MercyCare educators and staff were fortunate to experience an enlightening panel discussion at the Wembley campus, hosted by ABC Radio’s Nadia Mitsopoulos.
Joined by child development experts Professor Andrew Whitehouse and Kelly Oldfield alongside MercyCare’s Executive Director Early Learning Rosina Smith, the panel discussed topics such as the science behind a child’s brain development and the importance of early intervention, statistics on children presenting with developmental vulnerabilities, Australia’s early education system, and the current challenges faces by children, families and educators.
Launch Event
More than 50 staff attended the Iaunch at the Sr. Martin Kelly Centre in Wembley. Guests enjoyed an afternoon tea followed by an inspiring discussion about the importance of early intervention and how MercyCare’s educators have the unique opportunity to have a life-changing impact on the children and families in their care.
In a touching moment, Rosina spoke about her own son’s journey to a diagnosis for a developmental vulnerability and how important the family’s community was in managing what that brings.
“Sometimes the people you least expect become the ‘village’ that supports you and your child. This was certainly the case for our family,” said Rosina.
“This strategy is about being that ‘village’ for our early learning families. It’s not about having all the answers or diagnosing children. It’s about giving our educators the tools to provide the right supports and accommodation to children who need them and to feel confident speaking to families about their child’s development.”
Rosina continued, “It’s about empowering families to make informed decisions about their child. And it’s about working in partnership to reach out to those in the local community who can provide clinical support if that’s what’s required.”
Early Intervention Strategy
Early intervention is the key to providing a child with developmental vulnerabilities with the best possible outcomes later in life. It has also been shown that early intervention is most effective when a child takes part in intervention with someone, and in a setting, where they feel most comfortable; making their early learning centre ideal.
With these things in mind, MercyCare Early Learning has developed a ground-breaking strategy to deliver skills and support to children and families in their care.
Known as the Early Intervention Strategy, this innovative approach involves regular training opportunities for educators, selected workshops and webinars specifically for parents and carers, and support for families to find local or fully-funded clinical support when needed.
All of our centres will also benefit from the inclusion of ‘regulation stations’ in rooms. These ‘stations’ will provide space, time and resources to support children who are experiencing escalated emotions and may need extra strategies to teach them how to self-regulate.
What is Developmental Vulnerability?
The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) is a national measure of early childhood development. Data is collected every three years and children are scored on five domains, 1) Physical health and wellbeing, 2) Social competence, 3) Emotional maturity, 4) Language and cognitive skills, and 5) Communication skills and general knowledge.¹
Approximately 22% of children in Australia are considered developmentally vulnerable. While early signs of developmental conditions, such as autism, can be observed within the first year, the majority of children will not have access to evidence-based support within the first few years. This ‘wait and watch’ approach is entrenching disadvantage for developmentally vulnerable children.²
¹ https://childatlas.telethonkids.org.au/cda-indicators/vulnerability-aedc-domains/
² https://www.aracy.org.au/documents/item/808
Early Learning
Immersive Experience Strengthens Aboriginal Perspectives in Early Learning
Eco Warriors, RAP Champions and Education Leaders were privileged to experience an on country immersion at the Cockburn Wetlands Centre.
Local School’s Recycling Initiative Inspires New Program
Thanks to the CEO Innovation Fund, Piara Waters Early Learning Centre is transforming bottle lids into everyday items.
Pauline’s Smile and Compassion
A Beacon of Positivity at MercyCare’s Ballajura Early Learning Centre
