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PRE SCHOOL MATTERS VICTORIAN ELECTION: EARLY YEARS Q&A 2019 CONFERENCE PREVIEW 2019 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM - Early Learning Association ...
The voice for parents and service providers

PRE
SCHOOL
MATTERS
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
PREPARING CHILDREN FOR LIFE
TERM FOUR 2018

VICTORIAN ELECTION:
EARLY YEARS Q&A

2019 CONFERENCE
PREVIEW

2019 PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
PRE SCHOOL MATTERS VICTORIAN ELECTION: EARLY YEARS Q&A 2019 CONFERENCE PREVIEW 2019 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM - Early Learning Association ...
Preschool Matters   TERM FOUR 2018   1

                                                                                                                                                                                PRESIDENT’S
                                                                                                                                                                                REPORT

                                                                                                                                                                                    Add the recent commitment by the Victorian ALP to invest
                                                                                                                                                                                $1.68 billion to build around 785 new preschools in Victoria, and
                                                                                                                                                                                upgrade another 170, and our sector now finds itself on the cusp

 Your super is                                                                                                                                                                  of a period of unprecedented investment and growth.

 in expert hands                                                                                                                                                                This time last year in my Preschool Matters
                                                                                                                                                                                President’s report I wrote of how ELAA’s
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     www.countingonyou.org.au . Once there, go to
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     the ‘Get Involved’ page where there are seven
                                                                                                                                                                                advocacy work (and that of the wider sector)         actions you can take to remind our politicians of
                                                                                                                                                                                had successfully elevated early learning, its        the importance of early childhood education
                                                                                                                                                                                benefits, and the question of how it was             and care to children, families, early years
                                                                                                                                                                                adequately funded into the national spotlight        workers, and the nation.
                                                                                                                                                                                – after years of campaigning.                        In this edition of Preschool Matters there is a
                                                                                                                                                                                Fast forward nearly 12 months and it’s almost        huge overview of ELAA’s Early Learning – We
                                                                                                                                                                                hard to believe that ongoing funding for             Are Counting on You election campaign
                                                                                                                                                                                universal access to 3 and 4-year-old                 including a Q&A with the ALP, Liberal/National,
                                                                                                                                                                                kindergarten is now officially a marquee policy      and Greens spokespeople on the early years
 With over 2.2 million members, AustralianSuper is Australia’s                                                                                                                  for both the Federal and Victorian ALP, while        (pages 10-17); details on how you can register
                                                                                                                                                                                various levels of universal access for 3-year-olds   for ELAA’s 2019 Professional Development
 largest industry super fund. It’s also the most trusted, having                                                                                                                were announced in a number of other States           program (pages 28-29); and a sneak preview of
 been voted Australia’s Most Trusted Superannuation Brand                                                                                                                       during the year. Add the recent commitment by        our new look 2019 Early Childhood Education
 for the sixth year running*. This means you can be confident                                                                                                                   the Victorian ALP to invest $1.68 billion to build   Conference (pages 30-32) which has an exciting
                                                                                                                                                                                around 785 new preschools in Victoria, and           new venue and format. There’s also a great
 your super is in the expert hands of an award-winning fund.                                                                                                                    upgrade another 170, and our sector now finds        piece on building early years education capacity
                                                                                                                                                                                itself on the cusp of a period of unprecedented      in the visual arts (pages 40-43); tips on making
 Find out more australiansuper.com/compare                                                                                                                                      investment and growth.                               the most of technology in the early ears (pages
                                                                                                                                                                                While there has been some great progress             37-39) plus all our regular sections on advocacy,
                                                                                                                                                                                made in the past 12 months, there is more work       policy updates, sector news and more.
                                                                                                                                                                                to do to ensure electoral policies and promises      I hope you enjoy this edition of Preschool
                                                                                                                                                                                are put into practice. So, before the Victorian      Matters and wish all our members the very best
                                                                                                                                                                                State election on 24 November and afterwards,        for the holiday period and new year.
                                                                                                                                                                                in the lead up to the 2019 Federal Election, I
                                                                                                                                                                   A002 07/18

* Readers Digest Most Trusted Brand – Superannuation 2013–2018. Before you decide if AustralianSuper is right for you, read the Product Disclosure Document
  available at australiansuper.com or by calling 1300 300 273. Awards should be considered among other factors when making a financial decision. AustralianSuper                urge you to visit our election campaign website      Lee Cath, President, ELAA
  Pty Ltd ABN 94 006457987, AFSL 233788, the Trustee of AustralianSuper ABN 65 714394 898.
PRE SCHOOL MATTERS VICTORIAN ELECTION: EARLY YEARS Q&A 2019 CONFERENCE PREVIEW 2019 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM - Early Learning Association ...
Preschool Matters     TERM FOUR 2018         3

IN THIS
EDITION

                                                                                       04            Q & A: WHEN EMPLOYEES HAVE
                                                                                                     BEEN AFFECTED BY TRAUMA

                                                                                       10            VIC ELECTION CAMPAIGN
                                                                                                     AND Q & A

                                                                                       18            THE BIG QUESTIONS
                                                                                                     FOR EARLY LEARNING

                                                                                       20

15
                                                                                                     A FAIR AND SMART AUSTRALIA
                                                                                                     - TWO YEARS OF PRESCHOOL

                                                                                       22            MEMBER PROFILE

                                                                                                                                                           41
                                                                                                                                                                COVER: Congratulations to Kelly Cooper from
                                                                                       24            ADVOCACY                                                   Chelsea Kindergarten on being named 2018
                                                                                                                                                                McArthur Early Childhood Volunteer of the Year

                                                                                       26
                                                                                                                                                                at the ELAA AGM.
                                                                                                     REGS IN FOCUS
                                                                                                                                                                Kelly was chosen from a field of seven very

                                          30                                           28            2019 PROFESSIONAL
                                                                                                     DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
                                                                                                                                                                strong finalists and is typical of the volunteers
                                                                                                                                                                that make such a difference to Australia’s
                                                                                                                                                                not-for-profit early childhood education and care
                                                                                                                                                                sector. As Vice-President, her work on Chelsea
                                                                                       30            2019 EARLY CHILDHOOD
                                                                                                     EDUCATION CONFERENCE
                                                                                                                                                                Kindergarten’s Committee of Management
                                                                                                                                                                spans grant applications, OHS, staff liaison,

                                                                                       34
                                                                                                                                                                supporting staff and the Committee in
                                                                                                     SAFE TRANSPORTATION
                                                                                                     OF CHILDREN                                                preparing the Kindergarten’s Quality
                                                                                                                                                                Improvement Plan and Assessment and Rating

                                                                                       37                                                                       process. This year, Kelly continued on the

                             35
                                                                                                     DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

                                                                                                                                                           13
                                                                                                     IN THE EARLY YEARS                                         Committee even though her child had moved on
                                                                                                                                                                to Prep.

