Childcare Insight Feb 14 web

Childcare Insight Inside this issue: Message from Executive Officer Message from the Dept of Education Raising a Healthier Eater!

Real Recycling – No need to Fake it Why Music Matters What’s the price of managing payments in your childcare centre?

Behaviour Guidance – Relating to Children Infection Control and Energy Savings in Early Childhood Facilities with Airius Air Pears Celebration Dates Changes to Children’s Services Officers and Regulatory Framework

Childcare Association of WA Inc News 1

Childcare Insight

Childcare Insight First Edition 2014

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Childcare Insight Contents Message from Executive Officer

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Message from the Dept of Education

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Raising a Healthier Eater!

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Real Recycling – No need to Fake it

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Why Music Matters

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What’s the price of managing payments in your childcare centre? 13 Behaviour Guidance – Relating to Children

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Infection Control and Energy Savings in Early Childhood Facilities 17 with Airius Air Pears Celebration Dates

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Changes to Children’s Services Officers and Regulatory Framework

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Management Committee President: Lisa Godwin Vice President: Anne Chemello Secretary: Sarah Lovegrove Treasurer: Allan Mullet Committee: Frits Grader, Fadi Dorkhom, Karen Stackpole, David Lyons, Natalie Green Associate Committee: Coral Callan & Jennifer Kenyon

Childcare Association of WA Inc Executive Officer: Rachelle Tucker Location: Level 1/9 Bowman Street South Perth Mailing: PO Box 196 South Perth WA 6951 Telephone: 1300 062 645 Web: www.childcarewa.com Email: info@childcarewa.com 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 Association of WA Inc accepts no responsibility for the contents of the advertisements.

Advertisements are accepted in good faith and liability for advertising content, goods or services supplied are the responsibility of the advertiser.

Childcare Association of WA Inc News - Childcare Insight First Edition 2014

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Message from the

Executive Officer Dear WA Services

Welcome to 2014, I hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas and New Year. The past 12 months and the start of 2014 have been quite significant for the ECEC sector.

CAWA and ACA have been working hard and passionately to represent the best interests of our members, educators and families.

A little of what has been going on:

Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) & Childcare Association of WA (CAWA) quick round-up • EYQF – Submissions, Rally, Lobbying – to make this fund fair and equitable to all Educators • ERO – Hired the expertise of an Industrial Relations firm that has and will continue to represent ACCA members before the Commission o CAWA is also liaising with the WA Chamber of Commerce & Industry on this matter • Submitted documents to Assistant Minister Ley on the Assessment & Rating process, and the Red Tape issues raised by members. These documents are available for CAWA members on the website in the members area • Submission to the PC Enquiry into Childcare & Early Childhood Learning. Submission available to members on the CAWA website in the members area • Pre-Budget Submission • Lobby day Federally • CAWA continues to meet with ECRU on a regular basis and Minister Simpson • Fortnightly teleconferences (ACA) • Quarterly face to face meetings (ACA) • Monthly committee meetings (CAWA) There is much more that is being done on a daily basis Nationally and Locally with ACA and CAWA. We encourage our members to have a voice and to contact the CAWA office if they have any issues or concerns that need to be raised or addressed.

Early Years Quality Fund Ministerial review of the Early Years Quality Fund: http://education.gov.au/early-years-quality-fund On 10 December 2013 the Assistant Minister for Education, the Hon Sussan Ley MP announced that the Government would redirect all funds remaining from the Early Years Quality Fund towards a professional development programme to assist all long day care educators to meet the qualification requirements under

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the National Quality Framework (NQF) and to improve quality outcomes for children.

The new professional development programme will have sufficient flexibility to meet educator needs as well as targeting known workforce shortages such as early childhood teachers and long day care educators in rural and remote areas.

The Department of Education held a consultation meeting on the new programme with the child care and early learning sector on 21 January 2014 in Canberra. ACA President Gwynn Bridge attended taking along recommendations from all State ACA representatives who met in early January.

Productivity Commission Review into Childcare and Early Childhood Learning The Australian Government has asked the Productivity Commission to undertake a public inquiry into future options for childcare and early childhood learning, with a focus on developing a system that supports workforce participation and addresses children’s learning and development needs.

The Commission has been asked to specifically report and make recommendations on: • the contribution of childcare to workforce participation and child development • current and future need for childcare in Australia, particularly given changes in work patterns, early learning needs, childcare affordability and government assistance • the capacity of the childcare system to ensure a satisfactory transition to schools, in particular for vulnerable or at risk children • alternative models of care, including those overseas, which could be considered for trial in Australia • options - within existing funding parameters - for improving the accessibility, flexibility and affordability of childcare for families with diverse circumstances • the impacts of regulatory changes, including the implementation of the National Quality Framework, on the childcare sector over the past decade.

ACA, through face-to-face meetings, teleconferences and emails have put together a very comprehensive submission. We hired Urban Economics to do an Economic Analysis of the Childcare Industry. We consulted parents through the “What Parents want (updated) Survey” and we consulted members with the ACA Member Survey 2014.

Message from the

Executive Officer - continued The 121 page submission is available at http://pc.gov.au/ projects/inquiry/childcare/submissions or by contacting me at info@childcarewa.com and requesting a copy.

Special mention must be made to ACA President Gwynn Bridge on the work she did with this. Thank you very much Gwynn - your passion and advocacy for this sector is very much appreciated.

