Early Edition Autumn 2013 by Australian Childcare Alliance Queensland

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - AUTUMN 2013

Engaging with the Community

SPF50+ increases sun protection, but only marginally

Nine Reasons You Must Facebook

National Quality Standard Assessment and rating: your questions answered

Teacher registration and professional development

2 Easy Ways to Make Your Incursions Stress Free

Collaborative partnerships with families and communities â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Quality Area 6

Creating a Warm and Supportive Learning Environment for Young Children

Improving quality a team effort

ARE WE THERE YET?

Australian Childcare Alliance and Childcare Queensland

2013 National Conference

Hands up for Wellbeing

20-22 September 2013

Jupiters Hotel & Casino Gold Coast Information on registration and sponsorship is coming soon!

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - Autumn 2013

Executive

Committee Members

President Peter Price

Brent Stokes

Vice President John Keast

Majella Fitzsimmons Fiona Haber

Message from Childcare Queensland President

Treasurer Graham Sagar

Christine Mayer

Message from Childcare Queensland CEO

Katy Paton

Engaging with the Community

Secretary Debra North

Kerrie Lada

Nine Reasons You Must Facebook

Teacher registration and professional development

CEO Gwynn Bridge

Jae Fraser

Queensland

Collaborative partnerships with families and communities â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Quality Area 6

Location:11/6 Vanessa Boulevard, Springwood

Improving quality a team effort

Mailing: PO Box 137, Springwood QLD 4127

SPF50+ increases sun protection, but only marginally

National Quality Standard Assessment and rating: your questions answered

2 Easy Ways to Make Your Incursions Stress Free

18 20

CEO: Gwynn Bridge

Creating a Warm and Supportive Learning Environment for Young Children

General Manager: James Blake

Are We There Yet

Associate Member Directory

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

Senior Office Administrator: Jen Smyth

Editorial Editor: Jen Smyth Contributors: Peter Price, Gwynn Bridge 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, Childcare 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.

mESSAGE FROM

childcare queensland president, Peter Price

elcome to 2013 and another busy year for Childcare Queensland. Only a few months in, it is shaping to be one of the most important yet for the early childhood sector. However, Mother Nature has yet again delivered a devastating blow to many in our community. Our thoughts go out to those members impacted by the severe storms and flooding during January 2013, particularly to those in the Bundaberg region. These events are a horrifying reminder of how easily our lives can be turned upside down by natural disasters and extreme weather. As many of you would be aware, the Prime Minister announced in January that a Federal Election would be held on 14th September 2013. Childcare Queensland, through the Australian Childcare Alliance, will be working hard to influence the policy directions of both sides in the lead up to polling day. The ACA Committee met in February to finalise strategy for 2013 and Childcare Queensland CEO, Gwynn Bridge, visited Canberra to meet with politicians of all persuasions highlighting the realities of the national quality framework and the increasing pressure on families in our communities. Members can expect our General Manager, James Blake, to be in contact with you via email with further surveys as we prepare for federal budget and the election campaign. We remain grateful for your enthusiasm in answering these surveys and I cannot emphasize enough how important they are in getting results. I would also like to extend congratulations to Childcare Queensland Patron Laurie Lawrence on being awarded Senior Australian of the Year for Queensland. We are proud to be associated with Laurie and in my view this award is well deserved and long overdue. The year ahead for Childcare Queensland is nothing short of exciting. Work has already commenced on the 2013 CQ National Conference. Due to the enormous success of the 2012 Conference we will return to Jupiters Hotel and Casino on the Gold Coast from 20th â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 22nd September 2013. Make a note in your diary and keep an eye out for regular updates on our website.

We will again pay tribute to our hard working staff with Early Childhood Educators Day scheduled for Wednesday 4th September 2013 and you can expect more activity than ever including training workshops commencing in April to support early childhood teachers integrate into long day care, new publications from Kindergarten Advisory Support Service and new offerings from our Associate Members. Membership renewals will commence shortly and we look forward to a collaborative partnership over the next twelve months. If you know others who are not members, I urge you to get them involved in Childcare Queensland. Strength in numbers is absolutely vital in 2013. We will be holding Members meetings in March. There are some big issues to discuss including funding for children with disability, Staying Healthy in Childcare and what the Australia Childcare Alliance is doing to represent your interests in Canberra. We value the opportunity to hear about the successes and challenges in your centres. These are also great opportunities to engage with your peers in the industry and highlight the needs of your Centre to Childcare Queensland. I look forward to sharing another busy year in early childhood with you.

Best wishes,

Peter Price President â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Childcare Queensland

mESSAGE FROM

childcare queensland ceo and australIAN CHILDCARE ALLIANCE PRESIDENT, gwynn bridge

ur team is working on some exciting programs for the upcoming year which are designed to support members and educators as we continue to work towards the provision of high quality education and care.

We are receiving feedback from some services who have gone through the new assessment process for the National Quality Standards and we will have a member provide some insight into the process in our first round of General meetings in March. The Australian Childcare Alliance is also gathering information on assessments Australia-wide and with early information, we are seeing inconsistencies between states and between regions in some states. We recognise that it will be difficult to get absolute consistency but we do need to monitor these inconsistencies to ensure that no service is disadvantaged. Let us know of your experience with assessment and if you feel that your assessment result is a true indication as to where you believe your service is currently positioned. In this election year we are working consistently on a federal level to ensure that families and the early education and care sector are considered across all policy areas. We have seen benefits removed from families with the reduction and freeze of indexation on the Child Care Rebate, JET funding for families (primarily women) attempting to return to the workforce increasing from 10 cents per hour fee to $1.00 per hour from 1st January, 2013 and single parent payments being reduced to Newstart payments when their youngest child turns 8. This is a significant decrease in income for around 100,000 families. We have also received confirmation from Minister Ellis that the ISS funding for a child who is attending a Kindergarten program will not be reinstated. This will have a considerable impact on our Early Childhood Teachers as they strive to provide a solid base for our children when they embark on their journey through the school system. ISS funding is in itself a joke as it currently sits at $16.69 per hour. Service providers are subsidising a federal government program at considerable cost to themselves.