                                                                                       40            THE ART OF THE MATTER                                      Well done Kelly.

                                  CEO David Worland                                  All rights reserved. This publication cannot be
                                  President Lee Cath                                 reproduced in any form without written permission
                                  Editor James Gardener                              from the publisher.
                                  Creative Director Natalie Matheson                 Preschool Matters © ELAA 2018. Preschool Matters
                                                                                     belongs to ELAA.
                                  Contributing writer and
                                  editorial advisor Lisa Minchin                     ISSN 1448-9597 Reg No A0024070C
                                  Advertising James Gardener                         ABN 39058205158

Level 3, 145 Smith Street,        Preschool Matters is a quarterly magazine which communicates issues and developments that concern and
Fitzroy Vic 3065                  assist members in the effective management of early childhood services.
PO Box 1246,                      Disclaimer Early Learning Association Australia and its employees accept no responsibility for the performance of
Collingwood Vic 3066              the products and services advertised in this newsletter. The listing of products and services in this publication does
Phone (03) 9489 3500              not constitute a recommendation. To the maximum extent permitted by law, all warranties, terms, conditions and
Rural 1300 730 119                any duty of care, which otherwise may arise or be imposed on Early Learning Association Australia as well as Early
Email elaa@elaa.org.au            Learning Association Australia’s liability to any person in connection with the products and services advertised in
Web www.elaa.org.au               this newsletter, are hereby excluded.
PRE SCHOOL MATTERS VICTORIAN ELECTION: EARLY YEARS Q&A 2019 CONFERENCE PREVIEW 2019 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM - Early Learning Association ...
4

Q&A

OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY A RECENT TRAUMA AT THE
SERVICE. WHERE CAN EMPLOYEES GO FOR HELP?

                                                 Some larger services are fortunate to have
                                                 an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) in
                                                 place and employees can access support
                                                 through this. Generally this is cost
                                                 prohibitive for small employers but there
                                                 are a number of ways that help can be
                                                 accessed.
                                                 •	Employees may be able to access some
                                                    support through their local GPs.
                                                 •	VicHealth, SuperFriend and WorkSafe
                                                    Victoria have formed a collaboration to
                                                    help workplaces create positive and
                                                    supportive work cultures and
                                                    environments that enable workers to
                                                    be happy, healthy and productive at
                                                    work. They have a number of resources
                                                    available at http://leadingwellvic.com.
                                                    au/resource-centre/?#resources .
                                                 •	The Better Health Channel also has
                                                    some resources. https://www.
                                                    betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/
Fortunately this is not a common occurrence         healthyliving/workplace-safety-coping-
in children’s services but there are occasions      with-a-critical-incident
where a staff member, a parent or a child is
                                                 •	WIRE (Women’s Information Referral
seriously injured or dies. Employers have a
                                                    Exchange) - WIRE provides free
duty to monitor the health of employees and
                                                    information, support and referral
to provide support where necessary. There
                                                    information for women across Victoria.
was some discussion at the recent ELAA
                                                    They provide a Telephone Support
conference during a session presented by
                                                    Service, Women’s Information Centre,
Victorian Minister for Mental Health – Martin
                                                    online Livechat support and email
Foley; WorkSafe Chief Executive – Claire
                                                    support service www.dvrcv.org.au/
Amies; Albert Park Kindergarten Director –
                                                    womens-information-referral-
Jenny Whelan; and Marcela Slepica from
                                                    exchange-wire .
Access EAP.
PRE SCHOOL MATTERS VICTORIAN ELECTION: EARLY YEARS Q&A 2019 CONFERENCE PREVIEW 2019 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM - Early Learning Association ...
6                                                                                                                                                                    Preschool Matters   TERM FOUR 2018   7

CEO’S
REPORT

                                   almost $5 billion over the next     all sides of politics to adopt    quality, workforce
                                   decade to ensure all three-         these much needed policy          development, and planning. To
                                   year-old children in Victoria       reforms. Additionally, ultimate   find out more about these key
                                   can attend up to 15 hours a         outcomes will be influenced by    issues and to support ELAA’s
                                   week of 3-year-old                  election results, and a high      state election campaign Early
                                   kindergarten either at no cost      level of cooperation will be      Learning – We Are Counting
                                   (depending on family income)        needed between the                On You, visit www.
                                   or at a significantly subsidised    Commonwealth and State            countingonyou.org.au and go
                                   rate (up to 65 percent). This       governments before these          to the Get Involved page to
                                   was then followed up a few          policy initiatives become         learn more about the seven
                                                                                                                                           2019 Early Childhood Education Conference
                                   days later by a further             reality.                          direct actions we have created
                                   announcement by the                                                   for members and supporters.       ELAA and Gowrie Victoria are currently working with the
What a huge month we just          Andrews Government that, if         Victorian Early                                                     Conference Reference Committee to plan our 2019 Early
witnessed at both a Federal        re-elected, it would commit         Years Policy Debate               Professional                      Childhood Education Conference. Responding to delegate
and State level in regards to      $1.68 billion over the next         / pre-election                    development                       feedback, the event in 2019 will be moved to the state-of-
policy and funding                 decade to the building of           campaign                          Our 2019 ELAA Early Learning      the-art-facilities of Crown Conference Centre at the rear of
announcements for the early        approximately 785 new                                                 Professional Learning and         the Promenade Hotel. The event will feature a mix of
                                                                       Together with ECA and CCC,
childhood education and care       kindergartens and expand                                              Development Calendar is now       international and local speakers, with cutting edge
                                                                       ELAA hosted a Victorian Early
sector. At a Federal level, we     about 170 others. This                                                available on the ELAA website.    presentations and workshops linked to the NQS, VEYLDF and
                                                                       Years Policy Debate on
saw the ALP leader, Bill           represents an unprecedented                                           Go to www.elaa.org.au/pld and     EYLF. In 2019, the program will feature content ‘streams’
                                                                       Thursday 11 October 2018.
Shorten, promise to extend         level of investment in Victoria’s                                     advance the calendar to March     that target the needs of different delegate cohorts including
                                                                       Facilitated by Dr Charlene
access to 15 hours of subsidised   early childhood education                                             2019 and beyond to see sched-     approved providers, leaders, teachers and educators.
                                                                       Smith from the Mitchell
early learning to three-year-old   sector and is an essential                                            uled sessions. Next year’s ses-   Keynote speakers and other event features will be
                                                                       Institute, the policy forum
preschool children, also           component to deliver on the                                           sions feature innovations such    announced shortly.
                                                                       provided a unique opportunity
promising to ensure that the       policy of universal access to 15    for members to engage             as sessions with common and
Commonwealth portion of the        hours of kindergarten and           directly with Minister Jenny      streamed content tailored to
funding would be ongoing –         extending it to three-year-olds.    Mikakos (ALP), Shadow             attendees needs e.g. educators,
for children in both four and                                          Minister Georgie Crozier          service managers etc. and
                                   These policy announcements,
three-year-old funded                                                  (Liberal Party) and Nina          opportunities for attendees to
                                   both State and Federal, are
kindergarten programs. In                                              Springle (Greens).                influence the session content
                                   good news for early learning
more good news, the Federal                                                                              prior to each session.
                                   providers, parents, our             During the Debate, each of the
ALP promised to axe upfront                                                                              Finally, I would like to thank
                                   children, early childhood           three party spokespersons
fees for 10,000 early childhood                                                                          you for renewing your ELAA
                                   workers, and the nation’s           responded to the key policy
education TAFE students.                                                                                 membership for 2018/19. We
                                   prosperity. However, while all      areas outlined in our Victorian
We also welcomed the               these pre-election pledges are      election policy paper Creating    look forward to supporting you
announcement by Victorian          very welcome, our celebration       children’s future today – Joint   during the coming year as we
Premier, Daniel Andrews, that      must be tempered by the fact        Victorian State Election          all work towards achieving our
a re-elected Victorian ALP         that there is significant work      Submission. Those four key        shared vision of excellence in    David Worland
Government will commit             to be undertaken to influence       policy areas include access,      early learning for every child.   CEO, ELAA
PRE SCHOOL MATTERS VICTORIAN ELECTION: EARLY YEARS Q&A 2019 CONFERENCE PREVIEW 2019 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM - Early Learning Association ...
8                                                                                                                                                                       Preschool Matters   TERM FOUR 2018   9

