Learning the skills to build relationships is an important part of child development. Good relati... more Learning the skills to build relationships is an important part of child development. Good relationship skills in childhood lay the foundation for healthy adult relationships. Young children's relationships are characterized by a high degree of conflict, as children learn the cognitive skills of taking another's perspective, thinking in terms of multiple attributes and anticipating the consequences of their actions. Children who learn to resolve conflicts successfully become more popular and interact with other children more frequently and for longer periods of time as they grow older, thus practicing interpersonal skills more frequently and consolidating their advantage. This project looks at the conflicts in which young children engage in group care settings. The aim is to understand the children's meanings of conflict by observing their behavior in context. Understanding the meanings of conflict for children can inform caregivers' strategies for guiding their beha...
Children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are particularly vulnerable to st... more Children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are particularly vulnerable to stress when beginning child care. High stress levels not only impact on children's transition into child care, but can have undesirable long-term consequences if not handled appropriately. In Australia, there is provision for specialist personnel (called bicultural support workers in this study) to facilitate the transition into care of children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. This paper reports data from interviews with parents from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds whose children attended child care, caregivers in centres who worked with children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and bicultural support workers. Recommendations are made for quality practice during the transition phase into child care services for children and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
... children. One caregiver explained how she would cuddle a child, perhaps tell a story,rhen gra... more ... children. One caregiver explained how she would cuddle a child, perhaps tell a story,rhen gradually involve other children. ... aioiic. However, there were occasions when rhey were concerned about children who were constantly hiding. ...
For young children, the transition from the home environment to the care environment (child care ... more For young children, the transition from the home environment to the care environment (child care centre, kindergarten, school) is a crucial component of their relationship building with caregivers. Young children who develop secure relationships with caregivers will feel more confident in the care environment, and will be more able to learn from that environment. Transitions set the scene for relationship building with caregivers. Well-managed transitions facilitate children's trust in caregivers and make the development of secure attachments more likely. Focusing on creating positive transitions is a crucial component of quality early childhood practice. This paper discusses ways in which caregivers can plan for positive transitions.
Current debates in early childhood are underpinned by fundamental issues regarding the roles and ... more Current debates in early childhood are underpinned by fundamental issues regarding the roles and functions of services for children. Some writers have identified care and education of children as the main functions of children's services. This paper discusses a multifunctional approach and suggests that services for children in the 21st century need to develop a new discourse that celebrates the multifunctional nature of children's services.
ACCOMMODATING THE DIVERSE CHILDCARE needs of Australia's Indigenous communities, both within ... more ACCOMMODATING THE DIVERSE CHILDCARE needs of Australia's Indigenous communities, both within mainstream and Indigenous-operated services, is a major concern for all Indigenous families and communities. Of particular concern in relation to formal child care is the need for programs to be culturally strong. Culturally strong programs incorporate the culturally based beliefs, values and practices, including child-rearing practices, of individuals, families and communities using that service. This paper, drawing upon a broad-based consultation funded by the Australian Government and conducted throughout 2005–06, addresses the key elements of what constitutes culturally strong childcare programs for Indigenous children, families and communities. In recognition of the heterogeneous nature of Indigenous Australians, the research methods included focus groups, community consultations, and interviews with key stakeholders in the childcare sector nationally in order to identify their posi...
THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT has recently committed to the development of an integrated system of as... more THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT has recently committed to the development of an integrated system of assuring national quality standards for Australian childcare and preschool services (Australian Government, 2008). This article addresses two fundamental issues relating to the development of an integrated system as it applies to Indigenous children's services. Specifically, these issues relate to a conceptualisation of quality child care from an Indigenous perspective, and to the participation of Indigenous services in an integrated quality assurance system. Who defines quality, what quality looks, sounds and feels like, and how to measure quality were questions examined in this study. Research methods included focus groups, community consultations, and interviews with key stakeholders in the childcare sector in order to identify the key issues regarding childcare quality assurance for Indigenous families and service providers. The research findings highlighted some serious incongruit...
In any situation where children are involved in group programmes, the group 'culture', ... more In any situation where children are involved in group programmes, the group 'culture', and the overall quality of the service delivered, will be a result of the interaction of many factors. One of these is the way in which adults interact with children. Adult interactions arise out of ...
