Early Edition Summer 2018

EarlyEdition SUMMER 2018

Free Water Safety training with Kids Alive!

A story about fun cup filling Incorporate humour in early childhood The importance of induction

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EarlyEdition SUMMER 2018

Cover Photo: ACA Qld Patron and water safety advocate, Laurie Lawrence

ACA Queensland

Contents

Location: 11/6 Vanessa Boulevard, Springwood Mailing: PO Box 137, Springwood QLD 4127 Telephone: (07) 3808 2366 Fax: (07) 3808 2466 Toll Free: 1300 365 325 (outside Brisbane) Web: www.qld.childcarealliance.org.au Email: qld@childcarealliance.org.au

ACA Queensland President’s Report

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ACA President’s Report

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Kids Alive – Do the Five water safety program

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The day we met Jet Pack Man, a story about fun cup filling

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Become as Early Childhood Teacher in less time

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The deadline to qualify is approaching

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Disclaimer: Articles published in this magazine are published as a service to readers and should not be substituted for specific advice in relation to any issue.

While advertising in this magazine is encouraged, ACA Queensland accepts no responsibility for the contents of the advertisements. Advertisements are accepted in good faith and liability for advertising content, goods or services supplied is the responsibility of the advertiser.

Scarecrow Literacy Festival - Embedding literacy in the early years

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Willow Early Learning Centre’s sustainable and inviting outdoor play space

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Early learning playground maintenance

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The importance of Induction (and re-induction)

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Supporter Members Directory

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LAUGH OUT LOUD! How to Incorporate Humour in Early Childhood Settings

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Member in the Spotlight

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Bridge investigations at Tugulawa Early Education

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Educator in Profile

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Advance your career with study support

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MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE Executive

Committee Members

ACA Queensland Office

President - Majella Fitzsimmons

Linda Davies

Rosa McDonald

General Manager - Brent Stokes

Vice President - Jae Fraser

Nicole Fowler

Louise Thomas

Office Manager - Jen Smyth

Treasurer - Doug Burns

Kerrie Lada

Brent Stokes

Office Admin Assistant - Letitia Murphy

Secretary - Debra North

Project Officer - Claudette Cabilan

EARLY EDITION > SUMMER 2018

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ACA Queensland President’s Report Another busy and productive year is coming to an end and at this time of year, all we can think about is Christmas!

But before we completely wind down for the holidays and bid adieu to 2018, I would like to thank all members for being heavily involved in ACA Qld – from completing important surveys to contributing to our publications.

Thank you and we look forward to your support and involvement in 2019 and beyond.

We held our 2018 Annual General Meeting and we welcome the newest addition to our management committee, Nicole Fowler. Nicole brings 18 years of experience in the early learning sector; she has an in-depth knowledge on industry trends and business management.

We would also like to congratulate Brent Stokes for his re-election to the committee. Brent is also our current General Manager and has been a part of ACA Qld since 2007, occupying several roles. Brent is a great ambassador for our sector and organisation.

Dramatic changes have occurred in the last quarter with Scott Morrison becoming our Prime Minister and a new Cabinet appointed with Dan Tehan becoming the new Minister for Education and Training. We look forward to working closely with him and his team to ensure a more sustainable early learning sector.

ACA continues to work with the Government and we welcome the opportunity to engage with all political parties in the lead up to the Federal election to ensure access to quality affordable early learning.

We recently held two workshops for Approved Providers and Nominated Supervisors to help them understand their responsibilities under the National Law and Regulations and we have received some fantastic feedback. Keep an eye out for many more professional development opportunities that will be

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on offer in 2019 in the lead up to our annual conference.

The 2019 ACA Qld National Conference theme is Early Education… It IS Rocket Science! I believe this theme acknowledges and elevates the hard work that early years professionals do to ensure that our youngest generation have the skills, resilience and confidence to take on the world and flourish whilst doing so.

Just to give you a little sneak peek of what’s in store for you in 2019…

Maggie Dent, one of our favourite speakers, is back! We will be holding a workshop on the Reggio Emilia approach. We have also lined up a social media guru to deliver a workshop on marketing your service using social media (on a budget).

Your request is our demand, so we will be once again holding our conference at The Star Gold Coast from 31 May until 2 June 2019. We hope to see you there!

Visit our conference website, www. childcareconference.com.au for more information. We have already commenced taking pre-registrations and our online early bird registrations open in January 2019 so be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and open all our emails to keep updated.

We have some new initiatives for 2019 but we are always keen to hear from you regarding what you want and need.

You are always welcome to call our office on 07 3808 2366 or send us an email at qld@childcarealliance.org.au.

Finally, along with our patron and cover star Laurie Lawrence, we urge you to access the Kids Alive Do the Five online training, specifically designed for early childhood educators.

Read more about it on page 4.

Again, thank you for your continued support. We will continue to work hard to ensure better outcomes for ALL children, families and the early learning sector.

From all of us at ACA Qld, enjoy the festive season and have a wonderful start to 2019!

Majella Fitzsimmons ACA Qld President

ACA President’s Report With a few months under our belt since the transition to the Child Care Subsidy (CCS), the early learning sector has made an enormous adjustment in a very short time.

ACA has greatly appreciated the feedback from our members about how they are travelling, the sort of issues they may have experienced, and how their families have been affected.

Armed with this valuable information, we were able to provide the Department of Education and Training (DET) with an overview of the issues affecting the sector and the families following the transition, and the key areas that we believed needed their attention.

Our ongoing engagement with key stakeholders included discussions with the Office of Simon Birmingham, (former) Minister for Education & Training, the DET and the Department of Human Services (DHS) via one on one meetings as well as Departmental Reference Group meetings.

This regular engagement allowed ACA to participate in an ongoing dialogue with relevant government departments as the latest issues came to light.

Meanwhile as the next federal election approaches, both major political parties have commenced their election strategies. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten announced that he intends to give both three and fouryear-olds access to 600 hours of preschool or kindergarten (15 hours per week of subsidised care) in a $1.75 billion funding commitment if the Labor Party wins the next election.

A funding approach that provided increased access to kindergarten/ preschool in the 2 years before school across all service types would be a great outcome for all Australian families as long as the policy setting ensured equitable distribution which supports parent choice as to the service type they would prefer their child to attend.

However, there is still a lack of clarity about how this would be implemented in practice, and this intended outcome requires an even bigger financial commitment from the state governments.

ACA is therefore calling on all political parties, including state governments, to support the intent of this proposal, and will continue to advocate for greater access to kindergarten/ preschool in the 2 years before school across all service types.

On that note, in mid-October ACA focused on political advocacy in Canberra, where we met with Dan Tehan, Minister for Education and Training, Amanda Rishworth, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education and Development, adviser to Michael Keenan, Minister for Human Services and adviser to Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Senator for NSW (Greens Party).

ACA Vice President Nesha Hutchinson and I enjoyed meeting these stakeholders and discussing our position on the benefits of early learning and how government policy can support Australian families and the sector in ensuring that all Australian children get the best start in life.

to produce a report that identifies any patterns in the under and oversupply of early learning services across Australia.

As a unified voice, our aim is to use the resulting data to engage with relevant government departments and planning authorities about how this issue could be addressed through planning regulation and education.

Our sincere thanks go out to everyone who took part in Early Childhood Educators Day, for the whole of Australia to enjoy. We hope that every one of Australia’s early childhood educators enjoyed the celebrations and ended the day feeling truly recognised and appreciated.

Paul Mondo National President Australian Childcare Alliance

I recently enjoyed attending the ACA Qld Members’ Meeting in Brisbane and Gold Coast, providing updates on ACA’s political engagement in the lead up the federal election and the future direction of the early learning sector.

It was great to meet some of the Queensland members. Many thanks to all who came along!

