Early Edition Spring 2014

EarlyEdition SPRING 2014

ACA Queensland welcomes a new President New training college launched Celebrating Early Childhood Educators Day 2014 National Conference

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EarlyEdition SPRING 2014

Cover Photo: St Michael’s Early Learning Centre

ACA Queensland

Contents

Location: 11/6 Vanessa Boulevard, Springwood Mailing: PO Box 137, Springwood QLD 4127 Telephone: (07) 3808 2366 Fax: (07) 3808 2466 Toll Free: 1300 365 325 (outside Brisbane) Web: www.childcareqld.org.au Email: info@childcarequeensland.com.au

ACA QLD welcomes a new President

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CEO Report

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Kids Alive do the five!

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What is a lease?

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Disclaimer: Articles published in this magazine are published as a service to readers and should not be substituted for specific advice in relation to any issue.

While advertising in this magazine is encouraged, ACA Queensland accepts no responsibility for the contents of the advertisements. Advertisements are accepted in good faith and liability for advertising content, goods or services supplied is the responsibility of the advertiser.

CAECE launched

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Celebrate your Educators

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Understanding Employment Law in Child Care

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Guiding children’s behaviour

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2014 National Conference

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Transition Statements

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Educator in profile

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The Playdough Project

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Documentation: Getting the right balance

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Making Learning Visible

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Get Super Fit

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Associate Member Directory

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MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE Executive

Committee Members

ACA Queensland Office

President - Jae Fraser

Linda Davies

General Manager - James Blake

Vice President - Brent Stokes

Majella Fitzsimmons

Senior Office Admin - Jen Smyth

Treasurer - Rachel Procida

John Keast

Office Admin Assistant - Julie Fenech

Secretary - Debra North

Kerrie Lada

KASS Project Manager - Linda McConville

CEO - Gwynn Bridge

Peter Price Prue Turnbull EARLY EDITION > Spring 2014

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ACA QLD welcomes a new President It with great excitement that I write my very first President’s report for Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) Queensland.

I am so privileged to be given this opportunity and I thank each of you for your vote of confidence. I also thank you and the Management Committee for the very warm welcome into this new position. I would like to acknowledge Peter Price for his time as President of ACA Queensland and thank him for his time and contribution to the association and the ECEC sector.

I have been involved in this industry since I can remember and began working as a volunteer in our family centre in my school holidays; from there I have worked across all levels from assistant to preschool teacher and into various senior management positions overseeing centres across Australia and Singapore. My passion has always been educating, creating something special and making a difference for children (cliché I know)!

All I can do is try, like each and every one of you do daily.

The time has now come for me to get back to the ground level and rekindle my passion and make that difference and I can’t wait. I aim to be available for all members and am keen to represent from the hands on perspective. You can get in contact with me at any stage through the ACA Queensland office.

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I am committed to the President’s position and have been entrusted to advocate for all members across Queensland and I plan to do just that.

I will be working closely with Gwynn Bridge to support her and help in any way I can to ensure better outcomes for you and your centres. There are significant changes coming for our sector and now, more than ever we all need to get involved and ensure that we are speaking out to help protect what we have created.

The recovery from the incredible conference didn’t last long and the conference committee met the week after to review all feedback provided and begin planning next years. We thank you for your feedback and suggestions, and always welcome members input into everything we do.

A special thank you to the conference committee for all of their hard work and effort into creating such a magic event each year.

Gwynn and the ACA Queensland office will ensure that I hit the ground running and get straight into the role, which I am grateful for and there are a number of meetings scheduled throughout September and October.

My very first will be The Queensland Education Accord Summit - The Queensland Government is undertaking extensive consultation with parents, schools, unions and schooling sectors to map out the future of education and create Queensland’s first Education Accord.

The Queensland Plan, recently released, outlines the state’s shared vision for the next 30 years, identifying local and state-wide priorities. I am a summit participant and I am excited to be advocating for the Early Education piece, I also look forward to meeting all participants and spreading the importance of ECEC far and wide.

Also, I will be attending the stakeholder engagement meetings with DETE in Gwynn’s absence.

Early Childhood Educators’ Day is Wednesday 3rd September and I love this day! I love seeing and hearing about all the ways that families, children and Approved Providers show their thanks and recognition of the amazing work that you do. It’s a day to recognise and celebrate the important role that ECEs play in the development and education of our children.

I read a quote once. It goes something like this: “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning.

But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”

This is a day to show our appreciation for the countless hours Early Childhood Educators facilitate the “work of childhood” while enriching the lives of children and preparing them for success in the future. On this special day of recognition, I want to thank all of the Early Childhood Educators all across Queensland for putting our youngest learners on the road to success.

Thank you

Jae Fraser - President

CEO Report We welcome to Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) Queensland our new President, Jae Fraser.

We also thank Peter Price for his dedication to the association over the past four years which has been a period of high growth for the association.

Jae has been involved in the sector for many years, commencing as a trainee, and now holds his Bachelor of Early Childhood. Jae has worked for a large corporate organisation as a General Manager of Operations and has recently moved to operate his own ECEC service. Jae brings with him enthusiasm and we all look forward to his leadership over the coming years.

We also welcome Brent Stokes into the position of Vice President and Rachel Procida as Treasurer.

We also thank John Keast for the dedication he has shown in his role as Vice President. We are delighted that he is now President of the Australian Childcare Centres Association (ACCCA) – the employer registered union and also Chair of the College for Australian Early Childhood Educators (CAECE).

John remains on the committee as a committee member.

We have been on an exciting journey over the past three months. Our association is progressive and while we are already established as a leader in the sector, our achievements continue to be embedded in our growth as an association and in our member benefits.

Our conference this year was the biggest we have held and feedback on the speakers and workshops that were provided was positive. Our hope is that you all go back to your services feeling energised and excited to introduce new and reinforced ideas from your weekend.

Childcare Queensland (CQ) celebrated its 10th year of operation at the conference this year. The lineage of the association goes back 30 plus years through the Quality Professional Child Care Centres Association (QPCCCA).

Over the past 10 years CQ has grown exponentially in membership, extending to the government funded support program Kindergarten Advisory Support Service (KASS), workshops and advocacy.

The launch of our Registered Training Organisation (RTO), the College for Australian Early Childhood Educators (CAECE), was the culmination of a four year dream. Our aim is to ensure that students receive the best early childhood experience through intense training and support by our Trainers.

Please call our office if you wish to discuss the philosophy of the College or if you have any educators who may wish to be part of the College to study their Certificate III or Diploma qualifications.

CAECE will ensure the longevity and financial stability of our Association.

Since the inception of the ACA, our Federal body that provides advocacy and support to state and territory association members, our concern has been that with each state and territory having different names and logos we did not appear as the cohesive and substantial group that we have become.

With the support of the Guild Group, ACA took the first step at the conference to create a more unified brand. Assistant Minister for Education Sussan Ley, Queensland Minister for Education John Paul Langbroek, and David Piacentino (Guild Group) helped ACA launch the new and unified brand.

Our website will be launched in the next few months to complete the vision.

The task of the moment is addressing the Productivity Commission Draft Report. This Draft Report poses substantial threats to families and to the sector. I have appeared

before the Productivity Commission Forum to be questioned on various recommendations, we have several newspaper reports on our position and concerns and we have completed a submission, which has been circulated to members.

Throughout September, I will be spending time with my family but will remain in contact through email.

The final report from the Productivity Commission to Government will be released late October after which we will be seeking assistance from the membership of all of the ACA states to ensure that government understands the impact of any recommendations put forward in that final report. We thank you for your participation in the Member Survey and also for circulating the Parent Survey as both of these have informed and substantiated our submission.

We celebrated Early Childhood Educators’ Day on Wednesday 3rd September. Thank you to each and every educator for your dedication and commitment to the children of Australia. You are our unsung heroes and we hope that on ECE Day families, children, colleagues, the community and employers all took a moment to express their acknowledgement of and gratitude for the amazing work you do each and every day.

