Keeping Current in Early Childhood Education: Recent Episodes

Angela Bush

ECE Learning is all about quality learning and teaching for early childhood professionals. We bring you experts and information to help you stay current in your practice as an early childhood teacher or leader.

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Join us for an inspiring conversation with Dr. Kath Cooper as we explore the essence of intentional leadership in early childhood education. Dr. Cooper shares her journey as a leader, her passion for supporting Rainbow Families, and her expertise as a Gallup Strengths Coach. This episode dives into the power of understanding individual strengths, fostering inclusive environments, and leading with purpose and authenticity. Whether you're an ECE leader, educator, or advocate for diversity, this conversation is full of practical insights and heartfelt wisdom.

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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 children’s learning. But in 2024, are they still serving their purpose, or have they become a treadmill of deadlines, quotas, and copy-pasted outcomes? Join us as we question the status quo, share honest reflections, and explore what meaningful documentation really looks like today.

One of the most common questions we are asked at ECE Learning Unlimited is "How can I engage my team in professional learning to improve practice?" In this short lunch bite episode, we bring you five strategies you can implement to increase the engagement of your educators in professional learning that leads to improved outcomes in teaching and learning.

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.

We also have a webinar with Rachel "Let's get sorted for science" which you can access at https://enspirement-learning.co/course/lets-get-sorted-for-science

You can find Rachel's book "The Living World" a brilliant source of science ideas for early years educators at New Shoots Publishing https://www.newshootspublishing.co.nz/store/the-living-world

Most early years educators will work with children on the autism spectrum at some stage of our careers. Having an understanding of what life is like for the whole family and how we can work effectively with children and families is an important part of our role. In this episode, I speak with Jo Blair - artist, teacher, centre owner and mum to three boys one of whom has autism.
Jo gives some incredibly valuable insight into her family's experience of living with an autistic child and their experiences in the early years' sector. She also shares some useful suggestions for how we can effectively support families and engage with autistic children.

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.

One of the most frequently lamented issues I hear from early childhood leaders and managers is how to get their team on the same page and performing like superstar teachers.
In this episode I share 10 pieces of an important puzzle that you can put together to ensure your teachers are not only meeting your expectations, but also thriving.

This podcast is one of our "lunch bites" where we bring you new ECE learning, support and guidance in less than 30 minutes.

This episode is also available as a reading that you can share with colleagues at https://www.ecelearningunlimited.com/blog/creating-thriving-highly-motivated-teams

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 then take a listen to this.

After more than thirty years in early childhood education, I speak from experience when I say that I have seen over and over again how much better it is for children and their parents when early childhood services put into place a well planned and well considered induction process for new families.

In this episode I remind early childhood professionals just why induction is so important, and I give you a ten step process for creating a positive and successful induction process for new families.

Read and download the blog at https://www.ecelearningunlimited.com/blog/induction-for-new-children

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.

Sadly bullying is more prevalent than ever in the early childhood education work place. In this episode I am joined by Ainsley Palairet from Fix HR who breaks down what bullying is, and how leaders and managers can manage this in their ECE service.

www.ecelearningunlimited.com
www.fixhr.co.nz
email: ainsley@fixhr.co.nz

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 struggling to resettle after a long absence.

I share my response, offering 11 suggestions for how this teacher can respond respectfully, and support this child and her family to resettle and find her equilibrium again.

This podcast is one of our lunch bites, where we bring you new ECE learning, support and guidance in less than 15 minutes. (Although this session is a little sneaky 25 minutes).

You can read the blogpost at www

If you are working in an early childhood environment, you will no doubt have heard the term "dispositions" used when talking about children's learning. When teachers assess children's learning, they will look for their dispositions.
**But what exactly are dispositions?

And why are they so important in ECE?**

In this lunch bite podcast of only 10 minutes I unpack what dispositions are and explain why they are so important for early childhood teachers to recognise and respond to.

This session is perfect for anyone who is new to early childhood education, or anyone who needs a bit of a refresher on this topic.

This podcast is also available as a blog post at https://www.ecelearningunlimited.com/blog/dispositions

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 day is the core work. It’s the sole reason you all have jobs!

But what does it mean to lead the learning of teachers?
And how do you do this?

This podcast is one of our new lunch time bites, where you can quickly listen during a break or on a walk to soak up some great advice for you as a teacher or leader in early childhood education.

In this lunch bite episode of only 12 minutes, I give you 10 tips for how to lead the learning of your teachers so that your team is performing at their best and being nothing less than AMAZING teachers!

We all know how frustrating it can be when we really want to make some changes in our ECE environment (whether it be to routines or systems) but our manager just won't listen or let us change anything.

This podcast is one of our new lunch time bites, where you can quickly listen during a break or on a walk to get some great advice for you as a teacher or leader in early childhood education.

