WHO WE ARE
The Australian Early Childhood Teacher Education Network members, who represent 43 higher education institutions, are leaders in Australian early childhood teacher education degree programs.
OUR STRUCTURE
AECTEN is currently chaired by Dr Marianne Fenech from the University of Sydney. Contact marianne.fenech@sydney.edu.au or (02) 9351 6375.
The AECTEN committee, which meets every six weeks, comprises representatives of AECTEN’s five branches that cover:
- New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory
- Victoria
- Queensland
- Western Australia
- South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.
AECTEN was established in October 2016 and began operating under the umbrella of the Australian Council of Deans of Education in December 2017.
The NSW Representative on the ACDE Board, Professor Michele Simons of Western Sydney University, attends committee meetings and is the liaison between AECTEN and the ACDE.
WHAT WE DO
AECTEN provides a forum for addressing issues and developments relating to early childhood teacher education in programs for early childhood pre-service teachers by:
- Promoting the role and quality of early childhood pre-service and post-initial teacher education programs
- Providing high level advice on early childhood education policy and practice
- Advocating for quality early childhood teacher education
- Liaising with government and peak bodies
- Promoting ethical practice within all aspects of early childhood teacher education
- Providing advice on matters relating to the provision and management of early childhood teacher education
- Advocating, undertaking and accessing research and scholarship on matters relating to early childhood teacher education
- Seeking from pre-service teachers, co-operating staff, employers and institutions their views on early childhood teacher education
- Identifying the nature and extent of early childhood teacher education provision within early childhood programs in tertiary and vocational education and training institutions
- Sharing current information and resources and developing new resources as needed.
OUR 2018 SUBMISSIONS
- AECTEN response to the final recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
- AECTEN submission to the National Review of Teacher Registration.
