Choosing What’s Right: The Art of Ethical Decision Making (2-part series)

On any given day, early childhood educators make hundreds of decisions—from simple choices about routines and resources to profound and sometimes long-lasting judgments about children’s dignity and our relationships with families and colleagues. Each decision carries a weight of professional responsibility, but how do we know we’re truly choosing what’s right?

“Choosing What’s Right: The Art of Ethical Decision Making” is a two-part session designed to help educators navigate the messy complexity of ethical decision-making in everyday early childhood contexts. Using the ECA Code of Ethics as an essential guide, we will learn how to weigh options, understand diverse perspectives, and act in the best interests of children and families as we make professional decisions.

Through collaborative discussion and practical examples, participants will explore how we make daily ethical choices that positively impact children’s learning and wellbeing. 
This session will challenge educators to reflect on what is right for their unique context, examine principled approaches to practice decisions, and discover how working together can create meaningful, ethical programs that help children and communities thrive

Key Themes:

• The nature of ethical decisions in early childhood settings
• The difference between “what to do” and “what is right to do”
• Navigating diverse perspectives and contexts (what’s right for one service may not be right for another)
• The role of ethical principles in decision making
• Collaborative approaches to ethical dilemmas
• Aligning decisions with EYLF v2.0 principles and outcomes
• The nature and impact of ethical decisions in early childhood settings
• Distinguishing between “what to do” and “what is right to do”
• The role of ethical principles and frameworks like the ECA Code of Ethics in decision making
• Navigating diverse perspectives and service contexts using the ECA Code of Ethics
• Collaborative approaches to resolving ethical dilemmas
• Aligning decisions with EYLF v2.0 principles, practices and outcomes

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Recognise the significance and complexity of ethical decisions, and articulate why ethical considerations are essential in early childhood education
• Identify and analyse ethical dilemmas using the ECA Code of Ethics and the EYLF v2.0 principles as a guide
• Apply practical frameworks and strategies for principled decision-making in everyday practice
• Collaborate effectively with colleagues to resolve ethical challenges and foster a culture of ethical practice
• Reflect on personal and organisational values, and evaluate how these influence decision-making
• Develop and implement practical action steps to ensure practice choices support ethical approaches to children’s learning, wellbeing, and rights