What happens when you give a low-income family $26,000 in their child’s first year? Researchers Sharon Goldfeld, Elodie O'Connor and Sarah Gray think they’ve found out. It’s well-known that children raised in families experiencing financial stress face greater risks of psychological and educational difficulties and behavioural...
There were benefits all around when twin girls who were deaf boarded with Ann Goldberg’s family. Wanted—a warm family home for deaf twin girls aged eight, from Monday to Friday while attending the local school for deaf children. Despite living next door to a school for deaf...
Rauno Parrila, Anne Castles, and Saskia Kohnen explain what these terms mean, what they involve, and what you can do at home. Victoria has just announced that all government schools will be required to use phonics to teach reading from next year. This brings it in line...
Maxine Clarke takes up arms against the negative stereotypes and dubious role models in fairytales and children’s nursery rhymes. As a young child, I was always highly suspicious of fairytales. Not because I knew they were fantasy but because I realised, at least on some level,...
It's mid-year, and it's time to revisit your personal and professional goals, revise, and renew them, ready for a successful finish to the year. Professional planner Mariane Cresp says, “With the right tools and mindset, you can re-think your goals, refresh your focus and set yourself...
Stephanie Wescott investigates 'post-truth politics' and 'manosphere extremists' in Australian schools. Figures of the “manosphere” – a loose group of online figures who espouse anti-feminist and misogynist ideas and promote regressive ideas of masculinity – have risen in popularity in recent years. Given the currency these figures...
In today’s challenging economic climate, many parents find it increasingly difficult to manage their children’s requests for things they cannot afford. Explaining financial constraints to children can be tough, especially when it comes to saying no without causing disappointment or misunderstandings. Constructively responding to these...
Can you spot a gifted child? It's not easy, writes Kerry Hodge, but it’s important that parents and teachers recognise and develop their exceptional abilities. When you have known hundreds of children, your memory of some of them – however engaging they were – gradually fades....
Deepfake AI pornography is becoming more common. Gabrielle Hunt and Daryl Higgins look at what parents and schools can do to prevent it. A Victorian school community is reeling after fake, sexually explicit images of female students were generated using artificial intelligence and then shared on...
Parents are increasingly saying their child is ‘dysregulated’, write Cher McGillivray and Shawna Mastro Campbell. But what does that actually mean? Welcome aboard the roller coaster of parenthood, where emotions run wild, tantrums reign supreme and love flows deep. As children reach toddlerhood and beyond, parents adapt...
