ACA Queensland President’s Report Welcome to the 2022 Early Edition Autumn Issue. What a start we’ve had to 2022. The opening of Queensland’s borders in mid-December brought on the rapid escalation of COVID-19 cases as predicted, and our sector bore the brunt of this in the form of unprecedented staff and child absences. Services everywhere scrambled to maintain ratios and – where that was not possible – to close rooms, consolidate services or anything else they could do in order to continue to provide care and education for Queensland children. Like many of our member APs, your Committee members often found themselves back ‘on the floor’ to ensure their services could remain open. Many service operators have told us that December-January-February has been the most stressful period they have experienced in many years in the sector. Advice and requirements appeared to change on a daily basis, and the lack of clarity from our state’s decision-makers compounded the pressure. ACA Qld was in constant contact with both State and Commonwealth Government. We were pleased to see a number of ‘wins’ including changes to gap fee waivers and allowable absences to assist families, plus the sensible temporary relaxation of some regulatory requirements over the peak of the impact. We note, of course, that gap fee waivers are great for families but reduce a service’s income at a time when many costs are fixed. We continue to advocate for financial support for all services so that, in turn, they can offer financial relief to families. We have relayed to government the sector’s disappointment that its concerns appear to have gone largely
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EARLY EDITION > AUTUMN 2022
unheard amidst all the planning and media attention around ‘back to school, back to work’. We have never left! The early learning sector has remained open for 52 weeks a year over the entire pandemic and struggled through the extraordinary impacts of the Omicron peak. I feel immensely proud of how we have managed to maintain service for so many Queensland families throughout what can only be described as a crisis. We have received very positive feedback on our COVID-19 Management Kit and will continue to update this as new developments emerge. Amidst all this, the expiry of the transitional arrangements for Early Childhood Teachers (ECTs) in Queensland came and went with hardly a mention. The sensible introduction of the Working Towards Special Exemption in late 2021 provided a reprieve for services without the required number of fullyqualified ECTs. That measure was introduced for the first half of 2022, and we are very keen to see what the Department of Education will do next regarding this matter, especially considering that few, if any studying ECTs could have been released for prac placements in the first part of this year. Of course, workforce issues continue to be of paramount concern for virtually every early learning service in Queensland. We have watched with great interest as other states have introduced initiatives such as support for accelerated ECT programs, scholarships and other incentives, and overseas recruitment drives. We will continue to press the Queensland Government to match these initiatives to ensure our state is not left behind in the battle to recruit and retain high quality ECEC staff.
More than ever, staff working in our sector need something to look forward to, so we are very excited that early bird registrations for our 2022 Conference are now open! This is always an absolute highlight of the year, a blend of learning and fun, fun, fun! Supporting your staff to attend is a great way to acknowledge their contribution during some very trying times. Last year’s conference sold out well in advance, so please don’t delay in registering your team. We are delighted that in 2022 your college, the College for Australian Early Childhood Educators (CAECE), will be adding the Diploma of Leadership and Management, completely contextualised for the early learning sector. Look out for more news of this exciting development for your emerging leaders. Your ACA Qld membership comes up for renewal at the end of March, you will have received an email recently about our new member portal. I do hope you plan to renew. Belonging to your sector peak body is the best way for you to stay informed, be supported, and lend your voice to advocacy for a strong sector that provides all Queensland children with the best start in life. We are proud of what ACA is continuing to achieve for our sector, both in Queensland and nationally, and look forward to ongoing successes as the year unfolds.
Majella Fitzsimmons ACA Qld President