NEWS &
EVENTS

Farewell David Haesler                                                   was almost identical to mine      room at KPV office one night     ELAA members star in Vic Early Years Awards
                                                                         so my committee were              and we came up with the          Congratulations to the ELAA members who were recognised
                                                                         impressed.”                       concept of ECMS (Early           in the 2018 Victorian Early Years Awards during October.
                                                                         Around this time David saw        Childhood Management
                                                                                                                                            Banyan Fields Kindergarten (Community Kinders Plus) in
                                                                         the KPV advertisement for a       Services) and even invented
                                                                                                                                            Carrum Downs were thrilled to have staff member, Nicole
                                                                         Payline Support Person and        the name. I remember when
                                                                                                                                            Bechaz, named Early Childhood Teacher of The Year while
                                                                         thought “I can do that”. “My      bestchance first became
                                                                                                                                            Community Kinders Plus (Frankston and Mornington
                                                                         job was telephone support for     interested in kindergartens.
                                                                                                                                            Peninsula) received the Emeritus Professor Collette Tayler
                                                                         all the kindergartens using       They used to be called Child
                                                                                                                                            Excellence in Educational Leadership Award. Community
                                                                         Payline (payroll). By my second   and Family Care Network. I
                                                                                                                                            Kinders Plus were also a finalist in Category 3: Creating
                                                                         year at KPV I was doing all the   sat down with people there
                                                                                                                                            Collaborative Community Partnerships.
                                                                         Payline training as well. My      and got them off the
                                                                         role just grew and grew and       ground.”                         Other ELAA members who were finalists in this year’s Awards
                                                                         by 1999 I became full-time.                                        included Barwon Child, Youth and Family - finalist: Category
                                                                                                           David will leave ELAA in
                                                                         That’s when the GST was                                            1: Improving Access and Participation in Early Learning and
                                                                                                           mid-November after nearly
                                                                         introduced so I took six                                           Gowrie Victoria - finalist: Category 6: The Emeritus Professor
                                                                                                           24 years of service, although
                                                                         months off the phones and                                          Collette Tayler Excellence in Educational Leadership Awards
                                                                                                           his association with ELAA is
                                                                         wrote a GST implementation        not entirely over as he was      A full list of awards finalists and winners and details about
David Haesler is retiring from ELAA after nearly 24 years of service.
                                                                         kit for the Kindergartens.”       awarded honorary life            their projects can be found at www.education.vic.gov.au/
                                                                         After the introduction of the     membership at the 2018           about/awards
It’s now rare for someone to           kindergarten’s committees of
have spent nearly a quarter of         management. His background        GST David expanded his role       Annual General Meeting. He
a century with the one                 as a maths teacher also came      to include Industrial Relations   plans to enjoy retirement
employer but it is with joy and        in handy as he custom-built       and was a regular at              catching up on odd jobs,
a touch of sadness that the            financial management models       Commission hearings,              traveling and spending time
ELAA community celebrates              to help his committees            representing ELAA members         with his two grandchildren.
such an achievement with our           manage costs.                     and the Victorian not-for-        “I want to see what Africa’s
Membership Services Officer                                              profit early learning sector on   go to offer. I’ve done Europe
                                       “At the end of 1994 the
(HR/IR portfolio) David                                                  industrial issues. “The           twice and South America,
                                       funding regime had changed
Haesler. We mention sadness                                              industrial system in those        Canada, and Hawaii.”
                                       and I had done a whole lot of
because David has elected to                                             days meant that whenever          David’s final thoughts about
                                       calculations (in my role as
retire this November.                                                    there was the slightest change    the early learning sector?
                                       Treasurer) on the impact of
                                                                         in an award then you had to       “It’s all about the people you
David joined ELAA (then                the funding at the
                                                                         front up to a full bench of the   meet and the volunteers
known as Kindergarten                  kindergarten I was at and
                                                                         commission all suited up.”        that do an extraordinary job
Parents Victoria or KPV) in            provided all that information
January 1995. As his four              to my committee. This was         David has also witnessed the      for kindergartens. You just
children progressed through            probably a month before KPV       growth of Early Years Mangers     build up relationships with
kindergarten, he had                   sent out their information on     (clusters) throughout the early   some of them. I’m always in
volunteered as Vice President          the funding changes and, not      years sector. “I remember there   awe of what the volunteers       Nicole Bechaz, from Banyan Fields Kindergarten (Community Kinders
and Treasurer on their                 surprisingly, their information   were three of us sitting in a     do for Kindergartens.”           Plus) was named 2018 Early Childhood Teacher of The Year.
PRE SCHOOL MATTERS VICTORIAN ELECTION: EARLY YEARS Q&A 2019 CONFERENCE PREVIEW 2019 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM - Early Learning Association ...
10   Preschool Matters TERM FOUR 2018                                                                                                                            Preschool Matters   TERM FOUR 2018   11

   WE ARE
                                                                                                 The Victorian and Federal                          • 	improve the regulation of funded registered
  EARLYX                                                                                                                                               training organisations
                                                                                                 Governments to work together to:
LEARNING                                                                                                                                            • 	develop and implement a workforce strategy

COUNTING ON YOU
                                                                                                  • 	negotiate a new National Partnership
                                                                                                                                                       to ensure early childhood education and care
                                                                                                     Agreement to guarantee ongoing funding
                                                                                                                                                       services are adequately staffed with well-
                                                                                                     for 15 hours of preschool in the year before
                                                                                                                                                       trained early and middle childhood
                                                                                                     school                                            professionals who feel supported and
                                                                                                  • 	extend the National Partnership Agreement       whose skills are valued and recognised
ELAA ELECTIONS CAMPAIGN
                                                                                                     to 15 hours of preschool for ALL children in   • 	invest in the sustainability of Early Years
                                                                                                     three-year-old preschool programs                 Management Services
With the 2018 Victorian State Election           All political parties                            • 	confirm a renewed commitment to funding       • 	develop a cross-government agreement to
on November 24 and a Federal                     contesting the 2018 Victorian                       and developing the National Quality agenda        plan for and integrate education and care.      ∆
Election likely before the end of May
                                                 election to commit to:
next year, ELAA has launched its
                                                  • 	continuing the implementation of the
Victorian and Federal pre-elections
                                                     Early Childhood Reform Plan
campaign, Early Learning - We Are
Counting On You.                                  • 	immediately expanding three-year old
                                                     preschool to 15 hours per week in
                                                     Victoria to a wider group of children
The campaign seeks to ensure that, ahead of
                                                     experiencing disadvantage
both elections, our main political parties
affirm their support for an early childhood       • 	increasing investment in assessment
education and care system that is accessible         and rating in Victoria to enable services
by all, founded on quality, staffed by an            to be assessed at least every three
appropriately skilled and rewarded workforce,        years
and meets community needs today and into          • 	leading the nation with affordable high
the future through forward thinking and              quality services accessible to all
collaborative planning.                              Victorian children and families
While Australian state and federal                • 	continuing the implementation of the
governments have introduced some                     Murrung Aboriginal Education Plan
significant improvements to early childhood          2016-2026.
education and care policy and resourcing over     • 	ensuring that current and long-term
the past decade, there is a long way to go           facilities and equipment planning is
until we catch up with other OECD countries          linked to community needs and in step
like New Zealand and the UK.                         with projected population levels
Specifically, the campaign seeks a                • 	including early education and care
commitment from the main political parties           qualifications on the Free TAFE for
contesting the next Victorian and Federal            Priority Courses initiative and increase
elections to publically support the following:       the number of funded places.