From the 42 policy points that the Australian Childcare Alliance has identified and submitted to government, we have drawn our 2013-2014 Budget submission. This was presented to all political parties in Canberra on Thursday 7th February. We are constantly told that there is no money and we are constantly stating that families cannot continue without additional support. The CCB subsidy has devalued 20% over the past ten years and fees continue to increase as the regulations are implemented. The Productivity Commission has acknowledged that fees will increase by 15% as a result of the NQF. They also state that a 1% increase in costs will result in a .03 reduction in the workforce and a .07 reduction in working hours. Our pre budget submission and our 42 point Policy suggests submission are available on the CQ website. The 5th edition of Staying Healthy in Childcare has now been released. The guidance and procedures in Staying Healthy represent best practice according to the National Health and Medical Research Council. CQ members are encouraged to adopt these practices, however, your service may take a different approach depending on any number of factors, including your service philosophy. The key is to ensure that your policies and procedures minimise the spread of infection wherever possible. It will be a vital year for the sector and your state and federal associations will continue to advocate on your behalf. Regards

Gwynn Bridge CEOâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; Childcare Queensland.

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - AUTUMN 2013

Your super obligations are changing – now’s the time to prepare The federal government has spent the past few years reviewing the super system and has announced some changes. These are designed to deliver better retirement outcomes for working Australians.

Key changes and dates for employers

For employers, the main change relates to the compulsory use of electronic data for super contributions. This means that as of the dates shown below, super funds will no longer be able to accept contributions and member data via cheque and paper. This is because these methods will no longer comply with the government’s data and ecommerce standards. SuperStream e-commerce standards:

To be implemented by

Employers with more than 20 employees

1 July 2014

Employers with less than 20 employees

1 July 2015

Contact your Fund for help

Child Care Super already offers two electronic options that will help you comply with the new data and e-commerce standards. For further details or to order your free demo disk, visit their website at childcaresuper.com.au/free demo or call 1800 060 215. Before deciding about any financial product you should consider the relevant PDS obtainable by calling Child Care Super on 1800 060 215. Guild Trustee Services Pty Limited ABN 84 068 826 728 as trustee for Child Care Super ABN 22 599 554 834. Fund Registration No. R1000030. ABN 22 599 554 834. The above article contains information of a general nature only and has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. It is not intended to constitute the provision of advice. Before acting on any information you should consider its appropriateness having regard for your objectives, financial situation and needs. Before making a decision about any financial product you should consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement in deciding whether to acquire or continue to hold the product.

Save time with direct debit Free up your time for more important things With Ezidebit and direct debit you can reduce the time and cost of resources allocated to the collection of parent payments. Set up direct debit today and take advantage of automatic reconciliation through powerful integration with your software. Ezidebit will save time and cost less, allowing you to re-allocate those resources back to caring for the kids.

Reduce • Administration time and costs • Your overdue accounts • Uncomfortable money conversations with parents Increase • The resources and time spent with the kids • Parent satisfaction with an easy way to pay • Cash flow

Call us on 1300 763 256 to find out how we can help you.

ezidebit.com.au | Call 1300 763 256 | info@ezidebit.com.au

engaging with the Community By Graham Witherspoon, Media Advisor

ommunity engagement is about opening a channel of communication with the stakeholders within the community around your centre and informing them of the value you are providing to their community.

Long day care provides a vital service to the community and caring for children in their early years is something most community members can appreciate. The key to community engagement is informing the community without selling to them or saturating them with advertising. The first step is to identify the stakeholders within your community. The community around every centre contains primarily the same stakeholders with small variations depending on your location and the services you provide. To engage with each stakeholder independently takes time so I recommend grouping them together and communicating with each group, which will dictate the tone and language used. A primary group is families and current users. For example this could include parents, grandparents, other family members and staff. The second is non-users and the broader community. This includes near neighbours, local community members, local schools and suppliers. The final group can be classified as tertiary such as government and regulatory authorities and industry groups such as Childcare Queensland. Communication with these three groups may contain different information but all have the key aim to inform and raise awareness about your centre and what value it adds to the community. Primary: When communicating with this group, who know the centre and its children well, I recommend providing detail about each individual class and activity that the children are doing. You can provide information on what guests have visited, what events are on the horizon and details on staff. This is something you maybe already doing through newsletters and regular letters home with the children. Monthly emails are a cost effective way to regularly update this group and provide an instant method for feedback. You can track the email, gauge how many people are reading it and include images worth considering if you are not doing this already.

Secondary: The aim of engaging with this group is to raise awareness about your centre and build a reputation of a quality centre that these stakeholders would consider using or recommending to friends and family. Word of mouth is an extremely powerful sales tool whether it is positive or negative and when it comes to the care of children, a verbal recommendation carries additional weight. Topics in your communication should include the history of the centre, qualifications of your staff, activities that your centre provides the children and equipment you have that will help the children learn and grow. A point of difference is a great way to position your centre so discuss recent modifications and renovations to the centre and remind this group that visitors are welcome anytime. A folded A5 newsletter, in colour, would be applicable to mailbox drop to this group. A community open day is worth considering to engage as well. Provide a BBQ and a jumping castle and invite your local MP well ahead of time so you can mention their attendance on the invitation flyer. Tertiary: This group should be communicated with through the centre director or owner. It is valuable to communicate regularly with this group to provide them with an update on how your centre is growing and progressing and any new initiatives you have undertaken. Ensuring you are familiar with government contacts will allow you to call and ask questions and make enquiries. Staying in contact with associations such as Childcare Queensland will provide them with information on what your centre is doing and keep your centre â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;top of mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for potential marketing, media or industry opportunities. Community engagement is about staying in touch, informing, raising awareness and demonstrating the value your centre is providing to the community and its families.

