Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day

ACECQA’s National Education Leader, Rhonda Livingstone shares her insight into National Quality Framework topics of interest. 

August 4 is National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day. This is an important chance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to celebrate their children, and for non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians to reflect on how they acknowledge, celebrate and learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories and cultures.

This year’s Children’s Day recognises the important role that family, community, country and culture play in the lives and development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The theme this year is “We play. We learn. We belong.” We play on our land. We learn from our ancestors. We belong with our communities.

About National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day has been held on 4 August every year since bicentennial protests were held in 1988 and was established to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their unique and ongoing connection to their culture and country.

Thirty years on, the 2018 Australian Early Childhood Development Census shows that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are significantly more likely than the broader population to start school developmentally vulnerable in one or more areas. We know that starting school developmentally vulnerable is linked to poorer economic, education and health outcomes later in life. We also know that for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, being able to participate in culturally safe education and care environments matters.

Children’s Day and the National Quality Framework

At ACECQA, we acknowledge that Australia is an ancient land that has been cared for by Traditional Custodians for many tens of thousands of years and includes educating and caring for children. A guiding principle of the National Quality Framework (NQF) is that Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are valued. High quality children’s education and care has an important role to play in ‘Closing the Gap’ on the ongoing disadvantage experienced in many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

In thinking about Children’s Day and what it represents, we encourage you to go further in your reflections than just this one day. Use this opportunity to reflect on how your service embeds and integrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into these five P's: philosophy, practice, program, procedures and policy.

Think about how your service connects with local communities in a reciprocal relationship and supports all children to develop positive attitudes towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, languages, history and connection to country.

How can we celebrate Children’s Day?

There are a range of ways you could acknowledge and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day either on 4 August or the surrounding days. You could consider holding an event at your service, programming special Children’s Day acknowledgements/activities or attending a local community event. When thinking about how you might celebrate Children’s Day, you might want to think about:

• How Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives might be incorporated into your educational program and practice, and how children might be given opportunities to experience and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures?
• How you support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children attending your service to be proud of and involved in their culture? How you support non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to develop cultural competence and respect for Australia’s first peoples and cultures?
• How does your service connect with your local Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community?
• Does your service have a Reconciliation Action Plan in place? For more information about Reconciliation Plans, visit Reconciliation Australia’s website.

For more information, resources and ideas about how you might celebrate National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day, visit the Children’s Day website. Further reading and resources to support your learning journey National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s day - Resources ACECQA We Hear You Blog Posts

• Reconciliation at your service: Practical steps for recognising and including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and peoples
• Developing Narragunnawali Reconciliation Action Plans and Exceeding the National Quality Standard
• ‘It takes a village to raise a child’: The role of community – Part 5

SNAICC – National Voice for our Children - Resources Narragunnawali – Professional learning resources to share and build your understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. Reconciliation Australia – Share our Pride – an online glimpse into the lives and cultures of Australia’s First People.