Dr. Joseph Sparling in Australia

Teaching Strategies Senior Advisor on Curriculum and Research, Dr. Joseph Sparling, was invited to Australia to present a keynote lecture at a May 2009 workshop meeting of COAG, the Council of Australian Governments. After presenting Infant Health and Development: Facets and Implementation of Reform in Melbourne in May, Sparling traveled in Australia to consult with and learn from governments about education, childcare, and family services as well as to meet with Australia's newly appointed Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare, and Youth, Hon. Kate Ellis.

In June, Burnadette Burchell, CEO of the Children's Protective Society in Australia, traveled to the U.S. and during her stay consulted with Dr. Sparling about replicating the Abecedarian intervention with at-risk children in Melbourne. "We are very excited about the prospect of having Joe consult with us in this venture and the opportunity for leveraging his considerable wisdom and expertise," Burchell said. "Joe's reputation here in Australia has influenced Government preparedness to partner with CPS in this breakthrough effort to intervene early with children at risk because of abuse and neglect. We hope to change life trajectories." This project is partially funded by the Australian federal government.

Collette Taylor, Chair of the Early Childhood Education and Care in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education of the University of Melbourne traveled to the U.S. and consulted with Sparling and other university colleagues for a study on the effectiveness of early childhood education and care in Australian communities. "The excellent record of Joe's work in the Abecedarian and CARE research studies is providing rich detail for the Australian research team as they select measures, design substudies, and plan for implementation. Some of the LearningGames^® and The Creative Curriculum^® materials are likely to have relevance to local Australian contexts. Some ideas for specific nested studies that are inspired by Dr. Sparling's work are already being drafted. The team is hopeful that Joe can visit Australia again soon and bring his expertise directly to current developments."

Teaching Strategies is a woman-owned company committed to making a difference in the lives of young children by providing scientifically based educational materials to preschool and infant-toddler programs worldwide. The company's mission is to enhance the quality of early childhood programs by offering comprehensive, developmentally appropriate curriculum materials; professional development services and products; and parenting resources. Teaching Strategies' materials are used in thousands of Head Start, public pre-K, and early childhood programs throughout the United States, including programs run by all branches of the military and Department of Defense schools worldwide.