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Environments for learning: Intentional spaces

This course looks at the role of the physical environment in children’s learning and the importance of setting up a well-organised indoor space. It will help you create a variety of rich play and learning spaces through effective organisation, showing that you don’t need to be a ‘designer’ to arrange a successful learning environment. The course includes written information and video interviews with educators that will help you assess your current indoor learning spaces.

This course will provide you a better understanding of:

  • the role of the environment in children’s learning
  • how indoor learning environments can guide children’s behaviour and promote constructive learning
  • the arrangement of space and the physical definition of learning spaces
  • character and personality within learning environments―to ensure that the spaces you create remain ‘living’ spaces.

Category: ECA Subscriptions

eSafety Early Years: Creating a safe online environment

This course is specifically for Directors and Managers of early learning services throughout Australia. It is designed to enable a review of a service’s online safety processes and practices. You will learn how to ensure online safety is considered in the same way as other safety practices at your service.

On completing the course, participants will have a collated list of all their answers. This list can be used as a guide to improve online safety practices, and as evidence for the service’s Quality Improvement Plan.

Subscribe to the ECA Learning Hub and get twelve months of high-quality, flexible online learning!

Category: ECA Subscriptions

eSafety Early Years: We MAKE and DO with technology

Fostering creativity is an essential component of early childhood education. This course explores the ways children can create in digital contexts. You will explore practical examples of the types of creative experiences educators set up, for children to learn with and about digital technologies. You will learn how to set up technology with online safety in mind and how to teach simple habits to make digital contexts safe.

Within the structure of eSafety’s key messaging, be safe, be kind, ask for help and make good choices, you will unpack in detail ways to set up digital devices to promote online safety and how to support children when things go wrong and the importance of teaching children to engage in problem-solving and critical reflection when communicating about technology, all with an emphasis on consent and privacy and the importance of teaching children these skills before sharing images and photos online. 

Learning outcomes

This course will enable you to:

  • describe MAKE and DO experiences
  • use the available technology to set up devices for online safety (Be safe)
  • help children learn about privacy rights by teaching them to seek consent before taking and sharing photos (Be kind)
  • teach children what to do when something unexpected happens when they are playing online (Ask for help)
  • support children’s critical-thinking skills by encouraging them to talk about technology they like to play with, and why they like it (Make good choices).

Category: ECA Subscriptions

eSafety Early Years: We SAY and SHARE with technology

Communicating in digital contexts is among the first experiences children have directly using technologies. This course examines the benefits and risks associated with communicating in digital contexts. You will learn how to identify and mitigate the online risks that can happen in these contexts.

Within the structure of eSafety’s key messaging, be safe, be kind, ask for help and make good choices, you will navigate ways to consider children’s privacy in online learning environments, discover practical strategies to navigate children’s social and emotional growth in online environments and ways to empower children and their families when connecting with others online. You will also unpack information and strategies that can be shared with families to support children’s technology use, and their self-regulation skills when engaging with and navigating online digital environments.

Learning outcomes

This course will enable you to:

  • describe SAY and SHARE experiences
  • consider young children’s right to privacy in an online world (Be safe)
  • support children’s social and emotional growth in an online world (Be kind)
  • teach children how to make sure they only connect online with friends or family (Ask for help)
  • communicate with families about ways of supporting children’s self-regulation skills when they are engaged with technology (Make good choices).


Category: ECA Subscriptions

eSafety Early Years: We WATCH and EXPLORE with technology

This course focuses on how children engage with content in digital contexts. This is the most common way young children engage online, especially at home. You will learn how to choose content that encourages active participation and group interaction and will be provided with practical examples of how to share this important information with your families.

Within the structure of eSafety’s key messaging, be safe, be kind, ask for help and make good choices, you will delve deeper into online safety and how to set up digital devices within your service for optimum safe use, what strategies to use when children discover inappropriate content and how to engage in reflective conversations, and how to foster children’s social skills when engaging in digital learning environments. 

Learning outcomes

This course will enable you to:

  • describe WATCH and EXPLORE experiences
  • set up children’s devices for online safety and safe searching (Be safe)
  • support children’s wellbeing and social skills in digital technology experiences (Be kind)
  • teach children what to do when they encounter inappropriate content (Ask for help)
  • support children’s self-regulation skills when they are engaged with technology (Make good choices).


Category: ECA Subscriptions

Every child has a right to be included

This course is aimed to assist educators in developing their understanding of what it means to support Aboriginal children to feel a genuine sense of belonging within their early learning community. This course is specifically designed to offer early childhood professionals the skills to work with Aboriginal children and their families looking through a cultural lens.