New Consultation Requirements in Modern Awards

Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood (SCSEEC) Changes to the National Regulations At its 29th November 2013 meeting, the Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood (SCSEEC) endorsed some relatively simple changes to the Education and Care Services National Regulations.

http://www.fairwork.gov.au/media-centre/latestnews/2013/07/pages/20130701-changes-to-the-fairwork-act-2009.aspx

All the amendments need to be drafted and approved.

As WA implemented its own corresponding legislation, including the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2012 Western Australia, the amendments for WA will be drafted and approved separately;

The provisions which have been included in the Children’s Services Award 2010 and the

These changes relate to a range of operational matters, including:

Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2010 came into effect on and from 1 January 2014.

• • • •

(a) Where an employer proposes to change an employee’s regular roster or ordinary hours of work, the employer must consult with the employee or employees affected and their representatives, if any, about the proposed change. (b) The employer must: (i) provide to the employee or employees affected and their representatives, if any, information about the proposed change (for example, information about the nature of the change to the employee’s regular roster or ordinary hours of work and when that change is proposed to commence); (ii) invite the employee or employees affected and their representatives, if any, to give their views about the impact of the proposed change (including any impact in relation to their family or caring responsibilities); and (iii) give consideration to any views about the impact of the proposed change that are given by the employee or employees concerned and/ or their representatives. (c) The requirement to consult under this clause does not apply where an employee has irregular, sporadic or unpredictable working hours. (d) These provisions are to be read in conjunction with other award provisions concerning the scheduling of work and notice requirements.”

The new Clause will operate from 1 January 2014, in accordance with the legislation.

supervisor certificates probationary periods for new educators short-term replacement of absent educators clarification of the meaning of actively working towards a qualification • excursions • parental access • fencing and safety-glass requirements at centres • first aid requirements on school sites.

Some other amendments specific to individual jurisdictions will also be progressed. WA will extend for a further 12 months WA’s transitional arrangement for centre-based services’ ratios over the lunch period and clarify the requirements for a Western Australian service caring for preschool aged children to receive an Exceeding Rating.

For further information on this please read the related article from ECRU.

Equal Remuneration Order Equal Remuneration Order (ERO) – Wage Claim by United Voice and Australian Education Union The Australian Childcare Centres Association (ACCA), through Livingstones, is representing the Australian Childcare Alliance and at the same time, all State Associations’ members. http://www.fwc.gov.au/index cfm?pagename=caeremuneration

Childcare Association of WA Inc News - Childcare Insight First Edition 2014

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Message from the

Executive Officer - continued Assessment & rating A Potential Way Forward • • • • •

Inconsistencies in Assessment and Rating Streamline current process Self-Assessment and QIP Services “self-rate” Collaborative assessment – onus on service to substantiate their “self-rating” • Do away with “Significant Improvement Required” and “Excellent” • National Assessors for consistency Please go to the CAWA member’s area on the website for more; this is also available in the ACA Submission to the PC Enquiry.

Maggie Dent 18th & 19th March 2014 Maggie Dent: CAWA in partnership with CTAS will host two workshops with Maggie Dent in March; CAWA & CTAS members will be get first option to book at a much reduced price. Book in quick as these tickets will sell out.

• Tuesday 18th March – Dare to Be Exceptional: For Early Years Professionals • Wednesday 19th March - Real Kids in a Unreal World-Building resilience & Self Esteem in today’s children

Catering provided See the website https://childcarewa.com/cawa-events for further details.

CAWA & CTAS Members $30.00 Non Members $65.00

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NQS Workshop Regulatory & NQS Full day workshop for owners & frontline managers: Proudly supported by Guild Insurance • • • •

Assessment & Rating – Lead Assessor Risk management Educational Program & Practice – (TBA) Physical Environment & Sustainability – Jenni Magenta • Leadership & Team Building - Chris Barrett • Panel of ECRU for owners/managers to ask questions – ECRU This workshop is fully catered – Morning Tea, Lunch & Afternoon Tea See the website https://childcarewa.com/cawa-events for further details.

Only limited places now available CAWA Members $60.00

Non Members $120.00

Kind regards

Rachelle Tucker Executive Officer Childcare Association of WA Inc (CAWA) Contact details: Phone: 1300 062645 Mobile: 0433 498 147 Email: info@childcarewa.com Website: www.childcarewa.com

Message from The Hon Sussan Ley MP The start of a new year is an exciting time for the child care and early learning sector, particularly for educators building relationships with parents using their child care services for the first time. It can also be a difficult time when you consider that the work lives of Australian families are no longer strictly nine-to-five and have never been busier. That’s why access to affordable and quality child care and early learning is more critical than ever in supporting parents and assisting with the development needs of their children.

We need a quality child care and early learning system that is affordable, flexible and responsive to the needs of families, children and regional communities across Australia.

I also see child care as playing an essential role in boosting the workforce participation and, ultimately, a strong economy and nation.

However, with recent reports showing child care fees increased 50 per cent under the previous government and their flexibility trial program is failing to meet predicted demand, it’s clear there is still an imbalance in Australia’s child care system.

It’s also clear the time for adhoc, expensive band-aid solutions has passed.

That’s why the Coalition has tasked the Productivity Commission to undertake a public examination of the entire child care and early childhood learning sector as one of our first priorities in government. It’s the first review of its kind since the 1990s.

I’m thrilled by the number of contributions the Productivity Commission has received from parents, services, early childhood educators, peak bodies and other interested parties, with over 1000 to date. If you missed the opportunity to share your views, the Commission will be running public hearings later in the year and I encourage you to participate in the process.

More information about the Inquiry is available on the Productivity Commission website, with the final report to be handed down in October.

