Personal Reflections

In Australia, the children’s successful transition from birth to productive young adults has never been crucial for the country’s future, however they are our most crucial resource for the future and therefore we can not neglect their early development and care.

The industrial revolution brought economic prosperity enabling greater access to opportunities, but it witnessed increasing levels of crime and social disorder, the decline of families’ affinity and decreasing levels of trust – leading to an intense fear of “the other” (Vimpani, 2004, p13). Many studies have proved that the majority of juvenile crime is committed by children (termed “early starters’ by Tremblay) with behavioral disorders manifested in early childhood having poor attachment with their parents. Therefore I would like to suggest that more emphasis should be given to promote mental health and parenting skills which are used to encourage parents to be more adaptive and attuned to their children’s changing needs. Also we should support parents through social and community services that respond effectively to the new realities of family life.

Transforming children into productive young adults has now been moved from effective parenting to early years child centers. The early years child centers shall be developed into an effective learning network. Such centers should provide a mechanism about their services to ensure that decisions reflect the aspirations of the parents and families and establish a sustainable link with the community. Colmer in her article has outlined certain key strategies for developing early years centers into a dynamic learning network.

“Indigenous child care – leading the way” of Margaret Sims and co-writers is incredibly relevant here. It is identified that increasing concern about escalating poor outcomes for children are not better. The writers’ recommended changes are based on overseas research about the sorts of programs and initiatives that work in the developed countries. Since childhood services in Australia are fragmented and operate from a range of authorities, So I would recommend studying the article for more in-depth understanding of the topic.

The modern Australian political, economic and social landscape is dominated by discourse of economic rationalism underlines concomitant changes in childcare policies (Sumsion, 2006, p.8). But it needs a high degree of collaboration and coordination to address a range of issues of care and education for children (both indigenous & non-indigenous equally) below school age. It is not just about changing policy and somehow linking it with gross root people, it is also about changing the way policy is made and how it is implemented. Therefore, “we should consider shifting our priorities from advocacy (only) to activism and from policy to politics” by adopting a holistic approach and involving all factors of childhood care and education (Sumsion, 2006, p.3).

Community Reflections

Colmer (2008) states that “In many ways the most critical learning occurs within the focused and motivated team” (P.110). My emphasis is on the creation of a dedicated and motivated team in an early childhood environment.

A team is always made from a set number of participants/workers. If we disturb the structure of a team by adding or subtracting the number of participants then the word ‘team’ loses its actual meaning. In most of the centers we have trained staff and they better know their job but they try to use a shortcut for finishing their task. I would like to share one of my personal experiences when I