Belonging Early Years Journal – Vol 4 No 2

Early Years Journal

Volume 4 Number 2 | 2015 Australian Childcare Alliance

R e p r e s e n t i n g t h e f u t u r e o f A u s t r a l i a ’s c h i l d r e n

Let them play: the importance of play-based learning

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contents Finance, business + property Renovating for success

49

10 things you need to know about buying or selling a childcare service 55 Is your early learning centre a safe environment? 58

Technology + software Get with the program – software that works 63 Building a website for your childcare business 67

Play areas + sustainable practice The best outdoor play 73

Nutrition + menu planning

General news President’s report 2 Some welcome changes in child care, but also some big gaps in detail 4 Working towards a better service for all 6

Incursions + excursions Planning incursions and excursions 7

Educational resources, programs + planning Differentiating early childhood education for young children who are gifted 11

The new food pyramid is a step forward for nutrition 79

Child health + safety What kind of driver are you raising? 81

Occupational health + safety Spot the hazard

84

Cleaning + hygiene Healthy hands in childcare centres 87

Play therapy and early childhood 17 Let them play

21

Special needs Inclusion of children with disabilities and delays in early childhood settings 25 Child’s play – making a difference 30

Training + recruitment The Victorian Advancing Early Learning (VAEL) Study 37 Mentorship as a professional learning approach 41 The importance of qualifications in the early childhood education sector 44

Editor: Giulia Heppell Designed by: Alma McHugh

Robert Smith

Published by:

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BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 1

general news

President’s report

T

he 2015–16 budget brought with it the muchawaited Families Package. As part of the budget, the government released a Child Care Assistance Package, which includes a suite of measures that will directly impact on Australian families using early childhood education and care (ECEC) services. Many of the measures were highlighted by the Productivity Commission’s review and subsequent 2014 report into Childcare and Early Childhood Learning, in which the Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) actively participated.

• security for low- and middle-income families who have predictable employment and use services that charge at or below the benchmark fee

The ACA acknowledges that there are many positive initiatives contained within the Child Care Assistance Package; however, we also have a number of concerns.

• Child Care Safety Net – Provision of $327.7 million over four years to provide targeted support to disadvantaged or vulnerable families to address barriers to accessing ECEC. (Additional Child Care Subsidy, Inclusion Support Program, and Community Child Care Fund.) We are still awaiting complete details on the additional safety net payment amount to ascertain whether this will be of suitable assistance to families and children when additional need for support is identified.

These include: • the lack of detail to date relating to many of the measures • the lag time for implementation to July 2017 (as we know that parents need assistance now) • the strengthening of the activity test. This is aimed at increasing workforce participation, especially for women. No value is placed on the unpaid work carried out by women who stay at home to care for their families. If families have an income of more than $65,000, and if either parent in a two-parent household does not meet the activity test, they will not have the opportunity to access any subsidised care for their child. Parents with an income of less than $65,000 will be provided with subsidised access of 24 hours per fortnight, reduced from 48 hours per fortnight. Our members are expressing their concerns about the impact of this on the children in their demographics. We also have concern for these children being able to access 15 hours of preschool/kindergarten • most importantly, how the package will impact the children of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged families. These concerns are also reflected by respondents in the preliminary results to our June 2015 What Parents Want survey, which will remain open for participation until July 2015.

The positives include: • a simplified childcare subsidy, with an hourly benchmark of $11.55, to be implemented from 1 July 2017, with a single subsidy based on family income replacing the Child Care Benefit, Child Care Rebate, and Jobs, Education and Training Childcare Fee Assistance Program. This subsidy will be paid directly to the ECEC service that the children attend, and matched against a family’s account. This will reduce administrative burden

2 • BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015

• continuation of National Partnership (NP) on Early Childhood Education – Universal Access of $843 million to extend payments to states/territories until December 2017. The ACA anticipates that this funding will be available to all service types, regardless of where the educational program, as determined by the NP agreement, is delivered

The ACA committee is meeting with Members of Parliament on 23 June to discuss with them our concerns, and to share with them firsthand information from families and our members as to outcomes that they envisage if all of the budget measures are adopted as released.

Our national branding of all states and territories to align with ACA National is finally complete – please check out our new websites. We ask you to interact with us through our website, Facebook and Twitter, as we value feedback from members and families. This feedback ensures that your voices are being heard in our Parliament.

Date to remember: Wednesday 2 September: Early Childhood Educators Day. Celebrate the amazing impact that you have on each child every day in your early education and care setting. Promote your day to families and your community. We encourage governments, approved providers, managers, families, children and the wider community to acknowledge all educators for their dedication and commitment to children in their early years. ECEC in Australia does make a positive difference to a child’s future.

Gwynn Bridge President, Australian Childcare Alliance Email: president@australianchildcarealliance.org.au

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general news

Some welcome changes in child care, but also some big gaps in detail THE HON. KATE ELLIS MP, SHADOW MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, AND SHADOW MINISTER FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD

It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that child care is the topic of the day.

I’m pretty sure that politicians will run out of childcare centres to visit soon! But this spotlight is warranted – after all, more than 700,000 families rely on our early education and care system, and making sure children have access to early education is crucial for Australia’s future.

W

hile increased investment in early education and care is a welcome step, we need to make sure that it is focused on achieving the right results and protecting those who need assistance the most. We know that early education and care plays such a vital role both in assisting parents to balance work and family priorities, and in children’s development. It’s for this reason that we can’t afford for increased investment to miss the mark, or for changes to the system to have unintended or detrimental consequences.

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Looking at the current state of play and what we know about the government’s childcare package, there’s still a significant degree of uncertainty. Even after the release of the government’s budget, there are glaring gaps in the details.

Critically, we just don’t know how many families will be worse off as a result of changes to the activity test that governs access to child care on the basis of work, study and training. We don’t know how many children will have their access to care cut back, or how

general news

many will be forced out of the system altogether. As educators, you know firsthand the immense benefits of early education – and the developmental jumpstart that it provides for many children. You will also be acutely aware of the consequences when children miss out.

Recent analysis by Goodstart Early Learning shows exactly why we need more information from the government. Their breakdown showed that as many as 100,000 children will have their access to early education cut back because of the childcare changes, and that a single-income family earning $65,000, and with one child in care for two days a week, will be $4600 a year worse off.

Included in the group set to lose some, or all, childcare support are families with a stay-at-home parent, and low-income families earning less than $65,000 per year. The reality is that by tightening the work test, the government will make it harder for parttime and casual workers – leaving many in a cruel catch 22: unable to work without access to child care, and unable to access child care without work.

It is worrying that lower-income families and vulnerable children – the very children and families that stand to gain the most from early education and care – are set to bear the brunt of these changes. Families earning less than $65,000 per year who don’t meet the work test will have their access to child care cut by half (reduced from 24 hours per week to 12 – in effect reducing access from two days to one), and families earning above this threshold with a stay-at-home parent will miss out altogether. We just don’t know how many children will miss out on early education – either by having their hours cut, or by being cut out altogether. But what we do know is that the economic benefits of investing in our children are significant, with analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) showing that the long-term benefits from improving access to early education actually exceeds the benefits of parents’ increased workforce participation. In this context, cutting access to early education is a short-sighted move.

And let’s not forget that there is a genuine question about how these changes will impact the viability of services, which have such an important role in disadvantaged communities – the last thing that we want to see is a reduction in early education and care services where they are needed the most.

We know that the government will be establishing a childcare safety net; yet, this too remains detail-free.

There are serious questions about how a number of

groups will be impacted, and the information about who will – and won’t – be protected by the safety net is not forthcoming from the government. The safety net is set to replace a number of programs, including the Special Child Care Benefit for children at risk and for families facing financial hardship; the Grandparent Child Care Benefit, which assists grandparents who are primary carers to access child care; and the Jobs Education and Training Child Care Fee Assistance for parents studying, training and getting back into work.

The government is also yet to reveal the impacts of the changes on the Community Support Program, which assists services in areas where they might not be financially viable; Budget Based Funded services, which are mainly in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities; and the continuation of the Inclusion and Professional Support Program, which provides assistance to services so that they can meet the needs of students with disabilities, refugees and other vulnerable children.

This is an extensive list of groups that have a question mark over whether they will be protected under these changes.

In all of this, the most important question that we need to keep in mind is: what do we want our early education system to do? Up until now, I genuinely feel that there has been consensus, and understanding of the value of early education and care is twofold: helping parents to balance work and family, and giving children the best start possible to their development. Unfortunately, the government seems intent on changing direction.

By casting childcare support predominantly as a ‘workforce participation payment’, the government is turning a blind eye to the overwhelming Australian and international evidence of the benefits of early education.

Right now, what we need more than ever is all of the details – good or bad – so that families can understand the impacts, and so that the early education and care sector can meaningfully engage in the change process.

The next steps in child care are incredibly important, and Labor remains willing to work constructively with the government to improve the childcare system. It remains our priority to improve affordability and accessibility for families, while making sure that the interests of children are at the centre of any changes. There’s been a lot of discussion about early education and care, and while that’s a start, the ultimate test will be actually getting the changes right.

BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 5

general news

Working towards a better service for all

T

he logistics and costs associated with quality child care and early childhood education centres (ECEC) have long been headaches for parents, particularly those attempting to work full-time, and especially for parents re-entering the workforce after parental leave.

to meet the needs of a different era’. According to the

In response to this ongoing issue, the Productivity Commission held an Inquiry into Child Care and Early Childhood Learning, and the government released the final report in February this year.

being: better services for families for fiscal and time

The Commission has consulted with families, those working in the sector, service providers, experts and businesses in order to ascertain how the system is currently working, and how it can work more efficiently and effectively for all parties involved. Over the course of the inquiry, the Productivity Commission received 908 formal submissions and 1117 online comments, highlighting the widespread interest that this inquiry received from both the sector, and the community.

Minister for Social Service, the Hon. Scott Morrison, says that the federal government is serious about improving the sector – especially since its election promise. ‘The report will provide a key input to the government’s new families package,’ he says. Morrison says that families should not have to be faced with having to return to work to maintain their standard of living; and, more specifically, that low- or middleincome families are given a choice about being able to either stay home, or return to the workforce, so as not to ‘get caught in a welfare trap’.

The Commission’s greatest finding was that despite the huge government expenditure of $7 billion on childcare services each year, parents still found these services to be incompatible with their work hours, location, budget, or expected service quality.

Morrison says that the government wants to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent on a system that works; however, the report concluded that the current funding system for ECEC was ‘largely designed

6 • BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015

report, there were approximately 1.3 million children enrolled in at least one of 19,400 childcare or early learning services in 2012; however, as the report’s objectives outline, these services need to be greatly improved in a number of areas, with the main focuses flexibility reasons, and better services for children with additional needs.

The report also stated that the government’s two main policy objectives, child development and workforce participation (particularly for women), were not always consistent with each other. Although the Commission articulates that participation of women in the workforce would increase by 1.2 per cent under its recommendations, implementing policy that works across all ECECs, and that increases the likelihood of these objectives being fulfilled, would take time.

The report has recommended that requisite workers’ qualifications become standardised across all states and territories in order to have workers of different qualification levels working with children of a corresponding age; and that staff ratios in centrebased services should become standardised by basing them on the number of children over the age of three, and not on each child at the centre.

According to the report, ‘The Commission’s recommended reforms will achieve, at minimal additional cost, an ECEC system that is simpler, more accessible and flexible, with greater early learning opportunities for children with additional needs. The reforms [will] also alleviate future fiscal pressures, establish a system that is easier to adapt to future changes in ECEC, and tax and welfare arrangements’.

incursions + excursions

Planning incursions and excursions

Incursions and excursions provide fantastic opportunities for children to experience something new, and they can be a nice break from the childcare facility for staff. Both incursions and excursions should build upon the learning taking place at the centre, and the children’s collective interests.

Running an incursion

F

or preschool-aged children, sometimes the novelty and anticipation of a new face in the centre is almost enough excitement! Make use of your local and parent communities by inviting special guest parents to make voluntary appearances and share special skills with the children – this could be showing the kids a musical instrument and leading a singalong, taking a simple baking or gardening class, or conducting an art project.

You can also run incursions with your own staff by hosting special themed days. Try a teddy bear’s picnic day, where each child brings a teddy, and stories and games are teddy bear-themed, with some props set up to create a teddy bear’s forest. A farm-themed day is also a great option, with plenty of farming-themed songs, rhymes and storybooks to add to the day’s learning about different types of farms and where food comes from. Themed days not only provide fun and educational opportunities for young children, but BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 7

incursions + excursions

they also keep staff excited about coming to work in your centre, and can inspire creativity and initiative in education planning.

These types of incursions are relatively low cost, and most of the time, specific parent consent will not be required; however, occasionally, it’s a real treat to bring in the incursion professionals. There are many businesses that exist simply to provide incursions to children at childcare centres, kindergartens and schools. The activities on offer include dance and theatre workshops, circus classes, music lessons, gardening, visiting animals, hatching chicks, yoga, science experiments and more.

parents along for the day. Of course, any volunteers accompanying the children on the excursion who are not a parent or guardian of a child attending must present a current Volunteer Working with Children Check to the supervisor.

Don’t forget the children remaining behind at the centre, either – carer-to-child ratios must be maintained while other staff and children are out on an excursion.

Running an excursion

A thorough risk assessment should be completed before any excursion, and planning should consider transportation, food and drink, costs, facilities at the venue, ratios, any medical conditions, and practicalities like nappy changes, spare clothing and a first-aid kit.

Excursions can be a fun day out for children as well as carers, and are best suited to older children who will have the stamina to enjoy a busy day out. While the rewards of excursions are great, be aware that there is far more planning involved in running one. Firstly, childcare providers must obtain the permission of all parents before the children are removed from the childcare premises.

With all the necessary planning, there’s no reason that an excursion can’t be a great success. Some great excursion venues include a museum or art gallery (local ones are just as good as state ones), the local library, a nearby playground or nature reserve, botanical gardens, a wildlife park, a farm, or a musical or theatre performance.

Secondly, keep in mind that while out on an excursion, you must meet the same minimum adultto-child ratios that apply while at the service. This might mean that you’ll need extra people to provide adequate supervision at all times, and as a great solution, many centres choose to invite volunteer

Whether you’re running an incursion or an excursion, remember that it doesn’t have to be a big event – there will be plenty of big activities once children get to school. At preschool age, when energy levels are lower and daytime naps are still a reality, the best activities really are short and simple.

8 • BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015

incursions + excursions

incursions + excursions

Try a theatrical incursion

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hen we are pressed for time, planning an out-of-centre excursion can impose extra demands on staff and upset the routine of preschoolers. There are many things that can go wrong on an excursion that can spoil the day, and that’s why incursions are to the educational advantage of all.

The Flying Bookworm Theatre Company is Victoria’s premier preschool incursion company, and have been entertaining and educating preschoolers for over 40 years.

Students are provided with a highly engaging, participatory theatre experience in their own familiar learning environment.

No threatening, unusual settings. No outside factors that may impede learning. No distractions.

Taking performances into kinder rooms enhances preschooler confidence, and achieves closer engagement and involvement. For the children themselves, it is a fun experience in a place that they know and love.

One of the best aspects about having a Flying Bookworm incursion is that you are able to create

a personalised program to suit your students. Each performance is made up of three wonderful classic fairytales and stories from around the world, chosen from the wide selection that they have on offer.

The Bookworms are reliable, great value and professional. If you would like more information, be sure to visit their website: www.flyingbookworm.com.au or call 03 9314 1335.

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X • BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015

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BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 9

educational resources, programs + planning

A colourful education

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educational resources, programs + planning

Differentiating early childhood education for young children who are gifted

BY VALERIE MARGRAIN, AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY

Responding to giftedness – the work of early childhood educators.

T

he Early Years Learning Framework (DEEWR, 2009) advocates that educators should recognise and respond to all children, and support educational success for all children. The principles of the framework reflect the rights of children inherent in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations, 1989).

Article 28 acknowledges the right of every child to education, and Article 29 states that this education shall be directed to helping the child achieve their fullest potential. This aspiration can be achieved through educator practices and ‘curriculum decisions that promote inclusion and participation of all children’ (DEEWR, 2009, p. 13).

In the April issue of Belonging, I shared two case studies of young gifted children (Jenny and Jamie) to illustrate some common characteristics and misunderstandings, and to explain the importance of recognising giftedness in young children. In this edition, I will discuss how early childhood educators can respond to young gifted children within their everyday practice.

Observation In my previous Belonging article, I shared some common characteristics of giftedness, and sources of further information. Early childhood educators are constantly observing children, and this practice is important if characteristics of giftedness are to be noticed; however, without an understanding of giftedness, these characteristics can easily be misunderstood. Some examples of targeted observation include: • conducting a time sample to find out the areas of play in which a child engages • documenting the frequency of peer and adult interactions • recording the duration of time in which a child persists with a challenging activity.

Differentiation in practice Differentiation involves adapting and changing planning to suit individual children. This should reflect the philosophy held by most educators that all children are unique, and that planning should be responsive and flexible. I remember observing BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 11

educational resources, programs + planning

young childen playing dinosaurs in a kindergarten playground. They were all interested in dinosaurs, and many of the children knew some names of particular kinds of dinosaurs. Henry, a gifted child that I observed, stayed on his ‘nest’ for several hours, declaring that the theropod Oviraptor hatched its eggs, and that if he left the eggs they would be vulnerable to prey. As he sat there, he recited a range of scientific facts about dinosaurs beyond what any of the teachers knew. The teachers at this kindergarten provided a range of pictures and books about dinosaurs, including some advanced reading material for Henry, who could already read fluently at age four.

Porter (1999) and Van Tassel-Baska (1994) provide the following suggestions for adapting the curriculum when working with young children who are gifted: • encourage higher-level thinking skills (analysis, synthesis, evaluation and problem-solving) • support children to pursue their own interests • promote creativity, risk-taking and divergent thinking • ensure novelty, variety, complexity, challenge and choice • provide opportunities for deeper and broader learning (enrichment) • include opportunities for more advanced content, or content to be learned more rapidly (acceleration).

These differentiation suggestions can be illustrated by the following examples of practice: • Andy and his early childhood teacher spend a lot of time discussing whether Pluto is or isn’t a planet, the differing criteria over what defines a planet, and why these changed.

• Melanie can play some tunes on the piano. As well as accompanying the class when they sing some simple songs, she also composes her own music, and is showing an interest in different forms of music notation.

• Rosemary has highly advanced mathematical knowledge. Although she is still in early childhood education, twice a week she attends a neighbourhood school and participates in the Year Two class at maths time. Her mother accompanies her, with the school providing this opportunity as a transition program.

• The classroom has a computer with a range of open-ended learning games. Fred and Jane like working together with a program in which they design imaginative worlds.