However, I understand that operators and parents alike are hurting right now from the rising costs of child care.

In fact, a recent report undertaken by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Authority (ACECQA) revealed 97 per cent of operators still consider red tape from the National Quality Framework (NQF) an ongoing burden three years since its introduction. This includes almost 80 per cent of the 5400 child care operators, supervisors and educators surveyed for this report labelling the burden of the NQF on their daily business as ‘significant’. To be clear, the Coalition supports highquality child care and the intent of the NQF. That said, we hear your concerns. There are over 350 individual requirements that are leading to more time being spent on paperwork rather than care and education. This report also found the NQF is costing an average long day care with 75 places about $140,000 per year to administer. That’s the equivalent of about $2000 per child.

Therefore I am currently working with my state and territory counterparts to reduce red tape burden on operators where it is deemed excessive in the delivery of the NQF’s quality standards. We hope that reducing this pressure on operating costs will, in turn, help reduce the pressure on fees and improve access to affordable and flexible child care.

I look forward to representing your interests across the child care and early learning sector throughout the year and working with you to shape a more flexible, affordable and accessible child care system for all Australians.

The Hon Sussan Ley MP Assistant Minister for Education

Childcare Association of WA Inc News - Childcare Insight First Edition 2014

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Raising a Healthier Eater!

Nutrition & Children A healthy diet can be the best investment a parent or carer can make for children’s health. Good nutrition in childhood is essential for normal growth, development, current health and future health. Developing healthy eating habits in childhood can set children up with good eating habits for life. Food provides children with energy, nutrients and a wonderful variety of tastes and textures.

It is important to help children make good food choices by offering a healthy range of foods.

Small children often become fussy with food sometime between the age of one and four years. Behaviours commonly seen around mealtimes are tantrums, food fads, extreme dislikes and playing with food. They love food one day and dislike it the next, or the meal they refused at home is eaten happily away from home. These behaviours can cause lots of frustration for parents and carers but are quite normal and need not be of concern.

Why do they happen?

• After the first year, growth rates slow down considerably.

• Toddlers begin to show independence and choosing and refusing food is a way of expressing independence.

You can help get through this difficult stage of fussy eating with some (or all) of these ideas: • Offer meals in a relaxed environment.

• Prepare children in advance for meals and snack time, warn them that food will be on the table in five minutes so they can begin to finish their activity.

• Concentrate on the meal; set the table, stop activities, turn off the TV and sit down together.

• Start with a small serve as too much food overwhelms the child; a rough guide is one tablespoon of each food per year of age.

• Serve a new food with one the child likes.

• Offer words of encouragement, but don’t argue or force the child to eat.

• Respect the child if they tell you they are full.

• Don’t assume the child will dislike a particular food.

• New foods can be rejected at first; be patient and keep on offering them.

• Give children enough time to eat as they are less skilled at eating but remove food after twenty minutes if the child has lost interest.

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• Be a positive role model – eat well and children will copy you.

• Try not to fuss if a child refuses to eat. Most foods can be safely stored in the fridge and offered again later.

Try not to bully or offer bribes.

All children need a variety of foods to ensure good health. Toddlers still have small stomachs and seem to eat better with a number of regular snacks through the day rather than a rigid three meals per day. As a guide, plan for 3 main meals (these might be small) and 2-3 snacks per day. Try and encourage 1½ - 2 hours between each meal or snack.

Encourage them to eat a range of foods but don’t be too strict on this. If they refuse all vegetables do continue to offer them but make sure they are having some fruit to provide vital nutrients. If a child refuses milk then yoghurt, cheese and custard are all ways of getting dairy products in!

Children can be allowed to select their own food sometimes but offer limited choices such a ‘carrots or peas’ instead of ‘do you want any vegetables?’

Remember, if they reject a food once it does not mean they will never eat it. Do try it again a little later. You may need to do this several times before a child accepts this new food.

Drinks should always be offered in a cup but if a child is not eating well check how much fluid they are having.

Sometimes toddlers will fill up on sweet drinks or milk, which then leaves little room for food. Try to give food before drinks for small eaters.

It is important to know that most children are able to balance the amount of food or energy their body needs if offered nutritious foods regularly and are not forced to finish everything on the plate. This means that if only a little is eaten at one meal, they will probably catch up with a bigger meal or snack later. This is essential to helping children learn to control appetite and food intake as they get older, and may help prevent problems such as overeating later in life.

Raising a Healthier Eater!

- continued

Remember: › A child will eat when hungry. › A healthy child who refuses to eat is not hungry and therefore doesn’t need food right now. › A healthy child will not starve to death through stubborn food refusal.

For further information visit: www.cancerwa.asn.au/ prevention/nutrition/ or call Cancer Council Helpline on 13 11 20 http://www.foodcentsprogram.com.au/recipes/chickenfried-rice

Parents, carers and children have clear responsibilities around foods:

http://www.foodcentsprogram.com.au/recipes/potatofrittata

Remember that parents and carers control what foods are offered when foods are offered where they are eaten

http://livelighter.com.au/Recipe/154/strawberry-and-kiwifruity-ice-treats Recipe © State of Western Australia 2013, reproduced with permission

But only the child can control how much is eaten which foods are eaten whether to eat food at all

Supported by:

Relax and focus on the positive. Try to always find something to praise at the meal even if it is just the fact that they sat at the table!

A joint Australian, State and Territory Government initiative.

CAWA Exclusive Offer

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PLUS: Place an order of $200 or more (net) and receive the Tiddox Promo pack FREE containing more than 200 wipes with a value of $80, while stocks last!!!

