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Working with infants and toddlers is a privileged role in early childhood. The recognition of the importance of children's first three years of life and the need for authentic and meaningful partnerships with families has led to an increasing awareness of the specialist nature of infant-toddler education and care services. The role of the early childhood educator is grounded in secure, responsive, emotionally available, cognitively stimulating and respectful relationships between child, adult and family. Children’s interactions and explorations shape their experiences of their world; such as how they develop, communicate, learn, move, think and socialise. Advances in theories and research provide compelling confirmation of the fundamental importance of early childhood educators having knowledge of the ways in which infants and toddlers, as inquisitive, active and competent learners influence – and are influenced by – the environments in which they live. Inclusive in this knowledge is an understanding of the importance of the everyday life experiences for infants and toddlers guided by curriculum and pedagogies of play, caregiving and attachment.

Pre-service educators will interrogate issues in facilitating the unique nature of infants' and toddlers' care, learning and development (birth to 3 years) in early childhood contexts. Infants and toddlers are considered within the multiple contexts that inform their learning and development. The importance of understanding and valuing the complexities of supporting and maintaining rich relationships with children and their families, through a curriculum of care, attachment and play, underpins this course. Curriculum approaches, relationship-based teaching and learning, and environmental contexts that are recommended for infants and toddlers are examined. Pre-service educators will deepen their understanding of the applicability of research-based literature and its relevance to infants and toddlers, their families, and contexts.

A 15-day professional experience placement is attached to this course. For full details of the Professional Experience particulars, please refer to the Professional Experience website and the Professional Experience Book.

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course in accordance with the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership’s (AITSL) Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST). On successful completion of this course pre-service educators should be able to:

1. critically reflect on considerations for facilitating infant’s and toddler’s care, learning and development in early childhood contexts (APST 1.1, 1.2);
2. collect, document and interpret contextual data through an ecological framework to inform child-centred curriculum and responsive approaches to care, learning and development (APST 1.2);
3. drawing upon knowledge of families, plan differentiated play, attachment and caregiving curriculum for infants and toddlers from diverse backgrounds (APST 1.3, 1.5, 4.2);
4. develop effective, sensitive and ethical relationships with infants and toddlers, their families and communities; guided by respect for culture, identity and diversity. (APST 3.5, 7.1, 7.3);
5. demonstrate professionalism during pre-service teacher placements through observation, practice and assessment of pre-service teacher professional practice (1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 3.1, 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.4, 6.3).