Considering the range of suggestions and examples noted previously leads educators to reflect on their programs, to minimise boredom, and avoid too-easy or overly-repetitive tasks, or situations in which children feel that they have to ‘dumb down’.

A responsive teaching approach can include adaptions to questioning and conversations, to the environment, and to reflection and evaluation (Margrain, Murphy & Dean, 1995). Reflect on whether your program allows you the time to have in-depth conversations with children, whether your environment includes advanced puzzles and books, and whether children can work with older peers at times, search the internet, or continue independent projects regardless of the timetable.

continued on page 14 12 • BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015

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educational resources, programs + planning

continued from page 12

When there are genuine opportunities for parents to share information about their child’s unique traits and characteristics, as well as effective support strategies, this has multiple benefits – effectively supporting the work of educators, and empowering parents as advocates.

Working in partnership with families Research affirms that parents are far better at identifying giftedness than teachers are, and they do not ‘hot house’ or ‘over inflate’ their children’s capabilites (Margrain, Murphy & Dean, 2015).

For those supporting young children who are gifted (educators, parents and others), effective communication can include: • sharing information • learning from one another • mutually agreeing on goals and strategies • advocating for children’s rights • giving each other feedback.

Although communication and collaboration are always important, it is especially important that parents and those working with children who are gifted have opportunities to communicate, as these children are so often misunderstood and there continue to be many myths surrounding giftedness (Margrain, Murphy & Dean; Porter, 2006). Examples of valuable parent–teacher information sharing to support young gifted children include: • multiple perspectives on giftedness • information about home and education contexts for learning • literature about giftedness • newsletters on events and professional development

When there are genuine opportunities for parents to share information about their child’s unique traits and characteristics, as well as effective support strategies, this has multiple benefits – effectively supporting the work of educators, and empowering parents as advocates. Neither group has to work alone.

How to find out more • Contact your local association for gifted children – the Australian Association for the Education of the Gifted and Talented (AEGT – see www.aaegt.net.au for links to contacts across Australia).

• Search online using keywords ‘gifted’, ‘gifted and talented’ or ‘high ability’ and ‘early childhood’ or ‘early years’.

• Hot off the press – Giftedness in the Early Years by Margrain, Murphy and Dean – see www.nzcer.org.nz/nzcerpress/hot-off-the-press

About the author: Valerie Margrain is National Director: Early Childhood at Australian Catholic University. She is a passionate advocate for the rights of young gifted children and families, and inclusive education for all learners.

References Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. (2009).

Belonging, being and becoming – the early years learning framework for Australia. Canberra, Australia: Author.

• identification procedures and tools

Margrain, V. (2015, Understanding Giftedness in Early Childhood’.

Belonging: Early Years Journal vol 4 no 1, 24-26.

• contact information for others, such as psychologists or support groups

Margrain, V., Murphy, C., & Dean, J. (2015). Giftedness in the early years: Informing, learning and teaching. Wellington, New Zealand: NZCER Press

• forums for discussions and support

Porter, L. (1999). Gifted young children: A guide for teachers and parents.

St Leonards, Australia: Allen & Unwin.

• celebrations of children’s work.

In addition to knowledge about their own child, many parents have particular knowledge and expertise in the area of giftedness – an aspect of education that many educators have limited training in.

14 • BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015

Porter, L. (2006). ‘Twelve myths of gifted education’. Retrieved from www.louiseporter.com.au/pdfs/twelve_myths_of_gifted_education_web.pdf United Nations. (1989). United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Geneva: United Nations.

Van Tassel-Baska, J. (1994). Comprehensive curriculum for gifted learners (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

educational educationalresources, resources,programs programs++planning planning

Mini Maestros and the Early Years Learning Framework

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or 30 years, Mini Maestros has provided educational music classes that nurture and extend children’s learning and development.

The sequential, age-specific program employs a strengths-based approach centred around concepts such as learning through play, continuity of learning and high expectations. These concepts are important principles and practices that underpin the Council of Australian Governments’ (COAG) Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).

Lessons are planned with specific aims and objectives in mind, and provide worthwhile, challenging experiences for children. Mini Maestros gives children tools to initiate their own learning and encourages them to experiment, contribute ideas, make decisions and self-reflect.

Mini Maestros believes that children of all ages are strong, competent and capable learners. Jennifer Smith, Director of Mini Maestros, says, ‘We recognise and value each child’s unique qualities. We cater for various ways of learning and being because we

understand that individuals learn at their own pace and in their own way. Being actively involved in musicmaking builds confidence and encourages working, playing and making discoveries together’.

Mini Maestros teachers create a nurturing, inclusive environment for all children, and use instruments, props and puppets to create a fun and colourful class atmosphere.

For more information, and to book a free demonstration session at your centre, please call Mini Maestros on 1300 786 557.

BELONGINGEARLY EARLYYEARS YEARSJOURNAL JOURNAL••VOLUME VOLUME44NUMBER NUMBER22••2015 2015••15 X BELONGING

educationalresources, resources,programs programs++planning planning educational

Toys that foster a love of learning

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he philosophy behind Good to Play Toys is the strong belief that playing with quality toys helps children’s social, cognitive, physical and emotional wellbeing.

Providing an opportunity for children to play with welldesigned educational toys opens up their learning ability in a fun and interactive way. The key to play is fostering a love of learning and of new challenges, and, above all, to make learning enjoyable.

Good to Play Toys is a proudly Australian-owned online retailer of quality toys that educate, engage and entertain. All the products stocked have been chosen for their high quality and uniqueness. The educational toy range is vast and varied, and includes award-winning toys, eco-friendly wooden toys made from sustainable sources, and beautiful hand-finished toys.

With an easy-to-navigate website, you are able to search for toys by age, gender, category and brand.

Good to Play Toys offers Australia-wide shipping at a flat rate of $9.95 for orders up to $150 – and free shipping for orders over that amount (heavier items excluded).

Good to Play Toys would like to offer readers of Belonging a special offer. Simply visit www.goodtoplay.com and to receive 15 per cent off your first purchase. Use the code BELONGING by 31 October 2015 once you have added quality educational toys to your shopping bag!

We all know that children learn, grow and develop through play.

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educational resources, programs + planning

Play therapy and early childhood

BY DR JUDI PARSON AND LAURA WEST

In a group of children, there is often a child that has trouble fitting in – a child who cannot experience, regulate or express their emotions, who doesn’t form close and secure interpersonal relationships or peer friendships, and who has difficulty learning or exploring the environment. Early childhood educators are ideally placed to understand the typical play and development behaviours of children, and notice when they show difficulties or delays in childhood development. The challenging aspect is knowing what to do to help that child.

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lay therapy is an emerging mental health field in Australia that takes a unique and systemic approach to promote the psychological, social, and emotional health and wellbeing of young children. Play is the natural language of the child, making play therapy a developmentally appropriate approach to working with children who have experienced trauma, or display social, emotional and behavioural concerns. Within a healing relationship, the play therapist uses the therapeutic powers of play as the core agents to facilitate change. In play, children discover and explore their thoughts, feelings and desires, and this becomes the means by which a

trusting connection is made between a child and the play therapist. Early childhood educators may consult with, or refer children to, a play therapist if they are having difficulty connecting with a child, or if they are in need of guidance.

The Australasia Pacific Play Therapy Association (APPTA) is the peak professional body for play therapists in Australia and throughout the Asia-Pacific region. It was formed in order to support children, parents, and professionals involved in the field of play therapy. It has now grown to include regulation, education and practice development.

BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 17

educational resources, programs + planning

The members of APPTA identify as having a range of primary disciplines, including education, psychology, counselling, nursing, social work and occupational therapy. Following this, they are required to undertake play therapy-specific training, personal therapy and clinical supervision to become a registered play therapist.

The various theoretical approaches to practice play therapy employed by registered play therapists, include humanistic, systemic, emerging and psychodynamic models. According to a small survey conducted in 2013, in which 32 participants responded to 10 questions via SurveyMonkey, the most common theoretical orientation that guides practice are humanistic approaches, such as childcentered play therapy (21 per cent); relationship play therapy (18 per cent); and non-directive play therapy, (16 per cent) (Parson, 2013). These approaches and

others are used as a guide to tailor the sessions to specific needs of the child within their wider family and community context.

The same group of therapists explained that reasons for referral to a play therapist were varied and complex. Most commonly, children were referred due to trauma (Parson, 2013); however, children often had a secondary or other presenting concern, such as emotional or behavioural difficulty, attachment disorder, domestic violence, anxiety, parental separation or divorce, bereavement, disability, chronic illness and/or medical issue. While this list is not exhaustive, it does demonstrate that children who are experiencing challenging or difficult life events may benefit from play therapy. The best way to confirm is to talk to a qualified play therapist.

Change, Ritter and Hays (2005) found that most play therapists acknowledge cultural issues, and perceive an increase in the cultural diversity of their clients. Australian Play Therapists reported that referrals were not ethnicity dependent. The percentage of referrals were not dispersed evenly; 55 per cent of referrals recorded through the survey were for caucasian/European descendants; however, Aboriginal, Asian, African, Hispanic and Maori children were all represented in the children seen for the aforementioned difficulties (Parson, 2013). This requires play therapists to be culturally aware, and to ensure that they are providing interventions and sessions that provide for the diverse backgrounds of the children and families that they see. This can involve therapists modifying their language, and the toys and resources available in the playroom.

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Creating engaging learning environments

educational resources, programs + planning

continued from page 18 Knottman (2011) identifies five categories of toys based on their applicability across the theoretical orientations: family/nurturing toys, scary toys, aggressive toys, expressive toys and pretend/fantasy toys. Each play therapist selects their toys to ensure that they have the vocabulary available for each child, with their individual array of presenting problems, to express themselves completely within the space.

Ray, Lee, Meany-Walen, Carlson, Carnes-Holt and Ware (2013) used these categories to examine the most frequently used toys by children during a session. Not surprisingly, they reported that female children more often played with the family/nurture toys, while male children preferred the scary and aggressive toys. The top 11 toys of this study were toys that could be used in any/ all of the categories: sandbox, sand tools, arts/crafts, paint, water, kitchen, puppet theatre, easel, bop bag, hats and big aggressive animals. This demonstrates the need for diversity across the categories and themes of play that the child engages in.

Using a range of child attachment and developmental theories, together with the concepts of play, play development, and the assessment and measurement of play abilities, are all important, and need to be understood so that they can be applied to the therapeutic environment.

Play therapy is a recognised profession in many Western countries, and is gaining recognition throughout the Asia-Pacific region. This growth has been welcomed and supported by APPTA. In fact, Deakin University is the first Australian university to offer a Masters of Child Play Therapy. The course is aimed at early childhood educators, health professionals and those in related disciplines who work with children.

Authors: In play therapy, children use toys within the context of therapeutic relationships. Within these relationships, children express themselves through their play.

Throughout the range of theoretical perspectives on play therapy, toy selection is something that is most commonly agreed upon, which is summarised perfectly by Gary Landreth: ‘Selecting toys and play media materials should be a deliberate choice based on a sound rationale, and should always take into account the basic rationale for using play therapy with children in the first place, that being a recognition of children’s developmental level, which is expressed naturally through their play and activity ... Therefore, toys and materials (words) should be selected that facilitate children’s expression by providing a wide range of play activity (language).’

20 • BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015

Dr Judi Parson: Chair APPTA and Lecturer in Mental Health, Child Play Therapy, Deakin University. Contact judi.parson@deakin.edu.au Laura West: Secretary APPTA and higher degree research candidate, Deakin University. Contact secretary@appta.org.au References: Chang, C.Y, Ritter, K.B. & Hayes, D.G (2005) ‘Multicultural trends and toys in Play Therapy’. International Journal of Play Therapy, 14(2), 69-85.

Kottman, T. (2011). Play therapy: Basics and beyond (2nd ed.).

Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.

Landreth, G. L. (2012). Play therapy: The art of the relationship (3rd ed.).

New York, NY: Routledge.

Parson, J (2013) ‘The state of play therapy in Australia’. Keynote presentation Australasia Pacific Play Therapy Association’s - Diversity in Play Therapy Conference. Seaworld Resort. Gold Coast Queensland.

August 21-24.

Ray, D.C., Lee, K.R, Meany-Walen, K.K, Carlson, S.E, Carnes-Holt, K.L. & Ware, J.N (2013) ‘Use of Toys in Child-Centered Play Therapy’. International Journal of Play Therapy, 22(1), 43-57.

educational resources, programs + planning

Let them play

BY DR REBECCA ENGLISH, QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Anyone who’s ever watched a toddler play with water and different-sized containers has seen play-based learning in action. A child will fill up a big container and tip the water into smaller ones, watching it overflow and trickle away. This play is an example of very young children exploring volume, gravity, viscosity and, as they repeat their experiment, the scientific method.

A

ccording to Maria Montessori, the child experimenting with water shows that children behave like little scientists, asking ‘what if’ questions of their world. These ‘what if’ questions represent a research question; they generate a hypothesis that is tested, often repeatedly, and perhaps to their parents’ and teachers’ chagrin.

After all, science requires replicability, which is demonstrated by children playing repeatedly with the same tools for long periods of time.

Play-based learning, however, requires that parents and teachers trust that their child is learning when they look like they are just mucking about, exploring or making a mess. Indeed, play and exploration are at the heart of play-based learning. There are many blogs, including one devoted to the playbased classroom (play-basedclassroom.blogspot. com.au), as well as the excellent Teacher Tom blog

(teachertomsblog.blogspot.com.au), that provide a number of justifications for, and examples of, excellent play-based learning in the early years setting. Similarly, Pinterest has a number of boards devoted to ideas and suggestions for play-based learning (such as www.pinterest.com/camtown/play-based-learningideas) . These blogs and boards indicate that there is not only a lot of interest in the blogosphere, but also a lot of ideas and suggestions for teachers and parents.

It is also noted that there is a wide range of academic studies that extol the benefits of playbased learning. For example, Ebbeck, Yim and Lee, in their 2013 chapter ‘Play-Based Learning’, argue that in the early years, it is experiences in play that promote learning in young children. They also argue that development occurs through play with the practitioner’s role being to support and provide multiple opportunities for children’s free play.

BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 21

educational resources, programs + planning

There is a good deal of organisational support for play-based learning, as well.

In spite of the support for play-based learning, some are moving to encourage very young children into a more structured approach to education. For example, in the United Kingdom, there is a move towards what early years professionals call the ‘schoolification of toddlers’. Schoolification means starting children as early as two years of age in formal education, and expecting them to participate in more and more structured and school-based activities (sitting quietly, working alone and following the teacher’s lead in learning, rather than their own). This move towards ‘formal learning’ or ‘structured learning’ is in opposition to a more informal, play-based approach advocated by many organisations.

What is play-based learning?

The basis of play-based learning is the idea, promoted by psychologist Lev Vygotsky, that play is a vehicle for children making meaning. Researchers support this view. For example, Samuelsson and Johansson’s 2004 study ‘Play and Learning – Inseparable Dimensions

of Preschool Practice’ found that play and learning stimulate each other, and are thus indivisible. This study suggests that there is no learning without play.

It does not, however, mean that adults allow children to just muck about and do whatever they want. Rather, it involves adults guiding, extending and evaluating the child’s play to engage them more deeply with the learning process. It is an approach that gives autonomy to the child, who is able to engage within their play to learn about learning and the wider world.

Play-based learning is central to the Australian Government’s Early Years Learning Framework (see this excellent discussion: www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org. au/nqsplp/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/EC_1201_ Valuing-play.pdf).

The framework advocates play-based learning as an approach that meets the needs of individual children while maximising adult interaction and meaningful observations. Maggie Dent has criticised the Australian curriculum for its emphasis on children as young as five formalising their learning experiences.

She argues that formal learning in the early years in the national curriculum is in opposition to the Early Years Learning Framework that advocates the opposite. Her article argues that growth and development is needed, as many children are four for many months during the first year of school, and that play-based learning is the best means of achieving this development (see her article here: www.maggiedent.com/content/your-childready-school).

But what does it look like? Play-based learning generally involves the construction and manipulation of various materials. Ideally, adults will provide a variety of materials, while also providing ‘just in time’ incidental teaching.

For example, a craft box may be prepared and a child may decide to make a likeness of their imaginary friend. The teacher will have conversations with the children, such as, ‘What are you making?’, or ‘How did you make this part?’, ‘What is your friend’s name?’ and ‘What is your friend’s favourite colour?’ Through these conversations, incidental teaching is occurring.

The building of an imaginary friend object study could be extended to further develop learning through other activities. At the same time, the child is developing their creativity, as well as their literacy and numeracy knowledge. The educator is required to take on many roles, and to be flexible within those roles. In addition, the child’s work will contribute to the assessment of skills and knowledge.

22 • BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015

educational resources, programs + planning

What are the benefits?

Play-based learning has many benefits. The Association for Childhood Education International published a position paper, in line with the article’s title, ‘Play: Essential for all Children’. Play is said to promote and facilitate learning and development among young children, and is often described as the work of children. Anyone who is on message boards and part of Facebook groups will have seen memes to that effect. Play-based learning has been said to promote children’s problem-solving development. It is also believed to assist children’s developing physical and communication skills.

In their chapter, ‘Make Believe Play: A Wellspring for Development of Self-Regulation’, Berk, Mann and Ogan argue that play-based learning develops children’s emotional regulation, self-control and socially responsible behaviour. It is believed to foster the child’s brain development, especially in terms of memory, language, self-regulation, academic learning

and flexibility. It is also inexpensive, as scraps can be used to stimulate children’s creativity and interest.

What are the pitfalls?

Most academics seem to be in agreement that play-based learning is excellent for early learning.

The emphasis in the academic literature on role-play and drama in senior high school suggests that it is not confided to the early years; however, one of the pitfalls is the definition of ‘play’. As Wood argues in her chapter ‘Conceptualising a Pedagogy of Play: International Perspectives from Theory, Policy and Practice’, not only is the definition difficult to pin down, so, too, is the role of adults in play. How adult modes, interactions, intentions and outcomes affect play is significant, and is an area that needs further research.

There are practical challenges, too, with teachers’ beliefs influencing the implementation of play-based learning. There is also limited understanding of what play means to young children and how it progresses in early childhood.

BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 23

special needs

Developing kids’ potential every day

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ovita’s Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnostic Service provides comprehensive assessments for children, adolescents and young adults.

The assessments are provided by psychologists and speech pathologists who have undertaken specialised training to determine if a child or young person has autism.

Novita’s Director of Operations (Client Services), Julie Astley, says that the organisation has responded to a more than 70 per cent increase in demand for its autism services by investing heavily in recruiting additional experienced and specialist staff, and adapting facilities across its Adelaide and regionally based sites.