TO ORDER: Visit our website www.tiddox.com.au and enter promo code CAWA Tiddox provides Professional Wiping Solutions to the Childcare, Aged Care, Janitorial and Hospitality sectors. For more info, contact us: Tel: 1300 84 33 69

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Childcare Association of WA Inc News - Childcare Insight First Edition 2014

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Real Recycling – No need to Fake it - Written by Kirri Combi A resource can be defined as a stock or supply that can be drawn on by a person or organisation in order to function effectively.

As it stands today, in the last 100 years energy use has increased 16-fold, industrial pollution 40-fold, water use 9-fold, fish catch 35-fold, carbon dioxide emissions have increased 17-fold and sulfur emissions have increased 13-fold.

Author Julie Davis, in her book Young Children and the Environment (2010) writes about the exponential increase in the use of resources “at a time when the human population has increased from around 1.6 billion to over 6.6 billion (more than a 3 fold increase in just over 100 years) and is tipped to rise to 8 billion by 2025, then to 9 billion by 2043 (United States Census Bureau, 2008) there is additional cause for concern. The human ecological footprint is just too large in relation to the Earth’s capacity to provide adequate resources for this expanding population”.

Al Gore wrote, ‘there is no doubt we can solve this problem. In fact we have a moral obligation to do so.

Small changes in your daily routine can add up to big differences in helping to stop [it]. The time to come together to solve this problem is now’ (Gore, 2006) What changes can we make in our daily routines and who do we come together with to solve this problem?

Early childhood educators are in the unique position of having access to young people while they are still forming their foundational likes, dislikes, wants, needs and desires. We have it within our reach to instill different principles to those that were imparted to the Baby Boomers, GenX and GenY. Start with your students and your daily classroom routine. Then, as required by NQS, enroll your parents and childcare community by modeling ‘right action’.

Lets take for example the good old, over-used and under-utilised Recycling Bins.

Everyone’s doing it right? Yes. But most are doing it wrong. Quality over quantity always. Don’t just put ready-labeled recycling bins in your classroom.

Make the labels TOGETHER. Decide what goes in the bins TOGETHER. Empty the bins in the appropriate place TOGETHER. (Create an in-house excursion where children take turns depositing recyclables from classroom bins into school bins). Create wall posters showing what waste goes where and why, TOGETHER. And then make sure your school community knows what you’re doing, how you’re doing it and why.

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If you’re ‘doing it’ without the inclusion of students you are wasting your time. And your parents will soon come to know. If what you are modeling is real and meaningful the children will themselves become advocates for ‘right action’. When students begin to watch and moderate their own and the actions of others you know you have instilled something special in someone. Take meaningful and deliberate action in your classroom and be excited that you are up-skilling the next generation of adults and equipping them with tools that will carry them onto healthy and purposeful lives. This is why I created Backyard in Box. Its teaching and classroom resources help educators really focus in on the important parts of embedding sustainability in their classrooms.

Sustainability has now been legislated for early learning, primary and secondary education systems nationally. Teaching children about sustainability will create a sustainable future for future generations and enable us finally to broach the subject of entitlements with our children. Entitlement is where a person expects to prosper from the toil of another’s sweat.

What you do in your classrooms day in, day out does and will continue to have an impact and often in ways you will never know or be able to explicitly attribute to yourselves. Ebenezer Brewer (1810 - 1897) once said “little drops of water little drops of sand make the mighty ocean and the pleasant land”. Without those little drops of water how can an ocean exist at all?

Be that individual drop and together we can be that ocean.

For more information about Backyard in a Box email kiri@backyardinabox.com.au or visit backyardinabox. com.au

Why Music Matters - Written by Jessica Gethin

Last night I watched from the couch as Miss One trialled her first little shoulder shimmy and wiggled her toosh to a groovy tune from the ‘80’s. Mr Four jumped up to join her, adding a hip waggle and slipped in the ‘sprinkler move’ and we all collapsed in a heap of giggles. Children love music….But why is music so important for our children?

Research shows that music is one of the best vehicles for learning and development in early childhood.

Music is a universal language. It crosses cultural divides, language barriers, is used for celebrations and commiserations. It links our parts of the brain, helps express emotion, encourages storytelling, creativity and boosts confidence. Research has shown that music has a positive effect on young children’s development, engaging all the senses and helping with spatial reasoning, cognitive skills and memory skills, helping the brain cells make connections required for childhood development.

It aids with social development, communication and self-expression. We teach the alphabet and numbers to song, we even use music to teach swimming. Gross and fine motor skills are developed along with co- ordination, comprehension, problem solving and listening skills.

So how can you use music to aid in early childhood development in your everyday? Here are some simple suggestions: -Start the day with a song. I used to play a different composer every morning as the children walked in the door, it would help set a relaxing atmosphere and mark the start of a new day. Why not throw in the great composers of Mozart, Verdi, Beethoven and Mendelssohn as well as High Five and the Wiggles? Compile a mix CD that is not too distracting from their morning activities but will create a nice environment (note that constant background music can have the opposite effect, as young children learn to block it out).

-Use the same special song to represent pack away time.

-Play quiet lullabies or soft classical music during rest time. I remember being horrified at how awful some of the children’s sleep and relaxation time CDs are when I had my first born. Over-produced computer synthesised keyboards playing Brahms Lullaby were not my idea of sleep-inducing music! How about the real thing? I play the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s ‘Music for Dreaming’ at night to my children, a beautiful collection of sleepy tunes played by real symphony orchestra musicians.

