on her report and her time as the first Children’s Commissioner.
2020-02-2051 minThe Early Education Show2019 Year in Review / Q&AIt's the end of another year, which mean's it's time for our annual Year in Review episode! We look back on the year that's been for early education, look ahead to 2020 and answer some listener questions.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2019-12-221h 20The Early Education ShowThe Hive & Collaboration 4 Learning6000 children under 5 live in Mt Druitt in NSW. 33% of those children are considered ‘developmentally vulnerable’ when they start school. The Hive is an initiative started in 2015 by the Ten20 Foundation, United Way Australia, and NSW Family and Community Services to ensure that all children in the 2770 postcode start school well.
This episode features voices from the graduation ceremony of the Collaboration 4 Learning (C4L) project, a unique professional development opportunity established for educators to engage in their own research projects.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2019-12-1240 min
The Early Education ShowA star (ratings system) is born (with Anthony Semann)The NSW Government has announced that services in NSW will be required to display a star rating alongside their usual National Quality Standard rating, in an apparent bid to help families better understand ratings. The star ratings have had a very mixed response from the sector, raising issues of professional identity, the marketing of the NQF to the community and how well services are being supported to improve quality. Lisa, Leanne and Liam discuss this new initiative before Lisa chats with presenter and researcher Anthony Semann.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2019-11-281h 00The Early Education ShowCelebrations in early education servicesChristmas, Anzac Day, Melbourne Cup, Mother's and Father's Days, Australia Day - celebrations have become a controversial and challenging topic for many in the early education sector. This episode, we take a look a like at why celebrations are so contested and how educators can explore different perspectives on commonly-held celebrations.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2019-11-141h 01The Early Education ShowWorking with infants and toddlers (with Dr Andi Salamon & Lauren Hibberson)This episode, we’re spending some time thinking about educator and teacher practice in the first three years. There’s a huge amount of advocacy out there for the importance of the first five years, but plenty of research points to the idea that the first three years are even more important for children. Yet infants and toddlers practice in the sector often receives far less attention than the years just before school.
To look at this area from two different perspectives, Leanne and Liam spoke separately with Dr Andi Salamon, an early childhood teacher, researcher and advo...
2019-11-0456 minThe Early Education ShowBONUS: A national commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people (with Richard Weston, CEO of SNAICC)This week, SNAICC and Family Matters have released a Position Paper endorsed by more than 80 organisations and individuals calling for the establishment of a national commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people. Liam talks with SNAICC CEO Richard Weston about why this position is needed and what a commissioner could achieve.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2019-10-2518 minThe Early Education ShowRecruitment and retention (with Melissa Armstrong)This episode, we’re taking a look at one of the biggest frustrations out there in the sector - recruitment and retention. With subsidies flowing and the market-model growing, Australia’s early education sector needs more educators and teachers than ever before. But with TAFEs and Unis producing less graduates, and turnover rates not getting any better, we seem to be facing a growing crisis in how to actually ensure professional and qualified educators are working in services.
To discuss all these issues, and more, Lisa and Liam are joined by Melissa Armstrong. Mel is the Direc...
2019-10-1751 minThe Early Education ShowFamily Day Care (with Anita Jovanovski)Over the last few years, Family Day Care has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Multi-million dollar frauds of the subsidy system have made headlines, and have seen the Government focus on cracking down on those rorting the system. But while it’s a small part of the education and care sector, Family Day Care has been working to move beyond these negative stories.
Anita Jovanovski, CEO of NSW Family Day Care Association, joins Lisa and Liam to talk about Family Day Care and how it fits in with the modern early education sector.
2019-09-1251 minThe Early Education ShowThe Reggio Emilia Educational Project (with Jan Millikan)This episode, Leanne talks to Jan Millikan about the Reggio Emilia Educational Project. What are the principles that underpin the Reggio Emilia Educational Project? And how can they be applied in an Australian context?