In this course, you will:

  • understand the importance of family structure and kinship systems within Aboriginal culture
  • learn practical strategies for building trusting relationships with Aboriginal children and families
  • learn practical strategies to allow Aboriginal children and families to feel a sense of belonging.
Category: ECA Subscriptions

Fostering trusting relationships to support children with anxiety

In the early years of life, many children experience anxiety. There are different reasons as to why this may occur. This course aims to offer early childhood educators an opportunity to examine some of the ways children experience anxiety within an early childhood education and care context. It will explore how educators can use their professional knowledge to implement strategies, including:

  • advocating for the equal rights of all children
  • adopting an inclusive framework
  • developing skills to embed inclusive practice
  • collaboration
  • cultivating an environment that fosters peer-to-peer relationships
  • building strong partnerships with families
  • working closely with inclusion professionals
  • establishing environments to ensure every child can access and participate in programs that foster learning and development.

This course offers educators the opportunityto develop a better understanding of some of the reasons why anxiety occurs in children and places educators in a position to respond with empathy, develop warm and trusting relationships and offer children the support they need to build their own relationships.

This course is suitable for all educators working towards a formal qualification and seeking to learn more about the impact anxiety can have on young children. It aims to offer practical strategies to educators who want to support children who may be experiencing anxiety.

Category: ECA Subscriptions

Fundamental Movement Skills—Beyond the basics

This course provides the foundation to understand what fundamental movement skills are and the important role they play in supporting children’s holistic development. The course explores ways that educators can engage children in developing their fundamental movement skills as part of each day within the curriculum.

Learning outcomes:

  • explain the fundamental movement skills for each age group (birth to five years)
  • explore the importance of fundamental movement skills and how they have a holistic impact on children’s development
  • discover ways to include fundamental movement skills regularly into the curriculum
  • understand the role of the educator in supporting fundamental movement skills.

Recommended for:

This course is suitable for early childhood education and care professionals at all stages of their careers.


Category: ECA Subscriptions

Inappropriate Discipline

This course supports anyone working in education and care settings to understand the difference between inappropriate discipline and positive behaviour guidance. Aligned with the National Quality Framework, it covers legal responsibilities, child-safe practices and effective strategies that respect each child’s dignity and support their social and emotional development. This course includes an assessment, and it is recommended that educators complete the course annually.

Category: ECA Subscriptions

Including spiritual learning in early childhood education and care

Category: Research in Practice Series

Inclusive pedagogy from a child’s perspective

Category: Research in Practice Series

Incorporating meaningful movement in every day

This course explores why movement is so important in everyday life from birth and throughout childhood. Movement provides many benefits for children’s health, wellbeing and development. The course will focus on specific benefits and how educators can make movement fun. Practical examples and strategies will be provided to develop educators’ understanding of how meaningful movement can be incorporated into the learning environment for all children.


Learning outcomes:

  • discover meaningful movement for each age group (birth to five years)
  • explore ways to be inclusive and offer opportunities for all children to engage in meaningful movement learning experiences.
  • identify strategies that can be used and implemented to embed meaningful movement as part of every day.
  • consider the benefit of repetition and movement for children’s development.


Recommended for: 
This course is suitable for early childhood education and care professionals at all stages of their careers.

Category: ECA Subscriptions

Indoor environments: Spaces for children

This course looks at the role of the physical environment in children’s learning and the importance of setting up a well-organised indoor space. It will help you create a variety of rich play and learning spaces through effective organisation, showing that you don’t need to be a ‘designer’ to arrange a successful learning environment. The course includes written information and video interviews with educators that will help you assess your current indoor learning spaces.

This course will provide you a better understanding of:

  • the role of the environment in children’s learning
  • how indoor learning environments can guide children’s behaviour and promote constructive learning
  • apply critical elements within environments that support play-based learning
  • find out how the environment can foster a sense of belonging and contribute to children feeling safe.
Category: ECA Subscriptions

Induction essentials: A beginners guide to education and care

Early Childhood Australia has curated a collection of fundamental resources for educators who are new to the sector and are undertaking or yet to commence a formalised education and care qualification. This collection is intended as a starting point for induction for the core fundamentals before an educator starts in an education and care service.

In this course, you will:

  • be introduced to the governance structure and associated documents for education and care professional under the National Quality Framework work within
  • develop knowledge of what it means to be an early childhood professional in an Australian context
  • explore concepts such as children’s rights and play-based learning and consider how these relate to your practice in an early childhood setting
  • recognise the importance of health and safety, and relationships and interactions within the context of your work with children.
Category: ECA Subscriptions

Initiating a Reconciliation Action Plan: Where do I start?