                                                                                                                                                                                           ∆
PRE SCHOOL MATTERS VICTORIAN ELECTION: EARLY YEARS Q&A 2019 CONFERENCE PREVIEW 2019 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM - Early Learning Association ...
12   Preschool Matters TERM FOUR 2018                                                                                                                                 Preschool Matters   TERM FOUR 2018   13

CAMPAIGN RESOURCES AND EVENTS

Joint Victorian State Election                        Each speaker delivered an address to an
Submission                                            audience of over 100 service providers,
                                                      educators, and sector supporters that focused
Ahead of the 2018 Victorian State Election,
                                                      on the four key themes from the Joint Election
ELAA, Community Child Care, and Early
                                                      Submission followed by a Q&A with the
Childhood Australian (Victoria Branch) released
                                                      audience. For more details see page 18 and 19.
a Joint Election Submission that articulated
their collective vision for early and middle
                                                      Campaign Website
childhood education and care services in
Victoria. The Submission called on all the            The website www.countingonyou.org.au spells
State’s political parties to ‘create our children’s   out the major policy and funding commitments
future today’ by committing to actions                sought from all parties contesting the
spanning four key areas i.e. access, quality,         November Victorian State Election as well as the
workforce advancement, and planning. The              key matters the Victorian and Federal
submission document was also used to brief            governments should be working together on to
early years education and care spokespeople           deliver an early childhood education and care
from the ALP, Liberal Party, and Greens               system worthy of a leading OECD nation.
participating in the Victorian Early Years Policy     The site features a campaign supporter sign-up
Debate.                                               form; a preformatted email to send to the
                                                      relevant Victorian and Federal politicians
Victorian Early Years Policy                          responsible for Early Childhood Education and      Seven simple things can you do to support the campaign?
Debate                                                Care; tips on using social media; and resources    There’s plenty you can do to support the campaign -
During October, ELAA, in partnership with             that early years services and individuals can      in fact there’s seven specific actions on the Campaign website’s Get Involved
Community Child Care and Early Childhood              use to help support the campaign including a       page that you and your service can do straight away including:
Australia (Victoria Branch), presented a              downloadable A3 poster, email signature
                                                                                                         1. Sign up to the campaign
Victorian Early Years Policy Debate featuring:        graphic, social media postcards, the Joint
                                                      Election Submission, and sample text for           2. Email the politicians
Jenny Mikakos – Minister for Families and
                                                      service providers to use when encouraging          3. Use the social media resources
Children, Minister for Early Childhood
                                                      their communities and staff to support the         4. Send your story to the campaign.
Education, and Minister for Youth Affairs
                                                      campaign.
Georgie Crozier – Shadow Minister for Families                                                           5. Print and display the campaign poster in your service
                                                           ELAA will keep members and                    6. Add the campaign graphic to your email signature
and Children
                                                          supporters advised of more
Nina Springle – Deputy Leader for the                                                                    7. Tell parents and careers about the campaign.
                                                       campaign resources and activities
Victorian Greens and Spokesperson for                                                                    Do all seven or just one. Just do what you can as every little bit helps support our
Women, Families and Children.                             as each election draws closer.
                                                                                                         services, staff, children and families.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                ∆
PRE SCHOOL MATTERS VICTORIAN ELECTION: EARLY YEARS Q&A 2019 CONFERENCE PREVIEW 2019 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM - Early Learning Association ...
14   Preschool Matters TERM FOUR 2018                                                                                                                                 Preschool Matters   TERM FOUR 2018   15

                                                                                                       Nina Springle – Greens

A PRE-ELECTION Q & A                                                                                   The Victorian Greens consider education a
                                                                                                       public good and a significant contributor to
                                                                                                       personal and community wellbeing and
WITH VICTORIA’S SPOKESPEOPLE ON EARLY LEARNING                                                         social fulfilment, as well as economic
                                                                                                       prosperity and environmental sustainability.
                                                                                                       Early childhood education is an essential
                                                                                                       component of learning and it should be free
                                                                                                       and culturally appropriate. The Greens’ fully
                                                                                                       costed election platform includes six hours
                                                                                                       per week of free kinder for three-year-olds
                                                                                                       and our position is that two years of
                                                                                                       preschool should be co-funded by state and
                                                                                                       federal governments. We also support
Jenny Mikakos - ALP             Georgie Crozier                    Nina Springle – Greens              increased investment and support for out-of-
Minister for Families and       – Liberal / National               Deputy Leader and                   school hours care to enable more schools to       Georgie Crozier – Liberal / National
Children, Early Childhood       Shadow Minister for Families       spokesperson for Women,
                                                                                                       deliver their own programs.
Education, and Youth Affairs.   and Children                       Families and Children.                                                                The Liberal Nationals are committed to the
                                                                                                                                                         National Quality Framework, which provides
                                                                                                       2. What is the party’s position                   the foundation for improving the quality and
                                                                                                       for ensuring the National                         intensity of delivery of early childhood
1.What is your party’s                                   Georgie Crozier – Liberal /                   Quality Framework and National                    education.
commitment to increasing                                 National
                                                                                                       Quality Standards continue as                     The Liberal Nationals believe that there should
access to early childhood and                            The Liberal Nationals believe that there is   the vehicles for improving                        be an overarching strategy for the provision of
out of school hours care,                                nothing more important for the future         service quality in Victoria?                      support into strengthening families and
including providing two years of                         prosperity of an individual than a good                                                         improving quality education, so that as a
                                                         education, starting in early years.           Jenny Mikakos – ALP                               starting point every Victorian child can reach
preschool?
                                                         It is imperative that Governments at all      The Andrews Labor Government is                   his or her potential.
Jenny Mikakos – ALP                                                                                    unequivocal about the importance of the
                                                         levels continue to recognise the value of
                                                                                                       NQF and NQS in early childhood education          Nina Springle – Greens
A re-elected Andrews Labor Government will               early education and provide for the
introduce universal three-year-old kindergarten          necessary support. The Council of             and care.                                         Quality is of prime importance in early
for all Victorian children. We will invest almost        Australian Governments (COAG) has been        Despite comparable nations recognising the        education and a key priority for the Victorian
$5 billion over the next decade to deliver a full        working to ensure that continued funding      benefits of quality early childhood education,    Greens. Investment in the National Quality
15 hours of three-year-old kindergarten, with            is provided for early childhood education,    the Federal Liberal Government’s response is      Framework and Standards cannot be a time-
rollout beginning in 2020.                               so it is incumbent on any Victorian           to cut funding for the regulation of quality.     bound investment. If we expect continued
                                                                                                                                                         quality – and we must – then investment needs
Victoria is already leading the nation when it           Government to continue with the               We have already invested $22.8 million to         to be ongoing and commensurate with these
comes to early years services. We understand             necessary and required negotiations.          significantly increase support to kindergarten    expectations. The Greens will continue to
that the greatest investment we can make as a            It will be the aim of a Liberal Nationals     services to improve their quality, including      advocate strongly for federal funding for the
Government is in the early childhood education           Government to cooperatively work with         new specialist staff to work with services to     National Quality Agenda to be reinstated with
of our littlest Victorians and we are ready to           the Commonwealth to ensure that the           respond to quality improvement priorities         a long-term commitment. State and territory
take the next step.                                      necessary funding is delivered so that        and provide appropriate supports.                 governments and the Commonwealth have a
We will continue to advocate to the                      every Victorian child will be presented       We are clear about lifting quality in the early   joint, ongoing responsibility for improving and
Commonwealth Government for ongoing                      with every opportunity to reach his or her    years because this is where it matters the        maintaining nationally consistent and high
funding for four-year-old kindergarten.                  potential.                                    most.                                             quality education and care for children.
PRE SCHOOL MATTERS VICTORIAN ELECTION: EARLY YEARS Q&A 2019 CONFERENCE PREVIEW 2019 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM - Early Learning Association ...
16   Preschool Matters TERM FOUR 2018                                                                                                                                    Preschool Matters   TERM FOUR 2018   17