Kind regards

Gwynn Bridge - Chief Executive Officer

EARLY EDITION > Spring 2014

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Kids Alive do the five!

In 1988 to combat drowning, water safety campaigner, former Olympic swimming coach and Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) Queensland patron Laurie Lawrence created the Kids Alive Do the Five water safety program.

The Kids Alive community service program educates the public on five important steps to reduce the risk of preschool drowning.

Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) Queensland Vice President Brent Stokes attended the launch of the new Kids Alive Do the Five education materials on Friday, 5 September 2014.

“Laurie Lawrence has devoted his life to the Kids Alive drowning prevention campaign in an effort to combat accidental death by drowning of kids. I hope this goes a long way to achieving Laurie’s goal that is also now my goal of zero child deaths from accidental drowning in Australia,” Mr Stokes said.

The Honourable the Minister for Health and Minister for Sport Peter Dutton MP was also on hand to launch the initiative at an early learning centre on the Gold Coast with the very children the programme is aimed at.

According to the 2012-13 National Drowning Report produced by the Royal Live Saving Society Australia, 31 children aged under five drowned in 4

EARLY EDITION > Spring 2014

that year – a 48 per cent rise on the previous year.

This new water safety initiative for young children aims to halve the number of drowning deaths in Australia by 2020.

The educational materials focus on water safety messages for the pool, home, beach and farm setting.

Working closely with Laurie Lawrence, the Government is investing around $1 million a year to produce, develop and distribute water safety messages, DVDs and educational material targeting more than 1.5 million Australian children aged up to four years.

Kids Alive Program delivers free water safety education materials including 4 books, children’s DVD and music CD to every early learning centre in Australia.

The new programme builds on the highly successful Living with Water DVD, with new songs, videos and books aimed at improving water safety at the beach, around pools, in

homes and on farms. It does so in a fun and engaging format for young children.

“As a father of three, nothing distresses me more than the drowning of a child and a family being ripped apart by such tragedy,” Mr Dutton said.

“I hope that by educating children about water safety they will be able to enjoy themselves in the water without harm.

“Laurie Lawrence brings the wealth of knowledge and dedication to improving the safety of our children in water. He has developed an outstanding new curriculum that will save lives – and heartache,” Mr Dutton said.

A copy of the resources will be delivered to early childhood education and care services across Australia, free of charge.

Parents can also access these fun and entertaining educational resources for free from the Kids Alive website www.kidsalive.com.au.

EARLY EDITION > Spring 2014

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What is a lease?

Daniel Armfield > Porta Lawyers

In future articles we will be examining leases in more detail. Through this examination we hope to provide you with a better understanding on how a lease operates and how to interpret the information contained within it What is a Lease?

A lease is a legal instrument provided to a tenant by a landlord granting them exclusive use and possession of a premises. It is a legal interest in land protected by law subject to the terms and conditions contained in the lease.

A lease in registrable form will in most instances contain a first page Form 7 and Form 20 Schedule. The Form 7 is the first page of the lease that contains the real property description.

The Form 20 Schedule contains the detailed terms and conditions as agreed between the landlord and the tenant. In most comprehensive leases the Form 20 Schedule will contain an index and details page. The latter contains precise information such as base rent, outgoings, car parks, guarantors and so on.

Another very important part of the lease is the definitions section, usually commencing on page 3 or 4 of the lease or at the end. This part of the lease defines words and phrases used in the terms and conditions. This will define what in particular the landlord can charge you for outgoings, what

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the common areas are, core trading hours, air-conditioning equipment, appurtenances, limited proportion, option exercise period and so forth.

Tenants and landlords should make themselves very familiar with this area of the lease to ensure they protect their interests accordingly.

Tenant’s Maintenance v Landlord’s Capital Works One definition you rarely find in a lease is one for “Capital Works”. This can be problematic because it is a leading issue in disputes between landlords and tenants. The question is, “is it the tenant’s responsibility or the landlord’s?”

If the definitions are silent in relation to determining what exactly is of a “Capital Nature” then, as a guide, a summary of Australian case law would suggest that the covenant to repair is mitigated where a premises has an inherent defect or the need for the tenant’s repair is caused by the lack of the structural integrity in the premises.

The ultimate question in relation to the tenant’s covenant to repair is; whether the works were rendered necessary by ordinary wear and tear? Moreover, inherent defects in a leased premises or ongoing structural deficiencies merely provide that the tenant must repair. It does not impose an obligation to remove the defect. Accordingly, a tenant cannot practically repair items that are in need of replacement.

Because the above repairs can be costly and if a landlord continues to interpret works of a capital nature to the tenant’s detriment, then an application to the court for a determination of the clauses should be undertaken by the tenant.

While this may sound like a costly solution, capital repairs in some instances can end up being well over $100,000 either immediately or cumulatively over many years. www.portalawyers.com.au

CAECE launched James Blake > General Manager

ACA Queensland has listened to feedback from its members and has launched a brand new training college to provide quality training that the sector deserves.

Members have consistently expressed their disappointment in the quality of training being delivered across the sector and their frustration with external, online and classroom-based delivery modes that often leave students unprepared for the realities of our workplaces.

This dissatisfaction has prompted ACA Queensland to launch the College for Australian Early Childhood Educators (CAECE). CAECE is a registered training organisation and user choice provider with the Queensland Government and has been established specifically to address the specific deficits in products and services offered by existing training providers.

There is a responsibility on government to design funding programs that support the integrity of qualifications. Unfortunately, recent funding incentives and programs such as the Certificate III Guarantee (which

offers reduced funding to registered training organisation), resulted in an increase in the instances of low quality, fast delivery programs that appear beneficial to educators but are ultimately inferior substitutions for more formal training.

ACA Queensland believes all qualifications should be delivered in the workplace via structured and formal training, as this has proven to achieve the best outcomes for educators and the children in their care.

Every student should be supported by an appropriately qualified and industry current trainer who conducts scheduled visits, guides students, supports and understands the role of the workplace supervisor, and spends more time teaching than marking.

best outcomes for educators and the children in their care. We believe that trainers should always be aware of the latest industry developments.

This means that the qualifications CAECE deliver are developed by experienced practitioners, and are industry current and highly relevant to the ever evolving long day care sector.

ACA Queensland and CAECE are committed to delivering quality education to those working within the early childhood sector.

We are passionate about equipping our youngest educators with the best skills possible to provide the best start to life and learning for the children in their care. www.caece.com.au

ACA Queensland is committed to ensuring that CAECE provides the

EARLY EDITION > Spring 2014

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Celebrate your Educators

Thank you to all the services that shared their celebrations with us. It was a hard decision but we were finally able to choose the three lucky services to receive a $1000 voucher courtesy of Modern Teaching Aids.

Here is a snapshot of their celebrations:

Torquay Kids Early Learning Centre We based our Early Childhood Educators Day celebrations around relationships – with family, children, community and each other – and what it means to all of us and came up with a theme based around love and support.

On this day there were many things that we were able to do to demonstrate how we felt about each other and join in a festive gala together.

We decided on a luau theme which holds ceremonial meaning that we connected with, particularly with the giving of the lei. The lei is a traditional symbol of love and respect. All educators were given a lei and received words of thanks and praise from parents and children. Certificates of appreciation were given to staff along with their gift certificate from one of our families’ new café. It was a very proud moment for all our educators.

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D BE - PRO U TO

From the ACA Queensland team and Management Committee, to all the hardworking educators across Queensland, thank you and we hope that your day was a wonderful celebration of your achievements.

D

It is a celebration that acknowledges the important role educators play in educating, caring and giving the next generation of Australians the best start in life.

AN EAR L CHILDH Y OOD EDUCA TOR

BE - PRO TO U

For the first time on 3 September 2014, Early Childhood Educators’ Day was celebrated across Australia. The annual event is set aside for our dedicated and passionate educators.