‘We’ve been surprised by the scale of increase in demand for our autism services, but delighted that more and more South Australian families are recognising our ability to provide comprehensive and accurate diagnostic assessments, and effective therapy for children who are on the autism spectrum,’ says Astley.

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Supporting children to realise their full potential through the combination of best practice early intervention in partnership with families and schools, and connecting children with recreational activities such as inclusive sports and the performing arts, is a key feature of Novita’s approach.

For more information contact Novita on 1300 Novita (1300 668 482) or email services@novita.org.au.

special needs

Inclusion of children with disabilities and delays in early childhood settings

BY CORAL KEMP, MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY What is meant by inclusion?

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n order to be included in early childhood education and care services, children with disabilities and delays must have the level of support needed to enable them to participate in centre activities, and to engage with materials, peers and centre staff. Inclusion is now used to refer to the participation of children with a range of additional needs, including social disadvantage, chronic illness and advanced ability. The idea is that early childhood centres take all who come and provide for each child according to need. Inclusion is favoured by government-funding bodies and recognised to be the right of all children and families.

Inclusion in early childhood settings In the 1970s, the establishment of special education programs for infants and young children with developmental disabilities and delays gave birth to the inclusion movement in Australia. Until then, the prognosis for children born with a disability had been very poor, and their parents were commonly advised to put them into institutions and forget about them.

The first early childhood intervention programs were

established in universities and other tertiary institutions, but they soon spread to the community via not-forprofit organisations. Parents now had an option to include their child with a disability within their family and community. This was the first and most significant example of inclusion for infants and young children with disabilities.

With early intervention came the expectation that children with disabilities could learn. Families witnessing their children’s progress expected that they would access regular early childhood programs.

Many preschool and childcare centre directors took up the challenge straight away and began enrolling children with a range of disabilities; however, although children with disabilities and delays are present in a range of early childhood education and care services across Australia today, there are still relatively few in child care. Much still needs to be done to ensure that these children have the opportunity to be included in the service of choice with the appropriate supports.

My experience with early childhood centres, including childcare centres, is that there is a willingness to include, and with the right support, this can be very successful.

BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 25

special needs

So, does inclusion work?

Research has provided conflicting evidence regarding the value of inclusion versus segregation for young children with disabilities. The argument in favour of inclusion is essentially one of social justice. Of course, there are many examples of successful inclusion. A preschool program at Macquarie University (1992–2001) included up to eight children with significant disabilities and delays, and up to 12 typically developing children, with some of these assessed as gifted. Following their preschool year, the children with disabilities were generally included in mainstream kindergarten classes, and almost 80 per cent of those whose transition to school was investigated were still in mainstream classes one to five years later. A follow-up of one cohort of children without disabilities found that their academic progress was not disadvantaged by their preschool experience. They were also reported to demonstrate a greater level of tolerance for difference than their peers who had not attended an inclusive preschool.

In addition to ongoing successful inclusion, a good measure of the success of an inclusive placement is child engagement. Children need to be engaged in order to learn. In collaboration with colleagues and research students at Macquarie University, I have investigated the engagement of children with disabilities in a range of early childhood settings. In order to compare the effect of inclusive and segregated settings, we examined the engagement and interaction of 12 children with diagnosed autism in a segregated program, and compared this with their engagement and interaction in their regular preschool or childcare setting. The children were better engaged in segregated settings, but had more opportunities for interaction with their peers in regular settings. The fact that the children with autism were better engaged in segregated settings should come as no surprise. The staff members in those settings were highly qualified and knew what strategies to use in order to engage the children.

Our engagement research has involved observation of children across activity types in Special Teaching and Research (STaR) affiliated childcare centres. This has allowed us to identify activities that best promote engagement, and those that are more problematic.

It has also involved training childcare staff to observe and record engagement for the purpose of planning for improved outcomes. This research, along with more recent applied research in three STaR-affiliated centres, has demonstrated that, given the appropriate strategies, childcare workers are capable of enhancing the engagement and turn-taking skills of students with significant intellectual disabilities.

26 • BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015

Working towards successful inclusion There is no doubt that the opportunities for promoting development are present in the regular early childhood setting. A childcare program, in particular, has a broad range of routines and activities in which to embed programs that are designed to enhance development. This means that the children have many opportunities for practising skills in the natural environment; however, for children with disabilities or delays, there has to be a structured plan based on an assessment of skills – a plan that includes input from the family and relevant professionals. The important message that childcare staff need to keep in mind is that an individual program embedded in their centre has relevance to the functioning of the child in that setting. Although outside professionals can provide useful assessment information and possible intervention strategies, it is the childcare worker who has responsibility for implementing the plan and making it work.

About the author Coral Kemp BA Dip Ed MA (Spec Ed) PhD has been involved in the education of children in a variety of regular and special education settings as a teacher, early interventionist, consultant, deputy principal, acting principal and program director. She has also acted as an independent consultant to schools with respect to the inclusion of students with disabilities, and as an advocate for families needing assistance in relation to their child’s educational placement. Coral has taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses in special education, and has supervised research students. Her research interests include child engagement, inclusion and effective interventions. Coral is an honorary fellow at Macquarie University and an independent special education consultant. She is a committee member of the International Society on Early Intervention.

special needs

special needs

Fun for all abilities

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earning is a different experience for everyone, and no two children do it exactly the same way.

Take a learning group that includes children with physical disabilities, or complex developmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, and you’ll start to understand just how different that experience can be.

The fundamental goal of every early learning professional is to aid in a child’s development, and help them to fulfil their unique potential. The fundamental goal of the team at The Therapy Store is to provide Australia’s best range of educational and therapy resources, to give children of all abilities the opportunity to meet that unique potential.

child’s development. There’s colourful pencil grips for encouraging correct early handwriting skills, chewable robot necklaces to replace oral fixations, and even visual timers, allowing teachers and parents to give a tangible answer to the ever popular ‘how much longer?’.

Just like the way that they learn, the height of this potential varies from child to child. In recognition of this, The Therapy Store has set about promoting that it’s not so much the height of the potential, but the ability to get there, that matters most.

After acquiring industry stalwart Coordinates Therapy Services in early 2015, The Therapy Store is set to open its new Melbourne-based premises in July.

Doubling as a warehouse for their 2000-plus product website, it’s one of the only businesses of its kind open to therapists, educators and families alike.

While the business is largely focused on providing for children with physical and developmental hurdles, it really is a treasure chest of products for every

Check out the website at www.thetherapystore.com.au, and use the discount code BELONGING for 10 per cent off your first order over $100. Some conditions may apply.

X • BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015

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special needs

Inclusive physical environments for children in ECEC – a Noah’s Ark perspective

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oah’s Ark’s teams of Inclusion Support Facilitators work with educators and carers in early childhood education and care (ECEC) services throughout Victoria, to create inclusive physical environments.

Inclusive physical environments ensure that:

The key to ensuring the access and participation of all children is their physical environment. Inclusive environments allow children to move around freely, make choices, and interact with each other and educators. The physical environment, the curriculum, the program and the activities, along with the experiences provided in ECEC services, are all interconnected. Children’s physical environments should be arranged to maximise their learning and participation, and to foster the development of their independence. Educators can support children’s learning by providing environments that give the opportunity to explore, investigate, play and interact with others.

• the children are making decisions about how the physical environment is set up

Inclusive programs take into account attitudes and beliefs, as well as the physical barriers that it may have on children. Educators can support positive attitudes to inclusion by providing environments that avoid stereotypes and generalisations, and value the diversity and the differing abilities of all children.

• educators create and continuously adapt the indoor and outdoor environments to facilitate the inclusion of children with additional needs.

Questions to consider when planning inclusive physical spaces for children:

Henry is a very independent, social little boy who has a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. The educators in his room cleared all walkways of clutter so that he could move freely around the room, and arranged equipment and activities so that all the children could reach them easily. They made sure that there was plenty of space for Henry to sit on the floor, or at a table with his friends.

• Does the environment provide for easy, safe and independent access to activities, spaces, equipment and materials?

• Do play spaces support social interaction with another child or small groups of children?

• Are quiet places provided?

• Are there clear, wide paths for safe and easy movement? Is it possible for a child with limited mobility to move around the room?

• Is it safe for children with visual impairments or in wheelchairs?

• Are varied seating options used; for example, the floor, mat or specialised seating?

• What sensory issues are considered; for example, lighting, noise or visual over stimulation?

• Are there materials available that reflect diverse family experiences and cultures?

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• children are able to move around freely and independently • physical barriers that limit children’s participation are removed

• children can find quiet spaces when they need them.

The National Quality Standard, Quality Area 3: Physical Environment, states that: • facilities are to be designed or adapted to ensure access and participation by every child in the service, including adaptive equipment to support inclusion of children with additional needs • indoor and outdoor spaces are organised in ways that ensure that every child can participate in all daily experiences

A positive application of inclusive physical environment was observed by Noah’s Ark at an ECEC service:

Want to learn more about inclusive practice in ECEC? Noah’s Ark and the Chisholm Institute in Victoria have joined forces to develop an exciting 12-week online course for educators and carers in early childhood services, to help them to develop the skills and knowledge that will allow them to confidently support the inclusion of children with disabilities and other additional needs in their services.

Course information and applications for Inclusive Practice in Early Childhood Education and Care can be found on Chisholm’s website: www.chisholm.edu.au.

INCLUSIVE PRACTICE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES FOR THE INCLUSION OF ALL CHILDREN (CHCECE021)

12 WEEK ONLINE SHORT COURSE

Developed by Noah’s Ark Victoria in partnership with Chisholm Institute

‘Inclusive Practice in Early Childhood Education and Care’ is matched to the requirements of ‘Implement Strategies for the Inclusion of All Children’, a key unit within the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care.

Presented by industry expert teachers, participants will cover a range of subjects aligned to the needs of all children with special needs and different learning abilities.

Topics include: • Introduction to inclusion • Inclusion readiness • Resources to support inclusion • Programs/practices that support inclusion • Inclusion support Course is delivered with Victorian and Commonwealth Government funding. TOID:0260

Intakes: Monthly Cost: $595 per person Contact: Tammy Young email: tammy.young@chisholm.edu.au

1300 244 746 chisholm.edu.au

special needs

Child’s play – making a difference

BY DONNA BERRY, OWNER AND DIRECTOR OF PLAY THERAPY AUSTRALIA AND THE INSTITUTE OF PLAY THERAPY

Child-centred play therapy is an internationally recognised therapeutic approach to reducing the effects of trauma in children.

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am struck by the number of children who require therapy at an early age, and how the mental health of youngsters is not fully understood.

Because of the system, the appropriate help and support is often not sought until they reach their teens or early adulthood – an age where suicide is on the increase. Although there is a huge amount of research to suggest that preventative early intervention services are crucial for young children, we still see a crisis response.

Early intervention with child-centered play therapy (CCPT) can reduce the fiscal and resource impact of providing for children with trauma by reducing the time and effort taken from root cause to satisfactory outcome.

The Medicare system supports a short-term, band-aid reaction to children’s therapy, with most intervention services for children based upon adult interventions and governed by cost. They are not always developmentally and age appropriate, going against all child development research.

When young children face a shaken world after experiencing trauma – which can include illness, pre-birth and birth trauma, bonding and attachment issues, ADHD, selective mutism, separation anxiety, fears and anxieties, reactive attachment disorder, oppositional and challenging behaviours, abuse and neglect, enuresis and encopresis, autism spectrum disorder, and school difficulties – and do not have the right services to help them work through the feelings that help them to understand their world, they may still tell their difficult story.

The financial and resource burden on already stretched services can also no longer sustain the level and duty of care needed to deal with this specific area of expertise.

Only it may be a story with a difference; for instance, acting out with challenging behavioural and emotional responses that can be difficult to manage and understand.

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special needs

What constitutes trauma for one child may not impact another in the same way; however, researchers have found that what happens to us in childhood shapes who we become as adults, which can have far-reaching effects within society.

And that, in itself, is a ‘travesty of justice’. The implications of children’s emotional needs being left unaddressed due to the lack of early intervention services, and adults’ knowledge and understanding of a child’s world, is not only a tragedy for the youngsters, but is a failing on the part of us, the adults.

As a trainer, therapist and clinical supervisor of CCPT, I have firsthand knowledge and expertise as to how this evidence-backed and dynamic form of early intervention for children aged two years to 12 years experiencing emotional, psychological, behavioural and/or development issues, is not only so important, but is also so successful.

In CCPT, the therapist enters the world of the child – following the child’s lead, and developing a safe place and a relationship of trust. It is here that the child can express and communicate their inner experiences, thoughts, feelings and behaviours, playing out their story using toys.

Special Needs Toys Australia offers parents, teachers and therapists an easy and economic way of buying equipment, toys and aids that can be used in play, at school or home, or as part of a therapy program.

While all children can enjoy and benefit from our toys, we have specially selected products we feel are suitable for children with:

S

• Sensory Processing Disorders • speech and language delays • ADHD

• physical disabilities

• cognitive and learning delays • Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Email us at: services@SpecialNeedsToys.com.au

Toys for all needs

For more information, visit our website at www.SpeciaINeedsToys.com.au Or call us on: (02) 4295 4488

pecial Needs Toys Australia is Australia’s leading online store for educational and therapy toys for children with additional needs. Since 2009, we have assisted thousands of schools and specialist organisations, as well as tens of thousands of parents, to choose the right toys for their children. While all children can enjoy and benefit from our toys, we have specially selected products that we feel are suitable for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), cerebral palsy, vision and hearing issues, anxiety and learning difficulties. You will be sure to find something from our range of sensory toys, therapy tools, fine and gross motor toys, weighted products and language games.

Visit us at www.specialneedstoys.com.au

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BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 31

special needs

It is often difficult for children to talk about how they feel and how things have affected them. In play therapy, however, the toys can be their words and their story. This serves as a limitless language of selfexploration and self-discovery. Through play, we see the child’s behaviour as a symptom of something deeper.

The therapeutic relationship allows us to work with children to support their emotional and psychosocial development, fostering their innate potential for inner growth and healing, and enabling them to gain some sense of balance and control in their lives.

Who can play therapy help?

Aside from the difficulties that some children experience mentioned earlier, this therapeutic approach can also be used for: • making friends • excessive anger, fear, sadness, worry and shyness • school difficulties • aggression and acting-out behaviours • self-concept and self-esteem • abuse and neglect • sleeping and eating difficulties • autism (other than severe autism) • ADHD and ADD • social adjustment issues • chronic illness/hospitalisation/surgery • physical symptoms without any medical cause • bonding and attachment • foster, adoption and identity issues • prenatal and birth trauma • selective mutism • near-death experiences.

Sadly, there has been an increase in the number of children being seen as a result of domestic violence. Children who witness regular acts of violence have greater emotional and behavioural problems than those who don’t. They feel powerless with no control and scared for the victim.These children’s basic needs are often not met, which has a huge impact on their emotional development.

To survive in the world and to grow into well-adjusted adults, children need strong, early attachment. A child’s attachment to their main caregiver is paramount, and is often insecure in families where there is domestic violence, having long-term, detrimental effects.

Early intervention can help with the following: • It can significantly reduce the impact on children, 32 • BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015

families and organisations that are currently dealing with, but not qualified in, situations where traumatised children require this specialised therapy.

• The financial and resource burden, on already stretched services, can no longer sustain the level and duty of care needed to deal with this specific area of expertise.

• It can reduce the fiscal and resource impact on providing for children with trauma by reducing the time and effort taken from root cause to satisfactory outcome.

After moving halfway across the world from the United Kingdom to begin a new life, I decided to extend my professional qualifications and skills – putting myself through years of professional play therapy training with Play Therapy Australia, before I bought the business. I also received extensive supervision from United States-renowned leader in play therapy, Dr William Nordling, while working and caring for my own young family.

The CCPT approach offers a deeply respectful, heartfelt and evidence-based form of counselling and psychotherapy for children.

By looking at life through a child’s world we can help them to recover from trauma and difficult life experiences.

Please visit our websites for further information: www.playtherapyaustralia.com www.theinstituteofplaytherapy.com.au.

Donna Berry is a qualified social worker, play therapist and play therapy supervisor, as well as a clinical member of the Psychotherapist and Counsellors’ Association of Western Australia, a founding member of the Australian Play Therapist Association (APTA) and a former Advisory Board member. She is the President of the Australian Play Therapists Association – the peak play therapists association in Australia; owns Play Therapy Australia, and owns and operates the Institute of Play Therapy – a professional health facility with a number of therapeutic, training and consultancy rooms in Fremantle, Western Australia.

Married with four children, Donna is an inspirational and leading trainer in child-centred play therapy, and has been instrumental in the development of play therapy training with Play Therapy Australia. She presents the popular The Heart and Practice of Child Centred Play Therapy programs in Melbourne and Perth, and will be conducting training workshops in Singapore from July onwards. Donna Berry has applied for not-for-profit status for Play Therapy Australia and the Institute of Play Therapy.

special needs

Support when you need it most

B

ased in Melbourne, Tweddle Child & Family Health Service understands the importance of quality childcare and early attachment relationships.

Brain development and positive early learning experiences foster a child’s intellectual, social and emotional development for life.

Tweddle helps parents who are juggling work or study, as well as their young families, with skill development, therapeutic interventions, community support and counselling, to help increase their confidence and relationships with their children.

Contact Tweddle on (03) 9689 1577 if you have a family in your care that needs caring, trusted and experienced support such as residential, day stay and fee-forservice programs, including psychological and in-home support. Visit their website for many valuable resources: www.tweddle.org.au.

Helping you to help parents & their children Are the families in your care tired, exhausted and need solutions to parenting issues like sleep and settling, childhood behaviour, mental health, feeding and eating? Tweddle offers fast and affordable early parenting support, including the following: IN HOME SERVICE & DAY STAY Sleep and settling 0-3 years Infant & Child behaviour Baby & toddler feeding (LC)

INFANT & PERINATAL PSYCHOLOGY Adjusting to parenthood/Managing anxiety & depression Bonding & attachment – Birth trauma Family/Relationship concerns Grief & loss

Call us now on (03) 9698 1577 www.tweddle.org.au servicing metro Melbourne 330312AE_Tweddle | 2130.indd 24

Sensory processing disorder

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Sensory products for children with Special Needs

I

We also provide Sensory Integration Workshops for Professional Development

www.sensorymatters.com.au Enter the code “belonging” for all online orders to receive a free gift!

330858AE_Sensory Matters | 2130.indd 24

n addition to the five commonly known senses, there are two lesser-known senses in the human body. Proprioception is the ability to determine our body’s position in space. The vestibular system provides input regarding our sense of movement and balance. Sensory processing disorder (SPD) may be diagnosed in individuals who have difficulty processing the messages that their brains receive from any of their seven senses. While SPD can present in many ways, it is often the apparently ‘naughty’ child who cannot sit still, or the child who is unintentionally rough. For more information about SPD, please visit sensorymatters.com.au/spd or contact Julie (info@sensorymatters.com.au) to inquire about Sensory Integration Workshops.

