Early Edition Winter - 2021

EarlyEdition WINTER 2021

Member in the Spotlight: Edge Early Learning Active Early Learning Curriculum Productive Partnerships at Eastwood Early Education ACA Qld 2021 National Conference

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EarlyEdition WINTER 2021

ACA Qld Location: 2/10 Welch Street, Underwood Qld 4119 Mailing: PO Box 137, Springwood QLD 4127 Telephone: (07) 3808 2366 Toll Free: 1300 365 325 (outside Brisbane) Web: www.qld.childcarealliance.org.au Email: qld@childcarealliance.org.au 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 Qld 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.

Contents ACA Qld President’s Report

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ACA National President’s Report

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Notifying Your Insurance Company of a Claim or Incident

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A Special Visit from Our Elderly Fellowship Group

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Member in the Spotlight: The Power of Active Early Learning

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Sharing is Caring: The Importance of Sharing Between Children

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How Much Do I Need to Retire?

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Productive Partnerships

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Educate Your Educators and Watch Retention Rates Rise

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ACA Qld 2021 National Conference

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2021 Awards for Excellence

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Educator in Profile: Claudia Gibson

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Re-imagining “Rooms”

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Education Resources, Programs, Planning and Professional Development

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CAECE Con ‘grad’ ulates

26

Supporter Members Directory 28

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE Executive

Committee Members

ACA Qld Office

President - Majella Fitzsimmons

Linda Davies

Rosa McDonald

Chief Executive Officer - Kate Tully

Vice President - Jae Fraser

Nicole Fowler

Katy Mason

Office Manager - Jen Smyth

Treasurer - Doug Burns

Kerrie Lada

Louise Thomas

Office Admin Assistant - Letitia Berndt

Executive Secretary - Debra North

Pam Maclean

Brent Stokes

Marketing and Communications Officer - Brianna Salmond

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ACA Queensland President’s Report Welcome to the 2021 Winter Early Edition. We hope you are all keeping yourselves warm and cozy as us Queenslanders are not so used to this very chilly winter weather!

Recently, ACA Qld Vice President Jae Fraser, CEO Kate Tully and I attended the quarterly ACA National meeting on the Gold Coast. Together we collaborated to complete the strategic plan for ACA National for the next 2-3 years. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to meet with the National Committee in person, sadly missing our Victorian friends who dialed in via Zoom as they were still operating under lockdown conditions.

After the difficult decision to postpone our 2020 conference, we are so grateful for, and humbled by, the resounding success of this year’s ACA Qld National Conference! The ACA Qld Management Committee and team send a big thank you to all involved in making this year’s conference one of the best yet. There was an excitable buzz around this year’s conference, seeing everyone once again and meeting up with familiar faces and new delegates. We were often told it was like seeing family again after not seeing them for a very long time, which was very heart-warming to hear. The Approved Provider lunch sponsored by Childcare Concepts was once again a great success and an amazing session for all who attended.

We thank our presenters; Jeaness Muir (Employer Services), Jannette Cotterell (Executive Counsel Australia), Nesha Hutchinson (ACA National) and Rhonda Livingstone (ACECQA) for their engaging presentations.

The Gala Dinner sponsored by HESTA was a highlight for me. The costumes again were the standout, and we could tell that everyone had missed the dancing by being on the dancefloor before mains were even served! We trust you all enjoyed this magical weekend as much as we did. We thank all our wonderful sponsors and exhibitors for being a part of this year’s conference, and we hope to see you all again in 2022. Stay tuned for next year’s conference dates which will be announced shortly. If you are not yet

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following ACA Qld on social media, now is the time! You can find all up to date information in the early learning sector by following and liking us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. ACA Qld is working closely with Minister for Education, Hon Grace Grace and her team about the end of transitional arrangements and what this will look like moving forward. We have had a robust meeting so far with Minister Grace and Assistant Director General Grant Webb and will continue to meet with the team weekly on this issue. We are also meeting with the Regulatory Authority about the potential impact of waivers.