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - AUTUMN 2013

Nine Reasons You Must Facebook By Debbie Mayo-Smith

f you want to increase parent involvement with your centre and their child during the day; but don’t want to spend time or money doing so, then read on.

As a mother with six children (including twins and triplets), I experienced three types of early childhood education in the 1990’s: private part time daycare; playcentre and kindergarten. All were a wonderful experience. I only wish that some of the modern communication channels we have now were available then. I would have loved to have had a better feel for their day and better communication when they were in private daycare. Things are different now. At your centre you are probably using email and sms (text) messaging regularly with your parents. But what about Facebook? In 2013 it is an item essential for you. Not only for the promotion of your business (perhaps a subject of a future article), but an absolute must for parent/ centre communication. It’s FREASY (free and easy) and I would guarantee that at least 90% of your parents/caregivers use Facebook regularly. So go where they are. If you haven’t already dabbled in using Facebook – let me give you nine reasons why it’s a good idea, and how to use it as one of your communication channels. 1. Freasy – It’s absolutely free and very easy to set up an account. You don’t need prior knowledge Facebook walks you through the whole procedure. That is the easy bit. By free, I mean there is no domain, hosting, web design, or maintenance costs in setting it up or maintaining it. 2. Three types of Facebook pages - You might just be familiar with personal profiles. You can liken them to private visual online chat rooms. Only your ‘friends’ can see and interact with your profile. This is NOT what you want for your centre. You can add a Facebook business page for your centre http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php. Business pages can be viewed by anyone. They’re searched by Google and people become ‘fans’ to receive your updates and comment. One problem for centres is privacy. You don’t want your parent/child communications open to the world. This where the third type of Facebook page comes in – Groups. http://www.facebook.com/groups/create.php You can create a Secret Group. This means that you can have one that is for your centre only. Membership to the group is by invitation only – i.e. your parents/caregivers. Only members can view the content and nothing will appear in any search or profile feeds.

3. Parents There – Centre parents are the prime demographic users of Facebook – young women. 4. Smartphone or computer – After the initial set up on a computer, you can use a smartphone with the Facebook Application (free) and if you have wireless internet at your centre- all uploads/downloads are free too. 5. Integrated Email – if you select a Facebook group as the vehicle to use, one of the benefits is you can email the members. 6. Videos – Using a smartphone, you can have staff video kids at play, at rest, participating in activities or a video message to a parent and upload it. 7. Chat- parents can use the chat mechanism to talk with their older children. 8. Online meetings – using the (real time) status updates you can conduct a form of online meeting with a parent – talking back and forth and also uploading photos at the same time to illustrate points or show their child’s work. 9. Communication Content –What can you post online? • Notices – Use Facebook as an additional notice board for parents keeping them updated with your centre activities, important information • Pictures of kids; projects; artwork • Videos of children – singularly or in groups • Visual portfolios • Promotion of space availability/ openings • Centre newsletter – you can upload the centre newsletter to the notes page When you consider all these benefits, it makes sense to add Facebook to your communication channels, doesn’t it? Article by Debbie Mayo-Smith, International Speaker and bestselling author. For more tips, over 500 how-to articles visit Debbie’s website www.debbiespeaks.co.nz

Workshop Series

Supporting teachers in long day care Cairns

Saturday 20th April

Townsville

Saturday 27th April

Sunshine Coast

Saturday 4th May

Gladstone

Saturday 11th May

Mackay

Saturday 18th May

Ipswich

Saturday 25th May

Toowoomba

Saturday 1st June

Gold Coast

Saturday 8th June

Brisbane

Saturday 15th June

KASS will be holding a series of workshops to support the integration of teachers in long day care. These workshops are intended to build a shared understanding of the expectations of approved providers, teachers and educators in long day care, share practical experiences in implementing the QKFS and highlight the success stories of how kindergarten has made a difference in the operation of services.

These workshops are designed for approved providers, early childhood teachers and nominated supervisors in long day care. More information on the agenda and how to register will be available shortly on www.kass.net.au.

Workshops developed by Megan Gibson Megan Gibson is a lecturer in the School of Early Childhood. Megan’s key areas of teaching and research interest are teacher professionalism, leadership and management and children, families and communities. As an early childhood educator, with some 20 years of teaching experience, she has worked across a range of diverse early childhood contexts, including lower primary, long day care and kindergarten/preschool. Megan’s current doctoral research study seeks to provide understanding about pre-service teachers’ professional identities and career choices, particularly around child care. CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - AUTUMN 2013

Teacher registration and professional development By Paula McMahon, Manager (Accreditation & Professional Standards), QCT

he Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) is the regulator of teachers and teacher registration in Queensland. Its purpose is to regulate, enhance and promote the teaching profession in Queensland in the best interests of the public and the profession. With the recent moves to implement and promote nationally consistent teacher registration practices it is timely that changes to teacher registration and professional standards are explored. Who must be registered to teach in Queensland? QCT has jurisdiction over the school context (ie. Prep to Year 12), and as such, teachers working in contexts outside of Queensland schools are not required to hold teacher registration. However, the definition of ‘teacher’ has been amended to include a person undertaking duties in other settings for an educational program based on a syllabus approved or accredited by the Queensland Studies Authority (QSA). This has been predominantly to include teachers in early childhood settings delivering an educational program based on the QSA's Kindergarten Guideline or Nominated Supervisors who hold teacher registration providing consistent and substantial educational leadership in the delivery of the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline. Changes to registration requirements for fully registered teachers At the end of a five year registration period, ‘recency of practice’ for fully registered teachers will now be considered as 100 days of teaching experience. Fully Registered Teachers undertaking aforementioned duties in early childhood contexts can contribute this experience towards ‘recency of practice’, and therefore, must meet the requirements of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Framework. To meet the requirements of the CPD Framework, engagement in CPD