22/06/15 12:50 PM

BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 33

training + recruitment

Tomorrow’s leader today

W

hy is ongoing coaching and mentoring in staffing structures, and a culture of learning so important? We know that many services have been challenged with keeping all staff on the same path of improvement, but how do we continue to raise the bar, reset the challenges and goals, and continue to move forward? Total Childcare Solutions Australia (TCSA) is a strategic partner in all aspects of business. We know that at the heart of everything that you do are the ‘people’.

TCSA are experts in polishing all areas that a service sets their intentions to achieve. Through a partnership approach exploring positive culture in your workplace, we deliver a specialised coach and mentor into your service, and tailor to your own design the areas that we can support you to achieve your goals. We bring strategy, leadership, education and training to your doorstep.

Sandi Black, an approved provider from Queensland, says, ‘Total Childcare Solutions recognise that no two centres are the same. They understand our needs and open the lines of communication to tailor-make solutions and resources to guide our focus.’

TCSA has supported services in their journey through assessment and rating, shaping the future and developing business strategy, coaching and mentoring teams to new levels, and partnering with business for better financial outcomes. Boasting a reach that is now Australia-wide, TCSA are touching services across the nation by using their established systems to improve performance.

Long day care professional development funding has been fortuitous for services to now focus on their internal staffing abilities, prepare for assessment and rating, and engage the services of TCSA to partner with them in the journey towards excellence.

Kath Hogan from Torquay Kids says, ‘The long day care professional development funding has not only assisted our service in receiving ongoing support from Total Childcare Solutions, but has allowed each of our staff members to attend a conference this year for our own professional development.

‘Total Childcare Solutions provides us with a safety net of support; we have a centre support manager who we can contact any time, they provide us with feedback and offer ideas on how our educators can improve, or do things differently. And, this year, one of our educators, Katie, has been named a finalist in the Lead Educator of the Year for Queensland – a fantastic achievement with the assistance of Total Childcare Solutions.’

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Stuart Keeton, General Manager of Operations Total Childcare Solutions Australia

Founder of TCSA, John Wall, says, ‘After more than 20 years in this industry, and the collective years of experience in our teams, we know that we are driving services in new directions of quality and care through our strategic partnerships. Our business retains the family-owned traditions that people come first.

We are still in awe and wonder of children and their learning capabilities, and I make sure my teams have been trained to the highest standards to deliver what services really need on a day-to-day basis. Never has early education and care been more exciting for us.

We believe that the best early start in life for a child will bring a future of possibilities, and we know how to support teams to make that happen.’

Stuart Keeton, General Manager of Operations TCSA, clearly understands the components to bring cohesive operational teams together. His 20 years of operational management experience provides that much-needed platform to support our leaders in all aspects of team leadership, growing leaders and succession planning at service level. Access to the training and educational networks throughout the TCSA Hubs located from Cairns to Brisbane, and Melbourne to Perth, ensure that no matter where you are located, we have the opportunity to provide the best in management, support and leadership through training and education of your team and leaders.

Dedicated professionals are on call in our office to assist you at any time.

Stuart Keeton says: ‘Some of our managed services have been in the hands of the same approved providers for many years. When TCSA has come on board, stress and pressure has been lifted, operational performance improved, better financial outcomes achieved, and all within the funding envelope of the long day care professional development funding. Owners could not be happier than to have us on board supporting their business and driving better outcomes all round’.

Tomorrow’s Leaders

TODAY

Australia’s Leading Childcare Management, Training & Education Company • Professional support and mentoring • Comprehensive training information and resources • Monthly hub meetings

“When TCSA has come on board stress and pressure have been lifted, operational performance improved, better financial outcomes achieved and all within the bounds of Long Day Care Professional Development Funding.”

Stuart Keeton General Manager of Operations TCSA

Long Day Care Professional Development Program Services who received funding under the Long Day Care Professional Development Program can claim a percentage of the TCSA management fee under the funding guidelines.

If you are contemplating a management partner for your centre, contact Total Childcare Solutions Australia today for a no‑obligation discussion.

Phone 1300 851 331.

www.totalchildcaresolutions.com.au

training + recruitment

Quality training for early education and care professionals

A

ustralian Child Care Career Options, better known as ACCCO, first opened its doors in Brisbane nearly 20 years ago. With a humble vision to deliver quality, industry-preferred training for childcare professionals, ACCCO has since surpassed all ambitions. Now, as a national training provider, ACCCO specialises in early childhood education and care courses, delivering relevant, practical-based training all over Australia.

The founder and Chief Executive Officer, Narelle Cossettini, is extremely proud of the thousands of students that graduate and return to ACCCO. True to the vision, ACCCO offers the full spectrum of courses specific to the early education industry: early childhood education and care, outside school hours education and care, education support and first aid courses. ACCCO courses are nationally recognised and accredited and are offered full time, part time and externally. All courses are developed in response to industry requirements, regulatory changes and contemporary practice.

Special attention is given to identify individual learning needs. Students have regular contact with a trainer who works at both an individual level and in their workplace, to progress them through the course.

ACCCO will launch a brand-new campus in 2015, which is strategically located within the education hub in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane.

Offering contemporary training facilities and a modern learning environment, the new premises will greatly enhance the learning experience for all international and domestic students.

OUR TRAINING, YOUR CAREER,

THEIR FUTURE. CHC3O113 | Certificate III Early Childhood Education & Care CHC5O113 | Diploma Early Childhood Education & Care CHC3O213 | Certificate II & IV Education Support CHC4O113 | Certificate IV School Aged Education & Care CHC5O213 | Diploma School Aged Education & Care

Australia Wide: Full time, Part time, and Externally.

First Aid Courses now available!

ENROL NOW P: 1300 139 406 ABN: 25 142 107 444

E: info@accco.com.au

RTO: 5404

CRICOS: 02483D

X 36••BELONGING BELONGINGEARLY EARLYYEARS YEARSJOURNAL JOURNAL••VOLUME VOLUME44NUMBER NUMBER22••2015 2015

W: accco.com.au

training + recruitment

The Victorian Advancing Early Learning (VAEL) Study

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he Victorian Advancing Early Learning Study is a three-year research project funded by the Victorian Department of Education and Training.

The study is conducted by researchers from the Melbourne Graduate School of Education (MGSE) at the University of Melbourne in partnership with Moonee Valley City Council, Hume City Council and Mission Australia. The research team – Professor Collette Tayler, Dr Jane Page, Nicole Pilsworth, Catherine MacBean and Isabel Brookes – is developing and testing a professional learning model specifically focused on improving the quality of educator–child interactions, and advancing young children’s learning outcomes in the first four years of life.

The study addresses three key questions: 1. How does the quality of educator–child interactions change in settings where educators are coached in the use of specific one-to-one interaction techniques?

2. What strategies and techniques do educational leaders apply to improve the quality of pedagogy in their early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings?

3. What is the impact of consistent implementation of 3a (Abecedarian Approach Australia) by trained educators and parents on vulnerable children’s learning?

What are the aims of the VAEL study?

The professional learning program introduces educators to 3a, and supports them to implement these focused interactive teaching strategies into their educational program and daily practice with babies and children up to five years of age. The strategies – Conversational Reading, LearningGames™ and Enriched Caregiving – place a high priority on language and cognition within play-based settings, and have been demonstrated to raise the social and academic achievement outcomes of young children experiencing a range of risk factors. These strategies collectively help educators to interact intentionally and frequently with individual children during play and caregiving routines to support children’s learning and development.

Researching the impact of evidence-based strategies in ECEC settings is important. It is already known that the quality and scope of adult–child BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 37

training + recruitment

interactions impact on young children’s learning, health and development. Findings from the Australian E4Kids study also highlight that by school entry, children from less-advantaged backgrounds are already losing ground to their more advantaged peers. The Abecedarian and CARE studies, and the work of High/Scope, link young children’s participation in high-quality ECEC programs with higher education outcomes and better life prospects. This is particularly the case for those children who are identified as possessing multiple educational risk factors.

High-quality ECEC programs, at the core, pay attention to the interactions and strategies used by educators with children. Inquiry processes exist in play, and are blended into informal, everyday talk. These processes have a central place in shaping the verbal, behavioural and cognitive development of infants, toddlers and young children. High-quality interactions that are respectful, supportive and intellectually challenging have the capacity to ameliorate disadvantage early, and to offset growing disparities between children over time.

The VAEL study design involves three key elements: 1. a treatment year involving educational leaders and educators in a program of professional learning and fortnightly on-site interactive coaching sessions that support the implementation of 3a strategies into educational programs 2. a maintenance year that involves the educational leader supporting educators to continue to implement the strategies into their educational program and daily practice 3. a voluntary parent program led by centre educators to support parents to use 3a strategies at home.

A child learning support partnership between educators and families is fostered by the centre, including encouraging parents to visit their child’s room when they can, and the provision of selected books for conversational reading and loose-leaf copies of learning games that their children are experiencing in the ECEC centre.

What does the VAEL study mean for early childhood education and care?

The VAEL study process provides clear strategies for educators to ensure that they enhance the learning and development of individual children, and that intentional, intensive attention is given to vulnerable children everyday within programs.

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VAEL is about educator learning and coaching on the most effective ways to work one-to-one each day with the children so that each child’s learning is enhanced. The project works through the culture of continuous improvement in ECEC settings, and tracks the effects on children’s development. There is very little Australian research on the impact of sustained high-quality strategies on children’s learning and development, especially in regard to children who are considered at risk of poor educational outcomes.

We have a particular responsibility to enhance the learning and development of every infant, toddler and young child, especially while they are attending ECEC services. Learning is a relational process that is, all at once, individual, connected closely with family, and paying attention to building every child’s knowledge and understanding. Recent evidence indicates that simply setting up play spaces is insufficient to ensure that all children are well-served as they grow and learn from birth through to age four or five. In particular, young children who are experiencing various risk factors during this phase of life should be assured of consistent, one-to-one engagements with a sensitive educator who works to advance each child’s wellbeing, confidence, learning and overall development.

The role of the educator is vital. Everyday interactions that are individualised, warm and encouraging, support verbal communication, facilitate attention to learning, and scaffold children’s understandings are at the core of effective educational programs and best practice. The evidence from the E4Kids study indicates that there is a low presence of play-based instructional support offered to young children in ECEC settings. This VAEL study is collecting evidence of how children’s development changes when particular strategies are present within play settings.

Even when adult-focused, this professional learning should have significant positive effects on children’s development. The VAEL professional learning process pays attention to educational leaders and educators raising the quality of their interactions with young children, and ensuring sustained improved practice over time. By drawing on the experiences of the educational leaders, educators, families and young children, new knowledge on the impact of evidencebased strategies on Australian children’s learning and development is being generated. This is used to support ongoing reflection about how best to make a positive difference in children’s lives each day, and to ensure their ongoing wellbeing and development.

training + recruitment

training + recruitment

MEGT Institute – leading the way in childcare education

W

orking with over 600 childcare centres throughout New South Wales and Victoria, MEGT Institute specialises in training for nationally accredited qualifications in childhood education and care.

Training can be provided in the workplace, online or in either of MEGT Institute’s state-of-the-art campuses in Sydney and Melbourne.

Benefits of skilled staff Highly trained childcare centre staff are better equipped to:

and educational practices. They can come to your business for a workplace consultation, then tailor training to meet your organisation’s needs, including, if necessary, developing individual workplace learning plans.

• provide engaging and caring program management • effectively roster and manage teams • show strong team leadership skills

Testimonial

• communicate successfully with families.

Why MEGT Institute?

MEGT Institute is recognised as a reputable provider of quality vocational education and training programs.

As experts in early childhood education, MEGT Institute’s training is based on up-to-date industry

Manu Shrestha gained her Certificate III and Diploma of Early Childhood Education with MEGT Institute, while on-the-job at a childcare centre.

‘My trainer helped me learn lots about early childhood education, observing me at work, highlighting what I was doing well and what needed work.’

If you’re passionate about helping children with their learning, social and creative development, you may enjoy fulfilling work educating young children, from 0–5 years.

Courses in Early Childhood Education and Care Pathways to university

On–campus, workplace and online

Over 90% graduate employment success

No ATAR

1300 6348 6348 institute@megt.com.au 7409_INST_0515

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BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 39

training + recruitment

Getting parents involved Three ways you can make a difference as a childhood educator

P

arental involvement in the child’s daily routine can have significant benefits for everyone involved.

To start with, it builds trust and strengthens the relationship between the child, parent and educator.

This can contribute to positive influences on the child’s psychological needs. Furthermore, it can contribute to reducing separation anxiety for the child and the parent.

Nevertheless, getting parents involved in the child’s daily routine is not always easy. Here are some tips on what you can do: 1. Breakfast – Have a variety of breakfast food, and let parents know that breakfast is available for both children and parents. This gives parents a chance to spend some time with their child, as well as share ideas with you.

2. Parent’s Day – Ask parents to email a picture of something that they want to share from their day, e.g. an office view, or work area. Educators can then share this with children. Document everything that is said and discussed with the children, display the work in your communications book and then email the parent.

3. Pick-up – Set up a ‘communication area’ where parents can sit with their child and talk about the day for five minutes. Educators can also get involved, to share what happened during the day.

Turn your passion into your career!

1300 721 503

www.hbalearningcentres.com.au Nationally Recognised Qualifications/Multiple Locations Australia-Wide

Becoming an early childhood educator is a rewarding and fulfilling occupation. You are not only able to nurture and teach, you could also play a huge role in a child’s future.

• •

Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC30113) Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC50113)

Call HBA today!

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training + recruitment

Mentorship as a professional learning approach

BY KATARZYNA WIECZOREK-GHISSO

Since the introduction of the National Quality Standard in 2011, early childhood educators have sought support to implement what they consider to be a very complex set of measures. Coupled with their lack of experience, one of the main challenges with implementing the standards is the growing divide between theory and practice, especially given that many educators undertook their training well over 20 years ago.

F

ortunately, and in a bold and un-precedented move by the government, funds totalling $200 million have recently been made available to services in Australia as part of the Long Day Care Professional Development Programme (LDCPDP).

Designed to identify gaps in the professional learning of educators, increase the level of capacity to delivery high-quality programs for children, develop support for educators in remote areas, support continuous educator improvement, and facilitate professional conversations, the LDCPDP is certainly a positive strategy in bridging the professional learning gap. Given the intense pressures to respond to the demands of newly adopted quality standards, financial support enabling services to deliver quality education has been long overdue.

While the LDCPDP has been well received in the sector, how funds are used is very much left to the discretion of the service provider. While many service providers have a sound understanding of their educators’ needs for professional development and the best ways to achieve meaningful results, many service providers lack this insight. Much of the professional learning available, particularly in the private-for-profit sector, are one-off external training sessions that do not always respond effectively to the learning needs of educators. This ‘one size fits all’ approach to professional learning tends to result in a miss-match between educator needs and those of delivery method. Given the varied backgrounds and qualification levels of educators in education and BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 41

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care services across Australia, such ‘one off’ training sessions have left many service providers struggling to source professional learning programs that meet the particular needs of their staff.

An approach to professional learning currently receiving much attention is that of mentorship. Said to reduce educator turnover, mentoring provides a valuable approach to support educators to come to grips with the ever-changing landscape in Australia. Defined as a long-term process, whereby a knowledgeable and more experienced person takes on the role of overseeing the learning of a less-experienced person, mentorship can have a positive impact on career development and professional learning. Using strategies such as coaching, role modelling and facilitating reflective practice, mentorship is a highly valuable method providing opportunities for learners to reflect on their own knowledge and adopt new approaches. Much like an alliance between two people within a beneficial framework, mentoring facilitates ongoing dialogue that is said to overcome ‘some of the shortcomings of current approaches to training early childhood practitioners by offering on-the-job training and professional development opportunities’ (Rodd, 2006, p. 172).

The success of a recent long-term mentorship study in Victoria offers further insight into this approach as a long-term strategy for many service providers across Australia. Driven by the challenges faced by educators managing newly imposed National Service Standards, the Victorian Government funded a statewide professional mentoring program (PMP) for early childhood teachers in 2011. Participants of the three-year study comprised educators new to the profession, and those who were professionally isolated and/or lacked professional collegiality. The study offered mentees the opportunity to openly discuss their experience with expert educators of similar background, and brainstorm solutions to their current frustrations. At the conclusion of the study, researchers summated that mentees significantly benefited from having the opportunity to collaborate with field experts as they offered invaluable insight into their extensive experience, which made them feel at ease. In the three years since its implementation, the mentorship study highlighted the value of long-term professional support for inexperienced educators, who consequently gained new ideas, were challenged to reflect on their own practice, gained mentoring skills themselves, and expanded their networks.

As demonstrated in the Victorian study, unlike typical approaches to professional learning, which involve attending external one-off workshops geared at 42 • BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015

exploring various topics of interest, mentoring sessions ‘in house’ provide opportunities to unpack real issues over a sustained period with a greater potential to bring about immediate change. Approaches of this nature are thus considered more valuable in the context of the educators themselves. Reflective of the service dynamic, educators are able to focus on implementing approaches that are consistent with their team and focus on the immediate environment.

Literature in support of a mentorship model is thus encouraging for service providers desperate to source more meaningful methods to support the professional development of their staff. Key to this personalised approach, however, is access to an experienced mentor that, for some service providers, might not be an easy task. While some mentors can be sourced externally for a fee, others are readily available within the service environment. Such educators are those who demonstrate knowledge and experience that could be of value to others, which in many services are plentiful. Therefore, review of current expertise levels is highly recommended.

Experienced mentors, whether sourced internally or externally, must have the following characteristics in order to bring about positive change in any context: • Be committed to the role of mentoring long term.

• Be accepting of the person they are mentoring.

• Be empathetic to varied learning levels and styles.

• Be skilled at providing instructional support.

• Be skilled at recognising each mentoring relationship as unique.

• Be skilled communicators.

• Be objective and non-judgemental.

• Be open to their own learning as well as the learning of others.

• Be tactful in providing feedback.

• Be optimistic and encouraging.

As explored in this article, mentorship can have a valuable impact on the professional learning needs of educators; therefore, it is important to consider the skill set available in the team before engaging external workshops that will not achieve the required results long term. Mentorship provides opportunities for educators to develop meaningful relationships and, more importantly, to overcome their isolation.