Following the introduction of the requirement to include attendance data with QKFS quarterly reporting, ACA Qld is co-hosting a series of meetings with the Department, working with software providers on possible software enhancements to make this process easier for you.

At a national level also, ACA has had some significant wins.

As a member of the national ACCS Working Group, I was very gratified to see the Government agreeing to backdating of ACCS for up to 13 weeks, expansion of the use of Provider Eligible Enrolment, and ACCS being paid direct to the provider, incorporating CCS in a single payment.

We were very pleased to see the Federal Government announce recently a significant increase in CCS for every second and subsequent child accessing LDC, and the removal of the CCS cap.

Even though these are not exactly what our two ‘asks’ were, the core of these changes have been part of the ACA advocacy platform for some time, so it was very gratifying to see these measures announced.

Thank you to everyone who completed our Member Survey. We appreciate

and value your membership and want to ensure we meet your expectations.

Your responses allow us to continually improve and better understand what you need from us as the peak body for early childhood education and care services in Queensland. ACA Qld strategic planning day will be taking place on 19 July 2021. Information from the member survey will be used during this planning day so that we can best capture the voices of our valuable members.

Stay tuned for the announcement of our next round of member meetings that we are hoping to roll out in August.

Early Childhood Educators Day (1 September) is fast approaching. As many of you are aware, Early Childhood Educators Day originated in Queensland through ACA Qld and is now celebrated around the nation, with other countries also now joining in. It is a day of celebration and appreciation. Have a look at ways services have celebrated in previous year by liking the Early Childhood Educators Day page on Facebook.

Please note you are always welcome to contact our ACA Qld office on 07 3808 2366 or qld@childcarealliance.org.au.

We thank you for your continued support as we continue to work hard to ensure that all Queensland children receive the #BestStartInLife.

Majella Fitzsimmons ACA Qld President

ACA President’s Report Our main focus over the last few months has been engaging with our political stakeholders and ensuring that they understand the issues of the day affecting our sector.

Whilst ACA engages frequently with our key political stakeholders via digital platforms such as Zoom, phone calls and emails, we have found that face to face meetings further strengthen these relationships and can really cut through to ensure the early learning sector is on every party’s radar.

In late February ACA SA Executive Member Judy Atkinson and I spent two days at Parliament House engaging with all sides of politics about the importance of a viable sector and affordable access to high-quality early learning for EVERY child.

During this time we met Patricia Hancock, Senior Adviser to Senator Pauline Hanson, One Nation Party, Mr Tim Wellington and Mr Graeme Watson, Senior Advisers to the Attorney General, the Hon Christian Porter MP, Mr Hamish McKenzie, Policy Adviser to Ms Helen Haines MP, Independent MP, Ms Rebekha Sharkie MP, Centre Alliance, Mrs Zali Steggall MP, Independent, the Hon Amanda Rishworth MP, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education, Shadow Minister for Youth, Mr Tim Gartrell, Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Labor Party, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP and Ms Madeleine Church, Adviser to Senator the Hon Anne Ruston, Minister for Families and Social Services Manager.

We advocated that all government policy meets the following major ACA recommendations: • ensure ongoing affordability for families by increasing the CCS and amending the activity test and removing the CCS annual cap permanently • modify the existing Universal Access funding model for greater certainty of funding beyond year-to-year agreements and a more equitable distribution of funding to all states and service types • invest in our sector to address the critical shortage of qualified job

candidates • work with the sector to stabilise any areas of oversupply and prevent further unnecessary developments We believe our ongoing advocacy has been instrumental in bringing about the latest Child Care Subsidy reforms announced by the Federal Government in early April, which aim to improve affordability of early childhood education and care.

ACA has commended this reform, and we believe that those families targeted will significantly benefit from the changes. However there will always remain opportunities to further refine the CCS and we will continue to advocate accordingly.