3. What are your party’s plans                       Nina Springle – Greens
for developing a workforce strat-                    The Greens’ place an emphasis on investment
egy to attract, retain, develop                      in training and education – with a focus on
and motivate skilled educators?                      TAFE – and on fair pay and rewards for ECEC
                                                     workers. We believe early childhood education
Jenny Mikakos – ALP
                                                     qualifications should be added to the free TAFE
The Andrews Labor Government understands             list to remove any financial barriers that may
that a professional and skilled workforce is         currently exist for those wanting to enter the
critical to achieving quality early childhood        sector. We will continue to work with the
education and care services.                         sector, unions and employers to develop a fair
Our Budget this year included $8 million for         and sustainable workforce strategy that
scholarships to attract new early childhood          ensures fair pay and conditions for all workers
teachers to the field and for existing educators     and removes significant barriers to building
who wish to upskill to a teaching qualification.     and retaining a skilled and committed
We are also providing an additional payment          workforce.
for those early childhood teachers who find
work in regional or rural locations.                 4. How does your party plan to
Our commitment to expand universal access to         ensure a sustainable and
three-year-old kindergarten includes a significant   responsive services system
investment to support workforce attraction.          which meets community needs
Georgie Crozier – Liberal / National                 today and into the future?
The success of Victoria’s early education            Jenny Mikakos – ALP
system relies heavily on how well its workforce      Through our Early Childhood Reform Plan, the
performs. The Liberal Nationals value the            Andrews Labor Government is committed to
contributions of Victoria’s early childhood
                                                     building a more connected early childhood
educators and a future Liberal Nationals                                                                 Georgie Crozier – Liberal / National               designing and providing appropriate support
                                                     education and care system, in partnership with                                                         coordination.
government will be committed to an education                                                             The 2017 VAGO Report into Effectively Planning
                                                     local government, the Commonwealth, and the
system with appropriately resourced educators                                                            for Population Growth highlighted the
                                                     sector.                                                                                                Nina Springle – Greens
who are leaders in their field.                                                                          disparate nature and massive shortfalls in early
                                                     We have invested significantly in reforms such      education delivery particularly in Victoria’s      Our devolved, mixed model of early education
We will explore various strategies successfully
                                                     as school readiness funding, language               growth areas.                                      and care has resulted in a highly fragmented
done by other jurisdictions and assess how
                                                     programs, dedicated inclusive education                                                                and under-regulated sector. Oversight,
they may effectively work in Victoria. We will                                                           A future Liberal Nationals Government will be
                                                     funding, expansion of Maternal and Child                                                               cohesion and effective long-term planning are
also review the various policy changes                                                                   committed to planning for the ongoing needs
                                                     Health services and state-wide rollout of                                                              inadequate, as pointed out by the Victorian
administered by the Andrews Government and                                                               of a growing Victorian population. This will
                                                     Supported Playgroups.                                                                                  Auditor General in 2017. The Greens would
explore stronger partnerships with all tiers of                                                          include supporting infrastructure development      undertake a major review of the sector, as well
Government.                                          We have delivered a record investment of            in growth areas but also utilising a               as projected growth, to map out gaps in
The Liberal Nationals’ decentralisation policy       $123.6 million over the past four years to build,   decentralisation policy that will take the         infrastructure and demand for specific types of
provides greater opportunity to grow our State       expand and improve Victoria’s kindergartens -       pressure off inner urban areas.                    services. This review would form the basis of a
with a focus on all of Victoria and not just         triple what the previous Liberal Government         The Liberal Nationals believe that to allow the    long-term strategy to ensure that we’re
metropolitan Melbourne. This will assist in          budgeted for – creating more than 8,250             early education system to flourish, programs       properly planning for future needs over the
attracting and retaining a vital workforce in        additional three and four-year-old kindergarten     must reflect the needs of a child. This will be    coming decades, with a strong focus on public
rural and regional areas.                            places across the State.                            achieved by working with the sector in co-         and community-run education and care.
18    Preschool Matters TERM FOUR 2018                                                                                                                                        Preschool Matters TERM FOUR 2018   19

 POLICY DEBATE TACKLES THE BIG
 QUESTIONS FOR EARLY LEARNING

                                                                                                        Georgie Crozier, Nina Springle and Jenny Mikakos.

                                                                                                             educators, carers and other early years        placing a priority on levels of attendance in
                                                                                                             workers are recognised, rewarded and           4-year-old programs prior to considering
                                                                                                             developed appropriately as education           expanding universal access to 3-year-olds.
                                                                                                             and care professionals
                                                                                                                                                            Greens Deputy Leader and spokesperson for
                                                                                                           •	planning based on real community              Families and Children, Nina Springle, outlined
           In the lead up to the Victorian Election on November 24, ELAA, in partnership with                 need, projected population growth and         the Greens policy including six hours per
         Community Child Care, and Early Childhood Australia (Victoria Branch), presented the                 changing approaches to learning.              week of free kinder for 3-year-olds and
          Victorian Early Years Policy Debate at the Mantra Bell City in Preston on 11 October.
                                                                                                         ELAA CEO, David Worland, gave an overview          co-funding of two years of preschool by state
                                                                                                         of the Joint Election Submission prior to the      and federal governments. She said the
                                                                                                         party representatives presenting their             Greens would advocate strongly for
     Over a 100 independent service providers,         Each politician was asked to respond to
                                                                                                         response.                                          reinstatement of federal funding for the
     educators, Early Years Managers, peak body        four major themes concerning the future of
                                                                                                                                                            National Quality Agenda and flagged that
     representatives, and other early years            early childhood education and care in             Minister Mikakos focussed on the Victorian
                                                                                                                                                            the Greens would undertake a major review
     stakeholders attended the event to hear how       Victoria. These themes formed the basis of        ALP’s recent policy announcements
                                                                                                         regarding guaranteeing 15 hours of early           of the sector, as well as projected growth, to
     our political leaders plan to support and         a Joint Victorian State Election Submission
     develop early childhood education and care in     prepared by ELAA, CCC, and ECA Vic,               learning for 4-year-olds, extending it to          map out gaps in infrastructure and demand
     Victoria.                                         entitled Creating children’s future today         3-year-olds, and building new and                  for specific types of services with a strong
                                                       which was provided to each speaker prior          upgrading kindergarten facilities across the       focus on public and community-run
     The debate was chaired by Dr Charlene Smith
                                                       to the debate. The four themes were:              State. She announced that representatives          education and care.
     from the Mitchell Institute and featured:
                                                         •	ensuring access for all children to          from educators, employers, unions, local           After each political representative
     Jenny Mikakos - Minister for Families and                                                           communities, and other stakeholders would
                                                            quality early childhood education and                                                           presented their vision for early learning in
     Children, Minister for Early Childhood                                                              be invited to form an Implementation
                                                            care                                                                                            Victoria there as a 20 minute Q&A session
     Education, and Minister for Youth Affairs
                                                                                                         Working Group (in December) to plan the            where the audience were able to put their
     Georgie Crozier - Shadow Minister for Families      •	ensuring early years learning and care
                                                                                                         rollout of universal access to kindergarten        questions directly to the panel. The session
     and Children                                           programs in Victoria are supported and
                                                                                                         for 3-year-old children across Victoria.           produced some lively discussion, especially
                                                            regulated to maintain quality standards
     Nina Springle - Deputy Leader for the Victorian                                                     Shadow Minister Crozier spoke of Victoria’s        around the issues of 4-year-old attendance,
     Greens and Spokesperson for Women, Families         •	building the capacity of Victoria’s early
                                                                                                         burgeoning population and the need to plan         data provision and working with the current
     and Children.                                          years workforce so early years teachers,
                                                                                                         services and infrastructure for growth while       Commonwealth Government.
2. More parents enter the workforce,                       6. Increased net GDP of up to $30 billion
 s          increasing Australia’s productivity.                       cumulative to 2050 (PriceWaterhouse
         3.
         20 Australia’s     declining school
            Preschool Matters TERM FOUR 2018                           Coopers, 2014).                                                                                                               Preschool Matters TERM FOUR 2018   21

a           performance in international                            The combined effect of these benefits
y           benchmark testing will be turned                        will lead Australia to be more innovative
hat         around.                                                 and competitive with a more adaptable
 ol      4. Children are more likely to go on to                    and capable workforce.
            further education, to be employed

