Y L R A E
essentials
Vol. 2 No. 1
In this edition
April 2012
The newsletter for employers in the Early Childhood Education sector
Government Cash Incentives on Offer to Help Remote Kindergartens Attract Staff Remote and rural kindergartens across Queensland should consider taking up a government offer of cash incentive to secure quality staff. In a bid to combat chronic staffing issues in some of the states’ most remote centres, the government had introduced a $1.2 million incentive scheme. Teachers who take up the offer will be offered up to $12,000 to be paid in three instalments over two years.
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Cash Incentive for Remote Centres C&K Agreement Approved
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Increased funding to ECE crucial
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Small Funding Increase for Rural Services
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2012: A Time of Transition
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Disability Funding
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Working Together
The scheme will also benefits eligible centres who can promote the incentive as part of their employment package and encourage quality teachers to relocate. To find out if your centre can benefit, visit the Department of Education and Training’s website at www.deta.qld.gov.au. Direct enquiries can also be sent to kindyteacherincentive@deta.qld.gov.au or (07) 3225 2214.
New C&K Agreement Approved Employers to be applauded for promise to match state sector teacher wages Kindergartens governed by C&K, including centres operating on state school grounds, now have a new collective agreement in place. This agreement has a nominal expiry date of 31 December 2014 and includes significant provisions clarifying hours of duty for staff. Hours of duty were a particular concern for staff during negotiations given the recent implementation of the Federal Government’s “15 hour’” universal access program. Under this new agreement full time teachers will work, when averaged across a year, no more than 27.5 contact hours per
week, and ten hours of non-contact time. Hours of duty provisions for teachers in this agreement aim to provide similarity to the conditions received by colleagues in state schools. The weekly hours of assistants are not to exceed 38 hours. The agreement also outlines that all staff who work at least five hours in one day are entitled to a paid half hour meal break. Whilst there is flexibility around this provision, it may be taken at the end of the day. Under this new agreement, an initial three per cent wage increase will apply from July 1 2012. A binding commitment is contained in the agreement that wage increases will be the same as the wage increases for teachers in the state sector. The wage increases will be applied on July 1 2013 and July 1 2014, and will equal the increase received by teachers in the state sector once state sector negotiations are concluded. Should the 2012 wage increase in the state sector be less than three per cent, this difference will be subtracted from the 2013 increase paid to C&K employees.
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QLD Government Needs to Invest More in ECE The Queensland Government, by its own admission, has recognised the inadequacy of funding to kindergartens in our state. Our union welcomes this recognition; however, the announced increase to kindergarten funding is still insufficient to ensure that a quality kindergarten program is offered to all children in Queensland. The recently announced funding increase will only cover about a quarter of the shortfall which will be experienced by community kindergartens.
In addition, the government is providing more funding to kindergarten services that operate in disadvantaged areas in the hope that more families will be able to afford kindergarten programs. More than one third of Queensland’s kindy-aged children live in low socio-economic areas. The Queensland Government hopes that the extra funding will reduce parents’ out-of-pocket expenses by up to $11 a day.
An additional $6.5 million will be provided to increasing the per child subsidy for services by $100. However, this increase will be ineffective in assisting kindergartens to attract and retain qualified and experienced staff. The previous KFS was inadequate with community kindergartens generally facing a shortfall in funding equal to $400 per child per year. Any increase in fees to cover this inadequacy would be beyond the financial means of some families. While the new subsidy will alleviate the burden for families by $100 per year, additional funds should be considered to further reduce the funding shortfall for each community kindergartens. The government has also committed to increasing subsidies for low income families to reduce the cost barrier to accessing kindergarten programs by increasing the Health Care Card subsidy for the most needy families. Payments will increase from $402 to $1,042 for families accessing kindergarten programs in long day care services and from $1,179 to up to $2,600 for families accessing a kindergarten service in 2012.
Further increases in funding are necessary if the government is to meet its target of increasing kindergarten participation to 86 per cent. The total increase of $23 million in kindergarten funding is part of a joint Australian and Queensland government investment of $900 million over five years to make kindy more affordable.
Small Funding Injection for Rural Kindergartens The Queensland Government has taken an important step in improving conditions in our state’s small rural kindergartens with an increase in funding for 44 centres as part of an annual top-up to the real funding guarantee. The $179,000 funding increase will support the viability of these services with low enrolments, ensuring they receive a higher minimum level of funding than what they did under the previous scheme. Those services with higher enrolments and eligible for more funding under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme will receive a higher amount. As these small centres are usually the only early childhood education and care providers in their rural communities, services will be encouraged to change their operating practices to better suit the needs of local families. This includes enrolling younger children to create multi-age services and offering occasional care and casual enrolments. While this funding increase is an important step in improving small, rural centres, significant issues remain with kindergarten funding levels.
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Our union will continue to advocate for increased funding for all kindergartens. For more information about how this funding affects your centre, contact our union at enquiries@qieu.asn.au or 1800 177 938.
