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This paper presents the findings of a study conducted with preschool teachers trialling an intervention in which executive function activities are embedded in teachers' daily practices and imaginary play is used to build meaningful problem situations that children solve using executive functions. The participants were 227 preschool children (53% male, M age = 55.5 months, SD = 4.2) in 10 preschool groups from Brisbane, Australia. The intervention consisted of educators and children creating and developing an imaginary situation (playworld) over an extended period (e.g. one school term). Executive function was assessed pre- and post-intervention. A repeated measures ANOVA demonstrated significant differences between Time 1 and Time 2 on all executive function measures. The study found that teachers can develop children's executive functions when executive function activities are embedded in teachers' daily practices, and when imaginary play is used to build meaningful problem situations that children solve using executive functions.

Many countries around the world have in place national early childhood curriculum documents for supporting educators, including Australia. It is timely for the field of early childhood education to consider the contemporary experiences of children from the twenty-first century in relation to how early childhood curriculum is framed. For instance, a technology-constructed childhood through everyday life-support technologies (in real use or through play) or a technologically driven play world that is more imagined than real (e.g. monster trucks, Xbox games) has implications for how curriculum development may be conceptualised. This paper draws on cultural-historical theory, in particular the work of Elkonin (2005), to examine how children's everyday lives are shaped over time by the economic imperatives and social conditions which produce technologies to support families and communities. Through a discussion of an empirical study of children's everyday lives, this paper presents a model to explain the technological diversity found across families and through this examines how curriculum may need to be re-conceptualised to take account of an emerging technologically constructed childhood. (Contains 1 figure.)

Several psychological instruments have been developed and used over the years to measure various domains of child development. The Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) is a current assessment tool being used as a community measure of young children's development. It measures the following domains: Physical health and wellbeing; Social competence; Emotional maturity; Language and cognitive skills; Communication skills and general knowledge. This article examines the tacit nuanced construction of the child within the AEDI, and critiques this within a cultural-historical theoretical perspective of child development. The paper argues that the AEDI image of the child has its roots in Piagetian and Gesellian stage theories of universality. This position is juxtaposed with more encompassing views held in the Vygotskian tradition. The paper advances arguments for an alternative consideration of child development that does not prescribe vulnerability to certain groups of children.

This paper provides an overview of one aspect of a research project to investigate the contribution of the television program "Play School" to the health and wellbeing of young Australian children. The research question for this aspect of the study was: How do young children respond to the various elements and segments of "Play School" when viewed within a small group in a suburban preschool context? Children attending two Sydney preschools were observed by co-researchers while they watched an episode of "Play School". The observations of the children's responses were recorded and analysed, using a range of theoretical perspectives to identify examples of engagement, play and learning in response to different segments of the program. Qualitative data provided by the co-researchers offered further insight into the impact of particular segments on children's movement responses such as whole body movement, feet-tapping and dancing; verbal responses such as questions and comments and singing; and non-verbal responses such as pointing, nodding, shaking head. The results of the study indicate that "Play School" viewing supports child engagement, play and learning through verbal interaction and the active participation of preschool-aged children. These results have implications for producers of television programs for young children as well as for early childhood educators and carers who may be investigating ways to increase child engagement in play. (Contains 3 tables.)

We are currently experiencing an exciting time in early childhood as the Federal Government attempts to develop policies and systems to improve outcomes for our children. Recent advances in research have provided us with much evidence underpinning the new thinking. However, much of this evidence is still subject to interpretation, and it is my contention that common interpretations are significantly limited by our strong national culture of patriarchy. In this paper I identify some of the policy implications of this ontogenic knowledge, and suggest an alternative viewpoint. (Contains 1 footnote.)