Learning the skills to build relationships is an important part of child development. Good relati... more Learning the skills to build relationships is an important part of child development. Good relationship skills in childhood lay the foundation for healthy adult relationships. Young children's relationships are characterized by a high degree of conflict, as children learn the cognitive skills of taking another's perspective, thinking in terms of multiple attributes and anticipating the consequences of their actions. Children who learn to resolve conflicts successfully become more popular and interact with other children more frequently and for longer periods of time as they grow older, thus practicing interpersonal skills more frequently and consolidating their advantage. This project looks at the conflicts in which young children engage in group care settings. The aim is to understand the children's meanings of conflict by observing their behavior in context. Understanding the meanings of conflict for children can inform caregivers' strategies for guiding their beha...
Children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are particularly vulnerable to st... more Children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are particularly vulnerable to stress when beginning child care. High stress levels not only impact on children's transition into child care, but can have undesirable long-term consequences if not handled appropriately. In Australia, there is provision for specialist personnel (called bicultural support workers in this study) to facilitate the transition into care of children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. This paper reports data from interviews with parents from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds whose children attended child care, caregivers in centres who worked with children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and bicultural support workers. Recommendations are made for quality practice during the transition phase into child care services for children and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
... children. One caregiver explained how she would cuddle a child, perhaps tell a story,rhen gra... more ... children. One caregiver explained how she would cuddle a child, perhaps tell a story,rhen gradually involve other children. ... aioiic. However, there were occasions when rhey were concerned about children who were constantly hiding. ...
For young children, the transition from the home environment to the care environment (child care ... more For young children, the transition from the home environment to the care environment (child care centre, kindergarten, school) is a crucial component of their relationship building with caregivers. Young children who develop secure relationships with caregivers will feel more confident in the care environment, and will be more able to learn from that environment. Transitions set the scene for relationship building with caregivers. Well-managed transitions facilitate children's trust in caregivers and make the development of secure attachments more likely. Focusing on creating positive transitions is a crucial component of quality early childhood practice. This paper discusses ways in which caregivers can plan for positive transitions.
Current debates in early childhood are underpinned by fundamental issues regarding the roles and ... more Current debates in early childhood are underpinned by fundamental issues regarding the roles and functions of services for children. Some writers have identified care and education of children as the main functions of children's services. This paper discusses a multifunctional approach and suggests that services for children in the 21st century need to develop a new discourse that celebrates the multifunctional nature of children's services.
ACCOMMODATING THE DIVERSE CHILDCARE needs of Australia's Indigenous communities, both within ... more ACCOMMODATING THE DIVERSE CHILDCARE needs of Australia's Indigenous communities, both within mainstream and Indigenous-operated services, is a major concern for all Indigenous families and communities. Of particular concern in relation to formal child care is the need for programs to be culturally strong. Culturally strong programs incorporate the culturally based beliefs, values and practices, including child-rearing practices, of individuals, families and communities using that service. This paper, drawing upon a broad-based consultation funded by the Australian Government and conducted throughout 2005–06, addresses the key elements of what constitutes culturally strong childcare programs for Indigenous children, families and communities. In recognition of the heterogeneous nature of Indigenous Australians, the research methods included focus groups, community consultations, and interviews with key stakeholders in the childcare sector nationally in order to identify their posi...
THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT has recently committed to the development of an integrated system of as... more THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT has recently committed to the development of an integrated system of assuring national quality standards for Australian childcare and preschool services (Australian Government, 2008). This article addresses two fundamental issues relating to the development of an integrated system as it applies to Indigenous children's services. Specifically, these issues relate to a conceptualisation of quality child care from an Indigenous perspective, and to the participation of Indigenous services in an integrated quality assurance system. Who defines quality, what quality looks, sounds and feels like, and how to measure quality were questions examined in this study. Research methods included focus groups, community consultations, and interviews with key stakeholders in the childcare sector in order to identify the key issues regarding childcare quality assurance for Indigenous families and service providers. The research findings highlighted some serious incongruit...
In any situation where children are involved in group programmes, the group 'culture', ... more In any situation where children are involved in group programmes, the group 'culture', and the overall quality of the service delivered, will be a result of the interaction of many factors. One of these is the way in which adults interact with children. Adult interactions arise out of ...
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Papers by Teresa Hutchins