must show a demonstrated balance of area and type of activity as well as the minimum amount required. From 2013, if teaching for 20 days or more in a calendar year, the amount of CPD required is 20 hours. When developing professional learning goals and selecting professional development activities each year, teachers should be guided by the Professional Standards. Introducing the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), as the national body established in 2010 to promote excellence in teaching and school leadership, has developed a national set of standards known as the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST). Within each Standard, Focus Areas provide further illustration of teaching knowledge, practice and professional engagement. These are then separated into Descriptors at the four professional career stages: Graduate, Proficient, Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher. The APST are developmental and aspirational - recognising that as teachers progress through their careers, they build on and expand their capacity to take on new skills and roles - and link to teacher registration requirements. More specifically, in Queensland: • Provisional registration will be given to graduates from initial teacher education programs who demonstrate the APST at the graduate level.

• Teachers will be required to demonstrate the Standards at the proficient career stage when applying for full registration • The proficient level (at least) is also to be used for all teachers to reflect on their professional practice and develop their learning goals for engagement in CPD. • Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers levels are aspirational and voluntary. Information for Provisionally Registered Teacher working in early childhood settings Progression to full registration represents a supported introduction to the teaching profession in Queensland. To have teaching experience in early childhood settings recognised, the provisionally registered teacher must: • identify a suitable mentor/supervisor for the period of provisional registration, who will advise and encourage the provisionally registered teacher towards meeting the APST, and complete the final assessment of achievement of the Standards at the level required for full registration; and • submit the required application/s to the QCT. Once the QCT has granted approval, the provisionally registered teacher can move through the process to gaining full registration. Further information about all of these issues can be found on the QCT website.

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - AUTUMN 2013

Collaborative partnerships with families and communities – Quality Area 6 By Dr Brenda Abbey

any educators are unsure about the changes they need to make to their practices to meet the National Quality Standard (NQS) Quality Area 6: Collaborative partnerships with families and communities.

This article suggests five steps to help your service meet these requirements. Although the steps are simple, the result is that parents are more likely to feel they belong (as well as their children), are cared about, and that their opinions matter – and that translates to collaborative partnerships. 1. Clarify what the NQS means by ‘collaborative partnerships’ 2. Build on your existing relationships with parents 3. Ensure the physical environment supports the message of collaborative partnerships 4. Glean ideas from examples of effective collaborative partnerships in other services 5. Construct your service’s vision for collaborative partnerships 1. C larify what the NQS means by ‘collaborative partnerships’ Take the time to ensure every member of the team clearly understands the NQS definition of collaborative partnerships. Outside the world of early education and care, they are defined as those where people with diverse skills and knowledge work closely together on a common project with a common aim. However, in the context of the NQS, collaborative partnerships:

10. Provide verbal and written feedback when parents’ ideas are included. (DVD: Collaborative Partnerships with Families and Communities. 2012. Abbey and Maclean). This list is not prioritised nor is it exhaustive. You may well reorder it and/or extend it. 2. Build on your existing relationships with parents Most of your parents are already involved in and contribute to the service in some way. They share information about their children with educators at arrival and departure, attend special events organised by the service, and perhaps contribute items to the program and/or share their special skills and interests with the children. Parents’ involvement and contribution are important because they: • Increase parents’ comfort and confidence levels • Promote parents’ understanding of how the service functions • Build positive relationships between parents and educators • Form the stepping stones to collaborative partnerships.

1. Are authentic, genuine and meaningful 2. Embrace more than simple contribution and involvement 3. Accommodate preferred ways of communication 4. Reflect what families want, not what educators think families need 5. Acknowledge parents as children’s first and most enduring educators 6. Provide opportunity to participate in short and long term, simple and complex projects 7. Include a range of avenues (e.g. practical, written, technical), and offer flexible timing for participation 8. Seek all perspectives and opinions, and allow for shared decision-making 9. Draw upon all strengths, talents and interests of families

3. Ensure the physical environment supports the message of collaborative partnerships Look closely at your service’s physical environment through parents’ eyes. Does it convey the message that they, and not just their children, belong? Research has shown that, if the service’s physical environment reflects only children’s needs and interests, parents are likely to feel uncertain about what is expected of them and are less likely to become involved.

Parents also struggle to find a sense of belonging in such an exclusively child and educator space. A few simple changes are all it takes. First impressions count so the approach to the service needs to be welcoming. Perhaps add thoughtful touches such as a large urn with spare umbrellas for parents to use on rainy days. Ensure the entrance is inviting and warm to all who come into the service, so that parents and children feel they belong. Incorporate familiar items such as cane baskets, intriguing objects, greenery and other means throughout to create a homelike, relaxed atmosphere for parents, and meet the EYLF requirements at the same time. Remember to include adultfriendly furniture in the playground such as a wooden bench. The children and educators will also appreciate it. Take a critical look at the signs in your service and, once again, put yourself in parents’ shoes. How do they make you feel? Would you feel you were considered to be a competent parent with valuable opinions? We are all familiar with signs and directions bluntly worded and displayed in areas used by parents and visitors. These detract from the much-preferred message of welcome, and partnership, that we would ideally like to convey. Reword signs so that they communicate their messages respectfully. Is your service’s Family Handbook a good read or is it more like an instruction manual? Is the language respectful, inclusive and empowering?

families of non-English speaking background. The educators identified that its orientation for incoming families did not result in the exchange of information required to ensure the needs of all parties were met, especially those of the children. The Nominated Supervisor invited a small number of parents of children enrolled in the service to meet with her to consider the problem. The parents agreed to work closely with the service to develop an orientation more suited to the needs of incoming parents. The parents then suggested that they record a DVD covering specific aspects of the orientation that lent to being communicated in this way. They added that the benefit of the DVD was that it could be viewed by other family members who were unable to attend the orientation. In addition, parents suggested that orientations be timetabled so that, wherever possible, one of them could be present to facilitate communication. Over time, the educators and parents refined the orientation until the service is now justifiably proud of the positive outcomes it brings to all parties. The DVD has been an outstanding success. This example meets NQS 6.1.2, 6.2.1, 6.3.1 and 6.3.4. It also reflects characteristics of collaborative partnerships 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. 5. Construct your service’s vision for collaborative partnerships

Have a close look through your service’s policies and procedures. Are they written clearly and concisely – perhaps with some photographs and illustrations included so that they are more reader-friendly. Do they convey to parents that it is their right to be involved in all decisions about their child?