-Schedule a regular ‘music jam’ every day. Each child gets an egg shaker, clave sticks, bells or maracas while you

march around in time to the music. A great way to burn off some energy and make some noise while still being part of a structured activity. Why not use different music choices here also, how about some James Morrison jazz to groove around the room to?

-Encourage days like ‘Music Monday’ or’ Wiggle Wednesday’ where the call and responses for activities need to be done to a well-known tune. Children love singing or clapping back a response and it helps them to focus. Why not compose a tune together to use?

-Extend the music theme into your craft time, making your own instruments then having a jam to a funky tune. Take it further for older children by bringing some problem solving and engineering and science challenges – ‘How does the string vibrate to make a sound?’ Make sand blocks, coloured rice shakers, jingle bracelets, rainsticks, banjos, tambourines, musical hats, egg shakers, papier mache maracas, box drums and cardboard trumpets.

Check out Pinterest for lots of ideas and steps. Use music and song to teach language, letters, numbers, shapes, colours, rhymes… all fit into songs of simple tunes such as Twinkle Twinkle.

Childcare Association of WA Inc News - Childcare Insight First Edition 2014

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Why Music Matters - continued -Use music to learn about other cultures and countries.

Have the children look at a globe or world map and play tunes from the different countries they choose. They will recognise that some countries use completely different modes and scales to what we are familiar with in western music. Acclaimed West Australian composer Iain Grandage wrote a medley of tunes from countries all over the world based on Waltzing Matilda; Konichiwa Matilda was always a favourite!

-Encourage lots of free movement and drama to music, a great way to get some physical activity and boost confidence in your little ones.

So perhaps have a think about some different ways to use music as a key tool in your everyday classroom. At the end of the day you are giving children the most precious gift, which is a lifelong appreciation and love of music.

Jessica Gethin is an Australia Conductor with 15 years pedagogy experience from early childhood to tertiary level. She is Chief Conductor of Perth Symphony Orchestra and resides in Perth WA with her husband and two children. (www.jessicagethin.com)

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What’s the price of managing payments in your childcare centre?

For childcare centre managers, the mission of increasing your centre’s profits while meeting national quality standards seems like a contradiction in terms. How can you increase profits on one hand while you’re increasing staff ratios on the other?

The answer has a lot to do with how your staff members manage their time. When your key staff members are spending less time in the administration office they have more time to spend with the children – which in turn increases your staff ratio quality standards and decreases your staffing costs.

We know that managing payments from parents is an energy-sapping administrative burden for childcare centre managers. You’re manually combing through payments each week; you’re manually tracking who’s paid and who is yet to pay; you’re cross-checking data in multiple systems and you’re making a few awkward phone calls to the parents who are late payers (not fun!). All of this time adds up and can have a massive impact on your childcare centre’s quality standards and profitability.

cash, trekking to the bank to physically deposit cash payments, balancing your centre’s accounts, matching your payment records to your bank statement as you manually cross off who has paid and highlight who is yet to pay can be staggering and is likely to be causing a huge drain on maintaining your centre’s quality standards and profitability. The most savvy childcare centre managers are using up-to-the-minute software to automate the repetitive task of matching parents and payments – which means their precious time can be spent on more important things.

How much time do you spend jumping between systems?

How many different pieces of software do you need to manage a modern childcare centre? If you’re using the right software the answer should be, ‘one’.

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

Even if it only takes you five minutes to jump between screens and software (don’t tell us: you’re using a childcare centre management system, your internet banking portal plus a few of your own spreadsheets, right?) to get your parent payments processed then So, the question is: what’s the price of managing it’s five minutes too many. The best childcare centre payments in the childcare centre that you manage? To management software will let you use plug-ins to Enjoy allthese the three benefits of Ezidebit’s complete childcare collection solution find out, start by asking yourself essential seamlessly tie in with your other systems (like payments) questions. so you can multi-task from within one screen. This will help you to cut down on your double handling of tasks How much time do you spend andIt’s delete clunky manual spreadsheets from yourchasing reallythose concerning how much time can be spent chasing payments? computer forever – saving you time and money. late childcare fees. Especially when it’s time you could be If you’re physically making phone calls to the parents Save time, save money who are late payers, chances are you’re leaving more spending with the children. That’s why we’re here. than one voicemail message before you get onto Mum So, now you’ve got a pretty good idea of just how or Dad – and even then you might need to follow up much time you really Improves cashspend flow on handling parent a few times before they settle their account. All the payments in your childcare centre. To find out how Reduces late payments while, you’re probably writing down the outcome of to reduce this time (and turn those saved hours into Saves every phone call in a diary or spreadsheet. Ask your profits!), booktime a chat with one of our friendly childcare Increases customer team to keep a simple record of all the time they spend payments consultants today.retention doing all of these things chasing late payments from Comprehensive reporting parents for a few weeks. When you look back over the Integrates with management software diary, you may be shocked to discover how much time Can be set up to operate at no cost to your centre (and therefore money) you’re really spending on this administrative chore.

Want more time to focus on the important things?

How much time do you spend matching payments?

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Childcare Association of WA Inc News - Childcare Insight First Edition 2014

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Behaviour Guidance – Relating to Children - Written by Dr Brenda Abbey

Guiding Children’s Behaviour is one of the most frequently requested workshop topics in the early education and care sector. It is also the workshop from which educators are most likely to leave disappointed, or be initially motivated but soon disappointed that few of the strategies suggested work for them.