During this quarter ACA also put forward a submission to Phase 2 of the NQF Review, which was based on our consultation with our members to ensure your views were accurately reflected in our recommendations.

Many thanks to those of you who shared your thoughts and feedback via our ACA State Body meetings and surveys - we greatly appreciate your contributions to this important process.

Meanwhile as you would no doubt be aware, the transitional workforce provisions in the Education and Care Services National Regulations have been on everyone’s radar, as for most states they were due to expire at the end of 2021. Whilst some state governments have extended these provisions until the end of 2023, the Queensland Government has chosen not to.

provisions, we are concerned that beyond 2021, in Queensland a large number of service providers will require waivers to comply with their regulatory requirements.

ACA Qld is working with the Queensland Government to reinforce this critical issue and continues to engage with their members as they advocate on their behalf.

ACA has also participated in ACECQA’s consultations regarding the tenyear national workforce strategy, contributing to ACECQA’s workforce report findings in 2019 as well as the potential actions and initiatives included in the May 2021 consultation paper.

We will contribute to the May 2021 consultation phase on behalf of our nation-wide member base. Individual service providers can also participate via the online survey.

Meanwhile we continue to engage with the Federal Government to support the economic recovery plan and ensure that all Australian families, including those who are essential workers and/ or from disadvantaged and vulnerable backgrounds, can access our ECEC services.

You can read our 2021-2022 Pre-Budget Submission at www.childcarealliance. org.au/submissions

Paul Mondo ACA President

ACA recognises the importance of ECTs and the role they play in the educational outcomes of children, and we are concerned that the recruitment of adequately qualified ECTs remains extremely problematic in many parts of Australia including Queensland.

Whilst we are pleased that some states can operate under extended transitional

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Notifying Your Insurance Company of a Claim or Incident Guild Insurance

Imagine, you receive an email from a parent stating that they’re holding you responsible for their child’s injury that happened while at your centre, and they’re suggesting they’ll complain to your regulatory authority if you don’t pay the child’s medical bills.

As you’re sure you and your staff are not to blame and it was simply an accident, you reply to the parent informing them of your version of events. Sometime after you hear from your regulatory authority informing you they’ve received a complaint about your centre which they’ll need to investigate…

Policy holders are sometimes unsure whether a matter is serious enough to warrant notifying their insurance company. There are some occasions where notifying an insurance company is a must, such as when responding to a regulatory body or when faced with a demand for compensation. Also, if the incident requires you to notify your regulator, this is a matter which your insurance company should be made aware of. However, there are occasions where you need to use your judgement. If a parent has simply informed you that they’re unhappy with an aspect of your centre, yet doesn’t seem overly annoyed or demanding, then this may be a matter which can be sorted by you alone. Yet if you’re in doubt or unsure, then you should notify your insurance company.

When an early learning staff member handles a matter themselves without support, that stress is compounded as they’ll be dealing with a process they’re unfamiliar with.

Guild has seen cases where an early learning employee’s own response has either not provided the required information, or a response has been worded in a way

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which is likely to inflame or escalate the situation. This usually leads to further investigations being conducted and Guild being notified after the investigation has begun, inhibiting Guild’s support and influence.

It’s also important to understand that a policy holder may leave themselves with out of pocket expenses by not notifying Guild at the beginning. This may occur if they engage their own legal counsel not approved by Guild and at a rate Guild believes to be exorbitant or if they have offered to settle a matter without Guild’s consent.

Above all, it’s important to know that your insurance policy is there for a reason, to help you during these situations. The staff at Guild Insurance have a great deal of experience and expertise in managing allegations and investigations, and are well aware of what is required when responding to them. Make sure you receive the necessary support from the start by notifying Guild when an incident occurs, or call 1800 810 213 with any questions you may have. We’re here to help.

Insurance issued by Guild Insurance Limited ABN 55 004 538 863, AFS Licence No. 233791 and subject to terms, conditions and exclusions. Guild Insurance supports your association through the payment of referral fees. ACA is an authorised representative of Guild Insurance. Please refer to the policy wording and policy schedule for details. For more information call 1800 810 213.