           A FAIR AND SMART AUSTRALIA
            and earn more.                                                                                                     4. Children are more likely to go on to
                                                                                                                                   further education, to be employed and
                                                                                                                                   earn more.
                                                                                                                                                                               dependent on whether their parents
                                                                                                                                                                               are working
                                                                                                                                                                              • promote the benefits of early learning to
                                                                                                                               5. T
                                                                                                                                   he national costs of education, justice     ensure take-up by families.
                                                                                                                                  and health are reduced resulting in         In the past two months both New South
nt                   Despite the overwhelming evidence
                                                                                                                                  overall savings.                            Wales and the Australian Capital Territory
ool               about the benefits of starting preschool
                  earlier than four years of age, Australia                                                                    6. Increased net GDP of up to $30 billion     governments have made announcements
ls
                   is lagging well behind other countries                                                                         cumulative to 2050 (PriceWaterhouse         about plans to expand access to preschool
 d                   in its investment in the early years.                                                                        Coopers, 2014).                             to three-year-olds. ELAA is advocating for
for                                                                                                     FAIR AND SMART                                                        Victoria to take a lead by, in the first
                                                                                                           AUSTRALIA           The combined effect of these benefits will
ddes                                                                                                                                                                          instance, expanding three-year-old
                                                                                                                               lead Australia to be more innovative and
                                                                                        Increased GDP by $30 billion to 2050                                                  preschool to a larger cohort of children
                                                                                                                               competitive with a more adaptable and
ng                                                                                                                                                                            experiencing disadvantage to 15 hours
                                                                            Innovative flexible workforce                      capable workforce.
                                                                                                                                                                              per week.
ss                                                               Reduced costs to society
                                                       Improved school outcomes                                                The way forward
                                                                                                                                                                              How to help make two years of
                                           Increased parental workforce participation                                          Two significant reports, Lifting Our Game
                                                                                                                                                                              preschool a reality
                                More equal start in life                                                                       (Pascoe and Brennan, 2018) and Preschool –
,                                                                                                                              Two Years are Better Than One (Fox and         A united commitment is required across the
                     Four-year-old preschool
s                                                                                                                              Geddes, 2016) have considered how to grow      political spectrum that puts children and
             Three-year-old preschool
                                                                                                                               the capacity of the sector to provide three-   Australia first. You can help to make this a
                                                                                                                               year-old preschool. Securing permanent         reality by:
             The steps to a Fair and smart Australia start with universal access to 3-year-old preschool.                      funding of four-year-old preschool will        •	telling politicians and journalists that this
                                                                                                                               remove uncertainty and provide the                is an issue which matters to you, whether
                                                                                                                               necessary foundation for the sector to            you are a service provider, educator,
development
         Two years of non-compulsory preschool, of a                critical for learning are established (Fox and             prepare for growth.                               parent or administrator
beforeminimum
          school of 15 hours per week, will give                    Geddes 2016). Ages three to five years are                 Developing and implementing three-year-        •	talking to those around you to help spread
         children the best start for their futures and              considered the sweet spot for reducing                     old preschool will require all Australian
 ial skills for life.”
         make for a fair and smart Australia. ‘A fair and           disadvantage and enhancing readiness for
                                                                                                                                                                                 the good news about the benefits of two
                                                                                                                               governments to work together with the             years of preschool
         smart Australia’ is the name of ELAA’s                     school, setting a child up for life.                       sector to:
                                                      The voice for parents and service providers
         campaign to help make this a reality. A position                                                                                                                     •	using the resources that ELAA is
         paper entitled A fair and smart Australia: The    Benefits of two years of preschool                                  • design a preschool program which               developing to support you in the
         case for three-year-old preschool, developed                                                                            considers ratios, size of the groups, and       campaign for two years of preschool,
                                                           There is overwhelming evidence of the positive                        curriculum
         with ELAA’s CEO Group, brings together the                                                                                                                              including template letters to politicians
                                                           outcomes of an additional year of preschool.
         evidence about the positive outcomes that an                                                                          • plan to grow the infrastructure                 and for media, sample text for inclusion in
         additional year of preschool can bring to         1. C
                                                               hildren who are behind in their learning                                                                         newsletters and social media content to
                                                              can catch up to their peers and start school                     • develop a workforce strategy to recruit,
         children, communities and the nation.                                                                                                                                   use and for sharing.
                                                              ready together                                                     develop, support and retain teachers and
                                                                                                                                 educators
         Why start preschool at age three                           2. More parents enter the workforce,
                                                                        increasing Australia’s productivity.                   • drive improved quality under the National       FURTHER INFORMATION
         The science behind brain development shows
                                                                                                                                 Quality Framework                                Keep in touch with the campaign by visiting
         that the two years before school are optimal               3. A
                                                                        ustralia’s declining school performance in                                                               www.elaa.org.au/advocacy-research/
         for learning essential skills for life. Between the           international benchmark testing will be                 • re-design the Child Care Subsidy so             fair-and-smart-australia and subscribing to
         ages of three and five years, foundational skills             turned around.                                            children’s access to early learning is not       eNews www.bit.ly/2jDroD9
22                                                                                                                                                                         Preschool Matters   TERM FOUR 2018 23

MEMBER
PROFILE

KARMAI COMMUNITY CHILDREN’S CENTRE

Our service has been operating
since ... August 2014, however we previously
operated as Korumburra Kindergarten and
Birralee Childcare for over 30 years.
Karmai Community Children’s Centre is the
brainchild of a group of inspirational locals on
both committees of management who saw the
opportunity to create a wonderful integrated                                                              Smoking ceremony during the opening of the new Karmai Community Children’s Centre building.
resource for the Korumburra community and
surrounding towns. This group of talented
visionary parents worked tirelessly to consult                                                            learning environment, we have made a              Lately we’ve been working on
with the community, lobby local, state and                                                                concerted effort to increase our community        … continuing to deliver on our promises
federal governments to merge the two                                                                      engagement through excursions and                 to the families and the community to not
organisations and develop the proposals and                                                               incursions.                                       only provide exceptional education, care
successful tenders to build our magnificent         Building a scarecrow for the Karmai Kitchen Garden.                                                     and learning for the children in the service,
new home for Karmai Community Children’s                                                                  Our proudest moment was …                         but to further integrate additional
Centre.                                                                                                   first would be the moment when the beauti-        specialist and support services into our
Our board of management is a cross section or       school age children. Programs have grown              ful little town of Korumburra was named in        organisation for the community.
representatives from our current parent group,      exponentially since 2014 and continue to grow.        the federal budget as receiving funding for       Operating from Karmai is Maternal Child
previous parent group, two of the local primary                                                           our new building. That was the last piece of      and Health who have now been an
                                                    Our approach to early learning                        the puzzle for our wonderful board members        essential part of our team for the last two
schools, the local council and community
members with a vested interest. We also             focusses on … engaging with families                  after 12 years of consultation, lobbying,         years and most recently we have
collaborate with the Karmai Alliance members,       and children to understand their learning,            design and presentations. The second proud-       collaborated with a paediatrician to
who are a collective of educational experts         developmental and social needs and then               est moment was when the foundations of            integrate a weekly visiting service for the
from local primary schools, kindergartens,          creating welcome, inspiring programs, where           our new community building were laid. Our         Karmai community. Our other major goal
secondary colleges and a representative from        the children, families and educators can engage       opening ceremony for our new building was         is to ensure we continue build the
CEP from Korumburra and surrounding towns.          in lifelong learning together. We provide a           an amazing experience with generations of         capability and expertise of the Board of
                                                    warm and friendly environment in which each           people who had been involved with the three       Management to continue operating the
We currently support the learning, care and         child’s physical, social, emotional and               past organisations, as well as the current        service as a not for-profit, community run,
education for 320 children (187 families) and the   intellectual needs are met, where children are        children, Karmai’s staff and members of           and financially sustainable organisation
professional growth of 48 Educators as well as      free to be themselves, encouraged to                  parliament. The most special moments of           robust enough to cope with an ever
the broader community. We provide Long Day          experience all that they can and inspired to be       this day were our smoking ceremony and            changing environment. We are extremely
Care 0-5 years, Kindergarten, Pre-kindergarten,     their best. The community plays an important          listening to the President and Vice President     proud of where we are today and see
before and after school/kindergarten Care, and      role in early learning and over the last two          share our history and evolution of Karmai         every new day as an opportunity to strive
vacation/holiday programs for kinder and            years, since moving into our beautiful new            Community Children’s Centre.                      towards an even more positive future.
24                                                                                                                                                                        Preschool Matters   TERM FOUR 2018 25