Meanwhile ACA continues to explore the growing issue of oversupply of early learning services in certain geographic locations. In this context, the ACA, Australian Community Children’s Services (ACCS) and the Early Learning and Care Council of Australia (ELACCA) have joined forces

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Kids Alive – Kids Alive – Do Do Five thethe Five water water safetysafety program program Congratulations Early Childhood Educators!

Water safety advocate Laurie Lawrence is praising the efforts of early childhood educators, believing they are major contributors to the reduction of drowning in Australia.

According to Royal Life Saving Australia, there were 18 children between 0-4 who drowned in Australia in 2017/18, this represented a 38% reduction on 2016/17 statistics.

“I want to thank the Early Learning Educators, they are taking ownership of the Kids Alive – Do the Five message and teaching water safety to Australia’s most vulnerable. This is the lowest number on record, but 18 is still a bus load of kids,” Laurie said.

Don’t become complacent Laurie also warns that we must not become complacent with our efforts. “We must keep water safety front of mind and work towards a goal of zero preschool drownings,” Laurie said. To ramp up water safety education efforts, the Kids Alive Do the Five team have released a free professional development training opportunity specifically for Early Childhood Educators. The training is presented online via an interactive learning program. It combines video footage, lesson plans to download and short quizzes to deliver the message. The online training takes approximately 30 minutes and showcases actual lesson plans delivered to children over a 4-week period. It targets home, beach, farm and pool safety. The training can also be linked to the Early Years Learning Framework and National Quality Standards. “The Kids Alive training was put together by the highly skilled

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teaching staff at Bright Buttons Currumbin. If you have lesson plan ideas, we would love to hear from you too,” Laurie said.

Free PD Training The training can be accessed online at http://kidsalive.com.au/ earlylearning. The main aim of the training is to give suggestions and ideas on how to incorporate water safety education in a fun and exciting way into Australian early learning centres. Laurie encourages centres to contextualise the program to meet their local community needs.

“Australia is a diverse country, we have vast environments that pose water dangers. The training looks at pool, home, beach and farm safety but educators may be able to come up with other ideas like water safety when boating and fishing,” Laurie said.

Backyard pools biggest threat Swimming pools still pose the greatest danger to children under 5.

According to the Royal Life Saving statistics in 2017/18, 12 children between 0-4 drowned in swimming pools. It remains clear that children with home swimming pools are the most vulnerable. The report went on to explain that between July 2002 and June 2017, 91 children between 0-4 years drowned in Australia and in 71% of cases, the child drowned in the pool located at their primary residence. Laurie urges educators not only to educate the children in their centre but to get the message through to parents as well. “Early childhood teachers are in direct contact with parents, this is very powerful, talking

to parents about water safety will save little lives. I also hear that the Kids Alive song is a particular favourite to sing at Christmas concerts, what a great way to remind parents about the importance of water safety,” Laurie said.

Costumes and puppets Laurie also believes that learning about water safety should be fun for children and parents. For this reason, the Kids Alive team have costume characters and puppets that centres can use to help engage young children. The costumes and puppets are available for free hire and are sent out on a first request basis. The only cost is for the return postage to Kids Alive, which is usually between $30$80. “The costumes are ideal to use with the Kids Alive story books and music CD. We have just released the puppets and we hope they will be just as successful as the large mascots,” Laurie said.

Kids Alive – Do the Five Laurie’s Kids Alive Do the Five message remains so important.

So, let’s keep drumming the mantra because it will save lives.

1. Fence the pool 2. Shut the gate 3. Teach your kids to swim – it’s great 4. Supervise – watch your mate 5. And learn how to resuscitate

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The daY we met JeT PacK Man, a story about fun cup filling Sandi Phoenix, Principal Facilitator > Phoenix Support for Educators

Transitions were not Jaxon’s favourite thing. In fact, he would resist every one of them. Time to go inside? Nope. Time to wash our hands? I don’t think so. Group time? Not happening. Jaxon taught his educators that insistence was futile and would end in meltdown. Every time Jaxon was interrupted, he would become furiously frustrated. Jaxon was fortunate enough to have educators who were responsive, thoughtful, and reflective. They realised it was time to try something different.

So, they did.

Then magic happened.

On this gorgeous Australian summer morning, Jaxon’s class were rounding up for circle time (rounding up for circle time - see what I did there?).

It’s no secret that I’m not particularly a fan of herding children all at once to sit at a mandatory group time where Jaxon and his people are likely to resist and rebel. As a behaviour consultant, group time with two to five-year aged children keeps me in a job. I wish it didn’t.

But this Kindergarten room was different to many. This group time was the most respectful community gathering of children I had ever seen.

It started with an acknowledgement to the Aboriginal custodians of the land on which they were meeting and playing today. The children would take the framed words of acknowledgement that they had written with their teachers and

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bring it to the group. They would then choose one of their peers to “read” the acknowledgement. The first time I joined this session, I was blown away by the child who spoke it with a twinkle in his eye and an unexpectedly genuine understanding and connection of the words he was saying.

However, Jaxon did not always appreciate these moments of togetherness like his peers did. So, there was always a good chance he’d take his time getting there. Then he’d likely poke the person beside him a few times and perhaps practice some new arm pit noises. Of course, this would evoke corrective responses from his educators. And now we’re in our regular cycle.

But Jaxon’s educators were trying new stuff on this day. They’d reflected on where expectations of compliance could be replaced by expectations of being considerate of others. So, when we noticed that Jaxon had stuck together two Weetbix boxes in the art area and barely looked up to see his peers sitting in

their morning circle, we offered him the choice to join us. Not surprisingly, he said no. He was therefore reminded that his classmates are having their community meeting and it would be respectful to ensure we don’t interrupt them. But does he need anything for his work? Jaxon briefly looked up to reveal a most puzzled look that said to me “this is new”.

Then he mentioned he would need tape and scissors. His educator arranged the tools he needed and moved the fully stocked collage trolley closer to him.

That was the last time Jaxon looked up from his work for the rest of the session. By the end of group time, it was becoming obvious that Jaxon was working on a masterpiece. Jaxon’s educators were curious about this involvement as they had recently had a lengthy discussion about Fun Cup filling. Glasser suggested Fun is a basic human need and “is the genetic reward for learning” (Glasser, 1998). The teaching team had also been considering how complete immersion in an activity, known as a

state of ‘flow’ (Csíkszentmihályi, 2008) can also be intensely Fun Cup filling.

Furthermore, they were interested in identifying this type of involvement as it means that there is intense mental activity and the child is functioning at the very limits of his capabilities, with an intrinsic energy flow. According to Laevers there is no more favourable condition to real development. If we want deep level learning, we cannot have it without involvement. Jaxon’s educators were noticing obvious signs of deep level involvement and flow, such as focussed eye gaze and even strong stimuli was not distracting him (as cited in Department of Education and Children’s Services, 2008).

They were excited to nurture that involvement, support him to fill his Fun Cup and curious to know how long it would last.

Fun is a basic human need and “is the genetic reward for learning.”

Glasser, 1998

Next, it was morning tea time. In the past, Jaxon might have been forced through this part of the routine.

Wash hands, sit at the table, eat, then you can return to play later.

However, being interrupted in deep level involvement and flow is not only Cup emptying but potentially counterproductive to learning. So, we trusted Jaxon to tell us if his Survival Cup needed filling.

“Jaxon, do you need to eat?”. His head stayed down as he muttered “I’m not hungry”. A plate of fruit and crackers was put aside for him for when he is ready. And his work continued, uninterrupted.

After hours of intensely involved experience, Jaxon put the finishing touches on his work. A door was cut into the boxes which opened to reveal many milk bottle top buttons and switches. Two formula tins were attached to the base through which bright red and orange crepe paper flames flowed to the ground. The straps were tricky and required the support of an adult to find a way to mount the Jet Pack neatly onto Jaxon’s back. He was bubbling with excitement and pride as he stretched out his arms and spun on the spot.