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BE - PRO TO U

D

It’s that exciting time of year again! Educators across Australia woke up on the first Wednesday in September with a spring in their step!

BE - PRO U TO

ACA Queensland Team

St Michael’s College Early Learning Centre This year we celebrated Educators Day with Fun – what does this mean to you? All the Educators chose a dress up that they felt was fun! We also invited the children to dress up – and they did!

We had a ‘thanking tree’ and the families were asked to add to the tree with notes. They embraced this idea and we have a tree covered in ‘Thankyous’.

We had a very special cake created for the educators with every staff member’s name on it.

It was a combined effort to make this day special to all our educators and to let them know that we appreciated them for all their hard work and dedication in providing high quality care and education to the families in our community!

LEAD Childcare Goondiwindi To celebrate the amazing job our educators do at our Centre we had a fancy dress party with the children and families. We had a parade through the playground of all our outfits.

We have a baker in one of our families and she made us the most amazing cake with all of the educator’s faces on it.

As we live in a small country town, we have great relationships with all our families. We see each other on the weekends at sporting events, up the main street shopping or even out to dinner at one of our local restaurants.

Both children and educators had a beautiful morning outdoors playing, dancing and eating yummy food together to celebrate Early Childhood Educator’s Day.

EARLY EDITION > Spring 2014

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What happens when you find you’re not fully covered?

A claim can hit like a bolt from the blue. The shock of finding there are holes in your insurance cover will affect your reputation, your livelihood and your stress levels. It can also have consequences for the families that put their trust in you.

Your business is too precious to entrust to any off-the-shelf insurance cover. No insurer understands Early Learning better than Guild; that’s why the major Childcare Associations around Australia refer members to Guild as not only great value, but also a great partner.

Protect your centre with Guild.

• Up to $20 million liability and professional indemnity cover • Fast settlement to get you up and running again quickly • 2 hours free legal advice if you claim • Outstanding value for money: no fees, no excess • Peace of mind; the children and families are fully protected

Call Guild now on 1800 810 213 and we’ll put you in touch with an account manager who will tailor your cover to the needs of your centre.

guildinsurance.com.au

You’ve made the right choice.

Insurance issued by Guild Insurance Ltd, ABN 55 004 538 863, AFSL 233791 and subject to terms, conditions and exclusions. Guild Insurance supports your association through the payment of referral fees. This document contains general advice only and doesn’t take into account what you currently have, want and need for your personal circumstances. It is important for you to consider these matters and read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and policy before you make a decision about an insurance product. You can get a copy of the PDS by calling 1800 810 213.

GLD2878 – Generic Childcare Advertisement 08/2014.

Understanding Employment Law in Child Care Guild Insurance

Employment related disputes are an increasing trend in child care claims reported to Guild Insurance.

These claims indicate that some employers may not be aware of their obligations and the laws governing them as an employer.

This can have serious consequences for their business as there are a number of legal avenues available to an employee if they feel they have been treated unfairly.

Case examples • Following complaints about an employee’s unprofessional conduct towards children, the employer conducted an investigation into the matter and subsequently decided to terminate the employee. The employee then lodged an unfair dismissal claim with Fair Work Australia.

• An employee offered her resignation claiming she was forced to resign due to hostile and unfair treatment by her supervisor. However she then claimed her employment was terminated unlawfully as an end date was never agreed to.

She also questioned the payout entitlements offered by her employer.

• An employee lodged a complaint with Fair Work Australia claiming she was expected to attend meetings outside of work hours and was not paid for these. Her employer claimed attendance was optional and that is why she was not paid.

• An employee resigned and the employer did not pay all of the outstanding wages and leave entitlements. The employer stated this was because of the unprofessional conduct and behaviour of the employee since leaving. A complaint was lodged with Fair Work Australia.

• An already employed staff member undertook a course of further study. During this period his salary was dropped to a trainee salary.

The employee disputed this and claimed back pay.

How to avoid or manage these claims It is important for every employer to understand that there are laws which govern what they do as an employer.

There are laws surrounding salaries and awards, leave entitlements and terminating employment. Employers can’t simply do as they please, no matter how their employee behaves.

They must follow the law.

The following two websites contain a great deal of easy to follow information to assist employers, and employees, understand their obligations.

• www.fairwork.gov.au • www.fwc.gov.au If you employ fewer than 15 people, you need to make yourself aware of the Small Business Fair Dismissal Code. Details on this can be found at www.fairwork.gov.au/termination/ small-business-fair-dismissal-code Whilst you aren’t expected to become an expert in employment law, it is worth becoming familiar with the 10 National Employment Standards.

Information on these can be found at www.fairwork.gov.au/employment/ national-employment-standards If you do find yourself in a difficult situation regarding an employment matter and you hold a Guild Insurance Child Care Insurance policy, you are entitled to two (2) hours of free legal advice under the policy. This advice can assist you to deal with a matter correctly and fairly whilst it’s still in its early stage. This can prevent the situation escalating into a more serious legal matter. www.guildinsurance.com.au

Final key tips 1. Keep records of all discussions held with staff regarding performance or warnings, even if meetings are informal. Complaints can arise many months after an event and you may not recall what was said or agreed upon.

2. Follow correct procedural fairness when there is any sort of employment related investigation.

Assistance with this can be found at www.fairwork.gov.au.

3. Don’t make decisions in the heat of the moment. Take time to think about the matter before taking action.

4. Be aware of your obligations when making arrangements for staff who are returning to work following parental leave (www.fairwork.gov. au/leave/parental-leave) or having been injured (seek information from your state or territory based workers’ compensation authority).

5. Seek legal advice before acting to be sure you comply with the law.

As previously mentioned, legal advice is available under the Guild Insurance Child Care Insurance policy.

Insurance issued by Guild Insurance Limited ABN 55 004 538 863, AFS Licence No. 233 791 and subject to terms, conditions and exclusions. This document contains general advice only and doesn’t take into account what you currently have, want and need for your personal circumstances.

It is important for you to consider these matters and read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and policy before you make a decision about an insurance product. You can get a copy of the PDS by calling 1800 810 213. Guild Insurance supports your Association through the payment of referral fees for certain products or services you take out with them. GLD2861 Risk Alert – Understanding Employment Law 07/2014

EARLY EDITION > Spring 2014

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Guiding children’s behaviour Dr Brenda Abbey > Childcare by Design

Guiding children’s behaviour remains a challenge for many educators, and is one of the most frequently requested workshop topics.

It is also the workshop from which educators are most likely to leave disappointed. Perhaps this is because educators attend to collect strategies to guide children’s behaviour in the same way they collect ideas for their learning spaces or craft activities.

While good ideas can be effective, not all good ideas work in behaviour guidance.

The explanation is simple.

Our behaviour guidance strategies need to be consistent with our beliefs about the way children learn to behave.

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To enable us to adopt and implement new strategies on behaviour guidance, we need to clarify what we believe about the way children learn to behave.

Clarifying beliefs The National Quality Framework (NQF) draws upon findings that human beings are born with a need to belong, and to be valued and respected by others. The NQF identifies educators as pivotal in helping children satisfy their need to belong, and in scaffolding children’s relationships with others.

Since our behaviour guidance strategies must be consistent with the NQF, these strategies need to facilitate children’s desire to belong and also uphold their dignity. We would not use behaviour guidance strategies that would in any way better one child’s social standing over that of another. An example is ‘parallel praise’ where one child is praised so others copy that child’s behaviour.

“Wow, Jamie! I like the way you’re packing up the blocks” (said so that other children will imitate Jamie).

Also consistent with the NQF is the understanding that social skills are complex; acquiring and perfecting them is a work-in-progress for us all.

Everyone makes mistakes, especially young children. In Gartrell’s Young Children article, ‘Misbehaviour or mistaken behaviour’, he reasons that the social experiences of children are limited and their thinking skills are still developing.

