Collette Tayler Indigenous Education Scholarship (Graduate)

About the donor

Professor Emeritus Collette Tayler held the Chair in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) at the University of Melbourne. She completed a PhD in Education at the University of Western Australia; a Bachelor of Education at Edith Cowan University; a Diploma of Teaching at Mount Lawley College of Advanced Education, Perth; and a Teacher's Certificate (Primary) at Kelvin Grove Teachers College, Brisbane. After graduating as a teacher in 1969, Collette worked in different parts of Australia and overseas, consistently focusing on effective teaching, and young children's learning and development.

Professor Tayler passed away on Friday 1 December 2017, surrounded by family.

Professor Tayler was raised with her four siblings on a farm outside Beaudesert, Queensland. She attended a Brisbane boarding school to complete secondary education and then studied to become a teacher. She married Allan Tayler, an engineer, and they lived in different parts of Australia, raising two children to appreciate the importance of learning, respect for the natural environment and appreciation of human ingenuity.

A love of nature and realisation of the importance of education for life enabled Professor Tayler to develop a range of interests and skills that ensured economic independence, and work experiences in Australia and abroad. Over her lifetime, her respect for Indigenous women and elders grew as she observed their knowledge of environment, community orientation, and generosity toward fellow Australians, despite experiencing significant political and economic disadvantage.

Professor Tayler was a trusted advisor to the Department of Education and Training. Her expertise was sought through several projects, including the recent revision of the Victorian Early Learning and Development Framework and the Education State Early Childhood Reform Plan: Ready for Kinder, Ready for School, Ready for life.

Professor Tayler had a strong interest and commitment toward working with Indigenous communities to promote child and family learning, development and wellbeing. As an early childhood educator and researcher, her work addressed studies involving pre-birth to eight-year-old children and families. She led numerous research and development projects which addressed home, centre and school-based learning environments in culturally and linguistically diverse urban, regional and remote communities.

Some of Professor Tayler's more notable achievements include co-authoring the OECD Thematic Report on Early Childhood Education and Care across 20 countries.