We’re all better for working together Communities across Australia are doing what they can to help each other. For over 30 years, Guild Insurance has come together with ACA QLD to help Australian childcare owners and operators as part of your community.

To find out how we’re working towards a better tomorrow for you, and your practice, or to become part of our community, visit guildinsurance.com.au or call us on 1800 810 213.

1800 810 213 guildinsurance.com.au Better through experience.

C= 67 M= 56 Y= 52 K= 30 R= 81 G= 85 B= 88

C= 0 M= 100 Y= 49 K= 20 R= 196 G= 8 B= 75

Insurance issued by Guild Insurance Limited ABN 55 004 538 863, AFS Licence No. 233791 and subject to terms, conditions and exclusions. Guild Insurance supports ACA QLD through the payment of referral fees. Please refer to the policy wording and policy schedule for details. For more information call 1800 810 213.

EAR153518 ACA QLD Early Learning Edition Full Page Ad 042021

A Special Visit from Our Elderly Fellowship Group Michelle Stanley > The Prince Charles Hospital Early Education Centre

Recently the children from the Prince Charles Hospital Early Education Centre had a very special visit from the Elderly Fellowship Group.

The children were excited to meet the lovely residents and engage in many activities together in order to foster intergenerational social interaction, bridge the generation gap and support a sense of empathy, purpose, and care.

The elderly residents welcomed our children after they sang our Acknowledgement to Country, the Rainbow Song, and You Are My Sunshine with beautiful singing voices.

With smiles all around, together our children and visitors shared a delicious morning tea with homemade treats, sang songs, worked together to build play dough creations, draw pictures, paint beautiful artworks, explore the outdoors, match shapes and even got crafty with nature collages using a range of beautiful flowers, leaves, twigs, and seeds. Some of our children even made lovely Mother’s Day cards for the ladies in the group which was very special.

The atmosphere was joyous with hearty laughter, and there was plenty of rich and treasured conversation as

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The atmosphere was joyous with hearty laughter. our curious and enthusiastic little cherubs connected so beautifully with the elderly residents. It was wonderful to see everyone enjoying each other’s company, no matter the age difference.

Bringing together the young and the aged for some quality time has enormous benefits.

The interaction between these two generations helps to alleviate loneliness and isolation and enriches the lives of our elderly while our children benefit from years of knowledge and life-long wisdom through conversations and interactions. We were very proud of our children and we cannot wait for our elderly residents to visit us again in the near future!

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Member in the Spotlight: The Power of Active Early Learning: Simple Movements, Lifelong Results Edge Early Learning

Spanning over 14 years of world-class research, 2 million dollars invested, and participation from 16 early learning centres in Australia - the Active Early Learning (AEL) curriculum is making movements (literally!) in the childcare industry.

The AEL curriculum was developed as part of a two-year research partnership between the University of Canberra, Deakin University and The Australian College of Physical Literacy (ACPL). The partnership developed the Australianfirst physical literacy curriculum for the early learning context and evaluated how it contributed to a child’s wellbeing and development.

The physical literacy curriculum is about so much more than helping children to ‘be active’ and ‘fit’, instead it is designed to improve physical capabilities in terms of gross and fine motor skills, whilst supporting the overall behaviours required to live a healthy life.

The curriculum is delivered by educators in each centre, who are provided ongoing support by a peer coach. This approach has been shown to deliver the most impactful and sustainable outcomes and enables the curriculum to be tailored to the needs of children at each centre.

This impact of the curriculum was evaluated across the test group of 16 Australian early learning centres over 6 months in 2019 and compared the results to a control group at other early learning centres.

The research found that children participating in the AEL curriculum had significant increases in their overall levels of physical activity, the first study to show this.

Additionally, the research identified statistically significant improvements in emotional behaviour such as impulse

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control, social interactions and concentration. These findings confirm that the curriculum builds a strong foundation for lifelong health and wellbeing for each child.