Identifying our role Myth 1: Guiding children’s behaviour takes us away from our work with the children.

Guiding children’s behaviour is not a distraction from our work but an important and large part of it. Equipping children with the social skills to relate happily, purposefully, and respectfully to others is one of the greatest gifts we can impart to them.

Myth 2: Children’s behavioural mistakes need to be drawn to their attention, so they know not to repeat them.

We encourage children’s attempts to walk and talk without emphasising or punishing their ‘mistakes’. We need to take a similar approach to their attempts to use new social skills. We need to encourage and support them as they learn.

We know from our own experience that having our mistakes brought to our attention is less helpful than being shown a better way to do the task.

Myth 3: Our behaviour guidance strategies need to be different for all children if we have a child with challenging behaviour in our group.

No matter how skilfully we apply the best behaviour guidance strategies, they will not work with all children. Some children have highly complex social needs which demand additional strategies specific to those needs. These additional strategies need to be consistent with our beliefs to be effective. Further, when we use these strategies, it is important to recognise that onlooking children are also affected.

Remember that our role in guiding children’s behaviour is to: • P rovide children with a physical environment that supports happy and harmonious play.

• M odel respectful social interactions with others, including children.

• Use children’s ‘mistakes’ as opportunities to teach them social skills – without impatience, anger, or the need to highlight their ‘mistakes’.

Teaching social skills As educators, we need a wellrehearsed repertoire of skilful professional responses to draw from to shape children’s social skills and guide their behaviour. Part of our problem in teaching social skills to children is that we are not clear about what these social skills entail.

How would you support a child to be included in group play with other children? Maybe you would ask the children if the child could join them.

However, if we consider how we would manage joining a group at a social gathering, we would feel uncomfortable if someone intervened in that way on our behalf. Instead we would more likely listen to the group’s conversation and, when timely, contribute something valuable to the conversation. Perhaps then, a strategy for supporting a child to join the children playing ‘cars’ might be to suggest to the child to drive a police car to the scene as if someone had made a 000 call.

Social environment A supportive environment helps children learn the social skills they need to play and learn happily with others. Such environments are aesthetic, well-organised and uncluttered, and children can freely choose activities.

Guidelines are displayed to remind children how to care for one another and to look after the physical environment (inside and out). The children, even young children, need to be involved in the development

of these guidelines. The guidelines need to be couched in positive terms, clearly displayed, and used as a reference when responding to inappropriate behaviours.

Social problem-solving To promote social problem-solving, educators need to teach children how to effectively resolve disagreements.

This involves strategies such as: • P rompts to “use your words” (e.g.

Did you ask Joseph to share the blocks with you?)

• F ollowing up a child’s assertive message • Arbitrated solutions • Facilitated social problem-solving Encouragement and choice Understand the difference between praise and encouragement, and the different effects these have on the child to whom they are directed and the onlooking children. Children are encouraged when their efforts are acknowledged in a way that develops their ability to recognise and accept their positive qualities and strengths.

Encouragement focuses on the deed rather than the doer, develops the ability to self-evaluate, and enables children to value learning.

It also accepts diverse abilities and strengths rather than compares.

The choice approach refers to providing children with options to replace their inappropriate behaviours. To be effective we need to remind children of the guidelines that they helped to create, but without disapproval. Ask, “Are you able to follow our guidelines? How can I help you to do this?” Even a toddler can sense your message.

Guiding Children’s Behaviour may continue to be one of the most sought after workshops. However, the focus of the workshops should be on how to create effective social environments for young children, and on strategies to teach children social problem-solving. www.childcarebydesign.com.au

EARLY EDITION > Spring 2014

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2014 National Conference ACA Queensland Conference Committee

Australian Childcare Alliance Queensland (formerly Childcare Queensland) held its biggest conference with more than 700 attendees from across Australia.

The conference was held from 25–27 July 2014 at RACV Royal Pines Resort on the beautiful Gold Coast with the theme People, Purpose and Passion.

We kicked off with welcome drinks on Friday, sponsored by the College for Australian Early Childhood Educators.

The following days included plenty of excitement with the launch of the new and unified Australian Childcare Alliance national brand.

The conference also provided valuable opportunities for delegates to interact and network with peers and also have a look around the exhibition hall for the latest products, technologies and services from our exhibitors.

Delegates were also treated to an array of inspirational speakers, industry information sessions and interactive workshops.

The conference favourite, the Gala Dinner, was a roaring success once

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again with delegates dressing up in their favourite magical costumes.

We spotted Harry Potter, the Smurfs, Dorothy, an oompa loompa, the Mad Hatter, witches, a number of fairies and many more!

We would like to extend our thank you to the Assistant Minister for Education, the Hon Sussan Ley MP and the Queensland Minister for Education, the Hon John Paul Langbroek for taking time out of their busy schedules to help us open the conference as well as launch the new ACA national brand.

Thank you to all the speakers who shared their knowledge and expertise.

A very special thank you to all our sponsors including Guild Insurance, Child Care Super, Modern Teaching Aid, QK Technologies, Playground Services Australia, Hesta and ANZ for making the whole weekend possible.

Thank you to all the exhibitors for their continuous support and undying passion for the early childhood and education sector.

We would also like to thank Mr Jae Fraser for the laughter and guiding us throughout the conference as Master of Ceremonies.

Selected presentations from the conference are available on our website. Photos from the conference are also available on our Facebook page.

We are already in the process of planning another great conference for next year, so stay tuned for an announcement in the coming months. If you have any suggestions for workshops or presenters, please contact our office.

EARLY EDITION > Spring 2014

15

Transition Statements Madeline Hagon > Principal Project Officer, Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority

Sharing information about children’s learning in kindergarten is an important way to support continuity of learning.

Sharing “relevant information about the program and each child’s participation in the program” with parents is required by the National Quality Standard (NQS) Quality area 1.

Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), a division of the Department for Education, Training and Employment (DETE), also expects that all approved and funded kindergarten services write a transition statement for each kindergarten aged child in their program and provide it to the child’s parents or carers.

The Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) supports kindergarten teachers by providing professional development resources. These include advice on sharing information about children’s learning in kindergarten through transition statements.

Why transition statements?

What is in a transition statement?

Transition statements summarise each child’s learning, at the end of their kindergarten year, in the five learning and development areas.

• K indergarten service, teacher and contact information

The Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline (QKLG) learning and development areas relate to the five broad learning outcomes identified in the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).

The learning and development areas describe the knowledge, skills and dispositions that children explore during the kindergarten year. Teachers monitor, document and gather evidence of each child’s learning across the year. This informs teachers’ planning and intentional teaching for each child during the year.

Transition statements are written for parents and carers, who may choose to share them with their child’s Prep teacher. Privacy legislation prevents kindergartens from providing statements directly to schools.

• T he child’s attendance history and relevant family information • I nformation about the child’s learning and development in each of the five learning and development areas • A description of the level of support the child requires (in familiar or new situations) • C ontributions from the child and their parents/carers.

What is the purpose of transition statements?

Transition statements provide an endof-year snapshot of a child’s learning.

Sharing this information helps parents, carers and other partners to promote continuity and support children as they transition to the first formal year of full-time schooling.

Transition statements can help Prep teachers to: • s upport children to settle into school • b uild on children’s strengths, talents, motivations, interests and previous learning • u nderstand children’s individual approaches to learning • i dentify individual approaches for children with diverse learning needs.

Who contributes to transition statements?

Transition statements are written in collaboration with all partners: teacher, assistants, support staff, child and parents/carers. This helps develop a shared understanding about a child’s learning.

16

EARLY EDITION > Spring 2014

COULD YOU LIVE WITH HALF?

Did you know that at least half of the Baby Boomer generation will retire on 50% of the money they need?*

Transition statements tell parents about their child’s learning in language that helps them communicate confidently with Prep teachers. This assists Prep teachers to support the child’s transition into school.