Reference Rodd, J. (2006). Leadership in early childhood: the pathway to professionalism (4th ed). Crows Nest, New South Wales. Allen & Unwin.

training + recruitment

training + recruitment

Early childhood education and care courses at Box Hill Institute

‘To teach is to learn twice’ – Joseph Joubert, 1754–1824

T

o begin or broaden a rewarding career in early childhood education, you need more than just a passion for the industry. You need to arm yourself with the skills, knowledge and industry know-how to be successful, and to help make a difference in children’s lives.

For many childcare workers in Victoria, this begins with a qualification from Box Hill Institute, which offers a range of early childhood education and care courses that provide the perfect base for your career as an early childhood educator or teacher.

You can choose from Certificate, Diploma and Bachelor of Early Childhood (Education and Care) courses.

Box Hill Institute graduates build their skills and confidence through graduated practical experience in simulated environments, and supported practicum experience in early childhood settings.

As a student, you can expect training that is both flexible and tailored to meet your needs through supported blended delivery modes. Help is readily available through a network of student support services, to enhance your learning and opportunities to excel at each stage of your studies. There may even be opportunities to study abroad through short student exchanges.

Box Hill Institute offers recognition of prior learning (RPL), taking your previous experience into account.

RPL can shorten the time and cost to complete your qualification, and may be applicable if you are an experienced early childhood educator.

X • BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015

It’s not only students that can benefit from the early childhood courses on offer: Box Hill Institute offers training customised to the needs of staff of early childhood workplaces. From upgrades of first aid requirements, through to the delivery of Certificate III or Diploma qualifications, Box Hill Institute can deliver training in-house, tailored to and delivered on behalf of the workplace. Customised training packages are available following a thorough consultation to suit your workforce needs.

Box Hill Institute teachers are experienced early childhood educators, and work closely with industry experts and associations to ensure that training and assessment is relevant to the current needs of early childhood workplaces. With a Box Hill Institute qualification, graduates are equipped with the skills, knowledge and attitude to confidently work and lead early childhood programs, and employers can be confident that their workforce is equipped with the skills and knowledge that their business, customers and the growing minds of the children in their care, need.

The Certificate and Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care courses are government accredited, and have national recognition.

There is a guaranteed pathway from the Diploma of Early Childhood [Education and Care], to Bachelor Degrees in Early Childhood at either Box Hill Institute or Deakin University.

The Certificate III and Diploma courses are offered at both Box Hill and Lilydale campuses.

To apply, please call us today on 1300 269 445 or visit www.boxhill.edu.au/children

BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 43

training + recruitment

The importance of qualifications in the early childhood education sector Given the importance of educator qualifications in a child’s learning and development, ACECQA’s role of assessing individual qualifications, as well as the courses developed by universities and registered training organisations, to ensure that they meet the requirements of the National Quality Framework (NQF) is a crucial one.

T

he idea that the early years is a critical period for children’s development and learning, and that the interactions they have from birth are fundamental to their growth, is now widely accepted.

Last year, UNICEF hosted a meeting on ‘Understanding the Multiple Influences on Brain Development’. The meeting brought together 16 scientists across a range of disciplines, such as neuroscience, psychiatry and nutrition, to understand the influences of children’s experiences in the early years.

Presenting at the meeting, Dr Suzana HerculanoHouzel, associate professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, said that once a child is born, the brain is still in the process of gaining neurons and synapses. What the brain retains will depend on the environment it must adapt to. Providing a positive and stimulating environment for children at this time will have a profound impact on their long-term mental and physical health.

She identified how the brain is shaped by the interactions it deals with. In this way, we can see how an educator’s qualification and experience will have a direct impact on the children that they are educating and caring for.

Also speaking at the meeting, Dr Judy Cameron, professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, said that everyone needs to be mindful that children will be the adults and parents of the next generation.

We therefore all need to seek ways to ensure that their brains develop as well as possible, not only for their future, but for everyone’s future.

44 • BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015

training + recruitment

Ensuring that educators have the skills to engage with children meaningfully and build on their prior learning is one of the key factors known to have a positive impact on quality learning and development. A high level of knowledge helps educators to make decisions, and implement teaching and learning strategies and experiences to support children, recognising that they will develop in different ways and at different times from birth.

In recognition of this, the National Law and Regulations underpinning the NQF list the minimum qualification requirements for educators working within services across Australia. ACECQA manages the approved qualifications list and is responsible for communicating the requirements to the sector.

ACECQA also has responsibility for assessing and approving qualifications for educators working in approved education and care services under the NQF. The ACECQA Board developed guidelines to administer this function, and to ensure that approved qualifications have a suitable education focus matched with appropriate levels of experience.

ACECQA’s Emma Richards, Manager, Qualifications Assessments, says: ‘At ACECQA, we are committed

to supporting the sector in building a highly skilled workforce that is equipped to provide quality outcomes for children. We are also committed to providing high-quality customer service, advice and guidance for all of our applicants’.

Educators wanting to check whether their qualification is recognised under the NQF can use ACECQA’s online qualifications checker. The qualifications checker guides educators through a series of questions to confirm if they are a qualified educator. It will also tell them what evidence they can show to demonstrate they are qualified.

There is also a new online module to help individuals applying to ACECQA for assessment of their overseas qualification. The interactive presentation looks at how to apply, and walks prospective applicants through ACECQA’s qualification assessment guidelines. The module helps applicants to consider all relevant information before starting their application.

Educators and providers can read more about qualifications on ACECQA’s website at www.acecqa.gov.au.

Webinars – making training accessible from your service or home

F

ollowing the successful delivery of early childhood face-to-face workshops for over 16 years, ECTARC is now making high-quality professional development accessible via webinars. Using the latest online technology, an ECTARC Training Officer delivers training live to educators at their home or service. Many people are new to using online webinar technology and can be nervous about the set-up and participation, but it really is very simple and enjoyable! The ECTARC Webinar Support Officer takes participants step-by-step through the simple set-up process. From July–December 2015, webinars will include topics such as ‘Leading ongoing self assessment practice’, ‘Guiding children’s behaviour’, ‘The Educational leader – unpacking the role’, ‘Creative aspirations – expressing imagination through visual arts’ and ‘Embracing the EYLF’. Visit www.ectarc.com.au for ECTARC’s training (early childhood distance qualifications and traineeships New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory/Queensland), inservices booklet and professional development calendar.

Stay warm!

Undertake professional development from home.

Webinars are a great way to learn and connect with qualified, experienced trainers and other educators across Australia. ECTARC offers evening and daytime webinars on a range of different early childhood topics. All you need is a headset and a computer with internet access - it is very easy to set up and use. View the ECTARC webinar calendar at www.ectarc.com.au

Enrol online today @ www.ectarc.com.au 331715AE_ECTARC | 2130.indd 24

The early childhood training specialists

2/06/15 4:29 PM

BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 45

training + recruitment

Current qualification requirements under the NQF Long day care and preschool services providing education and care to less than 25 children (based on approved places) must have access to an early childhood teacher for at least 20 per cent of the time that the service provides education and care.

This requirement can be met by the early childhood teacher working with the service via information technology, such as Skype or radio.

When long day care and preschool services are provided to 25 or more children on any given day, services must ensure that an early childhood teacher is in attendance for a minimum of: • six hours on that day (for a service that operates for 50 or more hours per week); or • 60 per cent of the operating hours (for a service that operates for less than 50 hours per week).

A service may choose to comply with these requirements by engaging a full-time equivalent early childhood teacher.

Within each long day care centre or preschool, half of all educators who are required to meet the relevant educator-to-child ratios will need to have (or to be actively working towards) an approved diploma-level education and care qualification or above. The remaining educators will all be required to have (or be actively working towards) an approved certificate III level education and care qualification, or equivalent.

A new educator without an approved qualification can be counted towards educator-tochild ratios for a three-month probationary period.

This applies only for centre-based services that educate and care for children of preschool age or under. It does not apply in South Australia and New South Wales. Note: a probationary period is not extended if the educator moves to another service operated by the same approved provider.

Centre-based services in remote and very remote areas can meet these requirements by accessing an early childhood teacher through information technology, for example, rather than having an early childhood teacher in attendance, until 1 January 2018. The early childhood teacher must be accessible at least 20 per cent of the time the service provides education and care.

46 • BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015

All family day care coordinators need to have an approved diploma-level education and care qualification or above.

All family day educators are required to have (or be actively working towards) an approved certificate III level education and care qualification, or equivalent.

There are no national qualification requirements for educators at centre-based services educating and caring for children who are over preschool age. State and territory qualification requirements (if applicable) continue to apply.

The following states and territories have qualification requirements: • Australian Capital Territory • Queensland • South Australia • Victoria • Western Australia • Northern Territory.

finance, business business++property property finance,

Earn more during your lunch break

Y

our lunch break is one of the best times to tackle errands and get through the items on your to-do list. So, why not use that time to squeeze in a few steps that can help you earn more for your retirement?

Here are three things to tick off on your next break.

They’re quick, easy and can make a big difference in the long run.

1. Get super smart Find out how much super you’ll need, and how to take charge of your finances: • use the online super calculator at hesta.com.au/calculator, to find out how much extra you’ll need to put away each week • learn how to do more with your money using the online education program, Money101, at hesta.com.au/money101.

2. Boost your balance When you’ve figured out how much extra you’d like to put towards your super, you’ll need to decide how you’d like to do it. There are three ways to go: • talk to your employer at work about salary sacrifice for super, and they’ll deduct it directly from your pre-tax pay • call your super fund to set up ongoing direct debits from your bank account directly into your account.

HESTA members can call us on 1800 813 327 • HESTA members with a little spare cash for super can make a one-off contribution via BPAY, Member Online at hesta.com.au/mol, or with a deposit slip from hesta.com.au/deposit.

3. Put more in one place Once you’ve sorted out your contributions, consolidate your super – to give your balance another boost: • consider the benefits (like insurance) of each of your funds, to work out which fund suits your needs best • HESTA members can visit hesta.com.au/superfinder directly to find any lost super – and roll other super accounts into HESTA at hesta.com.au/rollover • if you’re not a HESTA member, visit ato.gov.au/superseeker to find out if you have any lost super in your name.

X 48••BELONGING BELONGINGEARLY EARLYYEARS YEARSJOURNAL JOURNAL••VOLUME VOLUME44NUMBER NUMBER22••2015 2015

To find out more about how to boost your super balance, HESTA members can give our team a call on 1800 813 327, or visit hesta.com.au.

With more than 25 years of experience, and $32 billion in assets, more people in health and community services choose HESTA for their super.

Issued by H.E.S.T. Australia Ltd ABN 66 006 818 695 AFSL No. 235249, the Trustee of Health Employees Superannuation Trust Australia (HESTA) ABN 64 971 749 321. This information is of a general nature. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or specific needs so you should look at your own financial position and requirements before making a decision. You may wish to consult an adviser when doing this. Third-party services are provided by parties other than H.E.S.T. Australia Ltd and terms and conditions apply. H.E.S.T. Australia Ltd does not recommend, endorse or accept any responsibility for the products and services offered by third parties or any liability for any loss or damage incurred as a result of services provided by third parties. You should exercise your own judgment about the products and services being offered.

For more information, call 1800 813 327 or visit hesta.com.au for a copy of a Product Disclosure Statement which should be considered when making a decision about HESTA products.

finance, business + property

Renovating for success

BY TED WOOLLAN, PRINCIPAL, WOOLLAN HAMLETT ARCHITECTS

Architects can influence the experience of children, parents and staff, as well as the financial performance and productivity of a childcare centre.

Investors are forever searching for that magic balance between certainty and profitability. We cannot predict the future with any certainty, but we can certainly design buildings that are adaptable.

S

o, what makes for a successful childcare centre?

The answer depends on who you ask.

The child’s experience

Ask somebody what they did a week ago last Thursday, and chances are they will not remember.

In some cases, this will be because they got back from the office party just in time to see the babysitter making breakfast, but for most of us, Thursdays just seem so... mundane.

On the other hand, if you ask people about their first day at kindergarten, a lot of them will remember, even if it was 30 years ago. It was their first experience of being away from home, away from the safety net that parents provide, stepping out into the big, wide world. Of course we remember; it was a major lifechanging event, and it still is for children today. So, the experience had better be a good one!

Occasionally, we get asked to renovate a childcare centre. Most recently, we were asked to renovate one that was built in the 1970s and was quite impressive in its day, but was starting to look a little tired. It had huge rooms, high ceilings and lots of internal windows, so you could see from one room to the next: only, the windowsills were too high for the children to see outside.

As designers, we make a conscious effort to see these buildings from a child’s perspective: to create a sense of familiarity, and a home-like environment. The least we can do for users of our buildings (children, parents and staff) is to put them at ease.

BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 49

finance, business + property

Did you know that when a three-year-old walks up to your childcare centre reception counter, that child can see the chewing gum stuck under the counter top, but often cannot make eye contact with the person behind the desk because it is too high? We occasionally get down on our knees, just to have a look at a space from a child’s perspective. It can be quite educational.

So, have a look at your childcare centre. Is it smart, colourful and corporate, with big sliding automatic doors at the front, high ceilings, huge rooms, and a smart reception counter that is the first thing you see? Do the kids look suitably impressed/ terrified when they should be champing at the bit to go play with their friends?

The parents’ perspective Of course, the kids are not the ones paying the fees (you noticed that, too?), and the design of childcare spaces has to work for parents, as well. So, if Mum or Dad comes in suffused with guilt at leaving their child for the day while they go out to work, then a touch of ‘this is a safe place’ mixed up with a liberal dose of ‘this is a happy place’ will make them feel much better about the whole deal.

Create a space near the entrance in which parents can sit and relax. Fill it with children’s artwork, information on the childcare programs and resources for parents. Maybe provide viewing windows into the childcare rooms so parents can see that their child is happy. Make it possible for parents to socialise, compare notes, empathise and gossip. Suddenly, you have a community, not just a childcare centre.

50 • BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015

The childcare staff As architects, we came to childcare projects after working on schools for years. The prep teacher in a school would always tell us that their role was the most important, as it prepares the child for the subsequent years of schooling. So, it was no surprise to be informed that this was only partly true – the real heavy lifting gets done by childcare staff. All staff are hugely important to the success of the enterprise, and there a few things we like to keep in mind: • Pedagogy: While never quite sure what this means, we do know that it changes about once a fortnight.

So, we make sure that the spaces we design are capable of minor, or major, alterations without huge expense. Building spaces must be adaptable.

• Paperwork: Does anyone think that the planning, recording and reporting tasks are going to diminish over time? No, I thought not. It is not unusual to see staff working in spaces designed for about half their current workload. So, a renovation is an opportunity to create appropriate work spaces for childcare staff.

• Staff ratios: The optimum ratio of staff to children is probably the key factor in the cost of a project. And it is not just the ratio, but the size of the rooms, too, so that each childcare group is just right for the staff you employ. Getting this even a little bit wrong can easliy cost $400,000 or $500,000 over 10 years.

Get it right, and you might just have that magic balance that will appeal to investors.

Ted Woollan is a Director of Woollan Hamlett Architects. The company specialises in schools, kindergartens and listening to clients. For more information, phone 03 9534 0299 or email office@woollan.com.au.

finance, business + property

Porta Lawyers dedicated to childcare industry www.portalawyers.com.au

Daniel Armfield Associate

BCom(GU), LLB(GU), Grad. Dip. Legal Practice(ColLaw)

The business:

LEGAL SERVICE TO THE CHILDCARE INDUSTRY SINCE 1998 Unit 3, 420 Newman Road Geebung Brisbane QLD 4034 Telephone (07) 3265 3888 Facsimile (07) 3265 3588 Email: daniel@portalawyers.com.au

Associate Member Childcare Queensland since 2000

330328AE_Porta Lawyers | 2130.indd 24

330226A_RSM Bird Cameron | 2130.indd 1

P

orta Lawyers has been servicing the childcare community since 1998.

Porta Lawyers has a wealth of experience in the childcare industry, and in other areas, and offers legal services for personal and business matters at reasonable rates, with a personable service.

Our team: Our dedicated team consists of our Principal Partner Giovanni Porta, Partner Fabio Orlando, Associate Daniel Armfield and four solicitors. Porta Lawyers also have an Australian-registered Italian lawyer.

Our aim is to provide excellence in personal service and client contact, with integrity and loyalty.

22/06/15 12:53 PM

1/06/15 11:25 AM

BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 51

finance, business business++property property finance,

To grow or to go... that is the question

BY KATRINA SMITH, CHILDCARE SALES AUSTRALIA

T

he decision to grow or exit your business is a big one. There is a broad range of elements to consider when deciding which path is right for you.

To grow Making the decision to build or acquire another childcare centre can be daunting. If you are thinking about growing your brand, then you need to consider the following: • the impact on your brand • finances • taxation implications • legal obligations • staffing and management • along with numerous other issues that require consideration when growing.

• along with a broad range of other factors that can affect your sale price.

Successfully managing a childcare centre is a great achievement; however, navigating the management of multiple centres is an entirely different prospect.

Engaging the right professionals will ensure that you make informed decisions and achieve the best sale price.

It requires careful planning, first-rate management, well-defined policies and procedures, and plenty of patience, along with the ability to multi-task and troubleshoot.

While there can be enormous financial rewards, it is important not to forget the risks associated with owning, managing and maintaining multiple centres.

To go Similarly, making a decision to exit your childcare centre/s can also be daunting.

Planning an exit strategy requires sound financial, legal and professional sales advice. The decision to sell your business must be the right option, at the right time.

Selling your business requires careful planning and specialist advice to determine your sales and marketing strategy, including whether to sell or retain a freehold property as part of the sale. If you are thinking about selling your centre/s, it is important to consider the following: • taxation or capital gains implications • personal guarantees • occupancy rates • lease terms • staff entitlements X 52••BELONGING BELONGINGEARLY EARLYYEARS YEARSJOURNAL JOURNAL••VOLUME VOLUME44NUMBER NUMBER22••2015 2015

When is the time right to grow or go?

If your centre is performing well, and you have the necessary equity and financial resources, then it’s time to grow.

When the market is strong, competitive and achieving high business multiples, with low freehold yields, then it’s time to go.

When your business is performing well, it’s time to sell. Don’t make the mistake of waiting until occupancy is low or there are a few years left on your lease. You need to sell when your centre is at its peak, in order to achieve the best possible sale price.

The market is the strongest that we have seen in years, with plenty of competition and high sale prices.

If you are in the go phase, we would encourage you to cash in today.

Where to go from here?

As the first specialist childcare brokers in the industry, we understand child care and childcare business sales.

If you are in the grow or go phase of your business, we would welcome the opportunity to speak with you about your centre/s, so call today for a confidential discussion to find out if it’s time to grow or go.

Visit www.childcaresales.com.au for more information on Childcare Sales Australia, call us on 1800 700 517 or email us at info@childcaresales.com.au.

finance, business business++property property finance,

Make sure you’re ready for the end of the financial year

A

s 30 June fast approaches, there is still time to consider some strategies to give your super a boost, and potentially save on the tax you pay.

