Last week, representatives from Catholic Schools Maitland-Newcastle attended the Early Years Symposium in Sydney. Marita Winters, Deputy CEO Catholic Schools NSW, set the tone of the symposium with her welcome address, stating, ‘to believe in the power of the early learner is to believe in the power of every human being’.

Keynote speaker Anne Hollands, National Children’s Commissioner, spoke on how quality early years education and early intervention are critical to positive outcomes for children and young people. Commissioner Hollands' work involves advocating for the rights and well-being of children and young people in legislation and policy, ensuring they are informed by evidence and the lived experiences of children. It is guided by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, including the statement that children have the right to have a say in matters that relate to them. This is a great reminder of the importance of consideration of child-voice in our early-years classrooms!

Award-winning educator and Dean of ACU’s La Salle Academy, Professor Br David Hall, gave theological reflections on Catholic education and the importance of nourishing not just the head, heart and hands but the soul of the children and young people in our care. He drew on the poem by ‘On Children’, by Kahil Gibran (1883-1931) to convey his message that as educators, we must not seek to shape them in our own image, or the image of the ‘model student’, but guide them to find their own purpose:

‘You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth’.

Mary Taiwo, NSW AEDC State Coordinator from the NSW Department of Education, presented the results and trends of the 2024 data collection.  With 1 in 2 children ‘not on track’ across domains, there is a lot of work to do to improve outcomes for children entering formal schooling. More children are developmentally vulnerable in language and cognitive skills, reinforcing the importance of including activities in our programs that promote oral language development.

Amie Fabry, Director of Early Childhood and Professional Learning at The Learning Future, discussed leadership in the Early Years space and advocated for play in schools up to age 8. This was particularly affirming for our Diocese, with our recent professional learning in play pedagogy for Stage 1, support for curriculum reform in HSIE and PDHPE and system priority to embed play pedagogy K-2. Amie spoke of the impact of technology on family interactions and, consequently, oral language development. Researchers found that for every minute of screen time, children engaged in fewer back-and-forth conversations with their parents. This reciprocal communication (serve and return) is crucial for oral language development. Teachers may find the abc news story or this article on this study useful when engaging in conversations with parents around screen time.

It was great to see colleagues from St Patrick’s, Lochinvar, and St Nicholas Early Education at the Early Years Symposium this year. Attending the Early Years Symposium was a deeply enriching and affirming experience that we would recommend for any educator or leader in the Early Years to consider for 2026!

If you have any questions, please email our Education Officers – Early Learning

Bridie Stanger on bridie.stanger@mn.catholic.edu.au

Rachelle Mitchell on rachelle.mitchell@mn.catholic.edu.au