This week I decided to research Australia’s education to see
what the countries insight is on education and what the “hot topics” are on the
other side of the world. The website that I visited that gave me my information
was http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/. This website is Australia’s equivalent to the United States NAEYC
website.
When researching I found some current topics from their website.
This included: prioritizing childhood care and the education outcomes in early
childhood, early childhood and oral care, the importance of play in early
childhood, and helping a child learn to focus more in a school setting. I found
all of these topics fascinating and comparative to the States. I feel that the
research that Australia and the States come up with surrounding these similar
topics will be valuable for all the children in these countries.
I did find some surprising insights for me while I was researching
around on the website. I think the biggest items that stuck out to me were the
health concerns and ideas that surround the early childhood field. I was
surprised to find out that in Australia most children brush their teeth after
lunch and in school hours they have 15 minutes a day of “grooming” time. This
would include washing their face, brushing teeth, brushing hair, etc. I found this
odd only because I was not exposed to this during my schooling and the students
in my class are still not exposed to it. I could see the benefits of this
activity to help children understand the importance of personal hygiene and
taking responsibility for their body. Another surprising aspect I found was
that students in preschool and Kindergarten will still drink their mother’s
breast milk for their drink during lunch. I just found this odd because I do
not know anyone that provides breast milk for their child over the age of 3.
One last noteworthy information piece that I found on this website
was also Australia’s code of ethics for the early childhood field. It is almost
identical to the United States. Although we are so far away, our countries are
really not that different.
Abigail,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your review of the Australian website. I was also taken when you noted that children have grooming time. I think that is a wonderful idea. Not to take the place of parenting but I can see where that is beneficial to both the parent and the child. Children need to take ownership of their personal hygiene especially if it isn’t being addressed at home. I work in a Title 1 school (that’s 90% free or reduced meals). I sometimes would not like to use instructional time for grooming but I have to do it. It is the mother in me. I am happy that hygiene is addressed in school at an early age. Also, when you spoke of breast milk continuing to be consumed by school aged children, I thought that was quite different. I am not opposed because I realize that American’s view of this practice is not widely accepted. However, from previous studies, I learned that breast milk was the best milk! Interesting review Abigail.
I found it really interesting reading your post this week, Australia it seems is very similar to the United States when it comes to many areas. It's interesting that you mentioned the grooming aspect, I have had children brush their teeth after lunch in some of my preschools, it is a difficult area to deal with because of the sanitary issues and we all know how young children have a tendency to touch ohters belongings. I have never heard of breast milk in a school or for children over 3 either-not too sure about that one-but you never know they made need to extra nurtients that come from it and it may be a medical issue that we don't know about.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Abigail,
ReplyDeleteYou have found some interesting and surprising information on this website. I too was surprised to find out that children in pre-school and kindergarten are still provided with their mother breast milk. I have worked in several countries and never heard of such a thing. I would love to know more about its benefits. The grooming idea is really practical. There are children who hardly brush their hair every other day. But if we make it a routine at school and when they see their peers doing it, they will be encouraged to do it as well and eventually internalize the habit. I should discuss this with my co-teacher. Thanks a lot for your post.
Hi Abigail,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post. I like the idea of grooming time at school. It's always a difficult subject for me to address when I have a student that is coming to school dirty. It can be a very sensitive topic and you can easily offend parents by bringing it up. At the same time, you want what is best for the child. If it was just the general expectation that these things would be done in school everyday, the children would benefit and possibly the parents would learn from it as well.