South Australia has a proud history in early childhood education and care with the provision of government funded preschool programs for children in the year before they commence formal schooling (3 – 4 year olds), innovation in service provision and a commitment to providing high quality early childhood programs.
Early childhood education and care in South Australia has been significantly shaped by
Professor Carla Rinaldi (Thinker in Residence 2012 – 2013) and it was through her report, Re-imagining Childhood: The inspiration of Reggio Emilia education principles in South Australia that she provided profoundly challenging questions to our state:
- What is our image of a child?
- What is the relationship between childhood and society?
- What is the role of school in society?
- What does it mean to be an educating community?
- Why do we separate education and care?
- Is it possible for early childhood services to be places where the educational quality and the rights of children are given priority rather than the needs of parents to work?
Challenges
These are big questions that challenge our common perceptions of children and invite us to open dialogue about the culture of childhood. The challenges for South Australia include deconstructing and reconstructing perceptions because re-imagining childhood requires a fundamental change in thinking about the child.
In late 2014, the South Australian Department for Education reconvened the original Thinkers in Residence Rinaldi Partnership Group comprising of a representative from:
- Department for Education
- Catholic Education South Australia
- University of South Australia
- Early Childhood Australia (South Australian Branch).
Guided by the report, this small and passionate group, volunteering their time, worked together with Professor Rinaldi to form a project model that could guide the implementation of the recommendations to the state. As a result, The South Australian Collaborative Childhood Project was born.
Role
The South Australian Collaborative Childhood Project’s main role is to provide statewide leadership to strengthen and develop strategic and collaborative partnerships between organisations within South Australia in order to advocate for children’s rights as citizens from birth.
To advocate for children’s rights and citizens from birth, support the objective of The South Australian Collaborative Childhood Project and honour the government’s commitment as a member of The Foundation Reggio Children – Central Loris Malaguzzi, a Partnership Group has been established.
Partnership
The Partnership Group comprises of 5 permanent organisations:
- Department for Education
- Catholic Education South Australia
- University of South Australia
- Early Childhood Australia (South Australian Branch)
- Reggio Emilia Australia Information Exchange (REAIE)
In addition, the Partnership Group welcomes up to 2 tenured positions, currently held by:
- The Association of Independent Schools of South Australia.
Overall, the commitment, engagement and diversity of the Partnership Group will ensure South Australia is well positioned to lead robust dialogue amongst the broader South Australian community about the culture of childhood.