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NQF - New Responsibilities on Directors The implementation of the National Quality Framework (NQF) from 1 January 2012 will mean significant changes in the ECE sector. The new legislation introduces new nomenclature regarding positions in kindergartens. The position of ‘nominated supervisor’ is an example. The nominated supervisor has many new responsibilities in the day to day running of a kindergarten, with several of these specific responsibilities being problematic for employees and committees. Committees must, inlight of the new responsibilities, put necessary indemnity insurance provisions in place to protect their employees who are acting as nominated supervisors. The role of nominated supervisor now includes responsibility for many operational requirements, with failure to comply carrying the risk of fines and prosecution. Examples of these responsibilities include accountability for: the proper hygiene practices and food preparation methods of all staff, a menu of food and beverages that is designed based on the developmental requirements of all children, sleep and rest requirements for children that are based on developmental stages and individual needs, any medication that needs to be administered, and risk assessments to be carried out before receiving regulatory approval to conduct an excursion. Our union has recommended to committees that it is essential that all nominated supervisors are given additional release time to compensate for the considerable increase in administration tasks associated with the regulation requirements. In evidence given to a Parliamentary Committee late last year IEUA Senior Industrial Officer John Spriggs identified the unreasonable requirements imposed on the employee who will be the nominated supervisor. In November 2011 our union also contacted the Office of Early Childhood Education and Care to again raise concerns regarding obligations imposed on ‘nominated supervisors’.
The reply from the Office stated: “The Nominated Supervisor, together with the Approved Provider, has a range of obligations under the legislation. Many of these obligations are similar to those responsibilities of a Director under the Child Care Act 2002. Some of these obligations in the Law and Regulations list a penalty if the Nominated Supervisor or Approved Provider fail to comply. Ultimately, the Approved Provider is responsible for ensuring that the service operates in accordance with all the requirements of the National Law and National Regulations. I assure you that the Department intends to continue to work collaboratively with approved providers and their staff to ensure compliance with the National Law and Regulations. Where compliance action is required, Regulatory Authorities have a range of compliance tools that may be used to achieve compliance, for example, compliance directions and compliance notices, with only very serious contraventions likely to result in use of serious sanctions such as suspensions, cancellations, prohibitions or prosecutions. National policy discussions are occurring to clarify and document this intended approach.” Our union recommends that committees take appropriate action to protect their nominated supervisors in light of these issues. The appropriate indemnity insurance should be put in place to protect employees who are acting as nominated supervisors.
Early Childhood Teacher’s Association Conference 2012 The upcoming Early Childhood Teacher’s Association 2012 Conference, to be held June 23, will feature a mix of ‘Masterclasses’ and workshops that aim to inspire early childhood educators to reflect on their practice. The conference will also aim to provide professional development in-line with standards required for teacher registration, practical workshops relevant to educators working in all age groups, an opportunity for attendees to network with colleagues and a chance to build collaborative relationships. The keynote address will be delivered by pyschologist and parenting educator Robin Grille on the topic ‘love, fear and shame in education’. Mr Grille has published numerous articles and books, all of which are underpinned by his belief that our future is primarily dependent on the way we collectively relate to our children. The ‘Masterclass’ sessions are: ■■ Behavioural Boundaries/ First Day Blues - Robin Grille ■■ Reconceptualising Leadership and Change - Anthony Sermann
■■ Developing Friendship Skills in Children with ASD - Anna Tullemans ■■ Supporting Daily Transitions - Robyn Dolby There are also 23 workshops to choose from in addition to the ‘Masterclasses’. Who should attend? State, Private and Independent School Teachers and assistants; Early Childhood Professionals working in Community Kindergarten and PrePrep, Childcare, Family Day Care, Outside School Hours Care; University and VET Early Childhood Educators; Early Childhood Education Students and Community Members involved with Early Childhood Services (health, education and welfare) are encouraged to attend. Employers should consider the potential professional development opportunity for their employees. Further information about the event and registration details can be found at www.ecta.org.au.
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F E E D B A C K
Our union launched this complimentary publication last year to encourage open communication with kindergarten service employers. Our union hopes this publication will help employers stay informed about the professional issues that employees are most concerned about. Feedback is about this newsletter is most welcome. Suggestions about content for future editions, feedback regarding articles, or general queries about this publication can be made to enquiries@qieu.asn.au or 1800 177 938.
The Importance of Working Together The last edition of Early Essentials talked about the mutual benefits of a collective agreement for kindergarten staff and employers. A collective agreement is vital for implementing the 15 hour educational program required by the NQF as the old state agreements limit contact time, making it impossible for one teacher to deliver two educational programs. Our union congratulates all kindergartens who have already implemented a collective agreement, and strongly urges any providers who do not have one in place to consider the benefits. Our union is available to assist any kindergarten services that wish to put a collective agreement in place. Our union is able to give advice about procedural requirements of registering an agreement and provide templates to assist in the drafting of an agreement. Our union would like to encourage a working relationship with employers to continue resolving professional issues that affect the ECE sector. Keep a lookout for continuing issues of Early Essentials.
Online Resources
IEUA-QNT has devoted a section of our website just for ECE employers. This page will be updated with relevant resources as necessary. Visit www.qieu.asn.au/membership-sectors/ ece-employers
Please contact our union with direct concerns or queries via enquiries@ qieu.asn.au or 1800 177 938. Union updates can also be found on our social media. Visit www.facebook. com/ieuaqnt and follow @ieuaqnt on Twitter. Further resources can be found on our website at www.qieu.asn.au
ISSN 1839-5457 early essentials was prepared by Elise Cuthbertson and John Spriggs Editor: Mr Terry Burke, Branch Secretary IEUA-QNT PO BOX 418, FORTITUDE VALLEY QLD 4006 PH: (07) 3839 7020 FX: (07) 3839 7021 Email: enquiries@qieu.asn.au Website: www.qieu.asn.au ABN: 74 662 601 045
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