What resources are available?

The QCAA provides a range of resources to support writing effective transition statements, including:

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• Short videos on QCAA’s YouTube channel www. youtube.com/user/TheQCAA • Kindergarten: Partners in transition statements • Kindergarten: Transition from kindergarten to school • A range of online resources for teachers and families www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/28208.html • T ransition statements: Information for kindergarten teachers • Transition statements: Information for parents (brochure) • Transition statement templates and annotated samples www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/28198.html More information If you would like more information, please visit the QCAA website www.qcaa.qld.edu.au and search for ‘Kindergarten’.

Alternatively, phone 3864 0299 or email QKLG@qcaa.qld.edu.au.

*According to Rabodirect, Eureka Report published 25 July 2012.

This information is of a general nature and does not take account of your individual financial situation, objectives or needs. Before acting on this advice, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs. You should obtain a Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and consider the PDS before making any decision. If you require specific advice, you should contact a licensed financial adviser.

QIEC Super Pty Ltd ABN 81 010 897 480, the Trustee of QIEC Super ABN 15 549 636 673, is Corporate Authorised Representative No. 268804 under Australian Financial Services Licence No. 238507 and is authorised to provide general financial product advice in relation to superannuation. This limited personal advice is provided by IFAA Pty Ltd ABN 28 081 966 243 under AFSL No. 238507.

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08/08/2014 3:06:04 PM

ECTARC is offering the new CHC ACECQA approved qualifications via traineeship/ apprenticeship and distance study.

Enrol today!

• Certificate III In Early Childhood Education and Care CHC30113 • Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care CHC50113 • Diploma of School Age Education and Care CHC50213

Certificate 3 Guarantee Funding Ideal for casual staff, relief staff, staff that are not eligible to undertake a traineeship, Family Day Care providers and Outside School Hours Care educators to study the Certificate III In Early Childhood Education and Care CHC30113. Details on website.

Course fees:

Non-concessional course fee: $345.80 Concessional course fee: $138.30

Call ECTARC QLD today on 07 3345 8272 or email qld.ectarc@bigpond.com for more information on our courses, webinars and funded programs!

www.ectarc.com.au Visit www.ectarc.com.au to see the QLD Workshop Calendar and Online Webinar Workshops Calendar

Educator in profile As part of the Early Edition magazine, Australian Childcare Alliance Queensland is running profiles of early childhood educators from member services to highlight the exceptional work that they do for the sector and most importantly, for the children in our care.

In this issue, Early Edition profiles Marion Collison, an early childhood teacher from Bowen, Queensland.

She has been in the sector for more than 20 years and is the nominated supervisor at Bowen and District Child Care Centre. Marion also runs the approved kindergarten program at the service.

What is your role?

It was way back in September 1990 when I started out as a young childcare assistant in a long day care facility and here I am today still working within the industry as a passionate advocate for the early years profession.

Throughout my lengthy career, I have been fortunate enough to obtain a selection of qualifications and gain experience and knowledge in many roles - these being an assistant, group leader, assistant director in a long day care facility, a director of a limited hour’s child care service and a coordinator of an OSHC facility.

For the past ten years, I have been the director of Bowen and District Child Care and more recently have had a name change to become the nominated supervisor of the service. I am also the qualified early childhood teacher of the service.

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EARLY EDITION > Spring 2014

My role as a contact Director and Early Childhood Teacher is a very challenging task trying to maintain a happy balance, as I teach our kindergarten class three days per week and direct two days per week.

The challenge doesn’t stop there with trying to juggle family and extra university study as well as my profession. It often creates major brain overload, but who am I kidding?

Who doesn’t love a good challenge, especially if your passion for something is so strong that it inspires you to push forward to achieve your goals and set many more along the way?

What inspired you to forge a career in early childhood education & care?

As a teen I was very lost and troubled with no ambition nor motivation.

School just wasn’t interesting or a priority. This resulted in poor grades, low self-esteem and confidence. To assist me in gaining an interest in learning, the school developed an independent work experience program which allowed for me to attend the Bowen Child Care Centre one day per week for a 12 month period as a work experience student. After a short time at the centre, I knew that I was developing a passion within this role.

A flame of interest, motivation and inspiration was igniting and finally I had a purpose in life which delivered

the incentives to build upon my self-esteem and confidence as well as improving my learning potential.

Within two months of participation within this work experience program, I was offered a full-time position as a child care assistant. By being given this chance, it allowed me to embrace this opportunity to forge a very prominent career in the Early Childhood Sector.

What are you passionate about in Early Childhood?

I am passionate about making a difference and inspiring young people through learning, investigation and discovery which assists in building foundations for positive outcomes to support lifelong learning. I also am very dedicated and passionate about supporting the success of children and their families as well as having a true desire to advocate for those who don’t have a voice.

What is your biggest challenge as an Educator?

Gee what is my biggest challenge, well there is way more than one.

With many challenges, barriers and frustrations being a huge part of the Early Childhood sector, I would have to say that mine is time management and documentation.

What strategies do you have in place to manage challenges?

Well if I could just divide myself in two and one part of me can be on the floor interacting with the children while the other part of me is recording, documenting and preparing, then the problem would be solved.

But realistically, my dedicated team of professional educators help me with my challenges. Effectively communicating, delegating and working together assists in developing a positive medium for delivering success.

What is rewarding about being an early childhood educator?

By supporting, guiding, and observing each child’s transition through their early year’s journey and assisting them to become the best that they can be, is such a fulfilling gift and one that I am appreciative to be a part of. Seeing the positive effects and the difference I am making in each of their lives is deeply satisfying. With the love and admiration that these little people deliver to me as well as

watching them grow and accomplish new skills, leaves such a memorable and lasting impression and that is the biggest reward of all.

What is the most important skill you hope to develop in the children you care for?

The skill that I aim to develop in all children is give them the opportunities, skills and dispositions to become creative individuals that are able to effectively communicate, are socially adjusted as well as being able to express empathy and display the confidence and self-esteem to give anything a go. I hope that through the enriching learning experiences that I provide, they will be empowered to create an understanding of the world in which we live What role do families play on the program you deliver?

A mutually supportive and caring environment with a family-like atmosphere is created within my setting as I recognise the importance of creating a link between home and the centre. I form positive

partnerships with each parent as we work together to ensure that their precious little people are developing to their full potential to become the best that they can be. Families play an interactive role within my program and I welcome and appreciate their involvement at all times.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

In ten years, I would like to gain a lot more knowledge and learn a lot of new skills to allow for personal and professional growth. I also would solely like to be teaching my kindergarten class rather than trying to juggle the Director role as well.

What advice would you give to someone wishing to start a career in early childhood education and care?

If you are energetic, positive and adore children and are committed to giving them the best start in life, then go for it! Remember, love what you do and who you do it for and the rest will come naturally.

NOW OPEN FOR ENROLMENTS We provide quality best practice training to kick start your early childhood career.

As a CAECE student, you will: ✔ Learn from trainers and assessors with extensive industry experience. ✔ Receive individual support and tailored career guidance. ✔ Connect and network with industry leaders. ✔ Become a quality educator with practical, current workplace skills. ✔ Receive the benefits of an industry partnership with Childcare Queensland.

The College for Australian Early Childhood Educators offers: ✔ Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC30113) ✔ Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC50113) ✔ Industry led professional development workshops

To enrol today, call us on (07) 3299 5784

www.caece.com.au

Save the Date!

ACA Queensland Profile

Make sure to mark your diaries for the last batch of Members Meetings for 2014!

Meet Julie, ACA Queensland’s office admin assistant extraordinaire.

DATE

LOCATION

Monday, 10 November

Sunshine Coast

Tuesday, 11 November

Toowoomba

Wednesday, 12 November

Gold Coast

Thursday, 13 November

Ipswich

Monday, 17 November

Brisbane

Wednesday, 19 November

Cairns

If you call our office, you will be greeted by Julie’s friendly voice.

