It’s been another busy month and it’s time to reflect on how the sector is moving and some of the people who drive change.
I was sad to learn of the passing of Dr Priscilla Clarke OAM on 26 August, aged 83. Priscilla dedicated her professional career to early childhood, always demonstrating a strong commitment to social justice and the rights of children and families. Her research and lifelong advocacy for migrant and refugee children and their families, has set foundations for how we work with migrant and bilingual children and families today. Long before it was common practice, she displayed through her work with the Greek community that children didn’t need to leave their culture and first languages at the door to engage in early learning programs.
She played a key role in leading fka Children’s Services through change. fka was founded as the Free Kindergarten Union in 1908 and had established more than 22 kindergartens before Gowrie Victoria came into being. FKU also established the Kindergarten Teachers College and the expertise of the college strongly influenced the establishment of Gowrie Victoria.
It’s important to acknowledge our history and our condolences are offered to her family, friends and colleagues and especially to Melodie Davies and her team, at fka children’s services who support cultural inclusions and social cohesion in early childhood education.
Priscilla’s passing reminds us that we. stand on the shoulders of giants. Her legacy of scholarly and practical work in bi-lingual education has changed practice in early childhood education across the world.
I recently had the pleasure of meeting our Early Childhood Regulator, Wendy Steendam AM APM. I was impressed to hear about her commitment to child safety and quality in early childhood services, and her willingness to work in a strength-based way with the sector and key stakeholders. Her experience and knowledge, including being Victoria Police’s longest-serving Deputy Commissioner, means that together with CEO Helen Quiney, the newly established VECRA has strong leadership guiding its approach.
I’d urge everyone to read VECRA’s Regulatory Position Statement, which outlines VECRA’s approach to overseeing and regulating early learning services, to protect children from harm and ensure that we all deliver quality education and care that supports children to learn, grow and thrive.
This week we also marked Early Childhood Educators’ Day. Each year, this is a day to show appreciation to the people who show up for children every day, putting children and families first, at a time when our sector is undergoing a lot of change.
I want to take this moment to acknowledge the wonderful work that our educators do, day in and day out. Through beautiful interactions with children, you maintain safety, respond to individual children’s needs, and build relationships that give children the best possible start in life – one that shapes their learning and development for years to come. That is a lifelong impact, and it deserves to be recognised! Let’s celebrate our early childhood educators!
The Gowrie Victoria RTO is relaunching the CHC50125 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care in October as a blended program, making it more accessible to educators working full time.
Learn More about Gowrie Relaunches Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care as a Blended ProgramGowrie is developing a new leadership program, on behalf of the Victorian Department of Education, which will be delivered for service leaders across Victoria from 2027.
Learn More about Feedback on New Program for Early Childhood Service Leaders