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2019-06-2057 minThe Early Education ShowProfessional identity (with Catharine Hydon)How educators view themselves and their profession is a key part of early education practice. Experienced sector consultant Catharine Hydon joins Lisa and Leanne for a discussion on professional identity - what it means, why it's important, and how we can improve it.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2019-06-0648 minThe Early Education ShowBONUS: Rort Alert!The bonuses keep on comin’… Lisa and Liam really wanted to talk through the recent media reports on a $5 million fraud operation in the Family Day Care sector, so we called friend of the podcast Karl and talked through this bizarre story.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com
2019-05-1337 minThe Early Education ShowBONUS: Election 2019 and the early education sectorAnother quick bonus episode this week. Lisa and Liam talk about Lisa’s election articles for The Framework, a free website for sector news, analysis and opinion. We discuss why politics matters, and the interesting reaction from educators to recent election commitments.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com
2019-05-0925 minThe Early Education ShowBONUS: Labor's early education announcementsOn Sunday Labor announced policies on lowering early education costs for families and raising wages for early childhood educators. In this extra episode Lisa, Leanne and Liam take a look at these policies and what they mean for the sector.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2019-04-2928 minThe Early Education ShowEducator Wellbeing Project Stakeholder RoundtableThis week Liam gets an update on the Early Childhood Educator Wellbeing Project (ECEWP) we covered earlier in the year. Liam speaks to Tamara Cumming, one of the researchers leading the Project; Leisa Wright, Centre Director at Harrison Early Childhood Centre, one of the services taking part in the Project; and Leanne Gibbs, who facilitated a session at the Project’s recent Stakeholder Roundtable.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com
2019-04-1747 minThe Early Education ShowBudget 2019 and early childhood educationLisa and Liam quickly scour the budget papers (and Twitter), before giving our immediate reactions to the Federal Government’s Budget for 2019/20.
Then, in anticipation that we were probably not going to like this Budget, Lisa dazzles us all with her fantasy Federal Budget for early education.
2019 Federal Budget
Lisa’s Fantasy Budget
2019-04-0240 minThe Early Education ShowDesign and implementation of the Child Care PackageThis week Lisa and Liam have a brief chat about this weekend's NSW Election, before tackling the Australian National Audit Office's review of the design and implementation of the Government's Child Care Package. We speak to four people in the sector to get a range of views on how well (or not) the Package was delivered.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2019-03-2159 minThe Early Education ShowEngaging with social justice in early education services (with Dr Red Ruby Scarlet)This week Lisa and Liam chat with activist, artist and researcher Dr Red Ruby Scarlet about why services who work with young children should engage with issues of social justice.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2019-03-141h 00The Early Education ShowExcellence in School Age Care (with Forrest Out of School Hours Care)This week Liam chats with Ali Sewter, Kylie Keane and Carl Kroon from Forrest Out of School Hours Care about their recent achievement of receiving the Excellent rating from ACECQA; and Leanne brings us her reflections from Day 2 of the recent AJEC Symposium.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2019-02-281h 05The Early Education ShowEarly Childhood Teachers and the National Quality FrameworkThis week Lisa, Leanne and Liam discuss recent advocacy around the numbers of Early Childhood Teachers required in NSW early education services.
Leanne also provides a summary of her time at the recent AJEC Conference.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com
2019-02-211h 01The Early Education ShowWhat are the early education advocacy battles of 2019?This week, Lisa and Liam take a look at all the different advocacy campaigns and battles that are happening in 2019 in the early education sector.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com
Element 2.1.3: Healthy lifestyle now available on Exploring the NQS.
2019-02-1451 minThe Early Education ShowEarly Childhood Educator Wellbeing Project (with Sandie Wong, Tamara Cumming and Helen Logan)In our first episode of 2019, Liam chats with Associate Professor Sandie Wong, Dr Tamara Cumming and Dr Helen Logan about the Early Childhood Educator Wellbeing Project. The Project takes an holistic approach to examine the psychological and physiological aspects of early childhood educators’ well-being within the context of their work environments.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2019-02-0747 minThe Early Education ShowSaving Alstonville Community Preschool (with Katherine Buckley)This week Lisa and Liam talk about community management of early education services with the ex-President of Alstonville Community Preschool Katherine Buckley. Katherine talks to us about the challenges in saving Alstonville from funding challenges, how she and the committee work with the Centre Director and what the biggest challenges are for this model.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
Exploring the NQS
Our Patreon-exclusive series on the National Quality Standard has launched. Element 1.1.3 “Program learning opportunities” now available.
