Keeping Current in Early Childhood Education

Send us Fan Mail The Documentation Dilemma: Are Learning Stories Still Worth It? In this episode, we’re diving headfirst into a topic that might ruffle a few feathers—documentation in early childhood education. Grab a coffee and brace yourself as we unpack the good, the bad, and the downright chaotic world of learning stories, portfolios, and documentation overload. Once the gold standard, learning stories replaced dry, clinical records with meaningful narratives that celebrated the magic of ...

Send us Fan Mail Science in the early years curriculum is often underrated and overlooked. We may have a nature area, do volcanoes in the sandpit and do the odd science experiment sometimes. But there is so much more that we can do with science if we only knew how. Today I am joined by the vibrant author and science teacher Rachel Rohloff to talk about her books and also how we can create exciting science learning opportunities in the early years environment.

Send us Fan Mail As ECE leaders and managers, conducting a formal investigation is one of those things we all hope we NEVER have to do. Yet, we may sadly find ourselves in this exact situation at some point in our career. And if we do, it is critical that we know what to do. In this episode I am joined by Ainsley Palairet from Fix HR, who talks us through this tricky stuff, and helps ECE managers and leaders to understand their obligations when conducting a formal investigation.

Send us Fan Mail This is one of my favourite interviews ever! In this interview I spoke with the most inspiring, passionate, knowledgeable teacher I have ever met. Adrienne Thomson has been the pedagogical leader at Magic Garden in Auckland for over 18 years. If you want to build your understanding of what underpins the Reggio approach and how this amazing early childhood centre has applied their understanding of this philosophy into their curriculum for nearly twenty years...

Send us Fan Mail Settling new children into ECE can be a hairy time for everyone. Some children will slip into being at your place easy peasy, and will barely wave goodbye to their parents. And some children will really struggle. But how we settle new children is incredibly critical to their wellbeing, and we HAVE to get this right! In this episode I give you ten strategies for settling new children that I know works, as I have used them myself.

Send us Fan Mail Resettling a child back into your early childhood service after an absence can be a challenging, emotional time for everyone involved. Especially if the child is struggling with this. As early childhood teachers we all want the best for the children in our care, but sometimes we just need some support ourselves to achieve this. In this lunch bite episode I answer a letter from a teacher who is seeking strategies as a primary caregiver for how to support a child who is ...

Send us Fan Mail Do you ever feel frustrated that your ECE teachers are just not meeting your expectations? Do you have teachers in your team whose performance could be so much better? If you are in a position of leadership in ECE, one of your primary objectives must be to lead the learning of your teachers. Because your teachers are the ones who spend the most time with children. What they say, what they do, how they go about their teaching and interacting with children and families every d...

Send us Fan Mail If you have a passion for helping to save our planet, or want to know about introducing washable nappies into your ECE service then you MUST listen to this podcast! Introducing Kate Meads - New Zealand’s very own waste free warrior. Kate is so easy to listen to, and she leaves a fire in your belly to go out and make changes today!! In this podcast we cover; Biodegradeable and compostable nappies and other products - are they any good? What is happening with recycli...