Author: Cecilia Jacob – Educator Support Officer Date: 4 December 2019   As an early childhood professional who has called Australia home for the last 22 years, many times I’ve had the opportunity to reflect on my own identity within the Australian culture. As an Anglo-Indian-Australian raising my own children and being in a position to influence numerous young children to develop social consciousness and attitudes, I share this privilege with the children’s families and the wider community. There is one aspect of this melting pot of influences that is gaining momentum currently in the Early Childhood Education and Care sector. It is the understanding, acknowledgement and embracing of the Aboriginal and Torres State Islander culture and the commitment to working towards Reconciliation. In the past, the Early Childhood sector has always incorporated aspects of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait cultures, but these were reserved for specific times of the year. For example, activities such as dot painting or cooking damper during NAIDOC Week. Educators only saw the value of this as part of ticking a box to being ‘culturally competent’. This tokenistic portrayal of people and culture and the absence of the Aboriginal culture in everyday settings only increased … Continue reading Celebrating Aboriginal Culture – Teaching children with intention by embracing reconciliation