In this lunch bite episode of only 11 minutes and thirty seven seconds, I give you six tips for how to get your manager to listen to you.

Today I had a great chat with Anne Belcher from "Branch into Music."
Anne is a passionate music teacher who has created an amazing online programme to support ECE teachers in their own understanding and skills development in making meaningful music in ECE.

If you are an ECE teacher looking for inspiration for your music curriculum, then you will enjoy Anne's passion and enthusiasm.

You can find Anne at https://www.branchintomusic.com.au/

And also her fabulous You Tube videos at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyyzN0chljxOJkv0o-sNFlg

This podcast interview with Bronwyn Cron will get you fired up about developing your sustainability practices in your ECE services. Brownwyn Cron from Real World Learning, environmental scientist, educator, amazingly inspiring speaker, talked to me about her journey into the world of Sustainability education and how we can do soooooooo much more in our ECE services. I really enjoyed listening to Bron and learned a lot, and I am sure you will too.

In this interview Bronwyn talks about;
How we can take a whole service approach to sustainability in ECE. * Engaging our families in this important work. * How we can engage young children in developing new “normals” in terms of sustainable habits. * The important place of ECE services in making an impact in their local community. * The importance of change management and leadership skills in creating team commitment to sustainable practices. * Three top things we can all do today* to increase our sustainable practice in ECE. She makes some really awesome suggestions for taking action and getting some small wins quickly with your team.

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 recycling in New Zealand? Are our recycle-ables actually being recycled?
What can you do as an ECE service to be more sustainable?
How to introduce washable nappies into your ECE service.

Today I am excited to bring to you an interview with an experienced and respected leader in ECE, Aimee Macaskill. Aimee is the manager of the University of Auckland’s early childhood centres, and was one of six selected nationwide to receive an ASG National Excellence in Teaching Award (NEiTA)in 2020. Aimee oversees the day-to-day running of the University’s six childcare centres, including a Kohanga Reo and kohungahunga. An incredibly humble leader, Aimee is also a mother, foster parent, early childhood teacher and mentor to many.

In this interview I ask Aimee to share how she came to be in the position she is today, and how she manages the complexity and responsibility of such a large and important role.

Today I asked Aimee;

What does she love about leading and managing such a large organisation?
What are her biggest challenges?
How did she learn the ropes as a leader?
Who has mentored and inspired Aimee?
What are her limitations and how does she manage these?
How can leaders create a positive culture in their ECE services that supports the growth and job satisfaction for all?

Aimee also shares two top pieces of advice for new or aspiring ECE leaders;

Have an open mind and come with a clean slate to a new leadership role.
Make sure you take care of yourself - self care is huge! Make sure that you work to create a capable and confident team that can function well without you always there.

In this podcast interview with Sharon Smith we discussed;

How Sharon came to be a RIE Associate - her personal journey.
What is the RIE philosophy all about in a nutshell - an explanation for beginners.
The main RIE principles that all infant and toddler teachers need to know, understand and practice.
Some of the common misconceptions about RIE practice in ECE group care.
What the NZITC has planned for 2021.

In this podcast interview with Katherine Bussey we talk about the importance of care and connection with our infants and toddlers and also;

Her experiences in Budapest learning about the Pikler approach .
Katherine’s explanation of the Pikler approach for beginners.
Relevant findings from Katherine’s doctoral research
The shifts in infant and toddler teacher practice Katherine has seen in New Zealand and Australia over the last 15 years.
Where to next for infant and toddler teachers developing in this specialty.

There is so much we can learn from Katherine’s amazing career in early childhood education and her determination and commitment to building her knowledge and practice with infants and toddlers.

Today I had the immense pleasure of speaking with Nathan Wallis - neuroscience educator. Nathan’s work shares how the brain works, and how neuroscience can better inform our day to day interactions with children and young people. If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to hear Nathan speak, then you must listen to this podcast!

In this interview with Nathan, we talk about the importance of the first 1000 days in a child’s life and the importance of supporting this in early childhood education. I also asked him;

What is a dyad? And what does this mean for infants who are spending long hours in childcare?
What is the impact of stress on infant brains, and how can early childhood teachers minimise this?
How can early childhood teachers best support the development of resilience and emotional intelligence?
How can early childhood teachers support children who have experienced trauma?

We also talk about responsive, respectful care, and the importance of consistent, dyadic relationships in group care.

In this recorded interview with Raewyne Bary (EdD), we talk about;

How the team at Massey University Childcare implemented a primary caregiving system. And how they overcame the barriers to this.
The benefits this team observed of primary caregiving for children.
The main shifts in teacher practice when moving from rostered care to primary caregiving.
BURNING THE ROSTERS. What does this mean? What are the barriers and how can we overcome them?