His educators’ eyes lit up with smiles and pride that matched his own. Jaxon looked up and seemed to bask in the light of his educators’ beaming faces.

His peers were in awe of Jet Pack Man. Jet Pack Man flew from room to room, outside, inside, to the office, through the foyer and back to his room in a speedy display of flowing crepe paper, giggles, and zooming noises. Jet Pack Man stayed to play all day, all week even. Whole body, full of imagination, deep level play that involved many of his friends and even some new ones. Children were not scared of Jet Pack Man like they sometimes were of Jaxon. When parents came in the afternoon, they joined in their exclamations of awe at Jaxon’s work.

He was quite used to seeing adults frown at him, or raise an eyebrow, or shake their head. But this felt much better. He was being looked at with delight. This was new.

On this day, Jaxon was not expected to be compliant and obedient and do as he was told, potentially emptying his Cups. The teaching team understood his need for Fun Cup filling and supported him to make choices within the expectation of being considerate and cooperative. If Jaxon had been forced to transition to circle time or morning tea with his peers, we never would have met Jet Pack Man. If they had interrupted him and forced him to attend group time or morning tea, there’s a good chance Jaxon would have been distracted and distracting. After being corrected with statements like “Jaxon, please

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We met JeT PacK Man that day. stop interrupting”, “Jaxon keep your hands to yourself”, “Jaxon, walk inside please”, “Stop! You’re hurting your friend”, there’s a good chance Jaxon would have become disconnected and angry. Sometimes when his Cups got really empty, Jaxon would yell, throw things around the room or flip a table.

Not today. On this day, we met Jet Pack Man instead.

We met Jet Pack Man that day because Jaxon’s educators bravely allowed him to co-construct the curriculum while they critically reflected on a transition that has ‘always been done that way’. We met Jet Pack Man that day because Jaxon’s educators trusted him to

know how to meet his own needs.

Or in Phoenix Cups language, Jaxon was supported to choose behaviours that filled his Cups without emptying the Cups of people around him. His educators looked for involved play, respected it, nurtured it, and refused to interrupt it. Due to this decision to allow Jaxon to continue his work, we discovered Jaxon’s potential. We realised his persistence and ability to concentrate on a task for much longer than we knew he could. Jet Pack Man taught us a great deal that day.

I’m so glad we met him. He is awe inspiring. Make sure you don’t miss an opportunity to meet Jet Pack Man. It’s time to take the Fun Cup seriously.

For more information about The Phoenix Cups conceptual framework please visit www.phoenix-support. com.au

References Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2008). Flow. New York: HarperCollins.

DECS Publishing. (2008). Assessing for learning and development in the early years using observation scales: reflect respect relate / Department of Education and Children’s Services. Hindmarsh.

Glasser, W. (1998). Choice theory (1st ed.). New York: HarperPerennial.

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Musson, S. (1994). School-Age Care – Theory and Practice.

Canada: Addison-Wesley Publishers Ltd. Phoenix, S. (2018). The Phoenix Cups; An educator’s toolkit for behaviour (2nd ed.). Brisbane, Q.L.D.: Phoenix Support for Educators Pty Ltd. Porter, L. (2008). Young children’s behaviour (1st ed.).

Marrickville, N.S.W.: MacLennan & Petty.

Become an Early Childhood Teacher in less time College for Australian Early Childhood Educators (CAECE) was established by Australian Childcare Alliance Queensland in 2014 to deliver high quality, practical and up to date training to the early learning sector.

Four years on, CAECE stays true to its mission of setting the benchmark in the training and support of early childhood educators.

With this is mind, CAECE is very proud to partner with a leading university, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), to offer students a streamlined pathway to become an Early Childhood Teacher. This partnership is driven in part to help the early learning sector in Queensland address the shortage of Early Childhood Teachers.

This partnership with QUT ensures that students will receive 96 credit points for their completed CHC50113 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care towards their Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood), which means they graduate sooner and save approximately $6,600*! Students may also receive an additional 48 credit points if they hold a CHC50113 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care and meet the work experience criteria, saving an additional $3,300*.

CAECE Mentoring Program We are excited to present our innovative Mentoring Program based on the CAECE philosophy of supportive and personal relationships to enhance professional and personal development.

The CAECE Mentoring Program aims to guide the participant’s transition into the Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) and provide support to develop confidence, extend study skills and inspire the participant to achieve their study goals. Our program is provided over a period of approximately seven months, from initial application stage to the end of first semester.

Research has indicated that first year students experience feelings of isolation and uncertainty in the transition to university. Our Mentoring Program aims to effectively

orientate and support students to transition into tertiary studies.

The CAECE Mentor will assist the student through the QTAC and QUT application process and provide personal support throughout the first Semester. Mentoring will include strategies to develop increased independence in learning and guidance to balance academic workload with other commitments such as work and family.

The CAECE Mentoring Program consists of: 1. Assistance through application process a. Lodgment of QTAC Application (QTAC Application fee is additional and payable by student) b. Completion of QUT Application 2. Mentoring a. Orientation to University study b. Academic literacy – Independent research, data base searches, APA Referencing c. Facilitate creation of ‘Study Groups’ d. Referral to relevant QUT support services 3. Contact - Regular personal contact during the first Semester For more information, call the CAECE team on 07 3299 5784 or email info@caece.com.au.

The cost of the CAECE Mentoring Program is $1,499 (excludes QTAC application fee).

CAECE RTO Number: 40933 * 2019: Commonwealth Supported Places $6,600 per year full-time (96 credit points)

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LauGh OuT LouD!

How to incorporate humour in early childhood settings Eleni Stathis, Trainer & Assessor > ACCCO

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their minds. It explains why 3-yearolds, who are often still mastering toilet training find the word “poo” so funny.

“A day without laughter is a day wasted.”

Charlie Chaplin

Why Innovation Leaders?

The psychologist Lev Vygotsky believed that humorous social interactions can greatly promote children’s cognitive development.

When children are able to recognise humour, they are demonstrating their ability to communicate on a more complex level. When a child can tell or understand a joke, it shows that they can think critically about sentence structure and about concepts in society.

Researcher Paul McGhee has mapped stages of children’s humour into Piaget’s cognitive development stages. I guess it makes sense that how a child understands the world cognitively, would be tied to what they find funny about that world.

Children up to 12 months experience humour through parents and educators saying silly words or playing “peek-a-boo”. Even laughing at “peek-a-boo” is a marker for a certain level of intellectual development, and so documenting this is important.

At age two to three, children find humour in language. Surprises, rhymes, and nonsensical words can make them laugh. This shows a growing understanding of language.

Mem Fox, one of our most loved children’s book authors has always said that “Rhymers will be Readers”.

Riddles and rhymes expose children to new words and meanings, and the repeated telling of the riddles consolidates the memory of those words and makes them more accessible in everyday life.

Also, the things that children find funny tell us a great deal about their level of development and what is on

By ages three to five, incongruity becomes funny. Children understand how the world works, and when that perception is altered, it can be humorous. For example, a Duck that says “Moo” does not match their idea of how a duck is supposed to sound.

Incongruity is also an early sign of critical thinking.

Children older than five years old begin to show an appreciation for both listening to and telling jokes.

Children at this age can understand complex language involved in exaggeration, puns, and irony.

Incorporating humour into the early childhood setting can be as simple as putting on a silly hat, singing a funny song or sharing a joke. Sharing humour works towards strengthening children’s social and emotional wellbeing and enables them to be more confident and involved learners.

These outcomes are in line with the concept of “Belonging” as outlined in the Early Years Learning Framework.