As a team, brainstorm what your service would look like if it was meeting the requirements of QA 6. Use a Y-chart to document what the service would look like, feel like and sound like if it had collaborative partnerships with families and the community. Display the completed chart as a reminder for your team.

If the goal is collaborative partnerships with parents, the overriding message that parents should receive throughout the service is that they count.

Educators who use these five steps will find the NQS requirements for collaborative partnerships far easier to meet that they might have expected. As well as better outcomes for children, educators and parents experience the pleasure and satisfaction that accompanies true collaborative partnerships.

4. G lean ideas from examples of effective collaborative partnerships in other services Emulate successful examples of collaborative partnerships in other services. The following example meets a number of elements of the NQS and reflects the characteristics of collaborative partnerships listed earlier. Parents Supporting Parents

Author Dr Brenda Abbey based this article on the DVD Collaborative Partnerships with Families and Communities she produced with Pam Maclean. Further information about this DVD and other NQS related resources can be obtained from Brenda 0419 661 921 info@childcarebydesign.com.au or www.childcarebydesign.com.au

The service is situated in a community with a large number of

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - AUTUMN 2013

Improving quality a team effort By the Office for Early Childhood Education and Care

hen it comes to improving the quality of early childhood education and care, the most effective Quality Improvement Plans are developed as a team effort.

Engaging educators, assistants, families and children in shaping the Plan will keep it meaningful and guide the direction of the service. Demonstrating your commitment to continuous improvement is important and keeping the Plan up to date is one way to do this. There is no need to create a new document each time. Instead, updating an old Plan can show what you have achieved and what you plan to accomplish in the future.

When updating the Quality Improvement Plan, consider the following tips: • Keep the plan top of mind as an agenda item for staff meetings. • Display the summary of quality areas, standards and elements of the National Quality Standard (NQS) on A3 card. • Encourage suggestions about areas for improvement and document outcomes within the plan. • Commit to realistic actions which motivate people and plan in stages. Consider experience, knowledge, budget and resources.

• Celebrate achievements, share them with families and acknowledge staff contributions. • Make the plan available on all computers and update it regularly. Print out copies for easy access and referral. • Add progress notes to show continuous improvement and a reminder of the distance travelled. • Seek advice and share ideas with content experts, community members, professional development providers and other early childhood services. • Integrate feedback from the authorised officer and the assessment and rating report. • Workshop the plan every six months to reassess the big picture and identify emerging issues. For more information, download the Guide to Developing a Quality Improvement Plan, available from the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority website: www.acecqa.gov.au

Be SunSmart!

Two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer. Remember to all year round to reduce your skin cancer risk!

cancer.qld.org.au or call 13 11 20

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - AUTUMN 2013

Phone 1300 851 331

Australia

Is your centre exceeding National Quality Standards?

The TCS Seven Quality Standard Solutions: 1. Educational Leadership support through a coaching and mentoring program for educators. 2. Auditing and compliance tools to ensure the best in health and safety. 3. The environment is the third teacher. Training in creating inspiring learning spaces for children indoors and outdoors. 4. Assisting services to ensure compliance with National Laws and National Regulations and understanding responsibilities. 5. Professional Training for all staff on a monthly cycle. 6. Monthly network meetings – connecting to the community. 7. Expert advice on financial management and controls for better financial outcomes. Have you developed your Quality Improvement Plan to prepare for your Rating and Assessment visit? Does your Educational Leader have the knowledge and tools to support and mentor your Educators with the Early Years Learning Framework? Is your centre compliant under the Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations?

What else can we do for you? • Assisting Owners and Investors in managing their childcare centres effectively • Expert aquisition and consultancy advice • Operations team to support, mentor, educate and lead your team through the National Quality Framework For more information contact John Wall on 07 3632 1100, mobile 0488 000 048 or via email john.w@totalchildcaresolutions.com.au Childcare Management | New Centre Start-Up | Consultancy | Centre Acquisitions

www.totalchildcaresolutions.com.au

Looking to sell? We have owners ready to buy your centre NOW!

SPF50+ increases sun protection, but only marginally By the Cancer Council of Queensland

n November 2012 the Therapeutic Goods Administration announced the increase of sun protection factor in sunscreens from SPF30+ to SPF50+. But while the number may look bigger on the bottle – the truth is, SPF50+ sunscreen offers only marginally better UVB protection compared with SPF30+. It is important Queenslanders do not misinterpret the benefits of using SPF50+ sunscreen and parents should stay vigilant about their family’s sun protection.

Cancer Council Queensland has released a range of recommendations to help busy families incorporate SunSmart behaviours into everyday routines:

SPF50+ filters out 98 per cent of UVB radiation compared to 96.7 per cent when using SPF 30+ sunscreen. SPF50+ is not a suit of armour. It doesn’t equate to an ability to spend any longer in the sun and needs to be applied just as liberally as SPF30, every two hours.