She has been with ACA Queensland for 3 years and counting. If you have any questions regarding membership, member meetings, diary orders and more, just call our office and Julie will be more than happy to assist you with your queries.

EARLY EDITION > Spring 2014

19

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Providing an exciting, and natural outdoor environment to stimulate the senses unlike anything that has been used in the past by utilising natural materials and solid construction techniques.

Spending time in nature is a crucial component of early childhood health and development. Inspiring curiosity, creativity and a sense of freedom, these unique opportunities for motor development and sensory experiences are the main focus of the new Childcare Framework recommendations.

Projects are individually designed with many factors in mind including children's development, budget constraints, owner and staff requirements and recommendations, safety and environmental, building codes and Australian standards, experience and site specifications.

Our previously completed centres and projects have seen significant occupancy improvements, as the play area can be a key deciding factor in a competitive marketplace.

Whether it is dry creek beds, bridges, hand water pumps, water play areas, mud kitchens, windmills, there is no limit to what can be created.

Ausplay are a single solution provider, with the knowledge, portfolio, experience, workforce and flexibility to undertake any size of project, all backed up by Construction Commission certifications and warranties.

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The Playdough Project Christie Warner & Amanda Lucas > The Playdough Project

As early childhood educators we are both hugely passionate about play-based learning and are firm believers that every child has the right to an education as well as an environment that fosters their desire and love for learning.

Working together at Kids Academy Spring Hill, a long day care centre that is extremely well resourced, we are privileged that we are able to extend on children’s interests and learn through play in many different ways each day.

Our journey started when we met Allan Hemerik from Pacific First Aid at one of his first aid training sessions.

He talked about his non-government organisation, Remote Island Aid, and his current project in Vanuatu which helps improve the health and education in remote villages. He showed us videos and photos of the project. There are classrooms with limited resources and buildings in desperate need of maintenance. We were inspired by his work over in the Vanuatu villages, particularly his work with the children and teachers in the remote island kindergartens.

We started thinking about how we could help and with support from Allan and Remote Island Aid, we embarked on our own journey, The PlayDough Project, raising dough for play.

Our project plan is to raise $3000 by our October trip to Vanuatu to buy much needed educational supplies locally and fund building maintenance so we can support the local economy.

The project was launched on

GoFundMe and we started advocating for our cause at our long day care centre and on Facebook. We promoted our project on early childhood pages and groups to help us reach our goal.

We began receiving words of support and donations, even other kindergartens were offering their support and donations with one offering to hold a weekend sausage sizzle with all proceeds going to The PlayDough Project. This was definitely a ‘WOW’ moment for us and reaffirmed our love for the early childhood profession and fellow educators who are just as passionate about play and education as we are!

At our long day care centre, we set up a PlayDough Project stand to sell play dough that we made ourselves. The children in our classes are involved in making, packaging and selling the play dough, which has been a great way to get them talking about helping others in meaningful ways.

Recently, we held a silent art auction with all of the children at our centre working together to design and create an array of diverse pieces of art to sell.

For many weeks, our centre hallways were adorned with the children’s beautiful pieces of work and the bidding began as our families raced to

place the highest bid on the canvases that caught their eye.

After reaching out to our local community, the project received an overwhelming response of donations and support! Many of the donations came in form of prizes for our Trivia Night being held in a couple of weeks.

“Through others we become ourselves.” Lev Vygotsky At the heart of The PlayDough Project is a desire to not only help these kindergartens and advocate for play, but also to develop ongoing relationships, learn from the children, teachers and our firsthand experiences in Vanuatu, so we can reflect on and continue to grow as educators.

At the time of writing this article, we have raised over $2571 of our $3000 goal with hope of exceeding it before our trip in October to visit and volunteer at the kindergartens.

To find out more about The PlayDough Project visit, please visit: GoFundMe www.gofundme.com/ theplaydoughproject Facebook www.facebook.com/ theplaydoughproject

EARLY EDITION > Spring 2014

21

Documentation: Getting the right balance Rhonda Livingstone > ACECQA National Education Leader

The evidence of the value of documentation in promoting and extending children’s thinking, learning and development is clear.

However questions that are often asked include, “What do we need to document, how should we organise our documentation and how much is enough?”

We have a professional responsibility to document. Documentation should assist educators in achieving quality outcomes for children.

It need not be rigid or structured in a specific way, or take us away from our important work with children.

What does the data tell us?

The data from education and care services in Queensland that have been assessed and rated (as at 30 June 2014) show that services find most it most challenging to meet National Quality Standard (NQS) Quality Area 1: Educational Program and Practice. The picture is similar across Australia. In particular, the focus on the on-going cycle of planning, documenting and evaluation, and also critical reflection, appears to be creating challenges for some services.

How do I document?

One of the strengths of the NQS and underpinning regulations is that while acknowledging the important role of documentation, it is not prescriptive about how it should be done.

Templates may be helpful in organising information, and may be useful if educators, management and educational leaders have collaboratively developed a template or a format that works for the service. However, the risk is that they can also be limiting or sometimes cause unnecessary administrative burden. It is important to remember the standards do not mandate templates or programs for documenting.

The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) (p17) reminds us why we are documenting and how the information should be used. When recording information, ask yourself, how does the documentation assist in planning effectively for children’s current and future learning and will it assist in communicating about children’s learning and progress?

The Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline (QKLG) is another useful resource and includes an example of a teacher’s mind map of a child’s learning (p. 69).

We need to think of ways to meet the standards and requirements that are not duplicative, that are useful and manageable, and that meet the outcome of enhancing children’s learning, development and wellbeing.

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EARLY EDITION > Spring 2014

Often, educators talk about the amount of time spent scrapbooking learning stories and photos, which is one way of making children’s learning visible and presenting information to, engaging and empowering families. If it is taking too much time, you may want to revisit exactly what the learning frameworks and standards require and collaboratively set some achievable, manageable benchmarks.

Ask families from your service for suggestions and seek out examples from colleagues and websites to try out.

The Professional Support Coordinators Alliance has also developed a resource entitled How to Develop a Curriculum and Assessment Process that may be a good starting point to assist in making decisions about documentation and is available from their website (www.childaustralia.org.au/ Resources/How-To-Series.aspx) What are the requirements?

The requirements for documenting and assessing or evaluating children’s learning are set out in the approved learning frameworks, Quality Area 1 of the NQS, sections 168 and 323 of the Education and Care Services National Law and in regulations 73 to 75 of the Education and Care Services National Regulations. Pages 18 to 43 of the Guide to the NQS outline the requirements and provide some practical examples of what authorised officers may observe, discuss and sight as evidence that the standards are being met.

Remember, however, this is not a checklist.

Tips on documenting

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to documenting and educators are empowered to explore a range of styles and methods to determine what works best for their children, families, service and community. Remember to: • be realistic about documentation, set achievable benchmarks • p rioritise and think about the reasons for documenting • q uestion how useful is the information we document • t hink broadly about ways of capturing children’s learning • d raw on the variety of resources available to support educators in the process.

What resources are available?

In choosing the best way to document, we need to understand the requirements of this quality area and think about how the learning frameworks inform our work, how we promote children’s learning across the learning outcomes, and how we use routines such as meal times as opportunities to maximise children’s learning outcomes.

There are other resources also available:

If your team needs assistance with critically reflecting on programs, policies and practices, the reflective questions in the approved learning frameworks and Guide to the NQS are useful starting points. Similarly, the diagram on page 11 of the Educators’ Guide to the EYLF provides useful information about the cycle of planning, documenting and evaluation.

• t he Inclusion and Professional Support Program (IPSP) online library also includes resources

Order your 2015 ACA Qld diaries now!