2018-11-2249 minThe Early Education ShowWhy are early education environments all looking the same? (with Professor Deborah Harcourt)Lisa, Leanne and Liam are joined this week by Professor Deborah Harcourt to discuss the growing trend of early education environments all having similar looks. Where has this trend come from, and what does it mean for children and educators?
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
Exploring the NQS: Our Patreon-exclusive series on the National Quality Standard has launched. Element 1.1.1 “Approved learning framework” now available.
2018-11-0848 minThe Early Education ShowCultivating capabilities in early childhood education (with Charlene Smith)This week Lisa and Liam chat with Charlene Smith from the Mitchell Institute about their new report The Capable Country, which calls for rapid government action to boost capabilities across all stages of learning.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2018-11-0153 minThe Early Education ShowLabor's new early education policies (with Amanda Rishworth and Megan O'Connell)Lisa and Leanne are taking an extra (well-deserved) week off, so Liam takes a look at the Labor Party's recent early education policy announcements regarding three-year-old preschool and free TAFE places.
He chats about Labor's new policies with the Shadow Education Minister Amanda Rishworth, and then talks with Mitchell Institute Director and policy expert Megan O'Connell to take a deeper look at what they mean for the sector.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2018-10-1837 minThe Early Education ShowThe challenges of "flexible childcare"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.
Listener note: Unfortunately Liam suffered some technical issues in the first 10 minutes of the episode. Apologies for the poor sound quality.
Read the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com
2018-07-2639 minThe Early Education ShowBONUS: Interview with Kim King, Yenu Allowah Aboriginal Child and Family CentreTo 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.
2018-07-1226 minThe Early Education ShowThe first week of the Child Care SubsidyThis 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.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2018-07-0534 minThe Early Education ShowBudget 2018 and early childhood educationLisa and Liam break down this week's Federal Budget and what it means for early childhood education. Mostly by complaining about it.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2018-05-1032 minThe Early Education ShowThe role of the Educational Leader (with Doreen Blyth, Educational Leaders Association)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.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2018-04-0557 minThe Early Education ShowVoices from the Big Walk OffLisa and Liam take to the streets this week, as we 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.
2018-03-2838 minThe Early Education ShowBig Steps Big Walk Off (with Bettina Moltke)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.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com
Episode Times
00'00" Intro and News Chat
05'58" Bettina Moltke Interview
31'05" Recommendations
2018-03-2237 minThe Early Education ShowDoes it matter how early education services are marketed?This week Lisa and Liam take a look at how some early education services market themselves, and provide some particularly... "interesting" examples. They then look ahead to what the marketing ideas of tomorrow could be!
(We had a few technical issues with the recording this week, so apologies in advance for a few sound problems.)
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
Episode Times
00'00" Introduction
01'12" News Chat
12'02" Marketing early education services
41'51" Recommendations
2018-03-1547 minThe Early Education ShowShould early education services celebrate International Women’s Day?Yesterday marked International Women's Day for 2018, so we spend some time thinking about whether this event should be celebrated and acknowledged in early education services - and with children.
We also include some chats that Leanne had with a fabulous team of Centre Directors with Blacktown City Council.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
Episode Times
00'00" Introduction
01'56" News Chat
12'13" Should IWD be celebrated in early education services?
37'36" Blacktown City Council Centre Director Interviews
53'20" Recommendations
2018-03-0857 minThe Early Education ShowARACY Report Card: The wellbeing of young AustraliansWe welcome Leanne back to the show after a few weeks off, tackle a new segment in #NewsChat (hashtag required), and then chat with Kate Sollis from ARACY about their recently released Report Card on Australia's performance in a range of indicators for children and young people.
Read the Report Card
Read ARACY's introduction to the Report Card
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com
Episode Times:
01'30" - News Chat
17'55" - Kate Sollis Interview
34'44" - Recommendations
2018-03-0149 minThe Early Education ShowMen in early childhood educationWith men only accounting for 3-4% of the early childhood educator workforce, the experiences of males in the sector has always been a topic of discussion. This week Lisa and Liam break down an article Liam wrote explaining why he won't be getting involved in campaigns, events and advocacy related to this issue anymore.
You can read Liam's original article here.
Forgive the plug, but Lisa and Liam have been involved in developing a new guide for services transitioning to the New Child Care Package. Find out more about "Getting Ready" here.
Find...
