RRACSSU North are busy wrapping up 2011. With many communities not accessible during the wet season, it is important for our team to implement those final training/support visits to those services.

Who’s who at RRACSSU?

Lisa Albion is the Director of the Indigenous Early Childhood Unit for Batchelor Institute. Lisa joins us from a previous position with Batchelor where she worked in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector of Batchelor within the Early Childhood Unit.

Kate Oudyn joins us as the RRACSSU Coordinator. Kate has a wealth of knowledge working with minorities cultural groups. She has worked with Indigenous learners and has taught Indigenous kids in a QLD Indigenous community. Kate also worked in various advisory roles in Australia as well as overseas where she worked within various private and public school systems.

Professor Alan Pence from the University of Victoria in Canada met with early childhood workers and staff from Waltja, MacDonnell Shire and Batchelor Institute on October 4 & 5, at the Alice Springs Campus of Batchelor Institute. The Yarning Circle focused on early childhood activities and training in remote communities.

Participants: L-R Back Row: Alison Wunungmurra, Lisa Albion, Julie Danzey, Teresa Butler-Bowdon, Kaye Lowe, Christine Armstrong, Alan Pence, Mary Wurramarrba, Rebekah Farmer, Sonya Laughton. L-R Front Row: Lyn Fasoli, Nina Levin, Rene Douglas, Jan Fleming. Alison Breheny (not pictured).

The RRACCSU teams have been working with many partners to talk about the new Learning at Work Book approach to support Indigenous childcare practitioners to gain skills and knowledge in a way that values Indigenous culture and values. Recently colleagues from Batchelor Institute presented at the Australian Council for Adult Literacy conference 2010.

The presentation provided an overview of the Learning at Work Book, an innovative training model designed to address the chronic under supply of early childhood educators in remote Indigenous communities in the NT. Traditional training pathways often don’t appeal or are not accessible to remote Indigenous child care workers. Where they exist, they focus primarily on ‘delivering competencies’ and ‘skills’, often at the expense of the literacy needs of participants and their cultural values and knowledge. The Learning at Work Book is a culturally appropriate, literacy enhanced and context responsive training delivery tool that provides a new approach to strengthening and increasing the early childhood education workforce in remote communities.

The Learning at Work Book (LaWB) is a community and work-based approach to Vocational Education and Training (VET) and is a move away from the competency and workshop based model of training.

The book offers an opportunity for learners to:
develop and apply their skills and knowledge in their daily practice and
become qualified in Certificate I (Work Preparation), II Children’s Services and III in Children’s Services.
remain in their communities and Children’s Services workplaces

The workbook contains culturally relevant examples and allows the learners to work through the Work Book at their own pace. A community mentor and/or Learning Co-ordinator will be selected to support the learner. The LaWB approach is compiled in a way that ensures students gain qualifications as they work through Certificate I, II and III.

Sep 2011 - Central 

May 2011 - Central

March / April 2011 - Central

March 2011 insert

February 2011 - Central

February 2011 insert-stop violence poster

Joint Media Release with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and The Hon Kate Ellis MP

The Council of Australian Governments meeting has agreed on new compulsory national standards for child care and early childhood education services.

This reform will deliver a higher standard of care for children, and clearer and more comprehensive information for parents.

This new National Quality Framework will be phased in from 1 July 2010 and will ensure national consistency in early childhood education and child care services including outside school hours care.

The new framework will include requirements for:

A reminder to all that the National SNAICC Conference will be held in Alice Springs on the 27th – 29th July 2010. Start thinking about allocating funds in your budgets to attend the Conference for the new financial year. Abstract presentations for the conference are now closed and Conference Registrations should be available in Jan / Feb 2010.

National Aboriginal Islander Childrens Day (NAICD) is held on the 4th August every year. The National Aboriginal Islander Children’s Day theme for 2010 is ‘Value My Culture, Value Me’. NAICD activity kits will be available for sale at the conference. If you are a SNAICC member, you will receive a kit in the post.