Welcome to the first ECA NT Newsletter of 2024! It's been a very busy and dynamic start to the year, with plenty of activities and advocacy keeping us on our toes.

This quarter and last has seen the release of a number of significant reviews and reports into work that is pertinent to us here at ECA.

The Deloitte Access Economics final report on the Review of Inclusion Support Program (ISP) and the initial recommendations coming from the recent Productivity Commission Inquiry (PCI) into ECEC have both made significant reference to the ISP program identifying short-and longer-term opportunities to optimise inclusion of children in universal early childhood education and care.  Some of the longer-term strategic recommendations are in line with the NDIS Independent Review Panel findings on the need to increase foundational supports for children in mainstream service settings. 

ECA has been working closely with these reviews and the government on thinking about what the future of inclusion and early supports looks like. Our advocacy efforts have been robust, with participation in key strategic meetings with our counterparts and advisory groups. 

We have also prepared further submissions to both the ISP and PCI reviews and presented at the PCI public hearings in Canberra last month.

On the ground this month we undertook our ‘first’ live stream Networking Event that was a huge success! Genna Stiles from Carpentaria Therapy Services presented, and we had a full house of over 40 in-person attendees and 40+ live streaming in online. Watch this space for our next event in the coming months!

We have another first. We have been working on the first of four of an ECA Podcast - Series Five, Coming from the Northern Territory Let’s Talk About… due to be launched this week. 

In our community programs we have recently teamed up with Playgroups NT to deliver two terms of g4gd® in the PALS supported playgroups, further enhancing the provision of high-quality community programs for our local families and children.

As we continue our efforts to drive positive change in the early childhood sector, we're grateful for the support and collaboration of our members, partners, and stakeholders. Together, we're making strides towards creating more inclusive and supportive environments for children and families across the Northern Territory.

Janet Williams-Smith, 
General Manager - Inclusion & Early Intervention

"Genna Stiles from Carpentaria Therapy Services shared her expertise on child developmental milestones and age-appropriate expectations during our recent ISP Networking Evening, which saw participants joining both online from across the Territory and in person."

Gong Xi Fa Cai (wishing you prosperity), Xīn Nián Kuài Lè (Happy New Year)!

As we enter the Year of the Wood Dragon, I'm excited to provide an update from our Inclusion Support Program for the Northern Region.  

Our inclusion professionals have been actively engaging with services and communities, both remotely and in urban settings. We’ve visited Katherine, Groote Eylandt, and Gove, working with services and their teams to ensure that all children are included and supported in their environments. We’ve been busy with various activities such as facilitating discussions on inclusion, linking services with the community, and offering coaching sessions on responding to behaviour and promoting children’s play and autonomy through play schemas. We are committed to fostering environments where every child’s play is celebrated and supported.

Our Sensory Tools and Equipment Library (STEL) has been revamped! We've been updating our resources to ensure they're tailored to meet the diverse needs of the children we support. If you haven’t already seen the catalogue, please take the time to explore – there may be tools and equipment that your care environments and children need. Reach out to your inclusion professionals if you have any questions about the STEL. Click here to view the STEL catalogue.

We have also joined forces with Carpentaria Therapy Services to enhance access to allied health consultation and assessment services through the Special Equipment Library (SEL). Stay tuned for the upcoming release of our SEL catalogue – packed with tools to ensure we are creating a world where every child’s journey is supported, celebrated and filled with possibilities.

In staffing updates, we said farewell to Renee as she embarks on new adventures in Adelaide. We wish Renee the very best. On the flip side, we're excited to welcome Kirby McIntosh and Maria Baron to our team. With their expertise in early years education and passion for inclusion, they are well-equipped to support you in your inclusion journey.

Again, Xīn Nián Kuài Lè! May this new lunar year be a happy and prosperous one for you all. 