When children have positive experiences, such as shared funny experiences with educators and peers, they develop an understanding of themselves and feel a sense of ‘belonging’. Relationships, as we know, are the foundations for the construction of identity and are of course further considered in Quality Area 5 of our National Quality Standard.

They say laughter is the best medicine, and for good reason. A sense of humour not only helps children to build self-esteem, and critical thinking skills, some research also shows that the more you support children’s sense of humour at this early stage, the more likely they are to emerge into adolescence and adulthood with a well-developed set of humour skills that support good mental and physical health. The physical act of laughter is similar to the effect on the body of exercise.

Laughter reduces stress hormones and boosts the immune system.

Among both children and adults, humour is now understood to be one basic component of interpersonal competence. It is I believe a key social skill that will serve children well in the future. As we know, a great deal of attention has

been given in the past decade to emotional intelligence and resilience in early childhood. The ability to manage one’s own emotional state (as well as the emotions of others) is considered by most researchers/experts on this topic to be a key component of emotional intelligence. There is also ample research showing that humour is a very effective means of managing one’s emotions—of sustaining a more positive, upbeat mood and attitude on the tough days as well as on the good days.

We know humour is good for us and it’s a trait we look for in others, but it isn’t often the first thing that comes to mind when we think of goal setting and programming for early childhood. We want children to be happy and secure in the early childhood setting, “But how often do we think that sharing humour and laughter can be a great contributor to this?”

I encourage you as educators to intentionally plan to talk about your own funny misfortunes and funny stories of your childhood. When you show no fear or embarrassment, children will take a chance and soon follow with their own funny stories.

This is not limited to humorous stories, but can include jokes, props, puns, short stories, anecdotes, riddles, or cartoons. It can be anything that creates a positive feeling in children and makes them smile and laugh.

Give children the license to laugh by laughing often yourself. Be silly and they will be silly too. Tell jokes and they will tell jokes too. Fun and laughter will soon become a habit. By laughing lots and stopping to really enjoy the funny moments, I have no doubt that you will build wonderful memories for yourself and the children.

So now I say to you….

Be brave!! Go forth my friends and be funny!!!!! www.accco.com.au

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Member in the Spotlight In our member survey this year, ACA Qld members expressed an interest in reading more about other early learning services. Therefore, we have launched a new series called ‘Member in the Spotlight’ with the aim to share stories of members and the things that make them tick. This is the space to share with the ACA Qld family what you are doing to improve outcomes for Australia’s youngest generation.

ACA Qld: Tell us about Everton Park Child Care and Development Centre.

Hilary Webb (Centre Director): Everton Park Child Care and Development Centre is located in a residential suburb approximately eight kilometres north of Brisbane CBD. The centre was built in 1987 and was bought by its current approved provider, Mr Con Clifford in 1999.

Over the past 19 years Everton Park Child Care and Development Centre has gone through many changes to transform it from a low occupancy centre, with minimal standards, to the vibrant high-quality centre it is today.

The centre caters for children from 15 months to school age and is licenced for 80 children a day. The centre has continued to grow and develop bringing about a focus on the natural environment, child focused learning and sustainability to benefit all children’s growth and

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development. We believe strongly that the environment is the third teacher. Our environments play an integral role in our learning environments. Our rooms are set up to portray an extension of home. This helps children feel safe and secure and provides them with a sense of belonging, to ensure that they grow and develop to their full potential during these early years.

Natural elements are used extensively around the centre to provide a calm yet stimulating environment. We keep our displays simple and non-cluttered to prevent over stimulation and make the environment more aesthetically pleasing to children and families. Our programs are based upon the children’s interests which are further developed through a professional approach by our Educators who are able to build upon what the children can do and understand to develop great learning outcomes.

ACA Qld: What do you think makes the service so special?

HW: Our outdoor environment provides a unique setting that includes large shady trees, natural grass area, lush decorative and vegetable gardens, chickens, and a native beehive. Over the past five years, these have all been planted and cared for by the children. We have created small, intimate spaces around the yard to allow for many varied experiences to occur throughout the day.

We believe that nature play holds rich and meaningful learning for children and as such, we have continued to build upon our outdoor environment which has now been classified by Nature Play Queensland as a Bush Kindy.

We are excited by this recognition in the past year as this meets our centre’s goals and philosophy and is proof that we continue to grow and develop. Children are allowed to be children and are able to lead their learning in all areas of the centre, however our outdoor environment plays a major role across all age groups.

ACA Qld: What did you do (and continue to do) in your service to achieve an Excellent rating?

HW: We have built a strong and positive team that share a similar philosophy that values the importance of providing the best in care and education for all children.

Through collaboration and team work we continue to reflect upon our practices and continue to improve all areas of our program believing strongly that the children are our main focus and all decisions we make are guided by our question: “What is in the best interest of the children?”

To reach this level we all need to continue to want to find ways to improve practices. This means developing an environment that thrives on continual learning and development so that we all continue to grow professionally. Professional development does not just happen through attending workshops, it also includes personal research, mentoring as well as a willingness to try new methodologies and move away from our own comfort zone.

ACA Qld: You were recognised by ACECQA for your “inclusive partnerships, workplace values and leadership in the early education and care sector”. How does it feel to have this kind of recognition?

HW: We are very proud to be leaders in the early education and care sector by setting high standards and continually reflecting upon our own practices.

We continue to develop as professionals ensuring that we remain at the forefront of the industry and continue to seek ways to improve on our practices and outcomes for children.

We are delighted to host students from a variety of RTOs, the indigenous community, schools, as well as many visits from other early childhood services where we willingly share information and conduct visits, and work with a number of professional development organisations.

To continue this role, we have moved into conducting professional development sessions and mentoring sessions with the goal to produce better outcomes for all children and their families. This mentoring system provides our own educators with confidence in their own abilities which also provides incentives to continue to grow professionally themselves.

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ACA Qld: ACECQA also noted that the skills of your educators are recognised and valued through the development of specialist roles. Can you tell us more about it?

HW: For a team to reach its potential, we believe it is important to use educators’ strengths within the program.

Two of the specialty roles we have developed include our Outdoor Educator and our Indigenous Inclusion Support Educator.

Both these roles play a major role in our overall curriculum.

Our Outdoor Educator works full time to help lead and guide our outdoor program which includes our bush kindy experiences, physical activities which include a huge variety of experiences including ropes courses, tree climbing, and loose part play whilst teaching children about sustainable practices and the love and care for our natural environment.

At Everton Park Child Care and Development Centre, we recognise that there has been and continues to be disenfranchisement for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We are committed to providing a safe place for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and will actively work to reduce prejudice by providing rich learning experiences that strengthen knowledge and understanding and foster a community that celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. We are very fortunate to

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have one of our educators who showed a great deal of interest and knowledge in this area and appointed her to the role of Indigenous Inclusion Support. This has been a very worthwhile appointment as Natalie works with all age groups to build knowledge and understanding into our curriculum. This not only builds upon the children’s knowledge but also all the educators and our families.

We have also used educators’ interest to lead science and music within the centre.

ACA Qld: Do you have any advice for services preparing for their assessment?

HW: Reaching exceeding and subsequently excellence is not an easy journey but one that is very rewarding. If I could offer any advice at all, it is that you need to work as a collaborative and committed team that shares the same vision. Conduct some very open and honest discussions that critically reflect upon each quality area and work together on your improvements. Create open communication pathways to consider all points of view and work collaboratively to achieve the desired outcome. Embedded practices take time and cannot be achieved overnight.

Keep trying, better outcomes for children are what we are all aiming for. You can achieve anything with the right attitude, hard work and dedication.

