With the early childhood profession currently facing severe teacher and educator shortages, we spoke with Associate Professor Fay Hadley on some of the key projects emerging out of Macquarie University’s School of Education to help enhance educator retention and wellbeing.
1. What is your background and what brought you to Macquarie?
Warami. I have a Bachelor of Education and for the early part of my career I was an early childhood teacher working with children birth to five years, mostly in the ACT and NSW. When I moved into a leadership role (Director of an early childhood centre), I went back to university to complete my Master of Education as I wanted to become more skilled in leadership. During these studies I discovered a keen interest in research, so I then enrolled in and completed my PhD. This led to teaching in academia and I was appointed by the Institute of Early Childhood at Macquarie University in 2009 – now known as the School of Education.
2. How did you originally become interested in your area of research, and what keeps you interested in it?
During my master degree I discovered my interest in not only reading research but also conducting it. My key research areas are leadership in early childhood education and child and family diversity. We know high quality early childhood experiences have a huge impact on young children and their families. Seeing this acknowledged at both the State (NSW) and Commonwealth level is heartening and I am keen to contribute to these policy initiatives and directions.
3. Tell us a bit about your current research and what makes it so important?
We are experiencing a severe shortage in early childhood teachers currently and COVID-19 has exacerbated this issue. We know that mentoring, both whilst students are studying and early career teachers (first four years of teaching), are critical to retention rates. My research in this space, along with my colleagues Dr Andrews, Professor Waniganayake & Associate Professor Hay has been recognised through two NSW Department of Education projects and we hope to continue the two mentoring programs we have developed to reduce attrition rates of students studying early childhood teaching and graduates new to the profession.
4. Is there something you would like staff to know about?
Macquarie School of Education - Early Childhood Education was recently ranked as Australia’s leading Early Childhood Education institution (The Australian, 2022). I feel very fortunate to work with these amazing early childhood colleagues in our school.
5. What is something you have recently accomplished?
A recent career highlight has been the Approved Learning Frameworks Update project – a prestigious tender funded by Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority for the Commonwealth and all and all state and territory governments to update Australia’s two early education curriculum frameworks - Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia and My Time our Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia. I led and coordinated the tripartite partnership between Macquarie University, QUT and Edith Cowan University including a large multidisciplinary national consortium of 42 early years education and health academics and teachers from every state and territory. The updated Frameworks were fully endorsed with no changes by all Australian Ministers of Education in December 2022. As nationally mandated policy, these Frameworks will steer early years curriculum and pedagogy in over 17,000 settings across Australia for more than 1.4 million children and young people.
6. What do you need to do your best work?
To be surrounded by collegial colleagues who are committed to making a difference for the children and young people in Australia and beyond.
7. What do people always ask you when they find out what you do for a living?
If we get the same holidays as school and TAFE teachers, and they are so surprised when I say no! More serious questions are how they can make a difference, what should they be focusing on with the children they teach and the educators they lead.
8. What is something you’ve read recently that has had an impact on you?
I have been trying to deepen my knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways. One book that stands out recently is Sand Talk by Tyson Yunkaporta.
9. What is your definition of success?
To have made a contribution to the next generation and to have tread gently on this beautiful Ngurra/Country to ensure generations to come will be able to thrive.
10. A bit about where you live and what you like about it?
I have lived in the Northern Beaches for the past 19 years. We call it Guringai Country, although this is contested, and it may actually be Dharug Country. I am surrounded by beautiful beaches and bush and this reminds me of my childhood as I grew up on Yuin Country in a small coastal town called Eden. I feel connected and grounded when I have sand between my toes, listening to the birds singing, or the water moving.
11. A personal quality you value in others?
Honesty and integrity.
12. A moment you felt proud?
Graduating with my bachelor degree, master degree and doctorate. I was the first in my family to attend university, so I feel very privileged to have grown up in Australia where these opportunities were afforded to me. This was one of main reasons my parents left the UK in 1964 and immigrated to Australia with four young children under the age of seven (my siblings) as part of the 10-pound poms scheme. As my dad always reminded me – “Fay, you and your younger sister Jane wouldn’t have been born if we had stayed in England!”
13. What would people be surprised to know about you or your work?
That I always saw myself living in the country (I am a country bumpkin through and through) yet most of my adult life has been spent in Sydney (29 years and still going)! I am one of seven and feel blessed to still have five of my siblings (two brothers and three sisters) still alive to share life’s tribulations with.
14. What is on your agenda for 2023?
Leading a key component for a four-year ARC Linkage titled 'Upholding the right to cultural connection for children in care'. I, with my colleague Professor Waniganayake will investigate the role of cultural community mentors in connecting children in out of home care with their original cultural community.