2018-02-2247 minThe Early Education ShowThe Equal Remuneration Case (with Verena Heron)With Leanne once again travelling the world, Lisa and Liam are joined this week by Verena Heron from the Independent Education Union. Verena talks us through the IEU's Equal Remuneration Case with Fair Work Australia.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com
2018-02-1534 minThe Early Education ShowLifting Our Game (with Professor Deb Brennan)We're back with our first episode 2018, and we're tackling the fantastic new early childhood education report Lifting Our Game. Leanne and Lisa speak with one of the authors, and long-time early childhood policy expert, Professor Deb Brennan.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2018-02-0855 min
The Early Education ShowBonus Episode #5: Fair Work Throws Out Pay Equity CaseAEU Vice President for Early Childhood Martel Menz joins Liam McNicholas for a quick chat about today's decision by the full bench of Fair Work Australia to throw out the long-running Pay Equity Case.
Early Childhood Teachers Victoria Facebook Group
2018-02-0618 minThe Early Education ShowInterview with Amanda Rishworth MP, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education and DevelopmentLeanne and Lisa have a chat with the (very) new Federal Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education and Development Amanda Rishworth MP, who has just taken on the role from Kate Ellis. Amanda talks about her priorities in the role and her concerns about the current Government's approach to early education.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2017-11-0243 minThe Early Education ShowNational Children's Week 2017Lisa and Liam fly solo again (Leanne will return we promise!) and chat about this year's National Children's Week. The theme this year is about education being focused on developing children as individuals, and we discuss how services could use this opportunity to advocate for early education.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2017-10-1933 minThe Early Education ShowAre greedy developers and landlords gouging families?Another short episode this week, as Lisa and Liam discuss Lisa's article published this week on ABC News about how profit-seeking landlords are one of the big, undiscussed factors behind rising prices for early education and care.
Click here to read the article.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com
2017-10-1228 minThe Early Education ShowInterview with Sarah Baray, CEO of Pre-K 4 SALiam has a chat with Sarah Baray, the CEO of Pre-K 4 SA - an innovative and groundbreaking early education program from San Antonio in Texas. Sarah discusses the challenges of securing funding for children's programs, and how it can lift children out of disadvantage.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2017-09-2820 minThe Early Education ShowFlying squads and the “look of quality” (with Dr. Deborah Harcourt)This week Lisa and Liam are joined by Dr. Deborah Harcourt to discuss her recent article on approaches to quality in early childhood education and care settings, as well as her own fortnightly podcast on early education.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com
Episode Times
01'22" Newslist
12'36" Discussion with Deborah Harcourt
54'06" Recommendations
58'30" Outro
2017-09-2159 minThe Early Education ShowState of Early Learning in Australia 2017 (with Sam Page, Early Childhood Australia CEO)Early Learning Everyone Benefits spokesperson and Early Childhood Australia CEO Sam Page joins Lisa and Liam for a discussion about the State of Early Learning in Australia 2017 Report released this week.
Episode Times
02'40" State of Early Learning Report Discussion
47'51" Recommendations
55'19" Outro
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2017-09-1457 minThe Early Education ShowChild Protection WeekThis week, Lisa and Liam talk about National Child Protection Week and how well early childhood education services and organisations are performing in their child protection roles.
01'08" Newslist
18'23" Child Protection Week
48'49" Recommendations
51'19" Outro
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com
2017-09-0753 minThe Early Education ShowChildren's Book WeekIt's Children's Book Week, so Leanne and Liam talk about the importance of literacy and reading in the early years, before sharing their favourite children's authors and providing a book recommendation each for early education professionals.
02'39" Newslist
13'33" Children's Book Week
51'40" Recommendations
54'29" Outro
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com
2017-08-2457 minThe Early Education ShowInterview with Kate Washington, NSW Shadow Minister for Early Childhood EducationThis week we bring you an interview Leanne conducted with Kate Washington MP, NSW Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education. They discuss Labor's policy positions on early childhood education, current issues with funding of early education in NSW and much more. Plus, stay tuned right to the end to find out about our exciting first ever competition!
