Educators have often wondered how the COVID pandemic impacted children's learning and development. The research is starting to emerge, and in this episode Crystal and Sophie take you through what the data is telling us, how it connects to your stories from the classroom, and what we should focus on to support children and families to thrive. This episode will appeal to early childhood educators, primary school staff, and parents of children who were in their early childhood (0-8) during the pandemic.

This episode was informed by the following sources:

• Australian Early Development Census 2024 findings: https://www.aedc.gov.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/aedc_national-report-2024_da7-409a37b9d-95ce-43e7-af00-51aa604cf0b3.pdf?sfvrsn=b56015ba_1
• Australian Early Development Census Data Story: How has the COVID19 pandemic affected children? https://www.aedc.gov.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/aedc-data-story_issue-3_covid_da6.pdf?sfvrsn=3dec201c_1
• COVID Kids ABC Radio National Life Matters podcast (2023) https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/lifematters/talkback-covid-kids-pandemic-impacts/102439774
• More than isolated: The experience of children and young people with disability and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic Report on CYDA’s 2020 COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and children and young people with disability survey by Professor Helen Dickinson and Dr Sophie Yates Public Service Research Group, School of Business, UNSW Canberra For Children and Young People with Disability Australia May 2020 https://cyda.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/covid_report_compressed_1.pdf
• The Post-Pandemic Child by Professor Kim Cornish AM https://publishing.monash.edu/product/the-post-pandemic-child/
• Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Children in Australian Early Childhood Education and Care from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute https://www.rch.org.au/uploadedFiles/Main/Content/ccchdev/Impact%20of%20COVID-19%20pandemic%20on%20children%20in%20Australian%20ECEC%20(1).pdf
• National trends in child development AEDC (ECA conference presentation 2025)
• ‘Are the kids alright? Raising the post-pandemic child’ panel discussion through Victoria University 2025
• Full Stop Australia COVID19 response inquiry https://fullstop.org.au/uploads/main/Submissions-Reports/2024/Full-Stop-Australia-Submission-COVID-19-Response-Inquiry.pdf
• SNAICC position on COVID19 https://www.snaicc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/SNAICC-position-on-COVID-19_ECEC_recovery.pdf
• Parenting During COVID‐19: A Study of Parents' Experiences Across Gender and Income Levels

Full list here: Sources.pdf

Alex and Sophie are in conversation with Adrian Pattra-McLean in this episode, discussing how we can utilise skills we already have as educators to enhance teamwork, relationships, communication and accountability.

With over 15-years of experience, Adrian is a well-respected professional consultant and educator with a Master of Education (Ed. Psychology) and a Bachelor of Education (Human Resources).

Adrian has held various senior management roles in the Early Childhood Education sector including Group General Manager and Education Director. He believes that developing and supporting high quality, passionate Educators is the key to quality outcomes for children.

Adrian is committed to supporting the development of high-quality early learning services and his service to the community has been recognized with an Order of Australia Commendation. He is the Educational Director of Farran Street Education and together with his family Adrian owns and operates a long day care centre in Sydney’s lower north shore.

Adrian facilitates learning focused on Leadership, Management and HR within the Early Education and Care sector. Currently Adrian is in partnership with Go1 to provide leadership and management content for their online learning platform.

https://farranstreeteducation.com.au/

In this episode, we chat with Adele Brown, an inspiring early childhood educator who has upskilled from her Diploma of Early Childhood Education to her Bachelor of Early Childhood Education. Adele shares what motivated her to return to study, the challenges she’s faced while balancing work, life, and learning, and the incredible support that’s helped her along the way. As she prepares to complete her degree this year, Adele reflects on how the journey has shaped her practice and what she hopes to achieve next in her career.

🎧 Tune in for a warm and vulnerable conversation about growth, perseverance, and the power of lifelong learning in early childhood education.