Research Around the World

The website I chose to explore is Early Childhood Australia. The website is located at http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/. The international article I The Swedish National Curriculum: Play and learning with fundamental values in focus The school system in Sweden is goal-based with a high degree of local government responsibility. The overall national goals are set out by the Swedish Parliament and the Government, in the Education Act (Parliament), and the Curriculum (Government), respectively. The curriculum should be seen as a framework and guidelines that give direction to the work of early childhood settings. Democracy is the foundation for all activities. The aim of this article is to discuss and problematise current Swedish research from the early childhood education field with a focus on play and learning in relation to three fundamental values affirmed in the Swedish National Curriculum. These values are children’s rights, gender equity, and education for sustainable development. One of the insights I learned about is the national council. They establish the strategic direction of Early Childhood Australia. They develop and endorse the position statement which govern Early Childhood Australia's advocacy work and enable members to share and debate information about issues for children. The Early Childhood Australia National Council meets annually. All branches have an equal number of votes and may be represented by up to five delegates, one of whom is a member of the National Board of Directors. I also enjoyed the link to resource themes. The theme I found to be very helpful is School Readiness and Transitions. There are a great selection of links to fact sheets and websites. For caregivers to understand and support parents and children in getting ready to start school. There is also a link to the best-selling Early Childhood Australia parent resource a book Your Child’s First Year at School: A Book for Parents. I think this is a wonderful resource for parents who do not know what to expect from the first years of school. The other noteworthy information I found on this site was about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the original inhabitants of Australia. Early Childhood Australia (ECA) acknowledges recognises their culture as part of the cultural heritage of all Australians. They put out a statement of regret and commitment to these children and families.