Super contributions – don’t waste the limits June 30 is not just about deductions for expenses. It’s also a good time to consider the superannuation contribution limits that may be wasted if you don’t act soon.

There are two types of extra super payments that you can make: personal after-tax contributions (non-concessional contributions), and salary sacrifice (concessional contributions).

Personal payments You can make payments into your super from your take-home pay. This is often referred to as a personal after-tax contribution.

Anyone under 65 (whether working or retired) can contribute up to $180,000 each year to super as personal payments, also known as non-concessional contributions*.

Adding to your super can be beneficial for people who earn less than $49,488 per year (including assessable income, fringe benefits and super contributions) and those who aren’t working. This is because if you add to your super, you could receive a bonus government co-payment of up to $500 per year.

It’s easy to make a one-off or occasional payment using BPAY from your bank account to your super account, set up a direct debit or a payroll deduction.

hold will be charging you a fee; these fees add up and over time can impact your savings.

By combining your accounts, you can reduce the amount of fees you pay. With Child Care Super’s online rollover tool, it’s never been easier to do.

These are just a few ways to boost your savings and possibly reduce your tax. Depending on your circumstances, other options may be available.

There to help If you need further information on how to boost your super, visit childcaresuper.com.au or call on 1300 060 215 (8 am to 7 pm AEST Monday to Friday).

Case study: Crystal boosts her super by salary sacrificing Crystal earns $90,000 before tax, excluding her employer’s super contribution.

If Crystal decides to redirect $10,000 of her pay into salary sacrifice super contributions, she will save $2400 in tax, with the extra money going into her super fund.

Crystal’s boost

Does nothing

Salary Sacrifices $10,000

Take-home pay

$66,953

$60,853

Salary sacrifice

Tax

$23,047

$19,147

Making a before-tax payment into your super is known as ‘salary sacrifice’. This is where you choose to give up, or ‘sacrifice’, part of your before-tax wage and add it directly to your super account.

Extra money into super

$0

$8500

Net benefit

$66,953

$69,353 ($2400 better off)

Salary sacrifice is an arrangement you set up through your employer. If you pay more than 15 per cent tax on your wage, then adding to your super from your before-tax salary can reduce the tax you pay and help build your super faster.

You can contribute up to $30,000 per year for those aged under 49, and $35,000 per year for people 49 and over. These limits include both employer super guarantee and salary sacrifice contributions. Speak to your employer to see if they can set this up for you.

Assumptions: The figures in this table are estimates only and are based on 2014/2015 income tax rates and a Medicare levy of two per cent.

*Source: Australian Tax Office website, www.ato.gov.au This article contains information of a general nature only. It is not intended to constitute the provision of advice. Before acting on any information you should consider its appropriateness having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs. Prior to making a decision in relation to any financial product you should consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) in deciding whether to acquire or continue to hold the product. The PDS is available from guildsuper.com.au.

Combine your accounts

It is important to consider any exit fees, changes to your insurance cover or loss of any benefits and where future employer contributions will be paid before closing any superannuation fund accounts you may have.

Combining your accounts (or consolidating) is a fast and effective way to boost your super. Each fund you

Guild Trustee Services Pty Limited ABN 84 068 826 728, AFS Licence No. 233815, RSE Licence No. L0000611 as Trustee for Child Care Super (part of the Guild Retirement Fund) Fund Registration No. R1000030, ABN 22 599 554 834.

X 54••BELONGING BELONGINGEARLY EARLYYEARS YEARSJOURNAL JOURNAL••VOLUME VOLUME44NUMBER NUMBER22••2015 2015

finance, business + property

10 things you need to know about buying or selling a childcare service

With sales prices experiencing an all-time high, the thing to remember about buying or selling an early childhood education and care services is that it’s just like buying or selling a house, only different, according to Phillip Malek and Amber Bernauer of Childcare Concepts.

1: Get the best possible sale price

O

bviously, a seller has a different understanding of ‘best price’ to a purchaser: the seller’s ‘best price’ is higher. When selling, in addition to

achieving the highest sale price, you also want the good name that you established for your service and its role within the community to be maintained. Along with reputation, a number of elements come into play when assessing a realistic price: location, presentation and appearance, and – especially – current profitability (particularly EBIT – earnings before interest and taxes). Whether or not your service is freehold or

leasehold also makes a difference, and in the case of the latter, a longer lease term makes for a higher price.

2: Find your competitive edge Your service’s ‘competitive edge’ contributes to its intrinsic value. What sets it apart from other services?

There are more elements at play than just ‘assessment and rating’. Does your service provide meals, have animals, cater for children with additional needs, offer a safe but challenging playground, and provide adequate parking? Do you engage with the local community for excursions and events? Is your service recognised for excellence in awards programs, such BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 55

finance, business + property

as Australian Child Care Week? Remember, ‘special features’ are ‘selling points’; make the most of them when selling your service.

3: Understand how the transaction will be financed Loan finance is another one of those ‘different to houses’ aspects. All things being equal, most banks lend up to 70 per cent of the purchase amount for a freehold service, and up to 50 per cent for leasehold.

4: Be aware of necessary licences It is important for the purchaser to understand that in order to operate a service, different licences are required. You need to apply for both Provider Approval and Service Approval. Provider Approval enables you to legally operate a service, while Service Approval enables your bricks-and-mortar premises to be legally operated.

5: Choose an experienced solicitor Every solicitor who handles the buying and selling of services must have done so for the first time, and someone must have used them that time. Ensure that you are not the person using the first-time solicitor. Use someone who has had experience in the sector, and who is aware of just how different the process is to buying a house.

For example, application for a grant of approval of a transfer of licence generally takes a minimum of six weeks to come through. Don’t find out the hard way that, having settled, you can’t start operating the service that you’ve just purchased because approval of transfer hasn’t been granted. Completion of a sale should always be conditional upon the purchaser obtaining a licence.

There will almost certainly be adjustments to take into account as part of the transaction: bonds to be held in trust, rent, fees, credit, staff entitlements… Find someone with the experience to consider all of the elements of the transaction.

6: Take care of the staff Accounting for staff entitlements is important. More important still: don’t overlook the staff. In most – indeed, virtually all – scenarios, staff retention is in the best interests of both buyer and seller. It ensures the smooth transition of ownership and is critical to goodwill. Staff familiarity provides stability for the children entrusted to your service; this maintains confidence in their families. Take care of the staff, and they’ll take care of the business.

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7: Respect confidentiality The fact that your service is for sale, and has been sold, should also be kept in the strictest of confidence right up until the week immediately prior to completion of the sale, to ensure that staff and parents are not left feeling anxious and unsure.

As a seller, you have the right to know that parties looking to acquire your service are treating your private information with confidence. All potential buyers should be required to sign a Confidentiality Agreement before receiving any information about the business or information that may reveal the identity of the service being offered for sale.

8: Don’t forget due diligence As with buying a house, be sure to conduct your own due diligence queries before proceeding with the purchase. Due diligence is the process by which a buyer is given access to financial and other records to determine the profitability and suitability of the business.

9: Tackle the challenge of improving occupancy The occupancy level of any early childhood education and care service is the lifeblood of the business. Improvement in occupancy impacts on the financial performance of the business, and will improve the sale value. As a service industry, largescale advertising may not be as effective as utilising other means to increase occupancy. Another option is to align your business with other community-based services and businesses. Promote your business and its services within each organisation’s newsletters.

Use flyers on community noticeboards to promote your centre. Offer free seminars on childcare topics to mothers. Utilise staff in developing flyers and events to promote your service – they are your greatest ambassadors. Offer incentives for referrals from your current families. If families leave, ask them why and make changes to address any potential issues.

Review the presentation of your premises, website, Facebook and newsletters to ensure that they engage and promote your service to its full potential.

10: Use a reputable broker As with experienced solicitors, it’s in your best interests to use a reputable broker with a solid experience in the buying and selling of services. If you don’t know one, we would have no trouble recommending one to you.

finance, business + property

Is your early learning centre a safe environment?

All early learning centres would be well aware of the expectation and legal requirement for them to provide a safe environment. But what does this actually mean? How can anyone be sure that their business really is safe? And what would it mean if your business wasn’t, and an incident occurred?

G

uild Insurance has been insuring early learning businesses for almost 50 years.

This experience has provided us with a great understanding about the risks faced when an environment isn’t safe. Unfortunately, this experience tells us that despite best efforts, many workplace environments aren’t as safe as they could or should be.

What is a safe environment?

When many of us think about an early learning centre being safe, the first thought is often the physical environment for children. There are many obvious physical risks for children, and Guild Insurance unfortunately sees numerous claims where children have been physically harmed. But this is just one piece of the safety puzzle.

All businesses need to be free from dangers and hazards for all people who attend or use the business. This means that early learning centres have an obligation to children, staff and anyone else who attends, such as parents. And safety extends beyond the physical.

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Children need a centre in which the likelihood of them being physically injured is low. They also need to feel happy and nurtured. They need to be able to learn and develop as they move through their childhood and develop social skills. They need to feel respected as an individual, while learning to respect and appreciate others as individuals, too.

They need an environment in which they can thrive as young people.

Staff also need an environment that is physically safe. With the physical work required in early learning, injuries to staff are unfortunately not uncommon.

Staff also need a workplace that is supportive and enables them to perform their best. They need opportunities to develop and grow as professionals, and to feel that their contribution to the workplace is valued and appreciated.

It may come as a surprise to learn that visitors, such as parents, have been injured while at a centre.

Therefore, a safe physical environment is important to them as well. Parents will also want to be sure that the centre is a safe and secure environment for their children. They need to feel confident that their child is going to be well cared for and educated.

So, what can go wrong?

To be able to create a safe environment, you need to start by understanding what can make it unsafe. This means you need to identify the possible risks and think about what might go wrong before it does. Below are examples of what can go wrong, as seen in claims managed by Guild Insurance.

• The tip of a child’s finger has been amputated when it was caught in a closing door. This led to surgery being required and the child possibly facing long-term damage to the finger.

• A child has fallen awkwardly when going down a slide. When landing at the bottom of the slide he suffered a fractured arm.

• A child’s hand has slipped while climbing a climbing frame. She’s fallen forward and bumped her mouth on the frame, breaking a tooth.

• A parent has tripped in a pothole in the car park and fractured his ankle.

• A staff member has injured her back while lifting a child and needs a month off work to recover.

• A staff member believes that he’s been unfairly dismissed and has therefore lodged a complaint with the Fair Work Commission.

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the law must be reflected in these. Staff should be very familiar with the Education and Care Services National Law and National Regulations; however, it doesn’t end there. Staff also need to be aware of their obligations regarding employment law, privacy and work health and safety, just to name a few.

• Play equipment and furniture. A large number of injuries occur when children fall off or trip over play equipment and furniture. Furniture can also create a risk for staff and others at the centre. Therefore, it’s important that staff think about the type of play equipment and furniture in the centre, the condition it’s in and where it’s placed.

• Not noticing a potential risk before an incident occurs. Using the above information as an example, if play equipment or furniture looks unsafe, it probably is. By regularly inspecting your centre, you’re likely to identify risks before there’s an incident. Don’t wait for a child to have their finger squashed in a closing door; install door guards before this happens.

• Reliance on other people. When there are a number of people working in a centre at any one time, it may be easy for staff to think that someone else, especially someone more senior, will notice and address risks; however, all staff have a responsibility to contribute to reducing risks within their workplace. Therefore, all staff should be encouraged to speak up if they notice something that could potentially create a risk.

Why do things go wrong?

• Other children, staff or parents. Other people can contribute to incidents occurring. Children have fallen off play equipment when numerous children are playing on it at the one time. Staff have accidentally lifted a child awkwardly and injured the child. Children have left a centre when a parent has accidentally left the door open.

When trying to understand why an incident has occurred, at Guild Insurance, we focus on ‘contributing factors’. This is because there’s rarely one main cause for an incident but, more likely, a number of factors have contributed to it occurring. Addressing these factors can assist in reducing the likelihood of incidents occurring. The following is a list of the common contributing factors identified in claims managed by Guild Insurance.

Unfortunately, risks can never be completely eliminated from early learning centres, and we can’t guarantee that the most effective risk efforts will mean that an incident leading to a complaint won’t occur; however, the information presented in this article has hopefully highlighted that there is a great deal that you and your staff can and must do to create a safe environment, and reduce the likelihood of an incident in your centre.

• Not knowing or following relevant laws and regulations. There are quite a few laws that relate to operating an early learning centre. It’s vital that all staff, not just owners and managers, know what’s required of them. Centres should have their own policies and procedures for staff to follow; however,

Guild Insurance Limited ABN 55 004 538 863, AFS Licence No. 233 791. This article contains information of a general nature only, and is not intended to constitute the provision of legal advice. Guild Insurance supports your association through the payment of referral fees for certain products or services you take out with them.

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finance, business + property

Value those childcare assets

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he rapid growth in the childcare sector over the past 30 years in Australia has caught the eye of small- and large-scale investors and corporate players, both in the operational and real estate investment trust (REIT) arenas.

As a result of this activity, the valuation of child care centre assets is an increasingly complex exercise due to the number of interests that can be traded, which generally include:

• rent as a percentage of turnover and net operating profit

• business (goodwill, plant and equipment)

• wages as a percentage of turnover.

• freehold (passive investment subject to a lease)

It is important to seek professional advice when purchasing a childcare asset if you are new to the industry. If you are an experienced operator, you may require advice with respect to a rental review, or reporting for mortgage, taxation, financial or litigation purposes.

• going concern (business, plant and equipment and freehold).

There are a number of market drivers and key performance indicators (KPIs) for each interest, which, in brief, include: • location and position • land size, zoning and access • demographics and existing/proposed competition • building age and condition • lease terms and conditions

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Robertson & Robertson Consulting Valuers has specialised in the valuation of childcare centres since 1994, for large childcare group owners as a portfolio, and also individual owners.

Our specialist valuer, Michael Bryer, has an extensive knowledge of the industry, with the provision of his advice being well regarded throughout the industry.

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Fill your childcare vacancies quickly and easily online

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illing childcare vacancies can take a lot of time out of your busy day, and using traditional advertising can be expensive – and it doesn’t often work. Yet, you have occupancy rates to maintain, and a childcare centre to run.

EenieMeenie can help – we’ll save you time and effort by advertising your childcare vacancies at no cost, to parents who are actively looking for childcare services.

You simply create a profile for your caring and professional centre, including photos and testimonials.

Then, list your permanent and casual vacancies as they arise, for parents to book online, day or night.

It is an easy-to-use, internet-based system, so you don’t need to purchase software or undertake training. Yet, with EenieMeenie’s own dedicated SSL certificate, security of your data is very high. Plus, your overall vacancy position is kept confidential as your vacancies are simply displayed in single-unit squares.

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EenieMeenie charges for its service when a booking is made on a listed vacancy – it’s a 20 per cent commission. There’s no ongoing royalty for permanent vacancies, no application fees, no monthly fees and no hidden fees.

So, come try EenieMeenie to fill your childcare vacancies!

Set up your childcare centre’s free profile today at www.EenieMeenie.com.au.

technology + software

Get with the program – software that works Choosing the right software for your centre will make your working life easier.

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hildcare centres are busy places, and it’s fair to say that they are also subject to large amounts of red tape. Increased demands for compliance and reporting are taking up a lot of precious hours, and centre managers are spending more and more time dealing with government bodies and decision-makers as they endeavour to meet the National Quality Standards and maintain their accreditation. In this context, it makes sense to be smart about your time management – and having a good software system can streamline your admin processes, freeing up your time for other things.

The government’s Child Care Management System (CCMS) is one area where having the right software can work wonders. All Child Care Benefit (CCB) approved childcare centres are required, by law, to operate under the CCMS. The system aims to

bring all approved centres online for reporting to the Department of Social Services (DSS). The CCMS is not a software program itself; rather, it is the system by which childcare centres provide information about what kind of care has been provided, to which children and when, for the purposes of CCB reporting.

There is a wide range of different software programs out there that meet the requirements of the CCMS, but choosing the right one for your centre can be tricky. Whether you are a recently approved CCB service, or an existing service that is looking to change software providers, you will need to do your research before you commit to a decision. It’s important to remember that choosing a software provider for your centre is a very important business decision – and it’s your responsibility to make sure that the software you choose meets the requirements of your business.

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The options range from basic programs that manage CCB, enrolment and attendance, to sophisticated programs that also manage a suite of other administrative tasks, such as human resources and accounting. To begin assessing the options, sit down and evaluate what the central needs of your centre are. During this process, it’s a good idea to start compiling a list of questions to ask different software providers (both current and potential providers).

Each software provider will differ on key aspects.

Some of the most important areas to ask questions about include the following:

Performance • How easily and quickly can the program perform tasks?

• Is it easy to customise different functions?

• Can the program synchronise with other databases?

• Will the program allow you to view or alter data that has been submitted using a different software program?

Ease of use • Is the screen layout clear or cluttered?

• How easy is it to navigate through the program?

• Does the program require you to navigate through multiple screens when entering data?

Support and training • What type of support and/or training is available from the software provider?

• Does the software come with a user manual?

• Does the provider have a help desk for ongoing support? If so, what hours does it operate?

• Can you get on-site support from the provider?

• In the event that you lose your CCMS database, what support can the software provider offer?

Reporting functions • How useful are the reports offered by the software?

• How many reports are available?

• How clearly do reports show up on screen and in print?

• Can you customise reports? If so, how easily?

Data backup systems • Does the program back up your data automatically, or prompt you to back up data at intervals?

• Will the software provider also back up your database?

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This is only a sketch of the kinds of things to be thinking (and asking questions) about. Only after you have assessed which software providers meet your needs should you compare providers on price. When considering the costs, make sure that you give thought to both the initial set-up costs, and the ongoing yearly fees.

It’s important to remember that your childcare centre will emphasise criteria differently compared to other centres, according to what is most relevant to your needs. But, having said that, it can be helpful to ask around and see which software works (and which doesn’t) for other childcare centres of a similar size, or with similar requirements.

The main thing to keep in mind is that automating as many of your daily or weekly tasks as possible will reduce the time (and therefore money) that you spend on admin and compliance. Think about what your most time-consuming and most repetitive tasks are, and consider whether your software program could automate them. Ask your software provider how they can save you time and money on those particular duties that always take up so many precious hours of the day. With the right software and systems in place, these time-consuming tasks can be cut right back to a minimum – and maybe you can start planning that holiday you’ve been meaning to take.

technology + software

technology + software

Monitoring centre ratios?

Problem solved with Elite

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he Elite Attendance System has provided attendance solutions for schools and childcare centres throughout Australia for 15 years.

Each room is constantly monitored for correct ratios.

