The Barbara Creaser Memorial Lecture Fund was established in 1995 to celebrate and acknowledge the contribution made by Barbara Creaser to the lives of young children, early childhood practice and the early childhood profession.
Barbara Creaser made a major contribution to the professional development of students and early childhood educators in the Australian states and territories in which she worked. In particular, Barbara gave significant support to newer members of the profession. Her books too have helped support early childhood professionals in their understanding and implementation of an anti-bias curriculum and play-based pedagogy.
Barbara was an activist for social justice and led Australia’s first encounter with the anti-bias curriculum in early childhood education by publishing the first edition of The Anti-Bias Approach in Early Childhood in 1996. The book was edited by Barbara and Elizabeth Dau. They had both studied with Louise Derman-Sparks at Pacific Oaks College in the USA. Barbara was an activist in her life and work roles, including deputy director of the Australian Early Childhood Association (now Early Childhood Australia), program manager of the Northern Territory Children’s Services Resource and Advisory Program, part-time lecturer at Charles Darwin University (Darwin), lecturer at Regency TAFE (Adelaide) and private consultant. Her passion was inspirational, and the motivational impact of her teaching and belief in social justice is remembered to this day.
The fund aims to:
There are two Barbara Creaser Awards
Purpose
The Barbara Creaser Memorial Lecture is awarded to a well-recognised and respected early childhood professional. The winner will be invited to deliver a 30-minute lecture or presentation at the 2021 Early Childhood Australia (ECA) National Conference to the full conference delegation.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this award, the nominee must be a permanent resident or citizen of Australia, must be nominated by an ECA state or territory branch, and must currently be a member of ECA.
All ECA members are welcome to suggest nominations for this award to their Branch Committee. Branch contact details are:
Australian Capital Territory Branch | ecaact@earlychildhood.org.au |
New South Wales Branch | ecansw@earlychildhood.org.au |
Northern Territory Branch | ecant@earlychildhood.org.au |
Queensland Branch | ecaqld@earlychildhood.org.au |
South Australia Branch | ecasa@earlychildhood.org.au |
Tasmania Branch | ecatas@earlychildhood.org.au |
Victoria Branch | ecavic@earlychildhood.org.au |
Western Australia Branch | ecawa@earlychildhood.org.au |
Selection criteria
Nominees for this award will be well-recognised and highly respected early childhood professionals who have engaged in effective advocacy for social justice and equity on behalf of young children and the early childhood sector over an extended period of time. They will be considered by their peers as having contributed to the rights and best interests of children, above and beyond their paid work. They will have made a lasting impression on those who witnessed their advocacy, and the changes they have made will have shifted the thinking of those around them.
In order to select one award winner, the judges will review each nomination against the following criteria (400 words max per criteria):
Application process
Only ECA branches can nominate candidates for the Barbara Creaser Memorial Lecture. All applications should include a brief curriculum vitae (CV) or biography of the nominee, including their qualifications, as well as responses to the selection criteria.
Process for reviewing applications
Value of the award
The successful nominee will:
Nominations close 5 October 2020
Download the nomination form. Completed nomination forms should be emailed to awards@earlychildhood.org.au
Purpose
The Barbara Creaser Young Advocate Award recognises young early childhood professionals who have shown potential for advocacy work. The award aims to further hone their potential and encourage them to participate in ECA’s advocacy work for young children and the sector overall.
Eligibility
All ECA members are welcome to suggest nominations for this award to their Branch Committee. Branch contact details are:
Australian Capital Territory Branch | ecaact@earlychildhood.org.au |
New South Wales Branch | ecansw@earlychildhood.org.au |
Northern Territory Branch | ecant@earlychildhood.org.au |
Queensland Branch | ecaqld@earlychildhood.org.au |
South Australia Branch | ecasa@earlychildhood.org.au |
Tasmania Branch | ecatas@earlychildhood.org.au |
Victoria Branch | ecavic@earlychildhood.org.au |
Western Australia Branch | ecawa@earlychildhood.org.au |
Selection criteria
Nominees for this award will be young early childhood professionals who are engaging in advocacy on behalf of young children and the early childhood sector. They will be considered by their peers as having contributed to the rights and best interests of children, above and beyond their paid work. They will have made a lasting impression on those who witnessed their advocacy, and the changes they have made will have shifted the thinking of those around them.
In order to select one award winner, the judges will review each nomination against the following criteria (400 words max per criteria):
Application process
Only ECA branches can nominate candidates for the Barbara Creaser Young Advocate Award. All applications should include a brief curriculum vitae (CV) or biography of the nominee, including their qualifications, as well as responses to the selection criteria.
Process for reviewing applications
Value of the award
The successful nominee will receive:
Nominations close 5 October 2020
Download the nomination form. Completed nomination forms should be emailed to awards@earlychildhood.org.au