This course will introduce early childhood professionals to the concept and context of reconciliation in early childhood education within Australia, and where to start when initiating a Reconciliation Action Plan. This course can also support practitioners in leadership roles to understand the Reconciliation Action Plan process and best support their team in initiating developing and implementing a Reconciliation Action Plan.

Participants will become familiar with Reconciliation Australia’s Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Education program and online platform, which has tools and resources to support schools and early learning services to meaningfully contribute to the reconciliation movement. 

 This course will describe how early learning services can initiate developing a Reconciliation Action Plan on the Narragunnawali platform. Early childhood professionals will be guided to access professional learning and curriculum resources to support their pedagogical practice. Whilst initiating the Reconciliation Action Plan process, practitioners will be encouraged to engage with, and consider deliverables, actions and relevant supporting resources.

After completing this course, you will be able to apply the following learning outcomes.

  • Understand the concept and context of reconciliation early childhood within Australia, and the importance of reconciliation in education by developing a Reconciliation Action Plan.
  • Explore the relevance and application of reconciliation and having a Reconciliation Action Plan within early childhood education and care settings, as reflected in national standards and curriculum frameworks.
  • Discover how to use the Narragunnawali platform to develop and implement a Reconciliation Action Plan, and to access aligned professional learning and curriculum resources to support both pedagogical practice and children’s learning towards your reconciliation journey.

Category: ECA Subscriptions

Introducing inclusion: Looking at diversity and adversity through an inclusive framework

Every child has the right to both feel included and be included. Educators play a vital role in ensuring that every child is aware of this right.

In this module, you will learn how an inclusive framework can support you, as an early childhood professional, in creating a culture of responsive and respectful relationships with children, their families, those you work with as well as the community you are a part of. You will also understand how to apply inclusive practice through critical reflection and how creating a culturally safe space can help children form positive attachments and develop a strong sense of belonging and identity.

By understanding the essential role inclusion plays in supporting those who have been impacted by adversity, you will be able to identify and address barriers caused by exclusion. Specifically, you will be able to:

  • recognise exclusion
  • understand why inclusion is important to removing exclusion as a barrier
  • identify who is more likely to experience exclusion in Australia
  • understand how exclusion normalises adversity and the cycle of disadvantage
  • examine how inclusive practice can help you recognise and celebrate diversity.

This module will also delve into how early brain development, experiences and relationships can have a lifelong impact on children’s sense of belonging and connection to their community. It will explore the impact of trauma and explain how educators can support children facing both exclusion and adversity. The focus of this module is on building respectful, ethical and supportive partnerships with children, families and communities using a rights-based approach.

Category: ECA Subscriptions

Introduction to the National Quality Framework for early childhood education and care

The National Quality Framework was introduced in 2012 and was the result of an agreement between all Australian governments to work together to provide better educational and developmental outcomes for children. The NQF sets a benchmark for the quality of education and care services.

This module includes video interviews, self-reflection questions and activities designed to support a comprehensive knowledge of the National Quality Framework in practice.

The National Quality Framework is a complex document. It will take more than one professional learning session to fully understand. It is helpful to think of this module as introduction and starting point. This module is suitable for educators and professionals (at all stages of their careers) working in early childhood settings. The module includes written information and video interviews with educators and covers the following:

  • the guiding principles of the National Quality Framework
  • the Education and Care Services National Law
  • the Education and Care Services National Regulations
  • the National Quality Standard
  • approved learning framework/s for early childhood
  • the Assessment and Rating Process.
Category: ECA Subscriptions

Leadership-as-practice in early childhood education and care settings

Category: Research in Practice Series

Learning positive behaviour through educator–child relationships

Category: Research in Practice Series

Learning with nature - Benefit Risk Assessment

This benefit risk assessment module will help early childhood professionals working within Early Years Childcare and Education who are interested in incorporating nature within their setting while considering potential risks of incorporating nature-based programs for young children and explain how all risk assessments can be effectively documented. It will further explore ways of supporting children in making their own risk-assessments.

This course will:

  • inspire your team or colleagues to explore risk with children and support children in undertaking their own benefit–risk assessment
  • support effective practice by ensuring that appropriate documentation is in place
  • stimulate professional debate through awareness of the possibilities and challenges of hazards and risks in early childhood practice.
Category: Mindstretchers Academy and Dr Claire Warden
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