Bridge investigations at Tugulawa Early Education Amanda Henry, Lead Educator > Tugulawa Early Education

At a very young age, children are capable of creating a fun, interesting, relevant and educational emergent curriculum. Trusting in children’s ideas, and reflecting on the ‘why?’ helps educators to scaffold the children’s learning, and work alongside them when creating an educational program.

One example of the emergent curriculum in action in our toddler room was our bridge investigations.

The investigations started earlier in the year, when we had some children who were very keen on retelling stories. I felt that a good story to promote this early literacy was ‘The Three Billy Goats Gruff’. It was the perfect story, with a little bit of action, a scary character we could all love to hate, and lots of repetitive phrases that the toddlers could chime in with as we told the story. After many retelling using different props, it soon became evident that the bridge was the star of this story, and we started to notice bridges everywhere.

Using our floorbook, we continued to investigate different aspects of bridges, recorded the children’s ideas and knowledge, and incorporated these findings into our program. The planned experiences that supported this interest spanned across every area of the Early Years Learning

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Framework, as well as drawing on the Practices and Principles such as partnerships with children, responsiveness to children, intentional teaching, learning through play and learning environments.

With scaffolding from the educators, the children began to play in small groups cooperatively, working together to re-tell the beloved story of the bridge. It was most unusual to see children this young, working together to create bridges with blocks and other resources. They even enlisted some of the older children while outside to build an impressive bridge in the sandpit which spanned across several days. The older children were able to bring more knowledge of construction, incorporating ropes, pipes and mixing “mortar” to hold it all together.

Bridges certainly promoted physical play once we noticed that we could make bridges with our bodies there was no stopping us! We use our

body bridges to crawl under, roll balls through and run cars over. Bridges made great tunnels too, and we loved to take turns to go through or under.

Jumping from bridges was also lots of fun, and not for the faint-hearted!

We made big bridges from the cave kit (our large colourful outdoor blocks) and enjoyed balancing along and jumping from the end. This was a great way to build our confidence in our gross motor skills and reach new physical milestones.

One thing that I particularly enjoyed watching was the children re-enacting the story themselves. They would happily take turns to play the troll or the goats, and loved to use a kinder board as the bridge. This was a great way for the children to explore this “baddie” character in a way that they felt safe. It also demonstrated sharing, turn taking, cooperation, resilience, imagination, sequencing and joint attention/common goals.

As this became a very well-known play scenario, the children began to swap the characters for things we had in the classroom. The goats became dogs, people or other animals (as we had a collection of these), and with the help of the OHP, the bridge became familiar bridges in Brisbane. We were able to look at the city from our veranda, and could even see one of our favourite bridges, the Story Bridge. Soon, teachers and families began sending in photos of bridges they had passed by over their weekend travels. We began looking closer at the bridges of Brisbane, and made a map of these in the floorbook.

Some of us learned the bridge names off by heart! It was great to add these familiar community links such as the Brisbane River to our small worlds and pretend play. We also observed the different bridges, such as car bridges, pedestrian bridges, and train bridges. Of course, our favourite song was “London Bridge is Falling Down”, so we also looked at the bridges of London, and made a map of these in our floorbook too! The teachers learned that the popular picture of ‘London Bridge’ is not actually the London Bridge, it is the Tower Bridge, and London Bridge is just a normal car bridge, the next bridge along the river Thames. Proof that we are all learners!

it would be strong and immediate, as we had already waited a long time for this! The result was a great success, and the children were able to use it in their play with cars, animals and dolls.

The children followed these investigations with great enthusiasm and interest for over four months.

The educators were beginning to run out of what we believed were age appropriate experiences for the class.

What this project highlighted is that sometimes our views of what is age appropriate is slightly skewed.

While I have always viewed children as capable beings, this group far exceeded my expectations for their understanding and knowledge retention that I found myself reflecting on my own early childhood beliefs.

Through this investigation of bridges, we soon noticed the reoccurring shape of triangles. This prompted some further investigation into shapes, and through many different mini experiments using paper bridges and straws we soon learnt that the triangle is the strongest of all the shapes.

Triangles soon became our favourite shape, and we added these to all our games including yoga, construction and our own home-made Story Bridge triangle puzzles. We investigated the structural integrity of the triangle, and named shapes either strong or wobbly.

We began to make our own triangles with different resources, we loved to cut triangles out from paper and glue them into the floorbook, and soon we began to make them from paddle pop sticks and glue. This is what prompted our largest toddler group project yet: our paddle pop stick bridge!

After two weeks of collecting all our paddle pop stick triangles, we were finally able to put them all together to construct the bridge.

The Educators used the hot glue gun to do this final construction, so that

EARLY EDITION > SUMMER 2018

17

Educators in Profile

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Tom

Joshua

Name: Tom Castillo Service: Okeedokee Early Learning Centre Role: Lead educator (toddlers)

Name: Joshua Pokai Service: Little Gems Child Care & Early Learning Centre (Helensvale) Role: Educator

In this edition, meet two male educators working in the early childhood sector. Tom Castillo and Josh Pokai talk about the challenges of working in a female dominated industry and what advice they would give to males wishing to start a career in early childhood.

ACA Qld: How long have you been in the sector and what role do you play in your service?

Tom Castillo: I have been working in early learning services for approximately three and a half years and recently taken a position as lead educator in the toddler’s room.

Joshua Pokai: I have been in this role for a year, I am an educator in the Grasshoppers Room with 4-5-year-old children.

ACA Qld: What/who inspired you to forge a career in early childhood education and care?

TC: Prior to working in the sector I was studying psychology on the Gold Coast, unfortunately due to work constraints I was unable to finish the degree. During this time, I developed a passion for developmental and positive psychology and grew frustrated with the current approach in which a high number of psychological support services focus on treatment rather than preventative strategies. I also came to understand the importance of having strong emotional and social foundations which can be supported by early years education. For me, the opportunity to make a positive difference in a child’s life is a great way to spend your time and energy.

JP: I have always been passionate about education and I have many nieces and nephews and always love teaching them new things and playing games with them. When I grew tired of working in my old job painting houses, I thought to take up a new career. My partner has already been working in childcare for a year and through her connections, I was able to get myself a job in the industry. My kind boss Cherie was more than happy to take me on as a studying educator and has been helping me improve on my skills every day.

ACA Qld: Being a male in a female dominated industry, what challenges have you encountered and how have you dealt with these challenges?

TC: Generally, I have received an overwhelmingly positive response to working in child services. However, I feel the biggest challenge I have faced is that my dedication and hard

work has been attributed to my gender rather than the quality of care and education I provide. Also, as there is a lack of males in the industry, I feel I must set a high standard of care to ensure that the culture and expectation for male educators remains as positive as possible. This approach can, and has been, exhausting at times but the recognition and appreciation by families is worth the extra effort.

JP: As a male in a female dominated industry, I don’t find it hard to get along with any of the staff. The women I work with are kind and passionate about what they do and more than happy to help wherever possible and we work together as a team to achieve whatever goal we are striving towards.

ACA Qld: What’s the highlight of your career journey so far?

TC: Being recognised by my team as a highly competent and dedicated educator, who has been given the opportunity to lead a room in a service I love.

JP: The highlight of my career journey has been building close relationships with the children and getting to the point where they are comfortable with me and share a lot about themselves. This has allowed me to learn more about them and figure out each child’s individual way of learning.

The love that the children show for me is very fulfilling and I can’t say that any job I have worked at has made me as happy as I am when I walk into a room full of smiles and laughter.

ACA Qld: What is the most important skill you hope to develop in the children you educate and care for?

TC: I believe that the most important aspect of an educator is building children’s social and emotional foundations. I am a big advocate of behaviour management, prosocial behaviour and emotional resilience being taught in early learning services.