Perhaps the greatest contributing factor to this problem is that educators collect strategies to guide children’s behaviour in the same way as they collect ideas for arranging indoor learning spaces, displaying children’s work, or undertaking craft or cooking activities. While using good ideas can be effective in most areas, not all seemingly 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 (i.e. acquire social skills). With this in mind, a ‘must do’ before attending any workshop on behaviour guidance, or adopting a new strategy or idea is to clarify what we believe about the way children learn to behave.

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

Since our behaviour guidance strategies must be consistent with the NQF, these strategies need to facilitate children’s desire to belong and to uphold their dignity. We would not therefore, use behaviour guidance strategies that would in any way better one child’s social standing at the expense of another. One such strategy that comes to mind is ‘parallel praise’ where one child is praised to coerce others to follow that child’s behaviour. “Wow, Jamie! I like the way you’re packing up the blocks” (said for other children to hear with the motive that they copy Jamie).

Also consistent with the NQF is the understanding that social skills are complex, and acquiring and perfecting them is a work-in-progress for us all. From time to time, everyone makes mistakes, especially young children. In his 1995 article in Young Children, titled ‘Misbehavior or mistaken behavior’, Gartrell explained that this is because the social experiences of young children are limited and their thinking skills are still developing.

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Childcare Insight

Identifying our role Myth 1: Guiding children’s behaviour takes us away from our work with the children. Nothing could be further from the truth. Guiding children’s behaviour is not a distraction from our work; it is a very important and large part of our work. Equipping children with the social skills to relate happily, purposefully, and respectfully with 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 that they know not to repeat them. We excitedly encourage children’s attempts to walk and talk, to use a spoon, and to wash their hands, all of this without emphasising their ‘mistakes’ or punishing their failed attempts. We need to take a similar approach for many of children’s attempts to use new social and thinking skills. We need to encourage them and support them as they learn these new social skills.

Myth 3: Our behaviour guidance strategies need to be quite different if we have children with challenging behaviour in our group. No matter how appropriate our behaviour guidance strategies are, or how skilfully we use them, they will not work with all children.

Some children have highly complex social needs, and they require us to use specific and quite specialised strategies. You should still re-evaluate your beliefs and strategies, but do so in an informed way. Meanwhile, respond to all of the ways children acquire social skills, and recognise that the onlooking children are also learning from your responses to other children, including those with challenging behaviours. Educators with a clear vision of their beliefs, their role, and which strategies will be effective and consistent with their beliefs, are better placed to apply strategies for children with highly complex behaviour guidance needs.

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

• Model respectful and skilful social interactions with others, including children.

• Use children’s inevitable mistakes as opportunities to teach them social skills – without impatience, anger, judgement, or the need to highlight to children that they did the wrong thing/made a mistake.

We know from our own experience that others bringing our mistakes to our attention is less helpful to us than being shown a better way to do the task. Educators need to know a range of strategies to plan and sustain a social environment that supports children playing happily and harmoniously with one another.

Teaching social skills Educators also need to learn and use strategies for teaching social skills. If we are to teach children social skills, we need a well-rehearsed repertoire of skilful professional responses to draw from at those times when children need us to shape their social skills or to teach them new skills and guide their behaviour. Just as acquiring social skills is a life-long process for us all, so too is our task as educators in acquiring and perfecting strategies to teach these social skills to children.

If we are honest, part of our problem in teaching social skills to children is that we are not clear about what these social skills entail.

Let me use the example of how we would approach supporting a lone/regularly excluded child to be accepted in group play with other children. Maybe your first instinct would be to ask the other children if the child could join their play, appeal to their sense of fairness, or something similar. However, if we consider how we would personally manage joining a small group at a social gathering, we would feel uncomfortable if someone intervened in that way on our behalf.

Instead we would be more likely to listen to the group’s conversation and, when timely, contribute something that the group would value or be interested in. Perhaps then, a strategy for supporting a child to join a group of children playing ‘cars’ might be to suggest to the child to drive a fire-truck or police car to the scene as if someone had made a 000 call.

Social environment Most educators know that the physical environment

impacts upon children’s behaviour, and so provide aesthetically attractive and well-organised environments, where children can freely select resources and activities.

However, educators should also involve children in devising rules and guidelines to govern their social environment.

Successful social environments display rules to guide the way children look after the environment and relate to one another and their educators. These rules need to be developed with the children, couched in positive terms (e.g. be kind to others), openly displayed, frequently discussed with the children, and used as the point of reference when responding to children’s social mistakes and unacceptable behaviour.

Even educators working with infants and toddlers can still rehearse this process in their mind, and use these rules to guide their responses to children.

The task for educators is to learn how to effectively lead a session to devise these rules; discuss them with children; and, most importantly, use them as the point of reference when talking to a child who has not followed them.

Encouragement and choice Children are encouraged when their efforts are acknowledged in a way that develops their ability to recognise and accept their positive qualities, strengths, or internal resources. Encouragement focuses on the deed rather than the doer, develops the ability to selfevaluate, and enables children to value learning and to work for self-satisfaction. It accepts and respects diverse abilities and strengths rather than compares.

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Behaviour Guidance – Relating to Children - continued The task for educators is to understand the difference between praise and encouragement, and the different effects each of these has on the child to whom they are directed and the onlooking children.

