Beginning Teacher Conferences – Online Delivery
The Beginning Teacher Conferences (BTC) offer a valuable opportunity for networking and professional development for…
Welcome to the final Members eNews for 2024!
The Term 4, 2024 edition of the fka Children’s Services (fkaCS) Members eNewsletter celebrates the end of the year with a focus on multilingualism, cultural inclusion, and reflective festive practice in early childhood education. This issue highlights the launch of the new fkaCS website and a free eLearning series, Engaging with Multilingual Families, developed to support inclusive communication and confident family partnerships during kindergarten enrolment and orientation.
The feature article explores how to create a multilingual ecology in early childhood settings, offering practical insights into valuing linguistic diversity, incorporating family languages, and nurturing children’s identities and wellbeing. Educators are encouraged to recognise multilingualism as an asset, embed languages into daily routines, include bilingual staff and families as partners, and build environments where all children’s linguistic and cultural rights are upheld.
This edition also invites educators to explore Christmas through a culturally responsive lens, reflecting on global traditions and the diverse ways families celebrate around the world. The Multicultural Resource Centre showcases a range of thoughtfully selected books, music, and materials to support services in acknowledging festive traditions authentically and respectfully.
Additional updates include information on 2025 coaching opportunities for early childhood teachers, upcoming Department of Education changes such as new language service providers and the Arrival data reporting system, new centre developments under the Best Start, Best Life reforms, and opportunities to participate in sector surveys, leadership programs, and professional development events.
Together, these resources and updates support educators to embed inclusive, multilingual, and culturally responsive practices that strengthen children’s sense of belonging and enrich early learning communities.
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