These ratios, including staff location, can be viewed on the director’s local computer, and remotely while out of the centre on a smart device.

You can record on an iPad or PC children’s room events such as food, sleep and nappies; you can also include staff comments. Parents will automatically receive a copy on pick-up. Export reports including staff timesheets, absent children and extra days for MYOB or Zero.

The Elite System is not just for larger centres – family day cares with small numbers also find it ideal. Head office can view attendance at each of their carer’s homes and instantly create reports without having to rely on receiving timesheets.

Book a no-obligation demonstration of the Elite System to see how it can benefit your centre.

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Don’t leave your centre vulnerable at audit time.

Convert any Windows PC into a high-speed kiosk.

Allow parents, staff and visitors to sign in and out, and eliminate messy sign-in books, while remaining fully compliant with state and national regulations, which state that you must retain a paper copy of the parent’s or carer’s signature.

New feature – simply attach to child’s food

Kitchen Alert receipts include the child’s picture and warn everyone that they have a food or allergy issue – perfect for reassuring nervous parents!

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Stay connected

Educa is a secure, online e-Portfolio designed with Australian teachers and families in mind.

Benefits of using Educa

• Links teachers, parents and child • Instant sharing of child progress • Great for planning and goal setting • Simple I.T. computer programme Free App for Apple and Android devices

Trial Educa h! t REE for a mon

F

it, And if you loyvoeu will) (and we think then it’s FREE 15 er 20 until Septemb

Email: sales@educa.com.au Phone 1800 797 518

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duca is an online e-portfolio system that empowers educators and engages the community. With Educa, you will create learning stories, observations and newsfeeds that can then be made available to parents and interested extended family members, anywhere in the world, and all in a secure environment. This means that everyone is kept informed about the child’s development, the learning program, and the news of the day from the centre.

Family members can use Educa to communicate back with the educators, providing important feedback on their child’s progress, and allowing contribution to the learning program.

The free app will mean that parents with a smart phone or tablet device will be kept in the loop wherever they are, at any time. This can be particularly important when there are emergencies and information needs to get through urgently.

These simple apps will encourage family members to get more involved, and will promote wonderful guardian-educator partnerships in relation to supporting the child.

Educa also has a comprehensive reporting package that actively monitors the number of stories that are written, parental engagement, and how the curriculum has been applied to individual children and the whole centre. This allows the director to track workloads, centre balance and parent activity.

The policy information and resource sections provide information to parents, and even allow feedback and suggestions.

Educa will be an asset to your centre that both your educators and families will love.

technology + software

Building a website for your childcare business

By Claire Gaynor

Gone are the days when parents had to scrutinise the small black and white advertisement in the latest phone book in order to work out whether or not it would be a suitable place to send their children.

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arents are now working professionals who want something quick and easy – they want the information to be at their fingertips with the click of a button. Subsequently, having a website for your business will not only generate more interest when potential clients stumble across the site while doing an online search – it will also make your business look professional, capable, organised and engaged with technology. Websites can also bring credibility to businesses.

Get involved in the design process – but not too much It’s best to start by collaborating with a web developer.

While there are multiple free platforms, such as WordPress, that allow you to very easily create your own basic site, optimising it for clients can be tricky if you’re not trained in this field. Finding a professional

that specialises in childcare websites is the most efficient way to go about this: a quick Google search will reveal several businesses that have extensive portfolios, so try there, unless you have recommendations from colleagues.

Another way to go about this is to look to competitors in the sector, and see who has developed their website. Having a strong idea of the different elements and the look that you want will be beneficial when liaising with others. Be prepared and have some imagery or even a colour scheme in mind, as contributing your ideas to the site design early on will avoid any issues later.

Once all of the design elements are out of the way, there are still some technical nitty-gritties that could have a large impact on traffic to your site.

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The technicalities: CMS and SEO Your developer should implement a content management system (CMS) that is simple enough to use, but still effective in its output. They are the best way for you to take the reins once your developer has left the project, and will allow you to become secretly tech-savvy, while doing most of the hard work for you.

Think of it as the skeleton underneath the body: all you need to do is log in, publish, edit or moderate the required information, and it will appear on the site page of your choice. CMSs also provide consistency in the appearance of content across your website, and ensure that your brand image or design isn’t altered when any of the subject matter is changed. They also allow you to archive old content, and provide added security to your website.

Another element that is essential in creating a successful business website is search engine optimisation (SEO). Having a good CMS will contribute to efficient data retrieval; however, by also creating clear headings with key words, ensuring that you are employing the active voice (not the passive voice) and creating tags, you can make sure that a potential client’s search will result in a link to your website, and with a good ranking, too – there is no use being on page 10 of a search engine, because chances are,

the person will not have the time, nor the patience, to sit scrolling through results all day.

By optimising your site with these components, you will avoid putting off potential clients.

It’s best to use an analytics platform In order to find out your website traffic statistics, along with who it’s being viewed by, how frequently, in what manner, and on which device, using a service such as Google Analytics can be ideal. It is a data-collecting, web-based platform that is now used by most businesses to strengthen their online presence and marketing strategies. There are several similar services that you can also employ, such as Piwik, Open Web Analytics and GoingUp!, which are free, and simple to use.

Analytics platforms provide qualitative and quantitative analysis: that is, they will report back on why users are reading certain content, and what that content is. This is important for business owners, so that they can ascertain what kinds of information they will need to provide about their childcare centre – for example, are parents spending more time on the ‘fees’ page than the ‘about’ page? Are they lingering on the ‘activities’ page, or the ‘contact’ page? Are they interested in other clients’ testimonies, or do they want to hear it from the horse’s mouth? Collating all of this information can be key to building a successful business.

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technology + software

WageLoch saves you time

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ageLoch software was founded in 2007, and provides access anywhere via a Windows PC. We know how difficult it is to keep accurate time records, especially in the childcare industry. WageLoch offers a powerful but easy-to-use system that incorporates up-to-date technology to register start times and finish times for employees.

WageLoch Roster solves all of your labour management headaches and frustrations. The system allows the roster to be accessed through email, mobile phone or print. Annual leave and sick leave can be booked through the web portal, doing away with the messy paper trail. WageLoch’s exact time technology and award interpretation integrates with well-known payroll software, such as MYOB, Xero, Reckon, Quickbooks, plus many more. This will cut down the time spent on manual data entry and expensive errors.

What our clients have to say ‘WageLoch has slashed our data entry from taking the whole day to under an hour, and made a job that required two full-time staff manageable by one.’

– G Hayward, payroll manager

‘We have over 50 staff on our books. WageLoch is simply the best way to manage our staff.’

– David, proprietor Contact Chris on 0417 717 113.

FROM FINGERPRINT TO PAY SLIP WageLoch offers a leading fingerprint scanning rostering system, and lets you easily implement any employee award structure.

Our software can also be linked to automated pay scales, rosters and budgets.

Its easy to edit format is designed to work with any pay system, and offers a list of benefits:

• AWARD INTERPRETATION BASED ON YOUR SPECIFICATIONS • WAGES SHOWN AS A PERCENTAGE OF SALES • DELIVERS ACCURATE TIME

RECORDS/ELIMINATES HUMAN ERROR

• PROTECTS THE INTEGRITY OF CLOCK TIMES • ELIMINATES TIME CONSUMING DATA ENTRY • SUITABLE FOR SINGLE OR A MULTI-SITE BUSINESS • PAYROLL INTEGRATION – E.G. MYOB, XERO AND OTHER POPULAR PAYROLL SYSTEMS • ROSTERING SERVICE • EMAIL, SMS AND INTERNET ROSTERS • HELP DESK SERVICE

For more information contact us on e. sales@wageloch.com.au p. (07) 3056 0287 CALL NOW X • BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015

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continued from page 68

Engage in further brand extensions, such as apps and social media Having further mediums for parents to use, such as an interactive app that can be explored on smart phones or tablets, is one of the easiest ways to engage with new clients. If a parent is on the run and needs to make a booking, an app can save lots of time, and provide all of the relevant information needed to quickly secure a childcare spot. An app can also complement the website by being more compact, and easy to use and navigate. Additionally, some apps allow users to send parents instant messages.

account for your business is the perfect way to tie in updates with the website, and you can even create a widget (a strip on the left- or right-hand side of your business’s web page) on the site, which will show these updates immediately. Be aware, however, of platforms such as Instagram that require images – there are a whole host of privacy issues that come with photographing and publishing pictures of children that are in your care. If you feel that images are totally necessary for a Facebook post, stock photos or Creative Commons images are a great and safe solution to this contentious topic.

Social media is another monster that must be dealt with – and it should never be underestimated, as it is a powerful tool for success. Creating a Facebook

Once all of these aspects have been considered, you should have a fairly user-friendly, business-smart website – now to watch the bookings roll on in.

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technology + software

Kidsoft providing peace of mind

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idsoft is an all-inclusive cloud-based childcare management software package. Kidsoft gives you peace of mind, as all features are inclusive of the one monthly price, with no lock-in contracts.

Kidsoft is the forward-thinking leader, delivering a distinct range of service applications that are intuitive and innovative, including: • online waitlist and enrolment • Kidsoft Konnect – digital sign in/out • Parent Portal • DebitPro – built-in payment gateway • 24/7 help desk • EYLF and MTOP. ‘I’ve been in the childcare industry for 12 years, and Kidsoft is by far the best and most user-friendly system I’ve ever used – help is only an email, click or phone call away.’

– Lucy Holmes, Operations Manager, Creative Gardens Learning Centres ‘We found our previous system complex and difficult to use, but we felt comfortable with it and

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didn’t want to change. Now we are very happy we switched to Kidsoft, it is so easy to use and has made such a positive difference to how we administer our service. I would recommend that directors contact NumeroPro and switch to Kidsoft as soon as possible.’

– Janette Quince C&K Oakey Community Kindergarten Director Contact the Kidsoft team to discuss your free trial today. info@kidsoft.com.au 07 5592 5800

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wilP y

Australian Owned Australian Designed Australian Manufactured

W.w w. ilpay.com.au P.130 132147 E.info@wilpay.com.au W. www.willplay.com.au P. 1300 132 147 E. info@willplay.com.au

dwillPl esignedby igpeo leforlit etrasuresy designed by big people for little treasures

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Designed by big people for little treasures

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illplay design and manufacture play and fitness equipment in Australia, with a wide range of products that are designed to encourage play and activity in preschool age children.

From the Littlies range to complete PlayPark systems, Willplay has a system to suit any budget and site.

With extensive industry experience, Willplay can offer complete playground solutions, including equipment, installation and softfall surfacing. With a commitment to high-quality, environmentally friendly Australian-made products, Willplay offers exceptional play value and quality – and all elements comply with the relevant Australian Standards.

As well as its standard product ranges, Willplay offers a complete design-and-construct service in a wide variety of styles and materials. Willplay can custom design and build a system to suit any budget, and make your wildest ideas come to life. Willplay offers a complete installation service, and can manage all aspects of your project – from design through to construction and maintenance.

Willplay’s commitment to the environment As part of Willplay’s vision to conduct business in a sustainable and responsible manner, Willplay’s products feature: • post-consumer recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) panels • recycled timber/plastic composite panels • HDPE roto-moulded panels • marine-grade aluminium and stainless steel.

Willplay’s environmental policy dictates that all elements of equipment are manufactured from postconsumer recycled products and/or can be recycled at end of life.

Remember that every Willplay system supports Australian manufacturing and provides jobs in Australia.

Phone: 1300 132 047 Email: info@willplay.com.au Website: www.willplay.com.au Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ WillplayAustralia

play areas + sustainable practice

The best outdoor play

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laying outside is a vital part of childhood that assists with the development of physical strength, coordination and balance, as well as social skills, imagination and problem-solving.

The best outdoor play spaces have a range of play environments that promote active, free, social, quiet, imaginative, exploratory and natural play, to promote different kinds of learning, and to build children’s cognitive development.

and control their impulses in order to conform to the rules of the world that they have created.

Problem-solving and conflict resolution are other social skills that can be practiced and refined in free play. Children must cooperate for a common aim (the progression of the game), and must respond appropriately when disputes arise.

The play space at your childcare centre should try to take these different play environments into account, as well as the ages and abilities of children at the centre. The best play spaces incorporate the natural world, and an element of risk and challenge, and they foster creative free play and expression.

Playground elements that support this kind of social play include interconnecting bridges and platforms, small nooks, lookouts, ladders, group ‘meeting places’, cubbyhouses, speaking pipes and windows. Musical elements, such as metal pipes that can be struck to create different notes, can also foster positive social interactions when two or more children can cooperate to make music together.

Social skills

Motor skills

Playgrounds are perfect spaces for children to work on their social skills. They learn to communicate, take turns, cooperate and empathise, as well as to share and develop ideas. This is best exemplified by the spontaneously created games that are inevitably played when a group of children are left to their own devices in a playground. These games have their own rules, roles and social codes, and are often utterly confusing to (adult) outsiders! Children involved in these games not only improve their imaginative abilities, but they also learn to work with others, communicate,

According to the American study ‘Playgrounds for Young Children: National Survey and Perspectives’, children with poorly developed motor skills by age five will likely never develop efficient motor skills. Playgrounds are extremely important in the development of motor skills in modern children, as preschoolers are highly motivated to challenge these skills on play equipment. Even simple natural play spaces can encourage motor skill development – for example, with the use of stepping stones, hills to run up and roll down, and trees and rocks to climb.

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Play equipment can be carefully selected to challenge different age groups and levels of physical development, such as tactile panels, tunnels, and rigid bridges for babies and young toddlers; and ramps, bridges, slides, poles, and swings for coordination and balance in older preschoolers. As they master each new skill, children gain greater confidence in their own physical abilities, and learn about perseverance.

Creativity Playgrounds provide an opportunity for free play where there are no defined rules or structure. In free play, children can play in any way they choose, using the equipment and other playground elements in different ways to fit in with their own games, and with their own unique personalities and interests. While playground designs of the past focused on the classic fort or ship, modern play spaces are often more abstract; for example, children may be provided with basic elements like sand, water and building blocks, and allowed to direct their own play.

A Sydney study called ‘The Sydney Playground Project’ found that unstructured play elements, such as tyres, boxes and milk crate,s promoted play between children who had not played together before, including children who were previously excluded.

The research suggests that traditional play structures promote a hierarchy in which physical competence is

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play areas + sustainable practice

Getting back to nature

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usplay specialise in the design, construction and delivery of early childhood natural play environments.

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

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

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

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

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

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

1300 046 454 sales@ausplay.net.au ausplay.net.au

Call the team at Ausplay now to make your playscape project a reality.

TIMBER FORTS • TIMBER DECKS • DRY CREEK BEDS ANIMAL ENCLOSURES • GARDENING HUBS Ausplay Specialise in the Design, Construction & Delivery of Early Childhood Natural Play Environments Throughout Australia.

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BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 75

play areas + sustainable practice

continued from page 74 dominant, while those that include natural elements like plants and bushes are more inclusive, and promote imaginative play and socialisation.

Unfortunately, natural play spaces are often neglected in playgrounds even though they are often the least expensive. Elements like trees, bushes, shrubs, logs, boulders and different ground covers offer great free play opportunities, as well as different textures, shapes, colours and scents to encourage creative play.

Not only that, but resident insects and other wildlife will add to the learning opportunities of the play space.

Self-confidence Improving self-confidence is a huge benefit of playgrounds. Like anyone, when a preschooler tackles and eventually masters a challenging task through perseverance, and trial and error, they get a self-esteem boost and a sense of accomplishment that gives them the confidence to attempt the next challenge.

Self-confidence is an important attribute for happy solo play, as well. Children who are able to play comfortably on their own develop a strong sense of independence and the ability to entertain themselves to alleviate boredom – a valuable skill throughout childhood and into adulthood.

Risk Play environments that provide age and developmentally appropriate risks and challenges offer many benefits for children that ‘risk-free’ play spaces do not. Recognition of risk and a child’s own limitations, and being able to assess different levels of risk that are present in an activity, is an important life skill that enhances a child’s self-care development and resilience.

Appropriate risk-taking during play improves children’s motor skills, balance, coordination, bodily awareness and self-confidence. In the absence of the controlled risk present in playgrounds, children may engage in inappropriate risk-taking in their daily lives because they have not had the opportunity to develop the ability to properly assess risks or foresee potential consequences of their actions.

While the level of risk in a play space should be carefully controlled to suit the age and development of its young users, challenging elements for preschoolers might include a rough bridge that introduces kids to natural textures, balancing beams, boulders that can be climbed, stumps and logs to walk across, and ropes to swing on.

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play areas + sustainable practice

play areas + sustainable practice

From small things

BIG THINGS

Play – easier said than done – or is it?

can happen

A

s early years educators and carers, we know that active play is essential for all children.

Research even suggests that toddlers (aged one to three years) and preschoolers (aged three to five years) should be physically active every day, for at least three hours.

This presents a common challenge for many of us.

How do we invent and reinvent daily to deliver new and different activities within our restricted spaces (and budgets), to keep our students stimulated and challenged, and develop the essentials like perceptual motor skills?

One way is through modular play equipment.

Starter combos are affordable, and you can mix and match the lightweight, moveable equipment. And, when budgets allow, you can add to them!

Being interchangeable, you can easily increase or decrease the level of difficulty, add variety to use different muscle groups, and offer cognitive, emotional and social development, too.

Sand and water components can inject even more excitement, with endless possibilities – here are a few ideas: • Wash up: get out the tea set, cars, or dolls for a good scrub.

Call 1800 092 897 today and request our specialist Early Years Brochure.

Visit: playgroundcentre.com Email: sales@playgroundcentre.com

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• Underwater adventure: create a water wonderland for delight and discovery. Think shells, fish, sharks, boats and more.

• Natural water play: use stones, twigs, leaves, seeds and bark. Even better, get the children to collect their natural provisions.

• Treasure hunt: bury treasure for children to discover.

To find out more about these building blocks to new and imaginative play, visit www.playgroundcentre.com.

BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 77

nutrition++menu menuplanning planning nutrition

Making the business of providing meals easy

P

romoting children’s health is an important aspect of quality childcare. Over 75 per cent of childcare services provide all or most children’s meals while they are in care, while others may only supply snacks, or require families to provide all of their child’s food.

Regardless of whether or not food is provided, your childcare service has a responsibility to promote good nutrition for your child while they are in care. Nutrition and meal provision is now one of the first questions asked by prospective families when looking for a service for their child.

Meal provision now plays a vital role in the success of a childcare service.

Research shows that children form food preferences mostly during the ages of two to five years, and their eating habits are more difficult to change later on in life. Preschoolers are ready and eager learners, and this gives childcare providers the opportunity to cultivate healthy eating habits.