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2017-08-101h 12The Early Education ShowNational Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's DayThis week, Liam talks with Sharron Williams - the Board Chairperson of SNAICC and CEO of Aboriginal Family Support Services - about National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day. This annual event is the largest national day to celebrate Australia's Indigenous children. Sharron talks about how important his day is, and why early childhood education services should get involved.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2017-08-031h 03The Early Education ShowChildren's health and safetyThe gang's all back together as Lisa, Leanne and Liam bring you another look at the new revised National Quality Standard. This episode we look at Quality Area 2: Children's Health and Safety.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com
2017-07-201h 14The Early Education ShowBONUS: Leanne at the Australian Family Early Education & Care AwardsLeanne brings us some chats with a few of the winners from the recent Australian Family Early Education & Care Awards (in-between bouts on the dance floor).
2017-06-2912 minThe Early Education ShowTrauma-Informed Practice (with Beth Macgregor)This week Liam has a chat with Beth Macgregor, a psychologist with a focus on young children who has worked with a range of early childhood settings. Beth talks about how working with a trauma-informed background can help all children, and how educators have an opportunity to support children at a critical time in their life.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2017-06-221h 02The Early Education ShowInterview with Sarah Mitchell, NSW Minister for Early Childhood EducationLeanne has a chat with Sarah Mitchell MLC, NSW Minister for Early Childhood Education, discussing the NSW Government's Start Strong funding and the importance of early education.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2017-06-1557 minThe Early Education ShowQuality ratings in Preschool and LDCIt's Leanne's turn to take a break this week, so Lisa and Liam take you through a discussion on the data on quality ratings in "Long Day Care" and Preschool settings. Why is there such a stark difference, and what does the data mean for the sector's definition of "quality"?
Find the full shownotes for this episode at earlyeducationshow.com.
2017-06-0154 minThe Early Education ShowEducational program and practice (with Rhonda Livingstone)Leanne and Liam are flying without Lisa again this week, but are joined by National Educational Leader for ACECQA Rhonda Livingstone to discuss the new version of Quality Area 1.
Find the full shownotes for this episode at earlyeducationshow.com
2017-05-181h 02The Early Education ShowAn educator's place is in the resistance (with Martel Menz)Leanne and Liam have a chat with the wonderful Martel Menz about unions, campaigns and educators. What is the role of unions in supporting professional recognition of the work educators do, and should educators be more involved?
Find the full shownotes for this episode at earlyeducationshow.com
2017-05-041h 04The Early Education Show"One child in detention is too many"You're all getting a break from hearing Leanne, Lisa and Liam this week! Instead we bring you a presentation from Niru Palanivel and Zoe Grant from the fantastic advocacy organisation ChilOut to the NSW Chapter of OMEP on the current situation for children in Australia immigration detention.
Find the full shownotes for this episode at earlyeducationshow.com
2017-04-061h 05The Early Education ShowInterview with Kate Ellis MP, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education and DevelopmentAfter some shared commiserations on the likelihood of the Jobs for Families reforms becoming law this week, we go to an interview Liam conducted at Parliament House with Labor's Early Education Shadow Minister Kate Ellis MP. Kate was incredibly generous with her time on what turned into a very, very busy day! She discusses her legacy in early education politics, problems with the Government's planned reforms and what advocates for children should be focused on.
Get the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2017-03-2346 minThe Early Education ShowProfessor Frank Oberklaid Interview (Part 2)We take a quick look at some of the news of the last week, before heading back for the second half of Liam's interview with Professor Frank Oberklaid.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2017-02-231h 05The Early Education ShowProfessor Frank Oberklaid Interview (Part 1)We catch up on the recent news, including the ongoing insanity of the Jobs for Families package, before turning over to Part 1 of an interview Liam conducted with Professor Frank Oberklaid. Catch Part 2 in next week's episode.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2017-02-1652 minThe Early Education ShowBONUS: Interview with Jenny Mikakos, Victorian Minister for Families and ChildrenLiam chats with Jenny Mikakos, Minister for Families and Children in the Victorian Government and discuss the Jobs for Families Package and the National Partnership Agreement for Early Education.
Links
Jenny Mikakos Website
Jenny Mikakos on Twitter
Petition - Stop the Kinder Cuts
2017-02-0514 minThe Early Education ShowSTEM in early childhood / Sibylle Seidler InterviewThis week we're focusing on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) in early childhood education. How does it fit with the current early years curriculum and programs, and how can we support children's skills in these areas?
