Did you know that boys named Jacob are nicer than boys named Joseph? Ella and Olivia are more likely to be trouble than Sophie and Grace, and watch out if you have a William in your care, because he’s bound to be trouble.

Senior officials from Australian states and territories asked for evidence of the value of early learning and the difference it makes to the educational trajectory of children’s lives. The resulting report, Lifting our Game; Report of the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools through Early Childhood Interventions, 2017, was tabled in December 2017, and shared more broadly in February 2018. Co-author Deborah Brennan met recently with The Sector to share her thoughts on how Australia has responded to the report’s findings, and the key themes that still need to be addressed.

In the year before children commence formal schooling, some centres and services offer a program within their preschool space, labelled “school readiness” – but what does it mean, to become ready for school? In this piece, Early Childhood Teacher Melinda Weigert shares her thoughts on how to best prepare children for the world of school, and explores her views on best practice in the school readiness space.

The beginning of the year is the perfect time for educators working in early childhood education and care (ECEC) to align their finances so they’re ready come tax time. To get some expert advice and support, The Sector Assistant Editor Freya Lucas reached out to a finance industry professional to share their best tax tips.

As The Sector this morning reported, the Australian Human Rights Commission, have welcomed the announcement by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) , endorsing the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations. These Principles provide a baseline for organisations that work with children to implement child-safe and child-friendly practices to instill a child-safe culture.