Shine On - an Early Childhood Education Podcast

(Originally published Nov 2023) In this episode Crystal and Alex speak to Shine Bright Maiden Gully Early Years Hub manager Belinda Quinn. This conversation covers Belinda's career journey, balancing the demands of leadership, the experience of establishing a brand new early learning centre and all she has learnt along the way. Belinda shares with us the details of an exciting research project she is currently undertaking with La Trobe University, around theory of practice architectures and influences that affect, create and contain everything we do in early childhood education and in leadership. 

(Orginially published Oct 2023) In this episode, Crystal and Sophie are in conversation with Amelia Johnson. Amelia Johnson is a social worker, art therapist and PhD student. She is also a proud mother of 3 adult children, a daughter, sister, niece, aunty, friend and lover of making, creating and enjoying the simple things. She began her career in family support and co-ordinating mentor programs. While her family was young, she focussed on managing family businesses. She has worked in the education sector for 15 years, joining the early years in 2021. Her current PhD topic is exploring how arts-based practices enhance Reflective Practice in the early years. Amelia works for Shine Bright as a social worker/art therapist delivering reflective practice, proactive wellbeing support, trauma informed practice and many other programs to our services across regions. 

(Originally published Oct 2023)Have you ever thought about establishing a bush kinder program? In this episode, Alex and Sophie are in conversation with Nicole Howie. We explore what bush kinder looks like at Shine Bright Huntly Kindergarten, the incredible benefits and learning outcomes for children,  and the challenges that arise from time to time. With some beautiful anecdotes along the way, this episode will make you want to drop everything and go to breathe in that fresh bush air. Nicole Howie is an educator who has been working in early childhood for 9 years and been involved in bush kinder programs at two centres.  Her background is in primary teaching and she has always had a passion for the environment.  She finds joy in connecting children to nature in her work and personal life.

We are so excited to bring you this conversation with Dr Justin Coulson for our season finale! Dr Justin Coulson has a phD in Psychology, and is one of Australia’s most trusted parenting experts. Justin is the co-host and parenting expert on Channel Nine’s Parental Guidance, and the founder of happyfamilies.com.au.  He is the author of multiple books about raising children and is a trusted voice in the wellbeing and relationships space. So much of the work Justin does with families and children is applicable to early childhood education, you'll need a pen and paper for this one - so many strategies to take away!

The hosts explore the profound impact of the pandemic on children's development. They discuss insights from classroom stories, highlighting emotional regulation issues and developmental delays. Notably, they celebrate the resilience shown through community support and play. The increase in screen time and its effects on social skills are examined, alongside calls for trauma-informed practices in education. They also stress the importance of emotional readiness over academic skills for school transitions and encourage strong parent-teacher collaboration.

Alex and Sophie are in conversation with Adrian Pattra-McLean in this episode, discussing how we can utilise skills we already have as educators to enhance teamwork, relationships, communication and accountability. With over 15-years of experience, Adrian is a well-respected professional consultant and educator with a Master of Education (Ed. Psychology) and a Bachelor of Education (Human Resources).Adrian has held various senior management roles in the Early Childhood Education sector including Group General Manager and Education Director. He believes that developing and supporting high quality, passionate Educators is the key to quality outcomes for children.Adrian is committed to supporting the development of high-quality early learning services and his service to the community has been recognized with an Order of Australia Commendation. He is the Educational Director of Farran Street Education and together with his family Adrian owns and operates a long day care centre in Sydney’s lower north shore.Adrian facilitates learning focused on Leadership, Management and HR within the Early Education and Care sector. Currently Adrian is in partnership with Go1 to provide leadership and management content for their online learning platform.https://farranstreeteducation.com.au/

In this episode, we chat with Adele Brown, an inspiring early childhood educator who has upskilled from her Diploma of Early Childhood Education to her Bachelor of Early Childhood Education. Adele shares what motivated her to return to study, the challenges she’s faced while balancing work, life, and learning, and the incredible support that’s helped her along the way. As she prepares to complete her degree this year, Adele reflects on how the journey has shaped her practice and what she hopes to achieve next in her career.🎧 Tune in for a warm and vulnerable conversation about growth, perseverance, and the power of lifelong learning in early childhood education.

Crystal is back in the recording studio with some books she's been itching to share! Join us for our third book club episode and get your pens ready - you'll want to take note of the books we're recommending today. Head over to our socials and let us know if you pick these titles up! Books discussed:The Magic Is In You by Brooke Vitale and Colin Hosten, illustrated by Grace LeeBidhi Galing by Anita Heiss, illustrated by Samantha CampbellBe You by Peter H. ReynoldsAustralia: Country of Colour by Jess RacklyeftJust The Way You Are by Lake PressNever, Not Ever! By Beatrice AlemangaWith thanks to Affirm Press and Simon and Schuster for review copies of Australia: Country of Colour and Bidhi Galing)

Find yourself doing the same learning experiences over and over? Looking for some inspiration on different activities you can try? Welcome to the Educator Toolkit series from Shine On Podcast, where our Shine Bright educators share their practice, inspiration and ideas. First up - fine motor skills and group games! Thank you to Jas, Belinda, Katie and Shez for sharing their practice with us! Do you have a part of your practice you'd like to share with our Shine On listeners, or an educator who you think would be great to hear from? Let us know over on our socials or by emailing us shineonpodcast@shinebright.org.au

They say it takes a village to raise a child... but how do we build the village?Wendy Irving and Mim Brown join us in this episode to discuss the benefits of the Shine Bright Supported Playgroup model and other family-centered projects run by Communities For Children Bendigo. Throughout the conversation we’ll explore Wendy and Mim’s important roles within the community, what their projects look like day-to-day, how they support children, families and community, and how they work through the challenges they face.  To find out more about their important work and other projects discussed in this episode, check out these websites below:https://www.c4cbendigo.com.au/https://www.shinebright.org.au/c4c/https://www.c4cbendigo.com.au/for-professionals/projects/