When we remind children of the rules, we need not make it sound like a censure. For example, the old faithful approach goes something like this: “Stop! What are you doing?” A less censorious reminder could be: “What do our rules say about this? Are you able to follow the rules now? How can I help you to follow the rules?“ A choice approach goes further and refers to carers extending to children the right to decide upon significant aspects of their day. Importantly, it also refers to carers providing children with options or alternative behaviours to replace inappropriate behaviours.

saving you energy

The task for educators is to learn the difference between either/or and how choices can be effectively used when guiding children’s behaviour.

Guiding Children’s Behaviour may well remain one of the most frequently requested workshops in the early education and care sector. However, these workshops would be most useful to educators if they enhanced professional skills in social problem-solving and creating a social environment that enables children to learn the behaviours that will support their development and interactions with other children and in the wider community.

Dr Brenda Abbey www.childcarebydesign.com.au is an early education and care consultant with expertise in the NQS, EYLF and MTOP. She develops NQS Profiles of services, conducts workshops and produces EYLF and MTOP resources. Contact Brenda via her mobile 0419 661 or email info@childcarebydesign.com.au

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Childcare Insight

28/02/14 4:03 PM

Infection Control and Energy Savings in Early Childhood Facilities with Airius Air Pears As the concerns around reducing the spread of infections between children and staff increases in child care and early childhood learning facilities, and the big push to save energy and reduce carbon, the arrival in Australia in 2011 of the unique Airius Air Pear Thermal Equalizer with PHI cell may be the win/win solution.

In most early leaning facilities there are also concerns around odours from urine etc., as well as ensuring the health and related learning outcomes for the youngest are optimised.

The Chicago School Board in the USA implemented the PHI cells into their schools and experienced a 20% reduction in absenteeism from their district’s schools.

The Airius Air Pear is a unique air turbine that is used across many different types of air conditioned or non-air conditioned facilities to reduce the energy consumption of the air conditioning system, or if there is no air conditioning system, to improve the thermal comfort of the inhabitants via the use of gentle, directional air movement.

Small in size with no exposed blades (unlike a typical fan) the Airius Air Pear easily fits to any room or space and uses very low levels of energy - around 15 watts to gently circulate the air around the space. Vertically or horizontally it works like a hose of water, ‘throwing’ air in whatever direction you choose.

In winter hot air sitting up under the ceiling is captured and moved to the ground where it is needed and in summer the conditioned air that slowly makes its way to the floor is accelerated gently downwards. In both applications the thermostat is satisfied quicker, thereby turning the air conditioning system off for longer periods while ensuring stability and consistency of internal temperature. No more hot or cold spots.

Cooling energy savings of 15-22% are being achieved in a range of different Australian facilities.

When the American designed and manufactured Photo HydroIonisation (PHI) non chemical air purification unit is included in the system as an option, significant health improvements can be achieved for all users.

Without being too technical the PHI uses broadspectrum UV light, humidity and a metallic titanium dioxide ring to create ionoized hydro peroxide, which is very effective at destroying harmful microbials in the air and on surfaces. When coupled with the Airius Air Pear unit those peroxides actively seek out any organic compounds such as bacteria, viruses, mould, Volatile Organic Compounds (as found in paints etc.) and odours

such as urine or faeces, and kill them at the source. The air and surfaces in the space are left clean, fresh smelling and uncontaminated for 25,000 hours. The amount of hydroperoxides used to accomplish this is less than is found in our outside air.

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With over one million PHI units sold world wide, approved and used by the Chinese Government for SARS, US army for mould control, the USDA, FSIS and FDA for food control and used in over 50 hospitals in the USA alone, the PHI unit will kill >99% of virus and bacteria including Swine Flu, Birdflu, E-coli, Norwalk Virus, MRSA, (Golden Staph) Strep, Listeria, any type of virus or bacteria, mould spores are killed in the space and converted to oxygen or hydrogen molecules.

Both the products are designed and manufactured in the United States, are completely safe and have large amounts of independent research to back their claims.

The use of these units in your child care facility will go a long way towards removing infections, transmission of virus and bacteria and can assist in the reduction of asthma as well as removing odours and VOC’s such as toluene etc.

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Childcare Association of WA Inc News - Childcare Insight First Edition 2014

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Celebration Dates MARCH

3: Labour Day (Western Australia), 4: Carnival/Shrove Tuesday, 5: Ash Wednesday, 17: St Patrick’s Day,

APRIL

13: Palm Sunday, 18: Orthodox Good Friday, 18: Good Friday, 19: Orthodox Holy Saturday, 19: Easter Saturday, 20: Orthodox Easter, 20: Easter Day, 21: Orthodox Easter Monday, 21: Easter Monday, 25: Anzac Day,

http://www.topmarks.co.uk/easter/ http://www.elli.com/blog/printable-bunny-lamb-earsfor-easter/ http://funhandprintart.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/babyhandprint-chick-preschool-easter.html

Mother’s Day History & Activities http://www.theholidayspot.com/ mothersday/history.htm http://www.kidspot.com.au/kidsactivities-and-games/mothersday+22.htm

MAY

http://www. speechandlanguagekids.com/ mothers-day-speech-and-language-activities/

Easter is a special time to celebrate with friends and family. Whether taking part in the traditions of the religious holiday or simply indulging in some yummy chocolate eggs, children can be involved in a huge range of activities that allow them to create, explore and enjoy this happiest of holidays.

http://funhandprintart.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/ handprint-flower-mothers-day-drawing.html

11: Mother’s Day, 26: National Sorry Day,

A collection of websites containing Easter-based activities and information on traditions from around the globe:

http://foodloveandlifeblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/ mothers-day-kids-craft.html http://www.pinterest.com/pin/204913851765604950/