Thanks to Sibylle Seidler from Little Scientists for joining Leanne for an interview. You can find out more about the Little Scientists program here.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2016-12-0857 minThe Early Education ShowThe rise of corporate early education (with Karl Hessian)Lisa, Leanne and Liam return with special guest Karl Hessian to discuss the history, complexity and risks of corporate early childhood education provision in Australia.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2016-12-011h 05The Early Education ShowEarly education in the USA / Extending funded preschool to 3-year-oldsLisa, Leanne and Liam return to your ears once again to discuss:
The state of early childhood politics in the United States as we prepare for either President Clinton (yay!) or President Trump (oh dear God no!!!) next week
The likelihood of Australia extending funded preschool to all 3-year-olds
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2016-11-031h 02The Early Education ShowChildren’s Rights in Australia and early childhood educationLisa, Leanne and Liam are back again to discuss how well Australia is doing in upholding the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and how well we engage with rights in the early childhood sector.
You’ll also hear Leanne interviewing Associate Professor Fran Press and Dr Sandie Wong about OMEP’s declaration on addressing the rights of migrant and refugee children. Thanks Fran and Sandie for joining us!
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2016-10-271h 04The Early Education ShowDoes language matter? / Kate Ellis at the National Press ClubLisa, Leanne and Liam are back again to discuss: How do the words and language we use around early childhood education make a difference?
Then we hear from Liam and some special guests on Kate Ellis’s address to the National Press Club, including interviews with Kate Ellis herself as well as Sam Page from Early Childhood Australia.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2016-10-201h 06The Early Education ShowFamily Day Care “rorting” / Budget Based Funded Services
Lisa, Leanne and Liam are back again to discuss:
The recent flurry of media on systemic “rorting” in the Family Day Care sector; and
The future of Budget Based Funded Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services under planned Government policy.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2016-10-1457 minThe Early Education ShowPush-down curriculum / Professional identityLisa, Leanne and Liam are back again to discuss:
Examples of “push-down” curriculum, where school-readiness programs are becoming more prevalent in the Birth - 5 space. (The article that got us thinking about this is here.)
The thorny issue of professional identity in the sector. What are the challenges and opportunities? (Leanne has insisted that links be provided to Liam’s blog pieces on the topic here and here).
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2016-09-3048 minThe Early Education ShowNSW early education funding / OECD Education at a Glance Report 2016Lisa, Leanne and Liam are back again to discuss:
The recent announcement by the NSW Government regarding funding of early childhood education (an article from the Sydney Morning Herald on this can be found here, the NSW Government press release is here and a previous media article on the Auditor-General Report is here.
The OECD’s recent update of their “Education at a Glance” series. The 2016 Report is here, and there is also a great webinar running through the stats.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2016-09-231h 00The Early Education ShowThe National Evidence Base Draft Report / How do we innovate while being regulated?Lisa, Leanne and Liam are back again to discuss:
The release of the Productivity Commission’s Draft Report into the National Evidence Base (you can get a summary of the key findings and recommendations here); and
Innovation in early childhood - what are the challenges and opportunities? Liam recommends checking out earlyeducationshow.com.
2016-09-1653 minThe Early Education ShowAustralia Vs. The World in ECEC provision / Where to now for educators?Lisa, Leanne and Liam are back again to discuss:
Why Australia’s performance in the provision of early childhood education is so poor when compared to other countries (check out the Growing Strong IV report from the OECD for a very in-depth look at the numbers on this); and
What is the way forward for early childhood educators in Australia facing professional development issues and unclear solutions to poor wages.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2016-09-0949 minThe Early Education ShowThe Early Years Workforce Strategy / Apps and products for sharing documentationLisa, Leanne and Liam are back again - and we've updated our name to better reflect our chats! This week, we discuss:
The end of the Early Years Workforce Strategy, how it has worked (or not worked) and what we’d like to see replace it; and
The rise of apps and software designed for early childhood centres to share “children’s learning” with families.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2016-09-0235 minThe Early Education ShowEarly education in the new parliament / Children in detentionLisa and Liam kick off the podcast with a discussion on the new make-up of the Parliament and the likelihood of policy movement for early learning; and the shameful detention of children on Nauru.
Find the full shownotes at earlyeducationshow.com.
2016-08-2532 min