This national study explored the role of digital technologies in early childhood education and care settings and whether they could contribute to quality improvement as reported by educators and assessors of quality in Australia. In this paper, data from Stage 2 of the Quality Improvement Research Project were used, which comprised 60 Quality Improvement Plans from educators linked with 60 Assessment and Rating reports from the assessors who visited early childhood centres as part of the administration of the National Quality Standards by each of Australia’s State and Territory jurisdictions. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory ( Bronfenbrenner, U. (1995). Developmental ecology through space and time: A future perspective. In P. Moen, G. H. Elder, Jr., & K. Lüscher (Eds.), Examining lives in context: Perspectives on the ecology of human development (pp. 619–647). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/10176-018; Bronfenbrenner & Ceci, Bronfenbrenner and Ceci, Psychological Review 101:568–586, 1994) was adopted to facilitate a systemic and dynamic view on the use of digital technologies in these 60 ECEC settings. References (e.g. comments/ suggestions/ examples) made by the educators about the implementation of digital technologies were counted and thematically analysed. Results revealed the strong role new technologies (e.g. documentation and management platforms, tablets, apps, etc.) play in the majority of ECEC settings and especially in relation to three of the seven Quality Areas: Educational programme and practice (Quality Area 1); Collaborative partnerships with families and communities (Quality Area 6) and Governance and leadership (Quality Area 7). Future directions for research are suggested and implications for embracing a more holistic, integrated and broad view on the use of digital technologies are discussed.

The ubiquity of technology in contemporary society positions it as a significant cultural tool in children’s lives. Definitions, conceptualisations and understandings of the relevance of technology are diverse which can hinder integration of technology in early learning settings. This paper presents findings from a doctoral research project that investigated Australian educator beliefs and practices in relation to technology integration within play‐based curriculums for children aged three to five years. The key findings presented relate to creating connections and shared conceptualisations of technology between educators, families and directors of early learning services. Shared understandings of the sociocultural relevance of diverse technological tools were found to facilitate technology integration in the curriculum. Rogoff’s (1995) three planes of analysis were utilised to identify and understand the interplay between the personal, interpersonal and community levels of sociocultural activity. A significant implication is identification of the need for professional discussion, professional learning and critical reflection opportunities to extend educator understandings of technology as socially, culturally, and pedagogically relevant for young children. Sharing this knowledge in collaborative partnerships between educators, families and management can support children’s development as digital citizens.

In the Australian early childhood sector the role of educational leader emerged as part of a very large process of policy reform that began in 2009. The position of educational leader was established to drive the quality improvement requirements of the reform, but many organizations did not establish these positions until several years after the reforms were introduced. Lack of clear role descriptions and authority make it difficult for educational leaders to fulfil the expectations held of them. This study examines the sense leaders make of the policy reforms and the street-level bureaucracy they perform to translate the policy into action. This sense-making and street-level bureaucracy is taking place in a neoliberal context where, we argue, the demands for professional discretionary decision-making are in conflict with the top-down standardization inherent in neoliberalism. Educational leaders have the potential to challenge neoliberalism through their professional decision-making but, in the Australian context, many are currently focusing on compliance with their street-level bureaucracy.

Historically, research on educator wellbeing has focused on ill health including stress, burnout and emotional exhaustion. There is a dearth of research examining healthy workplace wellbeing among early childhood educators, which makes developing strategies to support their wellbeing difficult. Moreover, there is a lack of clarity about the concept of educator workplace wellbeing and a lack of understanding of the complex interplay between factors supporting and thwarting wellbeing within long day-care centres. This two-phase study used a mixed-methods research design. Presented in this paper are the findings from phase one. Semi-structured in-depth interviews with 22 early childhood educators in long day-care centres reflected on educator workplace wellbeing as a broad concept encompassing social, emotional, physical and economic factors. Educator ‘voices’ provided insight into the individual, relational and contextual elements impacting on their personal workplace wellbeing.

Continuous professional learning and development (PLD) is an essential component of effective practice in any profession. PLD as a professional responsibility and workplace requirement in early childhood (EC) settings is now embedded in Australian national policy. What PLD looks like and how it happens in EC settings is a hot topic both locally and internationally. Much of this discussion is associated with major reforms in the EC policy landscape. Increasingly, approaches to PLD are being documented as research inquiry in EC journals. Traditional forms of professional development delivered collectively to educators from diverse backgrounds are being questioned in terms of influencing changes in practice. This article will unpack current thinking on PLD of EC educators using research conducted in EC settings in Sydney. The article will outline what strategies were successful, and how and why these strategies enhanced practice. Adopting Hujala’s contextual theory of leadership, examples illustrate how the organisational context and the integration of individual capabilities of educators align in promoting sustained professional growth. Findings highlight the importance of adopting a strategic approach to both organisational improvement and professional advancement of educators at different stages of their careers.

Professional learning and development for early childhood educators are increasingly recognised as pivotal in supporting curricula that are socially and culturally relevant to children. The ubiquitous nature of technology creates the necessity for educators to increase their knowledge and understandings of how to support children’s digital citizenship. The focus of this paper is on practitioner inquiry as a professional learning strategy to support technology integration in early learning centres in Australia. Collective case-studies were undertaken with educators at three early learning centres in New South Wales, Australia to gain insights into their beliefs and attitudes towards technology and to investigate ways to include technology as a complementary tool or resource in play-based learning. Rogoff’s three planes of sociocultural analysis were adopted to better understand the interplay between various influencing factors. Framing the analysis through Rogoff’s approach provided an innovative way to underscore contextually relevant professional learning support that was responsive to diversity in educator beliefs, knowledge and practices with digital technologies as well as specificities of each early learning centre.