Edge Early Learning welcomed the opportunity to be part of this innovative research curriculum. Since then they have gone further and partnered with the ACPL to embed the AEL Curriculum into all Edge Early Learning centres across South East Queensland.

The curriculum implemented at Edge Early Learning focuses on developing both gross and fine motor skills to impact a child’s cognitive learning abilities positively, delivering a well-rounded educational experience in the early years. This is threaded through the day both in and out of the classroom and delivered by Edge Early Learning Educators.

“We are committed to providing local children a place where they can explore new interests and develop a strong sense of wellbeing, all while becoming confident and involved learners as they progress into their school years,” said Edge Early Learning Chief Executive Officer, Annie Bryce.

‘We are now hearing great things from the primary schools in the areas of our centres on the development of these children which is wonderful!’

Ask questions, explore new ideas, and learn through play

So, what does physical literacy mean?

How does the AEL program work?

And how will it benefit my child?

Let’s break it down.

Physical literacy is building physical competence and confidence through activities designed to encourage the enjoyment of being physically active, which results in motivation to learn and an understanding of the importance of being active for life.

The curriculum comprises four building blocks to encourage physical literacy – gross motor skills, movement education, movement education extension (cross-curricular activities) and challenging play.

“The benefits of such a program have been sensational, providing the best possible start for your child at a critical time in their development. Not only does it build the fundamental movement skills that are so important for a lifelong health journey, but it also supports the critical developmental areas of vocabulary, cognitive and social skills,” said Annie.

For early learning centres, like Edge Early Learning, AEL curriculum is a simple yet widely effective addition to their current curriculum. It expands on their existing inquirybased philosophy, where children are encouraged to ask questions, explore new ideas, and learn through play and delivers on the mission to support healthier, fitter and smarter children.

For more information visit: www.edgeearlylearning.com. au/active-early-learning

Each building block targets a different developmental goal and integrates seamlessly into the existing curriculum.

This integrated approach means that each child benefits from the curriculum regardless of how many days they attend the centre each week.

•

The gross motor skills block develops children’s fundamental movement skills on a daily basis during transitions between activities and during active play.

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The movement education and extension sessions are longer and deliver movement, literacy and numeracy education in an integrated, play-based manner.

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The challenging play block involved educators encouraging children to extend their physical skills during self-directed play.

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The research has shown that the AEL Curriculum delivers material improvements in children’s cognitive ability, physical activity, lifelong health journey, school readiness, social interactions, language and emotional behaviour.

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Sharing is Caring:

The Importance of Sharing Between Children Daniele De Oliveira > Centre Director, Currumbin Pines Early Learning Centre of Excellence

It is extremely natural when there is a refusal to share your toys. For younger children, mainly in the first three years of life, children are still discovering themselves and sharing often creates the feeling of losing something they love very much, and they cannot understand it.

When a child is taking turns, acknowledge it by saying: “Look at how happy your friend is because you let her have a turn!” or “You are being so kind to your friend by letting her have a turn!” and even: “I like the way you let your friend play with your video game. Great sharing!”

They have a sense of ownership as it is a small part of their lives that they have control of. The rest is all done by their parents or educators. Refusing to share is just another way of children learning about their feelings and actions.

It can be so much easier when we take every child’s point of view and respect their needs. Children need our support, guidance and understanding throughout every stage of their lives. When we approach them with curiosity and respect, we do not give opportunities for judgement and criticism.

As much as it can be frustrating for us adults, the way out of this is to respect the child’s will and say: “I can see you are having a lot of fun with this toy, so when you are finished can you give your friend a turn?”

By respecting their decision, they feel valued and respected and will learn the value of expressing themselves.

Talking with your child before any social gathering is also recommended. You could say “When George comes over, you will have to let him play with your toys, do you want to choose which special toys you would like to let him play with?”

You can model turn taking by playing board games, physical outdoor games and sports, circle games such as “duck, duck, goose... Doggy, doggy who’s got the bone?”...

