Principles & Practice - Sustainability in the EYLF & MTOP 2.0

It feels like now is a great time to be focused on improving your sustainability practices and bringing sustainability to life for children.

It can feel overwhelming.  It’s an important role you’re playing as an educator working with young children, and it seems that with the recent changes to the EYLF and MTOP Frameworks, others are beginning to see the potential impacts you can make too!

Let's unpack some of the changes to the frameworks as they relate to sustainability, and what they might mean for you and your service.

Let’s dive in…

The Frameworks have expanded their definition of sustainability.  Previously the focus seemed to be on the environmental aspects of sustainability - encouraging children to show respect for the environment, connections to nature, use of natural materials, etc.

The revised Frameworks define sustainability as:

Sustainability: seeking to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the needs of future generations (Brundtland Report 1987).

Contemporary understandings of sustainability span environmental, social and economic dimensions.

• Environmental sustainability focuses on helping children to recognise they are part of ecosystems and have a role to play in preserving, protecting and improving the environment.
• Social sustainability addresses issues of social justice and equity, respect for diversity and inclusion, active citizenship and sense of community.
• Economic sustainability focuses on fair and equitable access to resources, conserving resources and reducing consumption and waste.

The 3 dimensions are interconnected and necessary for a sustainable world.

- BELONGING, BEING & BECOMING: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia – V2.0, 2022 p 68

This is a much broader definition, which can be very helpful as you embed sustainability…

How does it help…?

You’ll probably notice that most of the things described in the definition of sustainability were largely already in the Frameworks.  Diversity, inclusion, active citizenship, fairness, access, use of resources, etc.  BUT, this broader definition of sustainability helps everyone make connections between these things, and demonstrates how they are interconnected and interrelated - and are in fact “sustainability”.

Sustainability is an ambiguous concept at best, and can mean very different things to different people.  I’ve heard hundreds of different interpretations!

But, the one I hear most is Reduce, Reuse, Recycle…  

If that's what people’s understanding of sustainability is, it’s no wonder it’s hard to get them on board!  There’s only so many bins you can keep track of, boxes you can turn into cubby houses or plastic bottles you can turn into watering cans… and don’t even get me started on those gross slimy worms!  And, who’s ever found anything good at an op-shop…  really…

Is this the kind of thing you’re hearing?

If so, it might be a good idea to get everyone on the same page… You can create a common understanding of what sustainability means for your service, taking into account your context and what’s really important to your community...  Or, you can adopt this definition and at least you’re all talking about the same thing!

A broader definition of sustainability gives people the opportunity to find something that is important to them, or they’re good at, that makes a difference.  You can tap into their strengths and passions and think about different ways they can contribute.  

I might not see the potential of a dodgy bit of furniture on the side of the road, but I’m sure good at coordinating volunteers, getting out in our community, fundraising, or telling stories!

Everything I plant dies, but I love learning about our local indigenous culture, or sharing my culture with our community.

It’s a game changer!

So, what do you think?  Would having a broader definition that incorporates environmental, social and economic domains of sustainability help you get more people on board and engaged?

Let's look a bit closer at what it means to have Sustainability added as a new Principle, underpinning  your practice as you support children in their development, and meet the learning outcomes.

 What does that actually mean…?

 The Frameworks recognise we have some wicked problems to solve, and that we as humans, sharing this planet with all other living things, face some big challenges.  

 Our role as educators of young children, and leaders in our communities, is extremely important.  In fact I would argue, one of the most important, if we are to create any kind of meaningful impact as we rise to meet these challenges. (It’s a big call, but I wholeheartedly stand by it!)

 Why..?

 Educators support, teach and provide experiences for children as they develop their values, behaviours and foundational knowledge of the world and their place in it.  The things that stay with them their whole life.  That’s a pretty powerful position to be in!

 And… you do it in partnership with their most significant influencers - their family.  When you have strong partnerships with families, sharing your sustainability knowledge and experiences - you have the ability to create the next generation of sustainability change makers and creative problem solvers. 

 It’s a big deal.

We all know how hard behaviour change later in life can be… I’m sure, if you’re like me, that’s one of your biggest challenges - getting others on board, changing hearts, minds, and behaviour… It’s exhausting!  (One day I’ll tell you about the time I had to change the bin situation at my workplace… 😒)

 How awesome would it be to empower the next generation to think and act sustainably from the get-go? 🚀  To look for the benefits for themselves, their community and their planet in decisions they make and actions they take…🤯

 So, what might this look like in practice?