Make being SunSmart a healthy habit

It is also important to remember that sunscreen in isolation is not sufficient protection from the sun. Queenslanders should Slip on protective clothing, Slop on SPF30 or above, broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen, Slap on a broadbrimmed hat, Seek shade and Slide on wrap-around sunnies to reduce their skin cancer risk. In a state which has the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, only 6 per cent of Queensland adults admit to taking all five recommended precautions during summer - Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide. According to the 2012 Chief Health Officer’s Report, most sun exposure occurs in childhood years, with high levels a strong determining factor of the risk of melanoma. Sun protection is required when the UV Index is 3 and above. In Queensland, the UV Index is 3 and above all year round, so Cancer Council Queensland encourages sun protection through every season. The Cancer Council Queensland SunSmart Shop in Fortitude Valley stocks everyday sun protective items from umbrellas and swim-shirts to SPF50+ sunscreen, foundation and lip balms. Early childhood centres that are registered with the SunSmart Schools & Early Childhood Program receive 20 per cent discount on sun protection items (terms and conditions apply). Early Childhood centres can apply to join the SunSmart Schools & Early Childhood Program via the Prevention tab at www.cancerqld.org.au.

Being SunSmart should be seen as a healthy habit, just like eating breakfast! Why not combine the two and encourage your kids to apply SPF30 or above water-resistant, broadspectrum sunscreen every morning after breakfast? This will help them avoid incidental sun exposure during the trip to school. Keep track of the time Sun exposure on unprotected skin can lead to skin cancer and when you take into account physical education lessons, sports practice sessions and lunchtime activities, sun exposure can easily add up at the end of a school day. Encourage your children to seek shady areas where they can eat and play. Make sure your early childhood centre or school is SunSmart. Think inside the (lunch) box Keep small 35mL tubes of SPF30 or above sunscreen in the kitchen cupboard, and pop them into the whole family’s lunch boxes every day. This will encourage them to apply sunscreen at lunchtime. Be a SunSmart role model We know children whose parents model sun protective behaviours are more likely to practice sun protective behaviours themselves, so make sure you lead by example! Pack spare sun protection supplies Encourage your kids to keep a spare hat, tube of sunscreen and pair of sunnies in their school desk or locker. Don’t forget the long-sleeve swim shirt on swimming days! More information about SPF50+, and sun protective recommendations for the entire family, is available at www.cancerqld.org.au.

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - AUTUMN 2013

National Quality Standard

Assessment and rating: your questions answered By the Office for Early Childhood Education and Care

arly childhood services can have confidence that the assessment and rating process against the National Quality Standard (NQS) accurately measures the quality of education and care they provide and that results are nationally consistent.

An evaluation by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) found the process is valid and reliable, the instrument used to assess services was fit for purpose and a clear majority of services believed their rating and assessment experience was positive. ACER collected data from 491 services throughout Australia, including 128 from Queensland. Interviews, online surveys and focus groups were held with services and Authorised Officers and a sample of final reports were reviewed. The full ACER report is anticipated to be released in the first quarter of 2013. With the evaluation now complete, Queensland services are asking what the next step is in the process. When will our service be assessed and rated? Assessment and rating visits are scheduled by the Department of Education, Training and Employment’s regional offices. Services will be told of their assessment visit approximately 20 weeks in advance. Download the assessment and rating process fact sheet from the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) website at www.acecqa.gov.au for more information. When will ratings be published? Ratings will be available on the MyChild and ACECQA websites after relevant sections of the National Law are proclaimed, allowing ratings to be released. This is anticipated to occur in the first half of 2013. What information will be published? The rating for each of the seven quality areas and overall rating will be published. When do services need to display their rating and how should they be displayed? Services are considered to be Provisional-Not Yet Assessed Under the National Quality Framework until they are rated. If a service was accredited by the National Child Care Accreditation Council (NCAC), the approved provider must continue to display that accreditation at the service until a first rating assessment is completed and a rating given.

Assessed services can display their NQS rating now. After the proclamation, this will be mandatory. What is the process for awarding the highest rating? Services rated Exceeding National Quality Standard overall can apply for the Excellent rating after relevant sections of the National Law are proclaimed. Visit the ACECQA website at www.acecqa.gov.au for a copy of the guidelines and criteria. What information is available for families? Families want the best for their children and as the ratings are published, many families will be eager to learn more about the NQF and what it means for them. Families can subscribe to ACECQA’s Family News e-newsletter for more information and regular updates at www.acecqa.gov. au. Consider providing a copy to parents at your service, or sharing the following information in your service newsletter: Why the NQF is important With 90 per cent of a child’s brain development occurring in the first eight years, we want to give our children the best start in life. Quality education and care provides safe and well maintained environments where children are happy, engaged and learning with educators who are dedicated, qualified and caring. Our service is committed to the NQF which aims to raise quality in early childhood education and care and drive continuous improvement in service provision. The National Quality Standard A key component of the NQF is the National Quality Standard (NQS). All services will be assessed and rated against the seven quality areas of the NQS. These are:

Assessment of services Services will be given a rating for each of the seven quality areas, and an overall rating. Ratings will be published on the MyChild website and the ACECQA website later this year. After this time, ratings will also be displayed at the service following their assessment. What the ratings mean to families The new assessment and rating system is designed so parents and educators can understand what quality education and care looks like, to make informed choices for their children. All services are required to meet the minimum regulatory requirements to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of children. Under the NQF, services are asked to not only meet these minimum requirements but to continually improve towards

exemplary quality and the higher standards as set out in the NQS. While the overall rating provided to a service gives an overall picture of the quality of education and care provided, it is important to look at the rating provided against each Quality Area. A service that is rated as Working Towards National Quality Standard is providing a safe learning environment for children and has one or more areas identified for improvement. Parents are encouraged to discuss the ratings across the seven quality areas with their service and the plans in place to improve practice. Services Meeting National Quality Standard or Exceeding National Quality Standard are achieving the higher quality benchmark.