ADVOCACY
YOUR COLLECTIVE
VOICE

                                                    Portability of Long Service Leave                     School Readiness Funding                          participation. Specifically, this will be
 Each edition of Preschool Matters we                                                                     ELAA and its members have been involved in        achieved through increasing the capacity of
                                                    ELAA is committed to improving outcomes for
 report on ELAA’s advocacy work to                                                                        helping to design school readiness funding        Victorian kindergarten services to engage the
                                                    staff working in the early childhood sector. The
 represent the collective voice of our                                                                    which will help more children prepare for         expertise of speech and occupational
                                                    Victorian State Government recently proposed a
 members.                                                                                                 school - particularly the one in five Victorian   therapists, language and literacy
                                                    Portability of Long Service Leave Bill which
                                                                                                          children who start school developmentally         professionals and child psychologists.
                                                    aimed to provide transferable long service leave
                                                    for staff in the sector, which ELAA has long          vulnerable and who tend to stay behind            ELAA will continue to represent the interests
                                                    supported. The bill was introduced without            without additional support. The Victorian         of the sector and our members throughout
                                                    material input from employers in the early            Government has recently announced the first       the rollout of this initiative. The funding will
                                                    childhood sector and had a number of serious          round of school readiness funding of around       eventually be available to all Victorian
                                                    design flaws. ELAA raised concerns that the Bill      $58.1 million for 580 Victorian kindergartens     kindergartens by 2021.
                                                    excluded private service providers from its           from 25 local government areas and
                                                    scope. Private providers now represent 65% of         Aboriginal Community Controlled
                                                    the early childhood sector and the consequences       Organisations.
                                                    of the bill meant that the vast majority of the       The funding seeks to reduce the impact of             ELAA is here to listen.
                                                    Victorian early childhood workforce would have        educational disadvantage on children’s                ELAA is pleased to represent the
                                                    been excluded from the Bill, largely negating the     learning and development and improve                  interests of our members and we
                                                    concept of transferable long service leave. ELAA                                                            welcome any questions or input by
                                                                                                          outcomes in communication (language
                                                    argued that the Bill was fundamentally flawed                                                               contacting us at elaa@elaa.org.au
                                                                                                          development), well-being (social and
                                                    and did not meet its stated objectives.
                                                                                                          emotional regulation) and access and
                                                    In the lead up to the Long Service Benefits
                                                    Portability Bill being considered by Parliament,
                                                    ELAA expressed several concerns publicly about
                                                    the scope and potential unintended impacts of       A DV ERTISMENT
 A major focus of ELAA’s advocacy work over the     the Bill. The Victorian Government responded
 past few months has been preparing our             to ELAA’s strong feedback and exempted the
 campaign – entitled Early Learning – We Are        Victorian early childhood education and care
 Counting On You for the Victorian State            sector from the Bill scope.
 election and a likely Federal election. With the   ELAA will continue to advocate for improving
 support of ELAA’s CEO Group, ELAA has also         outcomes for attracting and retaining high
 released a Position Paper – A fair and smart       quality staff in the early childhood education
 Australia: the case for three-year-old             and care sector. We are arguing for a broader
 kindergarten – outlining the case for universal    framework of improved and funded
 access to two years (3-year-old and 4-year-old)    employment conditions, such as a workforce
 of funded preschool. You can read more about       strategy that seeks to address issues regarding:
 this work in this edition of Preschool Matters.      • pay rates
 ELAA has also been advocating regarding two          • career pathways
 other key early years sector initiatives – the       • professional development
 portability of long service leave and the            • equity and fairness
 introduction of school readiness funding.            • portable long service leave.
26                                                                                                                                                                  Preschool Matters   TERM FOUR 2018   27

REGS IN
FOCUS

                                                                                                            •	ensure sleep and rest policies and procedures
                                                                                                               are in place; these should be based on current
                                                                                                               research and recommended evidence-based
                                                                                                                                                                    Early childhood service
                                                                                                               principles and guidelines
                                                                                                                                                                    leaders can access
                                                                                                            •	provide all educators information and training
                                                                                                                                                                    more information
                                                                                                               to fulfil their roles effectively, including being
                                                                                                                                                                    about current
                                                                                                               made aware of the sleep and rest policies,
                                                                                                               their responsibilities in implementing these
                                                                                                                                                                    recommendations
This regular feature
focuses on specific                                                                                            and any changes that are made over time              through the following
Education and Care                                                                                                                                                  channels:
                                                                                                            •	consult with all educators in relation to
Services regulations
                                                                                                               occupational health and safety issues,
to ensure that
                                                                                                               procedures and when purchasing equipment             Red Nose –
services and staff are                                                                                                                                              www.rednose.com.au
clear about their                                                                                           •	ensure the physical environment is safe and          (safe sleeping resources,
responsibilities                                                                                               conducive to sleep. This means providing             online safe sleeping eLearning
                                                                                                               quiet, well-ventilated and comfortable               course and Red Nose Safe
                                                                                                               sleeping spaces. Wherever viewing windows            Sleeping Child Care Kit)
                                                                                                               are, all children should be visible to
                                                                                                               supervising educators                                ACECQA –
                                                                                                            •	ensure cots and bedding provided comply              www.acecqa.gov.au/
                                                                                                               with the most current Australian/New                 resources/information-sheets/
                                                                                                               Zealand Standards and stored in a hygienic           safe-sleep-and-rest-practices
                                                                                                               manner
                                                                                                                                                                    WorkSafe Victoria –
                                                                                                            •	ensure all children are adequately supervised        www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/
                                                                                                               at all times, this includes active monitoring        resources/childrens-services-
Safe sleep and rest practices                         to provide a safe and healthy working
                                                                                                               during sleep and rest periods                        occupational-health-and-
From 1 February 2018 the National Quality             environment, this extends to others present in
                                                      the workplace including children.                     •	ensure educator to child ratios prescribed in        safety-compliance-kit
Standard was revised which involved the
                                                                                                               Regulation 123 be maintained at all times
reduction of standards and elements. This             Approved Providers and employers should                                                                       ELAA –
included the modification of QA2, element 2.1.1       consider the following health and safety              •	consult with families about their child’s
                                                                                                                                                                    www.elaa.org.au/resources/
– Wellbeing and comfort. This element refers to       principles to inform safe sleep and rest practices:      individual needs and be sensitive to different
                                                                                                                                                                    shop-resources/ (PolicyWorks
Regulation 81- Sleep and rest under Education                                                                  values, parenting beliefs associated with
                                                      •	effective sleep and rest strategies are                                                                    Manual – NQF Relaxation and
and Care Services National Regulations.                                                                        sleep and rest. In these specific scenarios it
                                                         important factors in ensuring a child feels                                                                Sleep Policy) and
Early childhood services are required to have in                                                               may be reasonable to seek written support
                                                         secure and is safe at an early childhood service                                                           www.ohsinecservices.org.au
place sleep and rest policies and procedures that                                                              of the child’s medical practitioner, undertake       (tips sheets, guidelines and
meet the ages, development stages and                 •	ensure children are provided with a high level        a risk assessment and implement risk                 training)
individual needs of all children. Employers of           of safety when sleeping and resting and every         minimisation plan or take the opportunity to
early childhood services also have a responsibility      reasonable precaution is taken to protect them        educate the family regarding current
under the ‘Occupational Health and Safety Act’           from harm and hazard                                  recommended evidence-based practices.
28   Preschool Matters TERM TWO 2018                                                                                                                                                                Preschool Matters   TERM FOUR 2018 29

