Childcare Leadership Alliance

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MEETING THE CHALLENGE SUPPORTING REGIONAL ECONOMIES TO THRIVE

Acknowledgement of Country

I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land on which each of us are today, and pay my respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging.

I extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here today.

130+ years of experience

Support early childhood sector across the country

Who are “Astute Early Years Specialists”?

Bespoke and tailored strategies

Early childhood practice and Pedagogy

Operations

Financial management

Digital marketing

Business improvement

HR Recruitment

Stakeholder Engagement

Astute’s history in the Isaac Region

• Working with two of the three providers in Moranbah region since 2017

• Over 8 years established and built strong relationships with early childhood and school age care staff, Council representatives and local business operators

Where the CLA came from

● Sustainable ECEC services a long-standing issue for Dysart and Moranbah

● Improved future service delivery was identified as a priority issue by the Smart Transformation Advisory Councils (STAC)

● STAC commissioned a review into the current situation to fully understand the issues

● STAC used the review to establish a Steering Committee - local ECEC, Council, BMA, school representatives

● One of the key recommendations was the establishment of a Childcare Leadership Alliance with a whole of community focus

The situation

Difficult to attract & retain early childhood educators & teachers

Children miss out on critical high-quality early learning

Local businesses and industry struggle for staff and revenue

Families unable to fully participate in the workforce (women more likely to be impacted)

Families have less money to spend at local businesses

Children more likely to be left behind their city peers

● Astute appointed

● STAC Steering Committee to determine best structure

● Decision > Establish an independent not for profit Incorporated Association

Establishing the CLA

Established strong foundations

Voted in Board from Steering Committee

Established the Incorporated Association

Developed Association

Rules, Terms of Reference and Policies

Developed Strategic Plan

The objectives and focus of the CLA

OBJECTIVES FOCUS

The overall goal is to enable, through the formation of the Alliance, the provision of sustainable strategic support to the childcare sector in the Isaac Region, with an initial focus on the pilot towns of Moranbah and Dysart.

Attraction, Recruitment & Retention of childcare staff (ECEC and OSHC) Professional development for childcare staff Strong community support and collaboration

The “A” state

32% vacant

Across the 8 centres in Moranbah & Dysart 32% of places were vacant due to staff shortages.

Across the 8 centres in Moranbah & Dysart there were approx 46 vacant educator positions

across both Moranbah and Dysart 300

Children on waitlists

Co-collaboration

Visited Workshops

Surveys

1-1 sessions

Range of possible strategies

Sought feedback

Shaped year 1 work plan

Finding the solution

Strategies trialled in Moranbah & Dysart

Seeking qualified educators from overseas

Sourcing private rentals to provide accommodation

Providing live & virtual professional development opportunities

Building community engagement

Developing toolkits & training Advocacy and partnerships

The Winning Solutions! International

recruitment and housing support plus a trial of other initiatives

Since 2023 - 27 educators have arrived in Moranbah!

And more are ready and excited to come!

27 educators = 108 - 297 more care days for children

Waitlists have reduced Occupancy has increased

Increase in viability of providers = provide better services and invest in staff and physical environments

Our latest campaign, “These are our children”, sums it up perfectly!

CLA: Beyond the pilot

Reinvestment and commitment from BMA

Ongoing discussions with other organisations

Engagement with Council

Finalising strategy for FY 24-25

Moving to a Co Ltd by Guarantee

What would the Next Steps for Central Highlands look like?

Step 1 - Deep dive into current state

Secure the community’s commitment and financial support to conduct a deep dive into the current state.

It is vital to get an accurate picture of what is impacting the provision of stable ECEC and OSHC in the community. The outcomes will drive the strategies implemented.

Step 2 - Formally approach the CLA

Step 3 - Provision of report with recommendations

Approach the CLA to request that they conduct the review of the current state.

The CLA will conduct a review into the current state (A state) and provide a report with recommendations on how to shift to the desired state (B state)

Expansion of CLA into the Central Highlands

• Dependant on a number of factors

• Community commitment, financial investment and outcome of full assessment of current state in Central Highlands

THANK YOU

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