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - AUTUMN 2013

2 Easy Ways to Make Your Incursions Stress Free By Julian Mather

ooking a children's entertainer for an incursion into your centre is like a dance between the children, the staff and the performer. If the partners are in sync, it all flows and is fun. If you're not moving to the same rhythm though, you'll probably smile politely, say thank you and quickly search for another partner. By taking a few moments to view a visit to your centre through the eyes of a children's performer, you will quickly be on your way to achieving a win-win-win situation: you get top value for money, the performer can give a cracker show and most important, the children get the best experience possible. Here's how... Ask the performer how they want their audience seated. "I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion." Henry David Thoreau All performers are different. Within any chosen discipline, there are variations on a theme. Let's look at Magic Shows for example - I speak from experience here. Magicians differ wildly in the way that they present their shows and each will have an optimum way they would like, or more to the point, need, the audience seated to give the audience the best experience. Quite often I'll come in to a centre and the children are preseated in the time honoured (starting from the front) young to older, tiny to bigger. The logic is that this allows the little kids to see better, but could there be a better way?

Counter intuitive as this may sound, seat them in the reverse order. The 4yr and 5 yr olds are really the engine room of the audience. They understand the content of the show better and will respond better, so the performer will want to 'play' to this group as their reactions will drive the rest of the audience. Whether it's quiet listening or spirited bantering, from my unique view of the audience dynamic, I always see the older children set the lead and the younger ones looking to them for cues, on how to respond and behave, then dutifully following. For any show with lots of audience involvement, put the older kids front and centre, the 3 yr olds behind them, then the toddlers and bubs around the sides and back. This way their attention can wander in and out and carers can attend to situations without disrupting the flow of the show. Having the older children to the front also creates a much needed physical barrier to the meandering 2 yr old. This is especially important in 2013 as public liability insurance nowadays requires the performer to have taken preventative measures. Blind-siding a wandering toddler with my knee is a sure fire way to ruin your show and potentially harm a career. Take a few moments to ring the performer and ask what works best for them.

Just treat your children as usual before a show. Simply insist that they remember their manners, but that's it. Good performers feed on spirited interaction. Too many 'performers' see the pre school age market as way to earn a few extra dollars. I say you and the children deserve better. It is not your role to try and provide optimum conditions for a performance. The rough and tumble of the playground is the stage. Check your performers bona-fides, ask for testimonials and remember to spend a moment to ask how they want the audience seated. Then sit back, let them take control, and let the kids be themselves and enjoy a great show. Julian Mather provides a range of educational magic shows for early childhood audiences.

Don't drill the children to be on their best behaviour. "We spend the first twelve months of our children's lives teaching them to walk and talk and the next twelve telling them to sit down and shut up." Phyllis Diller Nothing makes my shoulders slump more as I am entering a centre, and I hear the trailing-off words, "remember your manners and be very quiet during the show". I am not disappointed at you, I'm disappointed with the many less-than-professional children's performers who have come before. Let me categorically state that anyone who is charging you professional fees, should by definition, be able to artistically engage your children plus have COMPLETE control from the moment they walk in. If not, consider paying them babysitting rates. Any good children's performer will command respect and easily take control and encourage interaction from the audience. If children are encouraged to remain quiet and meek, then you may as well save your money and roll out the TV set and a DVD. Live performance is spirited and engaging and takes the kids on a thrilling ride. Even at a young age audiences sense if they feel safe, and will give themselves over for the ride if they trust the performer to deliver them back safely at the end.

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - AUTUMN 2013

Creating a Warm and Supportive Learning Environment for Young Children By Dr Wendi Beamish (Griffith University) and Dr Beth Saggers (QUT)

lanning and managing the classroom environment in relation to daily schedule, activities, and routines is vital to creating warm, supportive learning environments for young children.

Environmental arrangements in and outside of the classroom can either promote or detract from efforts of staff to build positive, supportive, and accepting environments in which all children can feel safe to learn and take risks. The classroom should be arranged not only to support learning but also to deter challenging behaviours and nurture social emotional learning. The ten basic guidelines for designing environments are: 1. Create safe and comfortable spaces with clear physical boundaries. Have an inviting space for leave-takings where the child can separate and reconnect with parents and staff. Also have some cosy spaces to which children can retreat if feeling anxious or angry, or for taking a break from activities or people; 2. Arrange spaces for staff to readily observe the group so that emerging cues from individual children can be effectively responded to;

to why each rule is important, identify consequences for following and not following each rule, and reward child approximations of each rule; 9. Make sure that good behaviour is encouraged and acknowledged throughout the day and that behaviours of concern are dealt with in a planned, proactive, and consistent manner by all staff; and 10. Design daily schedules and activities to minimize the amount of time children spend transitioning from one activity to another and, wherever possible, intersperse preferred and non-preferred activities. It is also important that services reflect on the effectiveness of environmental arrangements. A simple way is to regularly ask the following questions: • Is the environment welcoming and reflect the cultural diversity of the children?

3. Allow choice and a degree of flexibility within activities and the daily schedule so children have some sense of control over the environment;

• Does the physical arrangement of the classroom promote aggressive or disruptive behaviour?

4. Create a language rich and communication-friendly environment where all children are encouraged to augment spoken language using gestures, dramatic representations, and electronic devices;

• Do clearly defined limits need to be instituted for activity areas?

5. Offer specific activities that allow particular staff and peer proximity and time to build positive relationships with an individual child and allow the child to build reciprocal relationships and social skills;

• Does the traffic flow need to be assessed?

• Do children need more intensive scaffolding and support in certain activity areas? • Is a cool down space needed? • Are private spaces available and are they easily supervised and visually accessible.