Filomena Lay, 
NT IA Northern Region Manager

The Inclusion Support Team has been reconnecting with and working alongside our service management teams and educators as they work hard to support all their children and families. This includes practical inclusion support, providing assistance accessing funding, as well as identifying and sharing relevant resources. We recognise that staffing shortages and the subsequent skills shortages impact our services' capacity. Our IPs are constantly looking at ways to best fit our support to your needs. This year our IPs have been sharing some coaching sessions on the importance of Educator Wellbeing.

Inclusion Professionals have been supporting remote service educators as they learn at the workshop week with Batchelor in Alice Springs. We will continue this mentoring support back on community during our remote visits. We will also support the upcoming Tennant Creek workshop week at the beginning of May.

Our Darwin team hosted the first online learning event for the year. The topic covered was Understanding Child Developmental Milestones. As this was offered online, and in the evening, educators from across the NT were able to participate. This was a great opportunity for professional learning, and we look forward to the next offering due in May. We will send information out closer to the date!

Our regional monthly stakeholder meetings started again in March. We look forward to gathering regularly with peers to ensure the opportunity for early childhood leaders and stakeholders to connect with one another to discuss issues relevant to our sector and our region.

Catherine Clucas, 
NT IA Southern Region Program Manager

The NDIS team would like to welcome Caitlin Chapman, Aline Harten, Amy Skipworth, and Viola Siso to the team. Caitlin, Aline, Amy and Viola all bring a wealth of knowledge, commitment and passion to the role and we are grateful to have them as colleagues. 

Our first ENVISAGE program and Circles of Security commenced in term 1.  Both programs focus on building family’s capacity, knowledge, and confidence to support and navigate services and systems for their children. To be able to participate in one of our programs, a family must first be referred to us. 

We are trying something different this year for our Let’s Talk About sessions and pivoting to podcasts instead of face-to-face gatherings. We acknowledge that families time is precious so offering opportunities to learn new skills, strategies or general information at a time that suited them was our focus.  Our first podcast is being delivered by our multi-talented Zoe Nelson who will be discussing strategies to spark your child’s language and communication. The ‘go live’ date for this podcast is mid-March so we encourage all our members to have a listen and share with families that you think could benefit.

The NDIS review is currently sitting with the Government for a response, so we expect to see some changes to how we do business as the year unfolds. If you have any families that are expressing concerns, confusion or just wanting to talk to someone about the NDIS, please encourage them to reach out to us. Change can bring confusion, so we are here to help, support and guide families through this process.

Trish Wachtel
Area Manager Early Childhood Approach

We are back in full swing with our gym 4 growth & development (g4gd®) program. On the 5^th of February we began delivering an 8-week g4gd® program at the Casuarina Library Community Room with Playgroup NT’s Play and Learn Supported (PALS) playgroup. PALS playgroups are an innovative Australian model bringing together all families, whatever their abilities, for shared activities, fun and learning. We are so excited to be partnering with Playgroups NT and will see the roll out of 2x 8 week g4gd® programs.   

Welcome back to another great year filled with fun events! We started this year with a bang by attending the first 2024 Be-Inclusive Community Fun Day at the Palmerston Rec Centre. It was a very busy and exciting event which took place before school kicked off for 2024.

We acknowledged the Anniversary of the National Apology on the 13^th of February by sharing the letter of ex-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s historic apology.

We are looking forward to celebrating Harmony Day on the 21^st of March at the Malak Community Centre with the City of Darwin and other local organisations. It is set to be a day full of wonderful FREE activities for families with great activities including headdress weaving, the World Café taster for morning tea, a jumping castle and other fun activities.

Claire Bredhauer,
Media, Events & Program Coordinator 

• Inclusion Professional Positions (Alice Springs) -  Apply HERE.
• Inclusion Professional Positions (Darwin) - Apply HERE. 

Early Childhood Australia NT acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout the Northern Territory and pay our respect to Elders past and present for their continuing custodianship of the land and the children of this land, across the generations.