JP: The most important skill I feel I have taught the children has been for them to be as diplomatic as possible when dealing with the situations where they are disagreeing and not getting along with each other. For

them to be able to reflect on the situation and come to an agreement where they know it is fair to give a toy back or have a toy given back, being able to show resilience when getting called names and asking other children nicely if they can join in on play. I feel these are very important skills later in life when the children are trying to make friends, they are able to reflect on these skills to help them understand how to treat their friends and maintain positive relationships throughout their lives.

ACA Qld: Where do you see your journey taking you in five years?

TC: I intend to finish my psychology degree with the goal of completing a post-graduate degree in speech pathology. Ideally, I would like to work as a speech pathologist or occupational therapist.

JP: I hope to see my journey in childcare take me overseas and teaching less fortunate children and helping them to strive in the modern world.

ACA Qld: What would you say to other male educators wishing to start a career in early childhood education and care?

TC: Working in early childhood services is an excellent means of experience, particularly if considering a career in education. Families and colleagues are generally very receptive to males in the industry and are highly regarded.

JP: If you are a male thinking about doing childcare, I would have to say be prepared for something completely different to your average male dominated jobs, this work requires a lot of patience and the ability to communicate with children when they are going through hard times and having trouble coping with situations they are in. Be cool, calm and collected and remember that most children don’t know any better than how they are behaving, and it is up to you to teach them those important skills.

EARLY EDITION > SUMMER 2018 19

Advance your career with study support

Create your own career opportunities through the Queensland Government’s training incentives.

Demand for qualified workers in early childhood education and care throughout Queensland is growing, generating new career pathways for school leavers, educators and teachers.

To meet demand and support career progression within the sector, the Queensland Government is offering a range of training subsidies and fee waivers.

Eligible Year 12 graduates must enrol and start training within the calendar year after leaving school to take advantage of this great opportunity.

Training opportunities for newcomers

Training subsidies for current educators

If you know any primary school teachers or school leavers who are thinking of a career in early childhood, tell them now is the time to get qualified.

The Higher Level Skills program offers subsidised training in the early childhood skills that are most in demand.

For a short time, registered primary teachers can qualify as an Early Childhood Teacher (ECT) by completing a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care. But they will have to be quick. Recognition of this combination of qualifications only applies to those who finish the Early Childhood Teacher Bridging Program by 31 December 2019.

And, in a bid to attract Queensland school leavers, the Queensland Government is offering the following free courses: • Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care • Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care (traineeship) • Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (apprenticeship)

Existing educators with a Certificate III or above can complete the following training at a reduced cost: • Team Leader (CHCSS00091) • Building inclusive practices in early childhood education and care (CHCSS00072) • Supporting children and families with complex needs (CHCSS00090) Course participants contribute to their training costs through a co-contribution fee, which is determined by their Registered Training Organisation.

For more information on the Queensland Government training incentives visit qld.gov.au/studysupport or search ‘Queensland Skills Gateway’.

The early childhood teacher bridging program and the early childhood training subsidies are initiatives of The Early Childhood Education and Care Workforce Action Plan 2016-2019.

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The deadline to qualify is approaching The end of transitional provisions will affect teacher ratios in 2020.

Are you on track to complete your early childhood teaching qualification by 31 December 2019?

This is when transitional provisions end for those who are currently ‘taken to be an early childhood teacher (ECT)’.

initiatives to help educators qualify as ECTs before the transition period ends. To find out more visit qld.gov. au/studysupport

Certificate III or diploma-level educators still working towards an ECT qualification will cease to be recognised as an ECT (for ratio purposes) from 1 January 2020.

For more information on the change and preparing your service and educators visit the ACECQA website at acecqa.gov.au/qualifications/ requirements/actively-workingtowards-a-qualification

And services without the required number of ECTs may not meet requirements under the National Quality Framework from that date.

The end of transitional provisions may also affect remote and very remote centre-based services that access an ECT online.

The good news is, the Queensland Department of Education is offering

NOTE: In October 2018, ACECQA released an update about the recognition as a ‘suitably qualified person’. For more information, visit https://www.acecqa.gov. au/qualification-requirements/ additional-staffing-requirement-1january-2020

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Inspire the future

Are your early childhood teachers on track to be qualified in time?

Transitional provisions for educators working towards their qualification will end 31 December 2019.

For more information on what this means for your service visit qld.gov.au/earlychildhoodcareers Authorised by the Queensland Government, William St, Brisbane

k Book: Rosie’s Wal

Scarecrow Literacy Festival Embedding literacy in the early years Rebecca Mills & Erin Davoren > Bright Buttons

Children’s books are everywhere. Quality children’s books are few and far between… when identified, so much knowledge and understanding can be gained from just one quality book.

This year, our Bright Buttons Banora Point team decided on a ‘Scarecrow Literacy Festival’ to showcase the importance of embedding quality literacy within early years environments.

From the beginning of the year, the children and educators embarked on a journey together to bring their favourite books to life.

During book week in August, our outdoor area was transformed into an interactive storybook wonderland as the scarecrows were all mounted for display. Families, friends and the wider community were all invited to see the children’s creations. For the children, this was a week where all their favourite book characters came to life!

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An intended outcome of this project was to empower our educators and children to work collaboratively on a common goal as they created visual representations of the children’s learning whilst also acknowledging and emphasising the importance of quality literature in the early years.

Early childhood teaching is not only an opportunity to educate children, but to also support the families in recognising the important fundamental aspects of their child’s learning journey. By providing a language and literature rich environment in both the home and classroom, it encourages opportunities to engage and motivate children to want to read, it builds on their confidence, creates a love of books

and provides the foundation to become lifelong learners.

It becomes evident the knowledge gained when passionate educators expose children to learning opportunities linked by quality literature in the early years environment.

By reading, listening, planning, creating and showcasing the largerthan-life literacy characters, the National Quality Standards were reflected with a main focus on QA 1, Educational Program and Practice and QA6, Collaborative Partnerships with Families and Communities.

Learning outcomes are most likely to be achieved when early childhood educators work in partnership with

families and the wider community.

Engaging with the wider community strengthens children’s interests and skills in being and becoming active contributors to their world (Early Years Learning Framework).

Through extending an invitation to not only the families but members of our community including aged care services, local schools and other early learning centres, the children at Bright Buttons developed a sense of achievement and belonging.

Collaborative partnerships enhance children’s inclusion, learning and wellbeing (NQS, Quality Area 6.2).

During this process, the children built reciprocal relationships, they were exposed to a sense of community, and developed an appreciation for and love of learning through literacy.

community involvement. It was a time to celebrate literature and learning through play, to reflect on collaborative practices and to create an opportunity to recognise the importance of immersing children in learning and language rich environments during their early years.

We found our Scarecrow Literacy journey to be a wonderful mix of children’s books, active learning, intentional teaching practices and

e Green Sheep?

Book: Where is th Sheep, Swing Here is the Slide d Sheep an Clown

rprise Book: Handa’s Su in book And Miss Caitlyn e tir week at

Outing Book: Alexander’s e…but you have Alexander is ther hole! to look down the

EARLY EDITION > SUMMER 2018 23

Willow Early Learning Centre’s sustainable and inviting outdoor play space Susan de Kok, Centre Manager/Nominated Supervisor > Willow Early Learning Centre Mudgeeraba

Here at Willow Early Learning Centre Mudgeeraba, we have a beautiful centre located on the Gold Coast. Our team continue to challenge their learning environments and come together to think of creative and stimulating ways to gather the children’s interests.

I set my team a challenge to see who could create the most sustainable and inviting outdoor play space that is aesthetically pleasing. Our centre consists of eight rooms with children six weeks to five years of age. This was originally an individual room challenge; however, we have five large yards, so the team got their thinking caps on and discussed with the children what their thoughts were on achieving this challenge.

Boooom, our centre became alive!