6. Encourage children to learn to listen to each other and, wherever possible, use small group activities for peer modelling and peer coaching;

• Does the socio-emotional arrangement of the classroom foster interaction and peer modelling?

7. Set up predictable routines with clear structure and defined limits so that all children feel secure and safe;

• Does the arrangement of materials and learning centres promote self-regulation?

8. Establish clear and reasonable class rules (3-6 in number) for expected behaviours, provide ongoing explanations as

• Is the environment stress free?

March Member Meetings Childcare Queensland member meetings are a great way to get involved with other members, receive information on the latest issues impacting centres and raise concerns regarding operating your service with the CQ Committee. Brisbane Special General Meeting Monday 18 March 2013 7:00 to 9:00am Kedron Wavell Services Club Kittyhawk Drive, Chermside South Cost: $25.00 Breakfast provided

Gold Coast

Sunshine Coast

Tuesday 19 March 2013 7:00 to 9:00am Southport Sharks Musgrave & Olsen Avenue, Southport Cost: $25.00 Breakfast provided

Monday 25 March 2013 7:00 to 9:00am Pacific Paradise Bowls Club 13 Menzies Drive, Pacific Paradise Cost: $25.00 Breakfast provided

Keep an eye on your inbox for further information and how to register. Webinar access is available to Members unable to attend in person.

www.guardianchildcare.net.au

1300 025 007

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - AUTUMN 2013

ARE WE THERE YET? By Galina Zenin

ince Australia's national Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) was developed, educators across the country have been face with answering a number of questions including what is it, why are we doing it, where are we going and how do we get there As we came to the end of 2012 and reflected on the past few years, many of us know where we are going, but many educators are still puzzled and don’t know how to get there. In 2010, a small, 50-place privately run Bonkers Beat Music Kinder & Childcare Centre Aspendale was selected as a pilot centre to trial the National Quality Standard Framework. In February 2011 Bonkers Beat experienced its first trial assessment. Since then we have regularly held staff training sessions and worked tirelessly as a team to improve all areas of our service. The staff and management have continually taken on board new ideas and improved their knowledge, skills and practical tools for education. In September 2012, our centre went through the assessment process for a second time, this time achieving the outstanding result - Exceeding the National Quality Standard. The past three years have not been easy and looking back we can say that some of our educators were understandably nervous about the change. Working together whilst asking questions and finding answers made all the difference. To understand ‘WHAT’, ‘WHY’ and ‘WHERE’ took a great deal of positive thinking, courage and dedication. To find ‘HOW’, involved a great deal of investigation, exploring, learning, enthusiasm, commitment and discipline from the team. The National Quality Standard (NQS) is divided into seven areas that contribute to the quality of early childhood education and care. It provides services and families with the benchmarks by which high quality and excellent services may be distinguished. Assessments of every early childhood service in Australia commenced from 1st January 2012 to determine to which extent the service meets the NQS. However, to achieve an overall rating of Exceeding NQS, the service must be rated Exceeding in four of the seven Quality Areas with at least two coming from Quality Area 1, 5, 6, or 7. Although every area of the NQS is important, we can say that our main focus falls on ‘Educational program and practice’

(QA 1), ‘Relationships with children’ (QA 5), ‘Collaborative partnerships with families and communities’ (QA 6) and last, but not least, ‘Leadership and service management’ (QA 7). Many educators are very clear where they are going and it is just a matter of time for them to find their how. However, I believe, if we all share our experiences we can help others get there quicker. Here are some examples of how we got there… To improve QA1 we took time to completely understand the EYLF to extend children’s learning and development and effectively interpret and implement the framework. We used music and wellbeing programs throughout the day to develop a strong sense of wellbeing, including incorporating music and yoga into the children’s daily routines. In QA5, we supported the children to work with, learn from and help others. We supported our children in learning to regulate and manage their own behaviour and to communicate effectively to resolve disputes. Recognising the expertise of families and engaging families in the decision making process about their child’s learning and wellbeing set us apart in QA6. We also engaged families in our music and wellbeing programs to provide consistency between our service and the child’s home. In QA7 we focussed on ensuring that the governance arrangements were well established and regularly reviewed.

We engaged educators, families and children in the development of the philosophy that guided the service. Throughout the process we evaluated the performance of the service, educators, management and demonstrated our strong commitment to ongoing professional development and early childhood education. An assessment process is an exciting journey and not a destination. It is a journey where everyone learns and grows professionally as well as personally. Everyone at Bonkers Beat is proud of the work that has been put in to achieve these ratings, however, our quest for excellence is an on-going process which will continue. For 2013, I wonder which question will be most relevant and top of mind? Maybe… ‘ARE WE THERE YET?’

The EYLF at your fingertips

ECTARC is celebrating 15 years! Win one of five professional development workshops for your service. Total prizes valued at $6,000.

Learning • Communication • Wellbeing • mmunity o C • y t The Early Years Learning Framework sets out five Identi

areas of learning that can be used as a guideline for Early Childhood Educators to develop each childNCT0560 as a whole. We recognise the importance of the individual areas, but also focus on the integration of the learning outcomes as they complement one another. We have a wide variety of Educator resources, to find out more and place an order please visit www.curriculumkids.com.au Programming with the Early Years Learning Framework

Learning Experiences 0-3 years Reflecting the EYLF

To celebrate our birthday we are giving away a full day professional development workshop to five early childhood services. To enter your service in the draw visit www.ectarc.com.au Each staff member can enter the draw for their service.

By Samantha Dornau

By Liana Caplan and Samantha Dornau

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Visit the website for competition terms and conditions.

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Fundamental for all Educators who wish to provide high quality programs for children

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Competition closes 30 April, 2013.

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Assisting Early Childhood Educators to incorporate the EYLF

Enrol in an ECTARC traineeship or distance study course at any time of the year.

www.ectarc.com.au

The early childhood training specialists

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - AUTUMN 2013

Associate Members