ELAA PROFESSIONAL LEARNING                                                                                             AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
ELAA is taking a new direction in
professional learning and development                                                                                    2019
                                                                The 2019 Program
by inviting key members of your
organisation to learn together.                                 ELAA has developed a targeted calendar of
                                                                Professional Learning and Development                     22                                     14                                        8
Through providing opportunities for                             workshops for 2019. These will be presented
                                                                                                                         MAR                                     JUN                                      NOV
both collaborative and specifically                             by well-known and respected presenters who                                                    Putting early                            Renewing program and
                                                                                                                       Working together to
targeted learning, our 2019 professional                        are experts in their field.                                                                   childhood leadership                     practice (QA1) from a
                                                                                                                       achieve best practice
learning and development program will                                                                                                                         in action                                team perspective
provide you with the tools to enact real                        Our 2019 program:                                      Quality Area: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 &
                                                                                                                       7                                      Quality Area: 4 & 7                      Quality Area: 1
and meaningful change at your setting.                          •	covers important issues and contemporary
                                                                                                                       APST: 3.1, 3.6, 3.7, 4.1, 6.2, 6.3 &   APST: 2.3, 3.3, 6.1, 6.2, 7.2 & 7.4      APST: 1.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.6,
Our new-look     professional development                          topics relevant to the early childhood sector       7.2
        ELAA PROFESSIONAL                                                                                                                                     Presenters: Catharine Hydon &            6.2, 6.3 & 7.4
sessions   will be:
        DEVELOPMENT                                             •	is tailored for all early childhood professionals   Presenters: Heather Barnes             Sharon Jordan                            Presenters: Anthony Semann
        Topic: Wellbeing                                           including teachers, educators and other staff       and DET authorised Officer             Date: Friday, 14 June 2019               Date: 8 November 2019
•	full days from 9.00am to 5.00pm to
   give participants time to deepen their                          such as service managers, coordinators as           Date: Friday, 22 March                 Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm                    Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm
   learning                                                        well as Committees of Management                    Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm                  Venue: Manningham City                   Venue: Darebin North East
     Wellbeing in early childhood                                                                                      Venue: Mercure Hotel, Corner
                                                                •	is mapped to the National Quality Standards                                                council, 699 Doncaster Rd,               Community Hub, 35
•	include information
     settings  matters! targeted at                                                                                    Flemington Rd and Harker St            Doncaster. Free parking on site          Copernicus Crescent,
   ‘streams’ of professionals (see diagram                         (NQS) and clearly aligns to the Australian
                                                                                                                       North Melbourne. Parking on            Cost: $340 member $450                   Bundoora
                                                                   Professional Standards for Teachers (APST)
   below)
•	some sessions will take a collaborative
                                             The program     •	provides participants with a certificate of
                                                                                                                       site ($15 per day).
                                                                                                                       Cost: $340 member $450
                                                                                                                                                              non-member                               Cost: $340 member $450
                                                                                                                                                                                                       non-member
                                                                participation                                          non-member
   approach and participants   will abenew direction in professional
                     ELAA is taking                                   learning for
                                                                               andindividual sessions which can
                                                                                   development
   invited to make suggestions        themembers of your organisation to learn together. annual profes-
                                  forkey
                         by inviting                            be used  as evidence  for VIT
                                                                                                                                                                 11
   content prior to the sessionproviding
                      Through    (through   a
                                          opportunities
                                                                sional development requirements.
                                                         for both collaborative and specifically
                                                                                                                                                                SEP                                     NQS = National Quality Standard
   survey).       targeted learning, this professional learning and development day will provide                          29         15                       Wellbeing in early child-                 Quality Area 1 – Educational
                                                                                                                          APR        AUG
                       you with the tools to enact real and meaningful change at your setting.                                                                                                          Program and Practice
                                                                                                                                                              hood settings matters!
                                                                                                                       OHS Safety not just                                                              Quality Area 2 – Children’s Health
                                                                                                                                                              Quality Area: 4 & 7
                                                         WELCOME                                                       child’s play                                                                     & Safety
                                                   ‘Stories from the Field’                                                                                   APST: 6.2, 6.3 & 7.4                      Quality Area 3 – Physical Environment
                                                                                                                       Quality Area: 3, 4, & 7
                                       Hear inspirational stories of ‘lived experience’                                                                       Presenters: Dr Lyn O’Grady                Quality Area 4 – Staffing Arrangements
                                                 from sector professionals                                             APST: 4.4, 6.2, 7.2, & 7.4             and Jenny Whelan                          Quality Area 5 – Relationships with
                                                                                                                       Presenters: Zora Marko and             Date: Wednesday, 11 September             Children
                                                                                                                       Emma Morgan
                                                                                                                                                              Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm                     Quality Area 6 – Collaborative
                                                                                                                       Date: Monday, 29 April and                                                       Partnerships with Families and
                   Managers                                                                                                                                   Venue: Manningham City
                                                       BREAK OUT
                                                                                             Teachers
                                                                                                                       Thursday 15 August                     council, 699 Doncaster Rd,
                                                                                                                                                                                                        Communities
                    Leaders                       Here we divide into two                                              Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm                                                            Quality Area 7 – Governance and
                                                                                            Educators                                                         Doncaster. Free parking
                                                 groups to dive deeper into                                                                                                                             Leadership
              Approved Providers                                                                                       Venue: (29 April)                      Cost: $340 member $450
                                                 new thinking and learning                  Support                                                                                                     APST = Australian Professional
                 Committee of
                                                                                          Professionals
                                                                                                                       Manningham City council,               non-member                                Standards for Teachers
                                                    specific to our roles
                 Management                                                                                            699 Doncaster Rd, Doncaster.
                                                                                                                       Free parking on site
                                                                                                                       (15 August ) Darebin North
                                                                                                                       East Community Hub, 35
                                                                                                                                                                                       REGISTER NOW:
                                                   WORKSHOP                                                            Copernicus Crescent,
                                  We come back together to share and unpack the                                        Bundoora                                 Visit the ELAA training calendar at www.elaa.org.au/pld
                                key messages from the day, and plan the way forward                                                                            and go to the date for the session/s of your choice or call
                                                                                                                       Cost: $340 member
                                        to implement what we have learnt                                                                                                             (03) 9489 3500
                                                                                                                       $450 non-member
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