• t he Early Childhood Australia Professional Learning Program includes a number of fact sheets, newsletters and resources that explore documentation and provide examples

• A CECQA information sheet on Guidelines for documenting children’s learning.

Each year ACA Qld produces an annual diary which continues to be a valuable reference point for all services and their staff.

Submit photos from your service for Early Edition Summer 2014 cover page!

All member services receive one copy free of charge. Complete a diary order form if you wish to purchase additional copies or if you are not a member.

The image could be one or more children engaged in indoor or outdoor activities and feature any aspect of the wonderful learning experiences children and educators share each and every day.

The photo must be high resolution.

2014 Diary

The order form can be found at childcareqld.org.au/wp-content/ uploads/Diary-Order-form-2015.pdf.

If you have any questions, please call the ACA Queensland Office on (07) 3808 2366.

Remember to comply with appropriate privacy policies and seek parental permission where needed.

2014

ANNUAL

Childcare Queensland PO Box 137 Springwood Qld 4127 t: (07) 3808 2366 or 1300 365 325 (country & rural) f: (07) 3808 2466 e: info@childca requeensland.com.au

www.childcareqld.org.au

CONFERENCE Royal Pines Resor Gold Coast t Friday 25 July 2014 Sunday 27 July 2014

Please send in your suggestions via email to info@childcarequeensland.com.au.

EARLY EDITION > Spring 2014 23

presents

Workshop Series 4 Make Learning Visible: Communicate the value of kindergarten Are the families in your service unsure about the benefits of play-based learning?

Do they question whether meaningful learning occurs?

Are you able to communicate to families how play leads to children becoming confident learners?

KASS Workshop Series 4 focuses on providing ideas and tools on how to effectively communicate the value of the learning that occurs in a play-based environment.

The purpose of this workshop is to: ✔ Understand the value of play and know how to communicate this to families effectively while involving them in their child’s learning. ✔ Establish what families want or need for their children and respond to this while acknowledging their perspectives which are typically formed from their own more structured learning experiences. ✔ Confidently implement, show and explain the change from traditional teaching and linking to the NQF, EYLF and QKLG. ✔ Know how to explain the benefits of play-based learning which has proven to lead children to become confident and capable learners.

Dates & Locations Location

Date

Time

Venue

Cairns

Saturday, 13 September

9 am - 12 noon

Rydges Cairns

Townsville

Saturday, 11 October

9 am - 12 noon

Mercure Inn

Gold Coast

Saturday, 18 October

9 am - 12 noon

Southport Sharks

Sunshine Coast

Saturday, 25 October

9 am - 12 noon

Maroochy RSL

Brisbane

Saturday, 1 November

9 am - 12 noon

The Pavilion - Allan Border Field

Ipswich

Saturday, 8 November

9 am - 12 noon

Ipswich Civic Centre

Brisbane

Wednesday, 12 November

10 am - 1 pm

The Pavilion - Allan Border Field

Toowoomba

Saturday, 15 November

9 am - 12 noon

Burke and Wills Hotel

Rockhampton

Saturday, 22 November

9 am - 12 noon

Travelodge Rockhampton

Hervey Bay

Saturday, 29 November

9 am - 12 noon

Mantra Hervey Bay

Workshop Series 4 will be facilitated by experienced early childhood professional Pam Maclean and will provide practical examples from a service rated as ‘exceeding’ under the National Quality Standards.

There is no cost to attend these workshops for all educators working in the long day care sector in Queensland.

Register now at www.kass.net.au/events/workshops

24

EARLY EDITION > Spring 2014

Proudly funded and supported by the Queensland Government

Making Learning Visible Linda McConville > Kindergarten Advisory Support Service (KASS)

Families have their own perception of what kindergarten looks like and often it is based upon what they had as a child or what they have been told their children need to achieve prior to entering school.

It is our responsibility as educators to make learning visible to families.

Parents commonly expect to see structure in a kindergarten room such as children sitting at tables completing worksheets or being given more formal instructions by teachers and perhaps being given homework.

In our kindergarten programs we need to encourage strong foundations for learning in the children we care for and educate. If we can develop in children a love of learning, to be resilient, positive in their disposition to learning, curiosity, persistence and creativity, understand what it means to be part of a group, build strong relationships, understanding concepts of fairness, equity and be able to empathise with others, we will be giving them these strong foundations.

Academic learning (as the children become developmentally ready) will naturally occur in this environment as we focus on extending the interests and abilities of the children.

Families have the best interests of their children at heart and want them to succeed at school. They often think that knowledge is at the forefront of this success. As much as knowledge is important, if children don’t possess these foundations, no matter how much knowledge they have, their full potential will not be realised.

Children need the confidence to cope in new situations and we need to help them gain the ability to have a go and be able to ask for help and try again.

Children’s early learning influences their life chances. Wellbeing and a strong sense of connection, optimism and engagement enable children to develop a positive attitude to learning (Early Years Learning Framework).

Forcing formal learning upon children before they are developmentally ready can be harmful and set them up for failure. They will remember the negative experiences and not have that positive disposition for learning that is so vital for their future success.

Children are active learners who make sense of their world and themselves when they have opportunities to investigate and explore materials and ideas through play and interactions with people (Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline).

We need to explain to families the vital role our play based learning plays and not just talk but make this visible with things such as: • Displaying pictures of children at play with a short explanation of what has been gained through this play.

• Written explanations of not just what has occurred but why that is significant for learning. For example, to families block play is just block play, they won’t necessarily see the mathematical concepts, creative thinking, and collaboration with peers. We need to make the learning come alive for our families.

• Point out where the pre literacy and numeracy concepts are occurring – we take it for granted as we see those teachable moments and use our intentional teaching strategies. The subtle ways we use may not be obvious to families.

• Send information via newsletters, emails, Facebook (if your centre has a Facebook page) etc.

• Set up information displays or hold evenings for families explaining what the kindy program will look like and where the learning is occurring.

Parents play a vital role in fostering and sustaining children’s long term learning and development (Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline).

As we work in partnership with families, it is important to collaborate regarding their child’s learning and to inform families of the experiences that they can do at home. It is not who parents are but what they do with their child that is important (Sylva et al 2004).

It does not mean spending time at the table with activity books but in everyday experiences at home such as sorting washing, helping with the shopping, reading every day to their children, cooking, discussing what you see while driving along, singing songs and more.

Children thrive when families and educators work together in partnership to support young children’s learning (Early Years Learning Framework).

Being confident in your play/strengths based curriculum and communicating this to families will give them a new appreciation and understanding of how we, as early childhood teachers and educators, are laying firm foundations for children’s success for not just at school but for the rest of their lives.

We will explore these concepts and more during KASS Workshop Series 4 – Make Learning Visible: Communicate the value of kindergarten.

For more information please visit www.kass.net.au/events/workshops/

EARLY EDITION > Spring 2014 25

Get Super Fit Child Care Super

Online super contributions are coming Did you know that the government will soon make it compulsory to pay your staff super contributions electronically?

We’ll help you identify the payment method that works best for you, and work with you to set it up quickly and easily.

Businesses, including early learning centers, with more than 19 employees needed to have started contributing electronically from 1 July 2014 and those with less than 20 staff will need to start by 30 June 2015. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has provided concessions that extend these dates by a year, but only for businesses that have put in place firm implementation plans, including a start date.

9.5% minimum contributions

But why wait?

At Child Care Super we recognise that implementing a new process can sometime represent a significant change to your business. Our consultants can work with you to achieve compliance as you transition to the new standards.

We can assist you to eliminate your paperwork headache with our Super PaySmart Solutions, which offers two easy ways to make your contribution payments; • Employer Online

Were you aware that employers need to provide a minimum level of superannuation support for their employees? These payments are called superannuation guarantee contribution (SGC).

Businesses are required to pay their staff a minimum SGC of 9.5 per cent for an employee’s ordinary hours of work. Contributions to employees will increase to 12 per cent by 1 July 2022.

