Karen Thorpe – The Conversation

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September 7, 2023

Nearly 500,000 Australian kids go to after school care – it needs to be more than a babysitting service

Alyssa Milton, University of Sydney; Ian Hickie, University of Sydney; Karen Thorpe, The University of Queensland, and Tom McClean, Western Sydney University

Our new research shows the benefits of involving children in designing the activities they do in outside school hours care.

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June 20, 2022

‘Greatest transformation of early education in a generation’? Well, that depends on qualified, supported and thriving staff

Karen Thorpe, The University of Queensland; Azhar Potia, The University of Queensland; Peter Rankin, The University of Queensland; Sally Staton, The University of Queensland, and Sandy Houen, The University of Queensland

Research confirms that a focus on restoring the well-being of educators is vital to deliver the gains promised by huge new investments in early childhood learning and care.

Many early education and care workers earn little above the minimum wage. www.shutterstock.com

September 4, 2018

Why Australia should invest in paying early childhood educators a liveable wage

Karen Thorpe, The University of Queensland; Paula McDonald, Queensland University of Technology, and Susan Irvine, Queensland University of Technology

Valuing the skills and contributions of our educators and reversing the high rates of turnover is critical and can only be achieved through fair pay and rewards.

What might be achieved from the proposed walkout is difficult to predict. Shutterstock

March 22, 2018

Low‑paid ‘women’s work’: why early childhood educators are walking out

Susan Irvine, Queensland University of Technology; Karen Thorpe, The University of Queensland, and Paula McDonald, Queensland University of Technology

Research shows early childhood educators are among the lowest-paid Australians, with some finding better pay in other fields such as night-time retail work.

Not all young children want – or are able – to sleep at the same time. Shutterstock

October 5, 2017

Sleep and the restless preschooler: why policies need to change

Karen Thorpe, The University of Queensland; Sally Staton, The University of Queensland; Simon Smith, The University of Queensland, and Susan Irvine, Queensland University of Technology

Mandatory sleep times in early childhood settings do not work for children, educators or parents, and need to change.

Early childhood educators are paid below the national average. from www.shutterstock.com

November 24, 2016

Early childhood educators rely on families to prop up low income, research finds

Paula McDonald, Queensland University of Technology; Karen Thorpe, Queensland University of Technology, and Susan Irvine, Queensland University of Technology

Research shows early childhood educators tend to prop up their low-paid jobs using their household income, or by borrowing from families.

Those teachers who upgraded to an early childhood teaching degree were most likely to leave the profession. from www.shutterstock.com

June 22, 2016

One in five early childhood educators plan to leave the profession

Susan Irvine, Queensland University of Technology; Jennifer Sumsion, Charles Sturt University; Jo Lunn, Queensland University of Technology, and Karen Thorpe, Queensland University of Technology

20% of surveyed early education educators said they want to leave their job due to low pay, volume of paperwork and feeling undervalued.

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