The mandated early childhood framework in Australia requires educators working in early childhood services to attend to children's spirituality. Also, one of the five outcomes in this framework tasks educators with promoting children's connectedness with and contribution to the world, including natural environments. In this paper I present findings from a qualitative investigation to determine educators' understandings and practices around promoting young children's spirituality in the context of religious childcare centres in Western Australia aligned with a focus on nature engagement. A social constructivist theoretical perspective with a phenomenological and interpretivist paradigm framed the research. Interview and observational data were collected and analysed through interpretative phenomenological analysis revealing that educators were able to articulate the connection between spirituality and engagement with nature in childhood. However, in practice, educators rarely offered opportunities for children to experience nature. Recommendations include the provision of professional development in the area of children's spirituality and its connection with nature along with the creation of guidelines on pedagogical practices that afford children opportunities to engage with their spirituality through nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THIS PAPER DISCUSSES AN EMPIRICAL research study based on a community consultation process for the development of an integrated children and families centre. Conducted in Western Australia in 2009, the consultation was designed specifically for the Noongar Aboriginal community, drawing on Indigenous research methods and sociocultural theory. The paper discusses the study's findings, considers its Australian policy and international contexts, and explores challenges to providing integrated child and family services for Aboriginal families. It identifies key elements of successful service delivery and highlights the significance of consultation and collaboration in developing culturally appropriate services. The paper concludes that the widely recognised need to 'close the gap' in Indigenous health and education services is not being met with sufficient funding, and notes the ever-widening gap between purported policy imperatives and the process of addressing inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA, EARLY childhood educators have been asking whose agenda does early childhood knowledge serve and for what purpose? This has come to the forefront of debate as play as a pedagogical tool is disappearing from programs for four- and five-year-old children in favour of early academics through a pushdown curriculum. Such a trend was confirmed from research conducted with 200 Western Australian early years educators (mainly teachers) to discuss their most concerning early childhood pedagogical issue. This paper describes the educators' most significant concern, which was the erosion of play-based learning and the tension about the use of play as a legitimate pedagogical tool in early years programs. The analysis revealed competing knowledge about current moves in early childhood education. The knowledge shared by educators has implications for quality learning and teaching in the early years and impacts on children, educators, parents and schools, and in particular, early childhood pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THIS PAPER EXAMINES A recent example of a transition-to-preschool program in regional Australia. The program is significant in linking Aboriginal child health and early childhood learning services. The discussion is drawn from a mixed method evaluation undertaken at the end of the program's first two years of funding. Evaluation findings suggest that many barriers to participation in early childhood learning programs for Aboriginal children can be reduced with responsive support. The study points to the need for funding for innovations to be seen as an essential investment, not an unwanted cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THE ABILITIES AND CAPABILITIES young children bring into school accrue as a result of prior family, community and early children program experience, and they assist or impede transitions and ongoing progress in the first school years. In Australia, family contexts and children's early childhood education and care (ECEC) program pathways are diverse, and processes for addressing learning and development difficulties are at the discretion of the early educators who support children within typical everyday programs. The Australian E4Kids longitudinal study directly assessed the general cognitive ability and receptive and expressive language of a sample of 2498 three- and four-year-old children and tracked their progress into the early years of school. The abilities of these preschool children are reported, along with associations with family background characteristics and the abilities trajectory of different sub-groups. Children who are at risk of poor outcomes as they progress toward school are the focus of this paper. Analyses address the differences between children's abilities at baseline measurement, characteristics of the participants' home environments and the trajectories of these children over three years. The findings provoke early consideration by educators of the context of children entering programs and the provision of more direct educational supports to children who are at risk of poor progress, both at home and in centres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH HAS FOCUSED on the imperatives for social competence in young children. This work has explained the diverse ways this complex construct is defined and the implications for social and academic outcomes for children. As a result of this research, social competence has become an embedded feature of early childhood curriculum frameworks at both an international and national level, the most recent of which is Australia's Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). Underpinning these frameworks are both implicit and explicit expectations that educators have, in fact, the capacity to support children's development and competence in this area. This paper explores the imperatives for the inclusion of social competencies within contemporary curriculum frameworks. It will be argued that an understanding of the influences that shape educator capacity is critical in supporting effective professional practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IN THIS PAPER WE REPORT SOME initial findings from our investigations into the Australian Government's Longitudinal Study of Australian Children dataset. It is revealed that the majority of Australian children are exceeding the government's Screen Time recommendations and that most of their screen time is spent as TV viewing, as opposed to video game play or computer use. In light of this finding, we review the body of research surrounding children's engagement in Screen Time activities and the associated positive and negative effects. Based on existing evidence, we define two categories of Screen Time—Active Screen Time and Passive Screen Time. It is proposed that this distinction provides a more accurate classification of Screen Time and a more informative lens through which to consider the associated benefits and detrimental effects for young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]