Try using the language of sustainability when you’re talking with children or families.  Being positive about the opportunities sustainability brings.  Use the language of sustainability in your documentation. (Did you know there is an Educator's Guide to the Language of Sustainability in our Sustainability Toolbox? Check it out here if this is a resource that might help you.)

Explore sustainability concepts in your program.  This doesn’t need to be complicated.  Take the lead from the children.  What sustainability ideas or concepts are they exploring in their play or questions?  It can take a little practice to build your confidence in identifying sustainability themes and concepts, but trust me, they're there.  Once you start seeing them, you’ll see them everywhere!  (Psst, there’s also an Educators Guide to Sustainability Themes & Concepts and a tool to help identify them in children’s play in the Toolbox too!)

What about modelling sustainable thinking and action as you go about your day.  Narrate your thinking.  What are the thought processes you are going through as you make a decision or take  action?  How can you make a more sustainable decision?

 “Looks like we’re all heading outside, maybe we should turn the lights off on the way out…”

 “I wonder which bin this banana peel should go in… I think the worms / compost like banana peels, I think it should go in that one.”

It could also be reflected in your daily practices and routines - composting food scraps; spending time in nature; collecting water from meals to water the garden; visiting the local library, shops or nursing home; using recycled or upcycled materials for craft and construction, reading stories about sustainable themes and concepts, creating a space for children and families to share or swap things - maybe clothes, books, toys, herbs from their garden, etc.  The possibilities are endless!

 You’ll notice none of these ideas require you to do more… it’s just different.

 So what could the addition of the new sustainability Principle look like in your setting? 

 Now I'd like to share with you a bit more about how I define sustainability...

While the Frameworks definition includes environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainability, I also incorporate Culture and Leadership & Governance.  It looks like this:

 So, why is Culture important to sustainability..?  

 Culture plays a major part in our values, behaviour and decision making.  It has a significant influence in how we see the world and our place in it.  

 The Frameworks have also introduced Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives as another Principle to support reconciliation, relationships and connection to country. 

First nations people have incredible knowledge about our environment and how to care for the land, and now more than ever, we need to listen and learn from their experience and cultural practices.

 Culture also includes any culture that is important in your community.  Here we touch on diversity and inclusion - bringing everyone together to contribute our collective response to the sustainability challenges we face.  We all have a role to play, and our response should be reflective of our community and context.

 The other domain I include is one of the most important, but overlooked, especially in early childhood settings - Leadership & Governance.

 As I mentioned earlier, early childhood settings have the potential to be sustainability leaders in their community.  Shaping the values, behaviour and knowledge of young children as they explore the world around them and their place in it.  

 Educators have access to families, and strive to build positive and strong relationships with them, often over several years.  They listen to you…  It might not feel that way sometimes, but they do.

 Children, taking their knowledge home and out to their community can also be effective agents of change.  When provided with opportunities to develop a sense of agency - understanding that what they think and do makes a difference - they can be leaders now and in the future.

 When my son was a kinder, he asked for a water tank for his birthday.  They’d just installed one at his preschool near the sandpit.  We were in the middle of a drought and they’d talked about only using a little bit of water and not wasting water from the tap.  He came home and wanted to make sure we weren’t wasting water, and thought the hot pink water tank he’d seen at the garden centre would be just the solution!  We did get the tank for his birthday, but couldn’t quite come around to his colour choice… His brother then upped the anti and asked for solar panels for his birthday… and yes we got those too!

 Governance includes all your strategic documentation - philosophy. policies, procedures, planning and reflection.  It also includes your systems, risk assessments, recruitment and financial.  You need to be solvent and compliant to be sustainable.

 So… when you think about those two additional domains you can pretty much cover off all the Frameworks Principles, and the learning outcomes too for that matter…

 There’s plenty of bang for your buck if you start looking at your program and practice through a sustainability lens…

Upcoming Professional Learning Opportunity!

Join the Sustainability & the EYLF 2.0 LIVE Workshop on Friday 3 May 2024 at 1pm AEST. Find out more and register here.