Avoid super guarantee shortfall Businesses that don’t pay the compulsory minimum level of SGC to their employees are open to an investigation by the ATO. The ATO will be responsible for collecting the unpaid superannuation guarantee shortfall and issuing the money to your employees’ superannuation funds. In addition, they may charge your business an interest fee of 10 per cent per annum and an administration fee of $20 per employee, per quarter.

If you haven’t met your super responsibilities you will need to lodge a Superannuation guarantee charge statement – quarterly (NAT 9599) and pay a superannuation guarantee charge to the ATO. Your business might lose the tax deduction you would normally get for super contributions, because the super guarantee charge is not tax deductible and neither are late super payments if the late payment offset has been elected.

We’re here to help We offer you support to ensure that your business meets its compliance and audit obligations, why not contact one of our consultants to arrange a work place visit.

Child Care Super is the only dedicated super fund for people working in the early learning industry. We offer you a free service to assist you to meet your business super commitments.

Simply contact Child Care Super for a free ‘how to guide’ or for any further super information on 1300 365 899 or childcaresuper@guildgroup.com.au.

• Clearing House.

Disclaimer: This article contains information of a general nature only. It is not intended to constitute the provision of advice. Before acting on any information you should consider its appropriateness having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs. Prior to making a decision in relation to any financial product you should consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) in deciding whether to acquire or continue to hold the product. The PDS is available from childcaresuper.com.au Guild Trustee Services Pty Limited ABN 84 068 826 728, AFS Licence No. 233815, RSE Licence No. L0000611 as Trustee for Child Care Super (part of the Guild Retirement Fund) Fund Registration No. R1000030, ABN 22 599 554 834.

Child Care Super’s Clearing House solution is provided by MercerSpectrum. MercerSpectrum and the online service are products issued by Mercer Outsourcing (Australia) Pty Ltd ABN 83 068 908 912 AFSL 411980.

EARLY EDITION > Spring 2014 27

Associate Member Directory Company

Contact

Location

Contact No

Website

Patrice Sherrie

Brisbane

07 3222 9777

www.bentleys.com.au

Greg Jardine

Brisbane

07 3229 9322

www.jardinearchitects.com.au

ANZ Business Bank

Lyn Lange

Brisbane

07 3228 3157

www.anz.com

BankWest

Gary Douglas

Brisbane

07 3004 9745

www.bankwest.com.au

Suncorp Business Bank

Greg Harnell

Rocklea

07 3249 1231

www.suncorpbank.com.au

Benchmark

Lincoln Bridge

Robina Town Centre

07 5562 2711

www.childcare4sale.com.au

Graeme Pettit

Graeme Pettit

Benowa

0421 289 818

www.harcourts.com.au

Queensland Childcare Sales

Linda Harley

Pacific Paradise

07 5450 5497

www.queenslandchildcaresales.com.au

Absolute Support, Training & Resources

Darlene Wadham

Twin Waters

0488 666 455

www.absolutesupport.com.au

Affinity Education Group

Fiona Alston

Biggera Waters

07 5500 9417

www.affinityeducation.com.au

All Kids Childcare Services Pty Ltd

Lisa Clayton

Murrarie

07 3129 6500

NONE

Churches of Christ Care

Cathy Kennedy

Brookfield

07 3327 1681

www.cofcqld.com.au

EYLF Made Easy

Brenda Abbey, Pam Maclean

Mooloolaba

07 5444 5660

www.eylfmadeeasy.com.au

Giggletree Pty Ltd

Samantha Ahearn

Rothwell

07 3204 7767

www.giggletree.com.au

Guardian Early Learning Group

Helen Baker

Kelvin Grove

07 3832 7933

www.guardianchildcare.com.au

Impressions Childcare Management

Jeanine Scull

Carindale

07 3393 9185

www.icmanagement.com.au

Kids and Adults Learning

Annette Cunado

Northgate

1300 783 880

www.kal.net.au

NumeroPro

Diane Girvin

Gold Coast MC

07 5592 5800

www.kidsoftmanagement.com.au

Total Childcare Solutions

John Wall

Geebung

07 3632 1127

www.totalchildcaresolutions.com.au

Kids Gourmet Food

Matthew Krelle

Brookvale

1300870054

www.kidsgourmetfood.com.au

Little Tummy Tucker Too Pty Ltd

Dinah Pheros

Red Hill

07 3217 6649

www.littletummytucker.com.au

Yummies for Little Tummies

Natalie Lawson

Sumner

07 3161 8063

www.yummiesforlittletummies.com.au

Peter Jarrett

West End

07 3230 8500

www.guildgroup.com.au

Giovanni Porta

Geebung

07 3265 3888

www.portalawyers.com.au

Accountants Bentleys Chartered Accountants Architects/Engineers Jardine Architects Banking Services

Brokers

Consultancy/Management

Food & Nutrition

Insurance Services The Guild Group Legal Porta Lawyers

28

EARLY EDITION > Spring 2014

Company

Contact

Location

Contact No

Website

Ryan Brough

Newstead

07 3124 5500

www.ezidebit.com.au

Ausplay Surfacing and Shade

Barry Healey

Wacol

07 3879 4444

www.ausplay.net.au

Sure-Play Pty Ltd

Julian Thomas

Brisbane Market

07 3277 0914

www.sureplay.com.au

Sean Murphy

Morningside

1300 367 770

www.qikkids.com.au

Randstad Education

Maeve Cawley

Brisbane

07 3337 5230

www.randstadeducation.com.au

Expect A Star

Jeremy Dykes

North Sydney

1300669653

www.expectastar.com.au

Child Care Super

William Ly

Brisbane

0418 199 279

www.childcaresuper.com.au

HESTA Super Fund

Bronwyn Barling

Brisbane

07 3112 2332

www.hesta.com.au

QIEC Super

Natalie Fone

Milton

07 3238 1267

www.qiec.com.au

Educational Experience

Mary McCafferty

Queensland

0407 693 391

www.edex.com.au

Modern Teaching Aids

Natalie Toh

Brookvale

02 9938 0411

www.teaching.com.au

Australian Child Care Career Options (ACCCO)

Narelle Cossettini

Fortitude Valley

07 3257 1972

www.accco.com.au

Careers Australia

Karin Lesage

Burleigh MDC

07 5593 4386

www.ku.edu.au

Charlton Brown

Trevor Ganley

Fortitude Valley

07 3216 0288

www.charltonbrown.com.au

College for Australian Early Childhood Educators (CAECE)

James Blake

Springwood

07 3299 5784

www.caece.com.au

Evocca Workplace Training

Paula Brand

Loganholme

07 3827 5300

www.evoccawt.com.au

Management Institute of Australia

Michael Walker

Liverpool

1300664908

www.liverpool.mia.edu.au

GD Trivett & Associates Pty Ltd

Darren Trivett

Fortitude Valley

07 3216 1011

www.trivett.net.au

Herron Todd White

Simon Fox

Brisbane

07 3002 0900

www.htw.com.au

Gold Coast Inclusion Support Agency

Jo Goodwin

Mermaid Beach

07 5595 8999

www.lccq.org.au

Gold Coast Institute of TAFE

Maxine Griffiths

Coomera

07 5581 8280

www.gcit.edu.au

Physi kids

Kayleen Tolley

Cannon Hill

0414 559 997

www.physikids.com.au

QLECS (Qld Lutheren Early Childhood Services)

Maryann Sword

Milton

07 3511 4079

www.qlecs.org.au

Rochele Painting

Jeremy Festa

Albion

07 3262 8337

www.rochelepainting.com.au

Payment Solutions Ezidebit Pty Ltd Playground Equipment / Surfacing

Software / IT Support QK Technologies Pty Ltd - QikKids Staff Recruitment

Superannuation

Toys & Resources

Training Providers

Valuers

Other

EARLY EDITION > Spring 2014 29