Anzac Day History & Activities http://rslnsw.org.au/ commemoration/anzac/history http://octaviaandvicky.com/create/ anzac-day-activities-for-children

http://www.edex.com.au/resource/art-craft-inspirations/ easter

List of books:

http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/category/easter

My Grandad Marches on Anzac Day by Catriona Hoy

http://www.edex.com.au/resource/art-craft-inspirations/ easter http://www.womansday.com/life/easter-traditions-fromaround-the-world-105074 http://www.easterbunnys.net/easteraroundtheworld. htm

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Childcare Insight

Anzac Day Parade by New Zealanders, Glenda Kane & Lisa Allen A Day to Remember by Jackie French Simpson & His Donkey by Mark Greenwood

Changes to Children’s Services Officers and Regulatory Framework A number of changes have been made to the functions and focus of Children’s Services Officers (CSOs) in WA. The changes have come about as part of an internal review following the formation of the Department of Local Government and Communities on 1 July 2013, and will align CSOs with the Department’s core responsibilities of implementing and administering the National Quality Framework.

The changes mean that CSOs will become authorised under the Act, allowing them to undertake functions such as: assessments for new service applications, waiver applications and notification applications; proactive educative visits to services and other relevant tasks.

Metropolitan Children’s Services Officers will be based at the Education and Care Regulatory Unit from midFebruary and will work in the teams alongside the assessment and ratings officers.

Country-based Children’s Services Officers will remain in country locations.

In addition, as part of this change CSOs now report to the Director of the Education and Care Regulatory Unit.

The purpose of the reporting change is to bring WA into line with other jurisdictions where the regulation and sector support functions are undertaken in the same work area.

Education and care services will be assisted to operate within the legislation and the National Quality Framework, as usual.

In November 2013 the Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood (SCSEEC) endorsed some generally minor changes to the Education and Care Services National Regulations. The changes or amendments relate to a range of operational matters, including supervisor certificates, probationary periods for new educators, short-term replacement of absent educators, clarification of the meaning of actively working towards a qualification, excursions, parental access, fencing and safety-glass requirements at centres and first aid requirements on school sites. Some other amendments will apply only to particular states.

The amendments, which are yet to be drafted, which will apply in Western Australia, will generally mirror those in other jurisdictions. However, as Western Australia implemented its own corresponding legislation, amendments to Western Australia’s own Education and Care Services National Regulations 2012 will be drafted separately.

Recently, representatives from the sector’s peak organisations were invited to a forum to discuss the proposed amendments. The invaluable feedback from the forum will inform Western Australia’s input into the national draft amendments.

Further updates will be provided when more details about the proposed amendments are available. To ensure you receive this important information, subscribe to the Department’s Email Update by forwarding your email address to ecru@dlgc.wa.gov.au

Changes have also been proposed to improve the operation of the National Quality Framework.

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Managing children’s trips and falls Children falling over and hurting or injuring themselves can happen as part of everyday play and learning. However a Childcare or Early Learning Service can take steps to reduce the likelihood of this occurring. A service should also be ready and equipped to deal with such an incident should it occur.

T

Treatment The injured child should be treated immediately by an educator who holds an approved first aid qualification.

To enable this treatment the service must own at least one, if not more, suitably stocked first aid kits.

R

Ratios To ensure thorough and proper supervision of children, a service must at all times maintain the required educator-to-child ratios as specified by the National Law and National Regulations.

I

Inform your Regulatory Authority The National Law requires you to notify your regulatory authority within 24 hours of any serious incident; such as the death of a child, an incident which requires medical attention or the attendance of emergency services. Notification forms are available from ACECQA. If a death or serious injury occurs to anyone in the workplace, you are also required to notify your local work health and safety regulator.

P

Protect from harm To reduce the likelihood of a child suffering any harm, a service must ensure their equipment is regularly checked and maintained. A service must also be sure the equipment meets the ages and abilities of the children using it.

S

Supervision / staffing arrangements It is important that a service has the required supervisors present at the service at all times. It should also be made known who the responsible person is for the service each day.

F

Follow policies A service must have in place policies to deal with incidents which may lead to a child being injured or when a child is unwell. All staff are to be aware of these policies, know where they can access them and ensure they are followed at all times.

A

Always keep records A record of an incident is to be made as soon as possible (within 24 hours) after it occurs. Where a record relates to an incident, injury, illness or trauma to a child, that record is to be kept until the child is 25 years old. ACECQA have a template for these records.

L

Let Guild know Make Guild Insurance aware if there has been an incident at your service which has led to a child being injured. Even if the injury doesn’t seem severe or if the parent hasn’t yet complained, you are still advised to let Guild Insurance know and they can help you better manage the situation.

L

Liaise with parents You should be in constant communication with all parents to allow you to build a relationship with them and encourage them to trust you and your service. In the event that a child is injured, becomes ill or suffers from some sort of trauma, a parent should be notified as soon as is possible (within 24 hours).

S

Sleep and rest Every service must take reasonable steps to ensure children are receiving the sleep and rest they require, taking into account the different needs at different ages.

Information sourced from the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).

Further information can be found at www.acecqa.gov.au 20

Childcare Insight

Guild Insurance Limited ABN 55 004 538 863, AFS Licence No. 233 791. This article contained information of a general nature only, and is not intended to constitute the provision of legal advice.

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Insurance issued by Guild Insurance Ltd, ABN 55 004 538 863, AFSL 233791. Guild Insurance supports your association through the payment of referral fees. This information is of a general nature only and is not intended to be advice. It is important for you to 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.

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