Papers by Teresa Hutchins
Learning the skills to build relationships is an important part of child development. Good relati... more Learning the skills to build relationships is an important part of child development. Good relationship skills in childhood lay the foundation for healthy adult relationships. Young children's relationships are characterized by a high degree of conflict, as children learn the cognitive skills of taking another's perspective, thinking in terms of multiple attributes and anticipating the consequences of their actions. Children who learn to resolve conflicts successfully become more popular and interact with other children more frequently and for longer periods of time as they grow older, thus practicing interpersonal skills more frequently and consolidating their advantage. This project looks at the conflicts in which young children engage in group care settings. The aim is to understand the children's meanings of conflict by observing their behavior in context. Understanding the meanings of conflict for children can inform caregivers' strategies for guiding their beha...
Sincere thanks also to my two 'on shore' supervisors Dr. Anne Atkinson whose courage, patience an... more Sincere thanks also to my two 'on shore' supervisors Dr. Anne Atkinson whose courage, patience and rigour are an inspiration to all her students and Dr. Margaret Sims whose immense faith and enthusiasm never fail to lift the beleaguered spirit. My thanks to fellow students Paul Howrie and Ruth Marquis for their support and friendship over the last four years and to Alan Wilson who saved the day by drawing boxes while I spoke! Finally, I would like thank my many friends and colleagues who have suffered my endless deliberations with such good humour.
• Ms Teresa Hutchins (ECU)-early learning and care, children and family, sociology and anthropolo... more • Ms Teresa Hutchins (ECU)-early learning and care, children and family, sociology and anthropology of childhood, knowledge of Indigenous issues • Dr Karen Martin (QUT)-Indigenous researcher, early learning and care, knowledge of Indigenous issues • Associate Professor Margaret Sims (ECU)-early learning and care, children and family, family support, sociology, anthropology, knowledge of Indigenous issues • Professor Sherry Saggers (ECU)-sociology, anthropology, knowledge of Indigenous issues Conducted through the
Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 2001
Children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are particularly vulnerable to st... more Children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are particularly vulnerable to stress when beginning child care. High stress levels not only impact on children's transition into child care, but can have undesirable long-term consequences if not handled appropriately. In Australia, there is provision for specialist personnel (called bicultural support workers in this study) to facilitate the transition into care of children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. This paper reports data from interviews with parents from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds whose children attended child care, caregivers in centres who worked with children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and bicultural support workers. Recommendations are made for quality practice during the transition phase into child care services for children and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 2000
... children. One caregiver explained how she would cuddle a child, perhaps tell a story,rhen gra... more ... children. One caregiver explained how she would cuddle a child, perhaps tell a story,rhen gradually involve other children. ... aioiic. However, there were occasions when rhey were concerned about children who were constantly hiding. ...
Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 1999
For young children, the transition from the home environment to the care environment (child care ... more For young children, the transition from the home environment to the care environment (child care centre, kindergarten, school) is a crucial component of their relationship building with caregivers. Young children who develop secure relationships with caregivers will feel more confident in the care environment, and will be more able to learn from that environment. Transitions set the scene for relationship building with caregivers. Well-managed transitions facilitate children's trust in caregivers and make the development of secure attachments more likely. Focusing on creating positive transitions is a crucial component of quality early childhood practice. This paper discusses ways in which caregivers can plan for positive transitions.
Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 1996
Current debates in early childhood are underpinned by fundamental issues regarding the roles and ... more Current debates in early childhood are underpinned by fundamental issues regarding the roles and functions of services for children. Some writers have identified care and education of children as the main functions of children's services. This paper discusses a multifunctional approach and suggests that services for children in the 21st century need to develop a new discourse that celebrates the multifunctional nature of children's services.
Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 2010
ACCOMMODATING THE DIVERSE CHILDCARE needs of Australia's Indigenous communities, both within ... more ACCOMMODATING THE DIVERSE CHILDCARE needs of Australia's Indigenous communities, both within mainstream and Indigenous-operated services, is a major concern for all Indigenous families and communities. Of particular concern in relation to formal child care is the need for programs to be culturally strong. Culturally strong programs incorporate the culturally based beliefs, values and practices, including child-rearing practices, of individuals, families and communities using that service. This paper, drawing upon a broad-based consultation funded by the Australian Government and conducted throughout 2005–06, addresses the key elements of what constitutes culturally strong childcare programs for Indigenous children, families and communities. In recognition of the heterogeneous nature of Indigenous Australians, the research methods included focus groups, community consultations, and interviews with key stakeholders in the childcare sector nationally in order to identify their posi...
Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 2009
THIS ARTIclE IS cONcERNED with the under-representation of Indigenous workers in mainstream child... more THIS ARTIclE IS cONcERNED with the under-representation of Indigenous workers in mainstream childcare services and the associated problem of the under-representation of Indigenous children in such services. Specifically, it focuses on workforce issues that serve as barriers to both attracting and/or retaining Indigenous staff. The research methods included focus groups, community consultations and interviews with key stakeholders in the childcare field, in order to identify Indigenous childcare workers' needs and preferences as well as those of their children, families and communities. An analysis of international and national literature on the Indigenous childcare workforce provided a context for the evidence presented from the focus groups and individual consultations, and as a point of reference to compare existing understandings to those arising from these discussions. The research findings highlight three key issues that serve as significant barriers to Indigenous people entering and/or remaining in the childcare workforce, and to Indigenous children and families accessing mainstream childcare services: the lack of the provision of culturally safe workplaces, the lack of flexible employment practices, and the lack of opportunities for Indigenous workers to receive on-the-job training.
Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 2009
THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT has recently committed to the development of an integrated system of as... more THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT has recently committed to the development of an integrated system of assuring national quality standards for Australian childcare and preschool services (Australian Government, 2008). This article addresses two fundamental issues relating to the development of an integrated system as it applies to Indigenous children's services. Specifically, these issues relate to a conceptualisation of quality child care from an Indigenous perspective, and to the participation of Indigenous services in an integrated quality assurance system. Who defines quality, what quality looks, sounds and feels like, and how to measure quality were questions examined in this study. Research methods included focus groups, community consultations, and interviews with key stakeholders in the childcare sector in order to identify the key issues regarding childcare quality assurance for Indigenous families and service providers. The research findings highlighted some serious incongruit...
Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 2008
Caring for infants and toddlers has long been conceptualized in Western society as mothers' work,... more Caring for infants and toddlers has long been conceptualized in Western society as mothers' work, and consequently devalued. Alternative care for infants and toddlers has lacked a knowledge base like that undergirding preschool education. Factors impeding research on infant/toddler care include strong ideological opposition to nonmaternal care, the custodial tradition of child care, and the medical model used for training caregivers. The lack of a coherent knowledge base has resulted in a dearth of suitable language to describe the essential features of infant/toddler care programs. Language drawn from medical and educational models lack appropriate metaphors for the caring relationship at the heart of infant/toddler care. Anthropology provides a suitable framework for examining the work of infant and toddler caregivers which emphasizes the processes of care. When the caregiving relationship represents the core around which the curriculum is constructed, the knowledge base becomes clear-research and literature examining the importance of relationships to infant and toddler development and that relating to how infants and toddlers make sense of their place in the world. Metaphors from this research can help caregivers better understand and talk about what they do. Three curriculum frameworks for infants and toddlers may be incorporated: (1) attachment; (2) caregiving; and (3) play. Planning for infants and toddlers begins with the participant observation characteristic of anthropology, with such observations used to develop a picture of the strengths and interests of very young children. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (A. Maslow, 1970) may be used as a framework to identify needs. The summary of strengths, interests, and needs may be used to develop a program plan based on the relevant curriculum framework. (Contains 52 references.) (KB) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.
European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 2002
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Early Child Development and Care, 1997
In any situation where children are involved in group programmes, the group 'culture', ... more In any situation where children are involved in group programmes, the group 'culture', and the overall quality of the service delivered, will be a result of the interaction of many factors. One of these is the way in which adults interact with children. Adult interactions arise out of ...
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Papers by Teresa Hutchins