The children’s voices were heard, the educators were networking and the parents judged the yards to decide the winner. The winner of the $100 Kmart gift-voucher was the Senior

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Kindy and Kindergarten team! They used their prize money to make their yard even more beautiful. We were extremely proud of our educators, children and families for their efforts.

The children and parents also made sustainable resources as their inclusion into our exploring opportunities and created crocodiles, lava wands, fairy hanging pots and shakers.

We also have a strong connection with Kalwun Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community and they informed us that the Gold Coast City Council provides free trees to centres upon a written request. We reached out to them and they provided

us with 20 free native trees and shrubs, including bush tucker food so we can now educate the children further. This has opened a whole new window of opportunity for community engagements and has been extremely fun to provide provocations to the children.

I am proud to say that l can walk around both indoor and outdoor environments and feel blessed to have such a dedicated and creative team that l am honoured to call family. This connection and bond are also replicated with the families at our centre as they continuously help us grow and continue to learn as they participate in our activities.

Early learning playground maintenance Guild Insurance team

There’s a lot more to playground at an early learning centre than just fun and games. They provide children the chance to develop their physical skills, as well as their confidence and imagination.

However, like many areas of an early learning centre, they unfortunately don’t come without risk.

The Education and Care Services National Law requires early learning centres to protect children from harm and any hazard. Therefore, it’s recommended that any products purchased, including the equipment the children play on and other materials around the playground such as softfall, meet relevant Australian Standards.

Another way to manage the risk of a playground, is for centres to put a maintenance program in place. A maintenance program will provide centre staff with information regarding what equipment is to be inspected, how often, what is being looked for during inspections and what to do if there are any problems. This structured approach will create consistency between staff members and make it more likely the inspections will be done as and when they should. Plus consistent maintenance will likely result in the increased lifespan of the playground as well.

What is a maintenance program?

A maintenance program is essentially scheduled checks and inspections of all playground equipment at the centre.

All centres should create a maintenance program for their own unique centre. There is no one exact way this should be done as it will vary according to a range of factors, such as the type of equipment in the centre, the age of the equipment and the climate of that location.

Daily checks of playground equipment should be occurring in every early learning centre. This is required to be sure

no damage has occurred with the regular and frequent use of it. However, it’s also worth taking the time to make a more thorough and detailed inspection less frequently.

This might occur every three to six months, or more frequently if required. Centres should also inspect the playground when significant events occur, such as storms or vandalism, as they may cause damage to equipment.

When inspecting a playground and using a maintenance program always: • Follow the manufacturer instructions for any repair, service and cleaning.

• Keep a record of the inspections undertaken and any repairs needed and then carried out.

• Carry out additional unscheduled checks following any significant event, such as a storm or vandalism, which may have caused damage to playground equipment.

Help is available There are a range of organisations available to assist with playground safety. To be sure your playground has been installed correctly and is being maintained in the safest and most appropriate manner, consider engaging experts.

Installers of playground equipment will often provide maintenance programs. There is also range of organisations, both private and government, in all states and territories who offer playground safety information as well as inspections.

Guild Insurance Limited ABN 55 004 538 863, AFS Licence No. 233 791. Guild Insurance supports your Association through the payment of referral fees for certain products or services you take out with them. This article contains information of a general nature only, and is not intended to constitute the provision of advice. GLD4678 Early Learning Playground Maintenance Risk Article 06/2018

EARLY EDITION > SUMMER 2018 25

The importance of Induction (and re-induction) Deb Callahan > Development Manager, Giggletree

induction /ɪnˈdʌkʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. Is a procedure or ceremony for introducing someone to a new job, organisation, or way of life Those of us who have worked in more than one or two early childhood settings (either as leaders or team members) will all have a story to tell about our most effective transition to a new centre and the horror story of what happened when we weren’t effectively inducted.

For me I’d love to have had a dollar for every time that I have heard “We shouldn’t have to tell people that – it’s common sense”.

On reflection (and we all know how important this is as early childhood practitioners) ‘common sense’ can be something that is very site and/or culture specific. Induction offers the opportunity for us to let new team members know and understand what constitutes ‘common sense’ for us… from knowing how to fill a mop bucket with the correct amount of cleaning liquid to what bucket to use for what purpose. In my experience “red” does not always equal “bathroom”

Recruitment to Retention

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and “green” does not always equal “kitchen” – these can very much vary from service to service.

I hope you are beginning to understand that the Induction Process must include a high level of detail.

You must guide new team members through not only your philosophy and culture – but all the details of how to function as an effective member of the team.

In my opinion, to satisfy both regulatory requirements, quality standards and practical requirements, you are best to develop an Induction Checklist which MUST include at a minimum (as an example, our standard checklist is around 4 pages long): A ‘pre-commencement’ process including: Issuing a formal offer of employment. Remember to include (separately if necessary) details of the local commute, expectations of arrival time (e.g. 10 minutes before shift commencement), parking arrangements etc.

Agreement of commencement date. Reminder of items (e.g. TFN, qualifications, bank account details etc) to bring along on their first day (or earlier if you ‘onboard’ before commencement).

Identification of a workplace ‘mentor’ or ‘support person’ (a friendly, supportive someone who can be a ‘go-to person’ for the new team member to ask those detail questions e.g. where do I get the toilet roll, where do I find the maintenance list etc).

Arrange for a uniform to be available (order it if necessary) or advise what should be worn until the uniform is received.

Invite the new team member to write a brief introduction to themselves and provide a photo – post this on social media or in-house family communication systems (e.g. newsletters or Storypark and the like)… make them feel like their commencement is being anticipated with excitement!

1st Day Induction Plan for AT LEAST half a day non-contact period. I know, I know – we don’t recruit unless we really need someone, so we will probably need them on the floor the day that they start… but consider using a casual or relief team member to cover for this period. Remember – this is an investment in the professional life of your new team member – we will gain genuine benefit from ensuring a sound induction takes place that will pay off in the short to medium term (I promise).

In developing your Induction Checklist, ensure you include details such as:

service). Discuss quality and quantity expectations.

Discuss further training.

A detailed physical tour of the environment (laundry, washing line, toilets, break room, bins etc).

Continuous Improvement philosophy and processes.

QIP support.

Team meetings – attendance, expectations and how to participate. Provide dates/times if possible.

Introduce to all available team members. Take photo and post on social media and any allocated space for team photos etc at the centre.

Schedule follow up meetings (1 month, 3 months & 5 months (pre- probationary period review).

Please remember – it is not likely that any new team member will remember EVERYTHING that you discuss or present during this session. Not only is this new team member experiencing the nervousness around starting a new job – they have to get to know so many new team members, new children, new families – and get to know YOU! Make sure you’re friendly, supportive and welcoming – that you engender a sense of approachability so that any further questions or issues can be quickly addressed as the new team member is integrated into the centre.

MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW UP!! Touch base with your new team member informally and regularly. A simple ‘how are you settling in?’ or ‘are you finding everything that you need?’ – can go a very long way to ensuring that you retain this new team member.

Finally, it is important from both an employment law perspective and a consistency perspective to ensure that you ‘re-induct’ at least once per year. This serves as an opportunity to ensure that all the team are clear about their employment conditions, expectations and policies etc. This can also be a great way of starting off each year – focussing and reflecting (again – a key word in our profession) on what we need to work effectively at our centre. www.giggletree.com.au

Time to review policy/procedure documents. Focus on Code of Conduct, Confidentiality.

Time to review Team Handbook (if applicable).

Time to review the Family Handbook (if applicable).

Discussion time to address questions about the Job Description.

Discussion about the Philosophy and team culture – how does it look and feel ‘in action’? What are your expectations regarding communication? What are your expectations around becoming familiar with the children and families at the centre?

