Early home learning has always been important, especially for the University of Wollongong's Early Start regional and remote communities.
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Early Start's Professor Marc de Rosnay reckons it has now become relevant to virtually everyone in the "context of the COVID-19 world".
That's why he is so excited about the new Early Learning @ Home project.
Early Start - along with key partners in Early Childhood Australia and Playgroup Australia - has been successful with an application to the Ian Potter Foundation for $190,0000 over two years to run the online project.
"Most families rely on a high quality early education and care for part of the experience of helping their child develop and learn ' Professor de Rosnay said.
"Most of that is supported in the home and then we supplement that with high quality early childhood services.
"Because of COVID, those services have had to close, parents have had to do more work at home and more parents are losing their jobs, so they are taking on more responsibilities with their children and it has shifted the balance.
"So we just need to focus a little on how to really support parents so they can continue to do what they do already and to do it in a way that does the best for their kids."
The Early Learning @ Home online project will support families with their young children's (birth to five years) learning in the home environment.
Content that takes into account the needs of families from Aboriginal and other cultural backgrounds, and those experiencing economic and geographic vulnerability will feature in the project, which focuses on play-based learning and the family's role in early development.
"One of the great ambitions of this project is to help parents, not just think of creative and interesting and educational things to do but also to help them think about how to manage the day," Prof de Rosnay said.
"So the parents can help the child structure themselves and therefor also put more structure in their own life, just so they are balancing work/home environments. It is very difficult.
"So having a helping hand there, that doesn't just tell you about activities but also make sure you have a way of thinking about the diversity of experiences that your child needs and the different domains of early learning, that you can perhaps focus on or encourage.
"I really hope it will be a real asset to parents thinking through those things....really pragmatic and helpful."
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