This term, LEQ launched its very first early childhood education and care Community of Practice (CoP) focused on quality and improvement. Facilitated by research expert Dr Bronywn Hinz, this pilot professional learning initiative brings together educators, teachers and service leaders to share ideas and learnings to strengthen evidence-based practice in their environments.
Communities of Practice are groups of people who share a concern or passion for something they do and want to learn to do it better through regular interaction. They are widely used across education and other sectors to support ongoing, practice-embedded professional learning – in fact, they are one of the most effective mechanisms for professional development, especially in education. CoPs are grounded in extensive Australian and international evidence on what works when it comes to professional learning, quality improvement, children’s outcomes, staff retention and implementation in early childhood and OSHC contexts.
Each CoP is exploring a particular focus area – many of the groups are focusing on Quality Area 1: educational program and practice, and cultural responsiveness. Together, these Communities of Practice will strengthen service delivery quality for children and families, and boost staff confidence and morale.
Over the next five months, participants will continue meeting, deepening their professional identity, and sharing ideas to enhance outcomes for the children they serve as well as for their colleagues.
Read more about LEQ’s Early Years Communities of Practice here.