More and more services are now making the decision to use a specialist catering service that employs qualified chefs to prepare and provide a large variety of multicultural meals that are healthy, affordable and easy to serve.

Kids Gourmet Food is a trusted supplier to the nation’s largest childcare providers, supplying fresh daily meals at the right price.

KIDS GOURMET FOOD

Specialist Catering for Child Care Centres

Voted #1 Child Care Catering Service Delivered Fresh Every Day Lowest Price Per Child Best Taste Roster Friendly

1300 870 054

www.kidsgourmetfood.com.au

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tt e r “Si m p ly B e ”

nutrition + menu planning

The new food pyramid is a step forward for nutrition

BY CLAIRE GAYNOR

Childcare workers, rejoice – for junk food is no longer on the spectrum for morning tea!

T

he new Australian food pyramid was recently released, and it has forgone the usual chocolates, chips and soft drinks that have crowded the uppermost tier for decades. This is a step in the right direction for families with children, as well as for educators and childcare workers. To get children to understand that junk foods or processed foods shouldn’t be part of a healthy diet at all is a sentiment that should be instilled in them from an early age – and routinely making healthy food choices at daycare is a great way to start.

Incidence of allergies on the rise

T

he diagnosis of food allergies is on the increase in Australia, with an incidence of around one in 20 children, and about one in 50 adults.

Are allergies driving you NUTS? Call us today for ALL your childcare needs.

We remove your allergy frustrations with simple and easy solutions.

1300 232 811

www.littletummytucker.com.au 330330AE_Little Tummy Tuckers | 2130.indd 24

The majority of food allergies in children are Written by Kate DiPrima not severe, and will be ‘outgrown’ with time; however, those littlies with an allergy must avoid the trigger food, which can cause great anxiety for parents and carers of the child. The most common foods triggering an allergic reaction are hen’s eggs, cow’s milk, peanuts and tree nuts.

Little Tummy Tucker prides itself on providing fresh, healthy food to childcare centres, and caters for those children with a diagnosed food allergy.

Education, advice and resources (including all ingredient lists) are available to centres, to help them stay informed of the risks and management of childhood allergies.

For more information, go to www.allergy.org.au.

2/06/15 11:22 AM

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nutrition + menu planning

Nutritionists say that the recent revision is close to a perfect food pyramid – and that most Australians don’t get their daily requirements of five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit a day, as per the Australian Dietary Guidelines. The food pyramid was first released in Australia in 1980, and was based on the ‘more to less’ model that was developed in Sweden in the 1970s. The last pyramid, which had been revised only a few times, had remained largely the same for the past 15 years. A major rise in self-taught food and wellness ‘experts’, and increasingly contradicting information on the internet, have been the catalysts for the pyramid update. According to Nutrition Australia, the new pyramid was released ‘in an effort to combat growing nutrition confusion and risky fad diets’.

The new pyramid shows an emphasis on eating plant-based foods, which is particularly reflective of the growing number of vegetarians or non-meat eaters.

Second up are wholegrains, cereals and breads, which for a long time shared the same tier as fruit and vegetables. Now, it has been decided that such foods should only be eaten secondary to these, as they have high levels of carbohydrates. It has also been recommended that people cook with herbs and spices to flavour their food, as opposed to using large amounts of added salt and sugar, and, most importantly, that people choose to drink water regularly.

According to the new pyramid, the best diet includes the following food groups, in this order:

Bottom tier: eat more – vegetables, fruits, legumes Having a plant-based diet has now been shown to offer people a healthier life, with less risk of disease and better weight management. For those carers providing food to children, the new food pyramid is a fantastic opportunity to stop and think about what is an appropriate snack or meal, to be giving to the group.

For children who might not eat according to the food pyramid at home, it’s particularly important to get them excited about eating more fruit and vegetables, and to reinforce this excitement when eating oranges and apples, rather than sugary, processed snacks. Making fun and colourful fruit and vegetable platters is the perfect way to visually stimulate children to want to try these foods – simply handing them a whole fruit has the potential to immediately put them off.

Second tier: eat more – grains (wholegrains) Grains and carbohydrates used to be lumped in with fruit and vegetables, but now they have their own tier. It has also been recommended that people choose healthier, wholegrain options, such as 80 • BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015

brown rice and oats, and wholemeal bread. More importantly, the pyramid has also included more diverse grains, such as soba noodles, couscous and quinoa, to reflect the increasingly multicultural Australian society, and the diversity of cuisines that the culinary sector is now embracing.

Sandwiches are always a staple lunch item for children, so make sure to always provide a wholemeal or multigrain option, as well as wholegrain crackers for smaller snacks.

Third tier: eat moderately – dairy and protein As all childcare workers and educators will know, dairy and proteins can be contentious food groups due to restrictive diets or allergies, religious beliefs, and moral or ethical preferences. Thankfully, the new food pyramid places less emphasis on these food groups as sources of energy, and suggests cutting down on them, or just eating in moderation. While calcium is necessary to make children’s bones and teeth healthy and strong, smaller servings of milk or yoghurt will suffice. And, for those who are lactose intolerant, or have different dietary requirements, soy milk (or other dairy alternatives) has been added as a source of calcium.

Likewise, proteins (such as lean meats and eggs, or tofu for vegetarians) have been recommended as best in small quantities, along with nuts and seeds (although they have healthy fats).

Top tier: eat in small amounts – healthy fats The new pyramid has eradicated saturated fats and added sugars from the top tier in an effort to show people what they should eat in a day – not what they should potentially restrict.

Healthy fats include olive oil and added servings of nuts and seeds. For those children who can, eating a small handful of nuts every day is a healthy, sustainable energy boost.

child health + safety

What kind of driver are you raising?

Promoting road safety in the early years is imperative.

I

t may seem insignificant – a frustrated beeping of the horn, a shaking of the fist or an aggressive manoeuvre in traffic – but what kind of message is it sending to the little one strapped in the back seat?

Parents have long understood how their choices in life are instrumental in shaping the type of person their child will become. But, until recently, little was known about how their driving style can filter through to the next generation.

A growing weight of evidence highlights a link between a parent’s behaviour behind the wheel during their child’s formative years, and the attitudes and behaviors that child will display when they get a licence of their own.

In much the same way that children of parents who smoke, take drugs, abuse alcohol or are violent will often grow up to emulate those behaviours, children will emulate their parents’ driving habits.

Put simply, children begin learning to drive by watching their parents long before they first get behind the wheel.

Elizabeth Waller, a road safety manager at Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission (TAC), points to a recent study undertaken in Israel, which found a significant link between parents’ driving styles – particularly anxious or aggressive styles – and the driving style demonstrated by their children a year after gaining their licence.

‘Children can be like sponges. Actions like speeding or talking on the phone while driving are things they may be picking up from the back seat without parents even noticing,’ says Waller.

Interestingly, the research also found that positive behaviours behind the wheel did not wield the same influence.

‘Unfortunately, it is bad behaviour that kids will really seize upon, so we need to break that cycle, and that process starts with the parents,’ says Waller.

This generational passing of the bad-driving baton has prompted the TAC to broaden its public awareness activities with a new campaign encouraging parents to consider how their driving will influence their kids.

BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 81

child health + safety

‘The Parental Influence campaign is all about making the roads safer for young drivers by encouraging good role modelling, because the research is telling us that the process of learning to drive starts in the back seat, and it happens much earlier than we may think,’ Waller says.

The importance of improving young driver safety cannot be overstated, with drivers under 25 accounting for 20 per cent of road deaths in Victoria, despite accounting for just 12 per cent of licensed drivers. TAC research also shows that P-platers were 30 times more likely to be involved in a car crash in their first six months of solo driving than when they were learning to drive.

‘By making parents understand the need to be safe, responsible, calm and law-abiding drivers every time they get behind the wheel, we hope to see the same characteristics in the next generation of drivers.’

Following the release of the Israeli study, the TAC conducted its own research in order to better understand Victorian attitudes towards role modelling.

That research found that parents generally understood that they were role models to their children, but they didn’t consider their behaviour while on the road to be a significant area of influence.

Launched in April, the Parental Influence campaign includes a widely acclaimed commercial depicting a young boy in a child restraint, attached by puppet strings to his father who is driving.

The parent is shown talking on his phone, swerving erratically and cursing at other drivers, while the strings of parental influence leave the young boy in the back with no option but to do the same.

82 • BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015

It’s a powerful and thought-provoking production designed to leave parents in no doubt as to the extent that their actions can be mirrored through the generations.

The TAC’s hard-hitting campaigns have earned the organisation recognition as a world leader in road trauma prevention, but this is the first time it has targeted the parents of young children in this way.

‘The primary target of the campaign is parents of young children aged five to 12, as research shows these parents were most receptive to messages around parental role modelling,’ Waller says.

‘Plus, parents with children in that age bracket, we found, are more likely to believe that their kids are watching and learning from them.’

The Parental Influence campaign is the second phase of a broader campaign zeroing in on the ways that parents can help to ensure that their children don’t succumb to road trauma. The first phase was about encouraging parents to remain involved with their child’s driving even after the L-plates are replaced with P-plates.

‘The message we need parents to grasp is that they need to be demonstrating safe, responsible behaviours from the time their child is very young, right up into early adulthood,’ Waller says.

‘This means being calm behind the wheel, obeying speed limits, always wearing a seatbelt, not talking on the phone, and never driving after drinking or taking drugs.’

The TAC’s Parental Influence television commercial returns to the air in November and can be found on the TAC’s website and YouTube channel.

child health + safety

child health + safety

Starting Out Safely – keeping kids safe near roads

E

ducators and early childhood professionals, working collaboratively with families, can help children become safe and independent road users. The premise of Starting Out Safely – Victoria’s early childhood road safety education program – is that effective road safety education, delivered during early childhood, plays an important role in laying the foundations for safe road use throughout life. The early childhood road safety program has been developed through evidence-based research, in collaboration with leading early childhood experts, and is based on best practice principals.

Early Learning Association Australian (ELAA), in collaboration with VicRoads, has developed a number of best practice policies and resources for educators and early childhood service providers, which support the current quality principles in early learning, including the Early Years Learning Framework, the National Quality Standards and the National Practices for Early Childhood Road Safety Education.

Visit the ELAA website, www.elaa.org.au/roadsafety, to download free resources, with great ideas on ways that you can embed road safety into your early learning program.

Starting Out Safely, funded

by VicRoads, is Victoria’s early childhood road safety education program.

For information on free training for Early Childhood Educators and for CALD organisations on child car seats or to find out more about our fantastic free education resources, please contact the road safety education team on (03) 9489 3500 or email rse@elaa.org.au. Visit the ELAA website www.elaa.org.au/roadsafety.

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occupational health + safety

Spot the hazard If you work in child care, you are probably well aware of the stresses and strains that your work environment places on your body. Simple daily tasks like lifting children in and out of cots and highchairs, and on and off change tables are some of the major culprits for body stresses that lead to serious injury. Then there is the fact that we are consistently working at low levels, which often forces us into awkward postures. Sometimes, the only thing to sit on is children’s furniture – and these items are just not made for adult bodies. Even office and storage areas can be full of hazards when they are poorly designed or cluttered.

I

t probably comes as no surprise, then, that the rate of childcare workers lodging an injury claim is much higher than in many other sectors. In the 2012/13 financial year, 11 out of every 1000 Australian childcare workers lodged a claim for serious workplace injury or disease. Compare this to only six claims in the medical and other health services sector; five in the adult, community and other education sector; and just four claims in the tertiary education sector.

The following outlines a few of the primary causes of injury and what you can do to reduce your risk through proactive risk management. Many injuries are avoidable if you assess the hazards by thinking ahead.

Body stressing Body stressing is one of the most common types of injuriy for childcare workers, and includes muscle strains, back conditions and other stresses on ligaments, tendons and bones. Body stressing injuries can be caused by daily activities like lifting, carrying and putting down children, moving play equipment and bending down.

Many of these types of injuries can be avoided by altering things like the layout or the equipment used.

For example, maybe you can implement adult-sized chairs that have adjustable heights, so that workers can still be in a supported position while working with children at low levels. Or, maybe you can incorporate 84 • BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015

stepladders with handrails, which will allow children to climb onto change tables without having to be lifted.

Cots can also be customised to maintain a higher working height, thereby reducing the need to bend and reach in order to lift children into and out of cots.

Slips, trips and falls These three hazards are the causes of some of the most common, but also the most preventable, types of injury in the childcare environment. Slips, trips and falls can cause musculoskeletal injuries, as well as cuts, bruises, fractures and dislocations.

Common factors that cause problems include slippery floor surfaces (such as wet floors), cracks in the floor, and objects such as toys or electrical leads.

Having a regular cleaning and tidying schedule, as well as ensuring that spills are cleaned up immediately, is important. But you can also suggest changes to elements like lighting (so that high-risk areas are well lit), as well as storage (so that things are stored at an appropriate height for lifting in and out of storage). Another important factor that shouldn’t be overlooked is the importance of wearing appropriate footwear for the kinds of tasks you undertake at work.

We are all responsible for looking after the health and safety of ourselves and others at work; perhaps it’s time to take stock of what you can do to improve the occupational health and safety of your workeplace.

occupational health + safety

child health + safety

Safety is not just for the kids

C

reating a safe place for children to play and learn should be a priority for all children’s services, and there are many fantastic resources available to parents and educators on ways to keep children safe.

But what about the people who work with children?

Many people working in childcare centres and preschools across Australia are seriously injured every year.

Most of these are musculoskeletal injuries (sprains and strains, fractures and soft tissue injuries) caused by everyday activities like moving play equipment, lifting children and sitting on small chairs.

Early Learning Association Australia (ELAA) has developed a website to support work health and safety (WHS) for early childhood service providers and employees. The website provides practical guidance specifically for early childhood services. This information is aimed at preventing injury and illness to employees, contractors, visitors, parents, children and the general public who enter a service. It has comprehensive information to help organisations comply with health and safety laws, and to assist early childhood services in managing their safety needs.

There are a number of resources available for download for free, including:

WHS (OHS) Purchasing Guidelines The WHS (OHS) Purchasing Guidelines provide a framework that assists services and their employees to consider the adverse impact on health and safety that may occur if unsuitable furniture, equipment or substances are purchased. The associated fact sheets provide specific advice on purchasing equipment for your service.

Six common hazards training videos These six videos provide practical advice for staff working in services. The videos demonstrate a variety of techniques to avoid common hazards.

Hazard tip sheets This series of tip sheets provide information on identifying and avoiding hazards specific to the early childhood sector.

Templates and guidelines Available for download as Word documents, these templates and guidelines can be adapted for use in services. These have been sourced from the ELAA Early Childhood Management Manual.

Visit the website www.ohsinecservices.org.au for more information, and to download your free WHS resources.

Work Health & Safety in early childhood services Early Learning Association Australia has a fantastic website with all the information early childhood services need to keep staff safe at work.

The website offers free resources to help organisations manage their WHS needs. This information is aimed at preventing injury and illness to employees, contractors, visitors, parents, children and the general public who enter a service.

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BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 85

cleaning ++ hygiene hygiene cleaning

Keeping kindies clean

T

here is nothing more important than the health and safety of our children, which is why childcare centres need to continually meet the highest hygiene standards. And to supply exceptional service, you need exceptional providers.

Kindy Cleana is not your average cleaner. We are a specialist cleaning service devoted to the childcare industry. Since 1989, our team of experienced professionals has helped to ensure that childcare centres around the country run smoothly and safely.

We’ll help you to provide a fully sanitised environment for children and staff.

Unlike other cleaners who call themselves specialists, we don’t mix-and-match. You won’t find us cleaning a council toilet one minute, and your childcare centre the next. We are 100 per cent focused on cleaning services for the childcare industry, so we know just what your centre needs.

Our cleaning services are environmentally friendly, we’re very flexible and aim to work within your timetable, and we can chat with you about budgets and schedules to ensure that we provide the exact service you’re after.

At Kindy Cleana, we love what we do. And we’re pretty confident that once you get to know us, you will, too.

Give us a call on 1800 730 067 or visit us online at www.kindycleana.com.au.

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cleaning + hygiene

Healthy hands in childcare centres Protecting yourself and your children against disease and illness is simple.

G

erms are everywhere. You can find them on foods, surfaces, plants and animals – they are present in the air that we breathe and on our own bodies.

How often should you wash your hands?

In a hands-on environment, such as an early childcare centre, handwashing should be practised regularly during an average day.

While most of these germs are relatively harmless, there are certain strains that will mutate and breach your immune system’s barrier. Viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, helminths: these are all infectious agents that are responsible for causing a wide range of diseases, such as the common cold, influenza and strep throat.

The first step to prevention of such illnesses is practicing good hand hygiene. When hand hygiene is performed correctly, the result is a reduction of microorganisms on your skin.

Good hand hygiene is paramount, especially in a sector such as early childcare education. The difference between an employee who practises good hand hygiene and one who doesn’t can be astronomical; so, this flu and cold season, it is imperative that educators insure themselves.

As a role model and educator, it is also important to practice good hand hygiene in order to set an example for your wards. If you make a point of washing your hands, children will pick up on the routine and learn from it.

BELONGING EARLY YEARS JOURNAL • VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 • 2015 • 87

cleaning + hygiene

According to the Hand Hygiene Association of Australia, caregivers should clean their hands:

While the misconception has been that hands-free hand

• at the start of every play session

dryers help to eliminate contamination, and the spread

• before preparing/serving food

of bacteria and germs, the reality is that paper towels are

• before and after assisting children during mealtimes

the superior method of drying. This is linked with the time

• before and after assisting children in the bathroom

The best way to dry hands is by using a paper towel.

that it takes to dry your hands after washing.

The average time that it takes a person to dry their

• before and after changing a nappy

hands with a paper towel is 10 seconds. According to

• after nose-blowing, sneezing or coughing

one study conducted by biomedical scientists in the

• before and after attending to any cut, wound or rash

United Kingdom, in just 10 seconds, hands are 96 per

• after handling animals

dry. In comparison, it takes a person drying their hands

• when hands are visibly dirty.

How do you wash your hands?

In order to properly wash your hands and remove germs and bacteria, all jewellery must be removed before lathering your hands up with soap (preferably liquid) under warm water.

Once hands have been scrubbed, rinse them off before drying. Take your time when drying your hands.

Why? Studies have found that wet hands are better at passing on germs than dry ones.

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cent dry, while after 15 seconds, they are 99 per cent under a hand dryer 45 seconds to dry their hands.

If hands are visibly clean, carers should use an alcohol-based hand rub to ensure cleanliness and keep hands fresh.

As carers in the childcare industry, it is imperative that we are in good health when looking after children, and ensuring that your hands are clean and germ-free is key to preventing illness. So, make sure that you follow the steps tips highlighted above to remain healthy and happy in the workplace.