Children’s Services Professional Learning Program

The National Quality Framework: The Musical!

In an all singing all dancing extravaganza, dynamic dramaturgical early childhood thespians, Dr Red Ruby Scarlet and Louise Dorrat, present a spectacular salubrious engagement with the National Quality Framework. 

Grounded in poststructuralist theory, this piece of professional development is based on the questions:

• What counts as valid knowledge?
• Who decides?
• And 'in whose interest are they enacted?'

These questions asked by Patti Lather (1991) similarly appear on page 13 in Principle 5 of the EYLF, of which Dr Scarlet was an architect. Using everyday life examples - such as the infamous ‘Working Toward toast’, the constant debate about the ‘inappropriate footwear’ and the ’bum bag’, this performance goes off script to engage with the National Quality Framework in ways that are creative, fun and rigorous.

Get ready for an intellectual, ironic, engaging, toe tapping, hand clapping, finger snapping interactive performance festooned with favourite tunes including the smash hits ‘QIP’ (composed in collaboration with ABBA), ’The Assessor’ (composed in collaboration with The Family von Trapp) and ‘E.Y.L.F.’ (composed with The Village People).

You’ll be dancing away convinced that dramatic arts are valid knowledge and they are a useful way to engage with, build understandings, and make sense of, The National Quality Framework.

Written and performed by Dr Red Ruby Scarlet & Louise Dorrat
Suitable for: educators from early childhood and out of school hours services
Date: Wednesday 10 March (rescheduled from 25 March 2020)
Time: 6.30pm networking and refreshments available for purchase. 7pm to 8.45pm showtime!
Venue: Karralyka theatre

This event was postponed from 2020 to 2021 due to covid-19. Tickets to the event have already been sold and ticket holders have been contacted. If any further tickets become available to the event, a booking link will be provided. 

About the presenters - Dr Red Ruby Scarlet & Louise Dorrat

Dr Red Ruby Scarlet is an activist, early childhood teacher-researcher, consultant, artist and academic. 

Red has been working in early childhood for over 25 years and is devoted to creative, imaginative, inclusive practices that promote dignity and integrity in early childhood.

Red has developed curriculum and learning frameworks nationally and internationally.  She has won numerous awards for her teaching and advocacy.

Louise Dorrat has extensive experience in managing early year’s services, from Inclusion Support to Family Day Care and assisted in the set-up of the first Victorian Bush Kinder.

She has taught the Bachelor of Education at a number of Universities. She is contracted by organisations such as Federal and State Governments, Children’s Ground, ELAA, Child Australia and Gowrie to deliver training across Australia. Louise’s presentations are at once engaging and informative. 

Providing an anti-bias curriculum: focussing on gender

Educators must not underestimate how powerful they are in shaping children’s identity. Everything they say and do can reinforce or challenge stereotypes and bias. Educators need to “consider the social justice and equity implications of their approaches” (Exceeding Theme 2 NQS, 2018) and avoid practices that directly or indirectly contribute to gender inequality, prejudice and discrimination (VEYLDF, 2016).

Providing an anti-bias curriculum is not about being “politically correct” and it is more than providing an inclusive environment. It is about being aware of your own unconscious biases and to challenge and address exclusion and injustice.

The session will:

• explore the exceeding themes (NQS, 2018) of social justice and equity
• give practical examples of challenging gender bias in the curriculum
• identify books, resources and materials that promote gender equity.

Presented by: Louise Dorrat
Suitable for: educators from early childhood and out of school hours services
Date: Tuesday 23 March (rescheduled from 2 June 2020)
Time: 7pm to 9pm
Venue: Karralyka

*This event was rescheduled from 2020 and has limited tickets available.

Book online

About the presenter - Louise Dorrat

Louise Dorrat has extensive experience in managing early year’s services, from Inclusion Support to Family Day Care and assisted in the set-up of the first Victorian Bush Kinder. She has taught the Bachelor of Education at a number of Universities. She is contracted by organisations such as Federal and State Governments, Children’s Ground, ELAA, Child Australia and Gowrie to deliver training across Australia. Louise’s presentations are at once engaging and informative.