Time with the Educational Leader to discuss documentation expectations and processes (this should be irrespective of the educator level – as we know, all educator team members should be contributing to the documentation of learning at the

EARLY EDITION > SUMMER 2018 27

Supporter Members Directory Service

Contact

Area

Phone

Web

Accounts Advantage

Wanda Reynolds

Beenleigh

07 3209 8266

www.accountsadvantage.com.au

Bronze Business Services Pty Ltd

Tracey Jory

Thuringowa Central

0422 112 777

www.bronzebusiness.com.au

Elston

Ben Greenwell

Brisbane

1300 357 866

www.elston.com.au

Peter Price & Associates

Peter Price

Mt Ommaney

07 3376 3411

www.peterprice.com.au

ANZ Business Bank

Lyn Lange

Brisbane

0401 992 583

www.anz.com

Commonwealth Bank of Australia

Stephanie Kovacevic

Brisbane

07 3014 0714

www.commbank.com.au

Absolute Support Training & Resources

Darlene Wadham

Wynnum

0488 666 455

www.absolutesupport.com.au

Astute Early Years Specialists

Mel Comerfood

Chapel Hill

1300 928 228

www.weareastute.com.au

Early Learning Management

Naomi Freney

Bundall

07 5592 5800

www.elm.net.au

Elite Childcare Management

Debbie Thompson

Cannon Hill

0435 743 212

www.elitechildcaremanagement.com.au

G8 Education

G8 Education Team

Varsity Lakes

07 5581 5336

www.g8education.edu.au

Giggletree

Samantha Ahearn

North Lakes

07 3482 2490

www.giggletree.com.au

Guardian Early Learning Group

Helen Baker

Kelvin Grove

07 3832 7933

www.guardian.edu.au

Kids and Adults Learning

Annette Cunado

Northgate

1300 783 880

www.kal.net.au

QLECS (Qld Lutheran Early Childhood Services)

Maryann Sword

Milton

07 3511 4079

www.qlecs.org.au

Ready Now Resources

Louise Thomas

Helensvale Town Centre

0410 456 607

www.readynowresources.com.au

Shilus

Stephanie Smith

Oxenford

0402 252 762

www.shilus.com.au

Mark Elliott

Balmain

02 9235 2807

www.careforkids.com.au

CaterSafe

Glenn Raine

Port Curtis

0409 685 344

catersafe.com.au

Compliance Auditing & Training Australasia

Jerome Cramer

Brisbane

0412 024 258

www.cataptyltd.com

Kids Dig Food

Deb Blakley

North Lakes

0413 433 144

www.kidsdigfood.com.au

Yummies for Little Tummies

Darlene Clark

Sumner

07 3161 8063

www.yummiesforlittletummies.com.au

Peter Jarrett

West End

07 3230 8501

www.guildgroup.com.au

Giovanni Porta

Geebung

07 3265 3888

www.portalawyers.com.au

Ausplay Playscapes

Barry Healey

Wacol

07 3879 4444

www.ausplay.net.au

Surface Pro

Janet Osborne

Nerang

0418 741 507

www.surfacepro.net.au

Timberplay

Sally Alderton

Gold Coast

07 5563 3755

www.timberplay.com.au

Cyber Drafting & Design

Jodie Mark

Tingalpa

07 3393 9159

www.cyberservicesgroup.com.au

Jardine Architects

Greg Jardine

Brisbane

07 3229 9322

www.jardinearchitects.com.au

Mathiou Services

Mathiou Services Team

Burleigh Heads

1300 363 423

www.mathiouservices.com.au

Martin Bing

St Heliers

0495 200 612

www.1placeonline.com

Accounting, Bookkeeping & Financial Services

Banking Services

Consultancy / Management

Directories / Marketing Care For Kids Food & Nutrition

Insurance Services Guild Insurance Legal Porta Lawyers Playground Equipment / Surfacing

Property Services

Software / IT Support 1Place Online

28

EARLY EDITION > SUMMER 2018

Service

Contact

Area

Phone

Web

Core SME Services

Kelvin Wiggins

Fairlight

0490 796 085

www.coresme.com.au

Kidsoft

Kidsoft Team

Broadbeach

1800 827 234

www.kidsoft.com.auÂ

Kindy Now

Sean Maynihon

Cremorne

1800 154 639

www.kindynow.com

MiCare Global

Sharyn Fewster

Brisbane

1300 393 359

www.micareglobal.com

Penelope QIP

Steve Collier

Toowoomba

1300 435 962

www.penelope.com.au

QikKids

Sean Murphy

Morningside

1300 367 770

www.qikkids.com.au

think

Oliver Tams

Brighton

03 8306 3610

www.thinkprocurement.com

Future Champs

Nathan Riddle

Tallai

0421 043 511

www.futurechamps.net.au

Physi Kids

Kayleen Tolley

Cannon Hill

0414 559 997

www.physikids.com.au

Silva Everaers

Brisbane

07 3337 5230

www.randstadeducation.com.au

Child Care Super

Julie West

West End

0498 001 193

www.childcaresuper.com.au

HESTA Super Fund

Joanne Fenton

Brisbane

07 3223 4906

www.hesta.com.au

My Life My Super

Michael Huskisson

Melbourne

03 9648 4726

www.mylifemysuper.com.au

QIEC Super

Pam Abrey

Brisbane

0417 260 825

www.qiec.com.au

ABC School Supplies

Graham Bone

Capalaba

07 3823 2999

www.abcschoolsupplies.com.au

Bellbird Kid-z Educational Resources

Chris Carson

Dandenong

03 8795 6999

www.bellbirdkidz.com.au

Bright Spark Enterprises

Keith Garrett

Samford Valley

07 3289 2800

www.brightsparkenterprises.com.au

Educational Experience

Andrew Williams

Brisbane

0407 693 391

www.edex.com.au

iSandBox

Joseph Golubinsky

Gold Coast

1300 748 989

www.iSandBox.com.au

Modern Teaching Aids

Marco DeGeus

Frenchs Forest

02 9938 0411

www.teaching.com.au

Pre-School Equipment

Karen Clark

Elsternwick

1300 555 972

www.preschoolequipment.com.au

The Book Warehouse

Sean Berkeley

Albion

07 3862 6177

www.thebookwarehouse.com.au

ACE Community College

Robyn Keenan

Burleigh Waters

07 5520 3026

www.acecolleges.edu.au

Australian Child Care Career Options (ACCCO)

Narelle Cossettini

Fortitude Valley

07 3257 1972

www.accco.com.au

Australian College of Teacher Aides and Childcare

ACTAC Team

Clayfield

1300 511 455

actac.com.au

College for Australian Early Childhood Educators (CAECE)

Richard Fimeri

Brisbane

07 3299 5784

www.caece.com.au

EVAC-YOU-8

Chantelle Frew

Warringah

02 9939 2596

www.evacyoueight.com.au

Fluid First Aid

Ben Cleaver

North Lakes

1300 976 276

www.fluidfirstaid.com.au

In Safe Hands Educators in Safety

Michael Pecic

Arana Hills

1300 794 644

www.insafehands.net.au

Inspire Education

Kirsten George

Brisbane

1800 506 509

www.inspireeducation.net.au

National First Aid Institute (NFTI)

Liz Bryant

Maroochydore

07 5443 1966

www.nfti.edu.au

Sasha Goodwin

Sasha Goodwin

Gold Coast

0411 751 442

Herron Todd White

Simon Fox

Brisbane

07 3002 0900

www.htw.com.au

Trivett Property Group

Darren Trivett

Fortitude Valley

07 3216 1011

www.trivett.net.au

Sports and Fitness

Staff recruitment Randstad Education Superannuation

Toys & Resources

Training Providers

Valuers

EARLY EDITION > SUMMER 2018 29