They will understand over time and by observing how you are self-regulating.

We must be aware that children do NOT have to share.

When you force them to share, you are neglecting what they want and their feelings. You can encourage children to “turn take” when necessary as it is an important skill for them to develop in order to effectively learn the back-andforth exchange between people. It also helps develop a sense of fairness in a tangible way that young children can understand.

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How Much Do I Need to Retire?

Child Care Super

How much do I need to retire?

Meet Claire, a typical Child Care Super member, perhaps like you she has been thinking about how much money she may need in retirement.

Claire: How much money I need in retirement has been on my mind a lot lately, especially in these unsettling times. I have also been speaking to my friends who are also worried about their super balances. It seems, few know how much they actually need to save in order to live a comfortable retirement.

To help provide some guidance, the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia’s Retirement Standard (ASFA) has provided an estimate of how much money is required to support a modest or comfortable retirement depending on whether you are in a couple or single.

To estimate living costs of a ‘comfortable’, ‘modest’ or ‘pension’ based lifestyle, ASFA considered expenses like: clothing, electricity usage, food, transport and holidays. To understand more about the definition of these different lifestyles, check out the Super Guru website article ‘How much super I will need’.

My revelation - it’s almost never too late to boost your retirement savings.

One of my recent revelations is the fact that my super balance is what will make the biggest difference between achieving a comfortable or a modest lifestyle in retirement.

Therefore, to help with this, I’ve chosen to make additional contributions to my Child Care Super account. This is in addition to the Superannuation Guarantee (SG) contributions made by my employer. For me, contributing small amounts over time is easier than trying to find a spare ‘lump sum’ of money.

Another great way of topping up my super over time is by using Child Care Super’s award winning SUPERSUPER scheme. By completing my everyday shopping with SUPERSUPER I am continually adding to my super account. And when it comes to my super account, a little extra can go a long way - thanks to the magic of compound returns.

Why have I made these changes?

Claire: The Money Smart website states that if you own your own home, a rule of thumb is that you’ll need twothirds (67%) of your pre-retirement income to maintain the same standard of living in retirement.

Couple this with the fact that Australians are living longer and that many of us will spend more than a quarter of our life retired. Did you know that life expectancy is expected to rise to 91 for males and 93 for females by 2050?

So, (just like me), you might need a lot more money for your retirement than you think. The amount of super you need to retire will depend on your personal circumstances, financial resources both inside and outside super, and your lifestyle.

Most of us dream of comfortable easy days after decades of work. But if your finances aren’t in good shape, then you may find yourself dependent on the government pension. And that leaves little room for life’s luxuries.

If a ‘comfortable’ life of roughly $60,000 a year for a couple (or roughly $43,000 a year for a single person) was not what you had in mind for your retirement, then check out the useful SuperGuide website articles “Retirement income: Living on more than $60,000 a year” and “Retirement income: Want to live on $100,000 a year?” They give some great examples of the lump sums you may need with different retirement goals in mind.

Claire’s tips to help you get super savvy.

Claire: The good news is that there are a range of tools available to help folk like us work out how much we may need for retirement. Check out this ‘Super to income reckoner’. This tool can help you quickly and simply understand approximately how much retirement income your super savings might be able to generate.

Another couple of my favourite tools are the Child Care Super Retirement Income Simulator and ASIC’s MoneySmart Retirement Planner calculator. These tools help estimate how much retirement income you will receive based on your current super balance, future contributions, retirement age, length of retirement and estimated future investment returns.

Don’t forget you can always call one of Child Care Super’s super friendly team members on 1800 060 215.

What are the big costs in retirement?

Claire: I’ve been thinking about my big costs in retirement that should be part of my retirement plans. For example:

• • • • •

paying off my mortgage rent renovating the home travel medical costs

This information is of a general advice only and doesn’t take into account what you currently have, want and need for your personal circumstances.

Before making a decision about any financial product you should consider the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) which you can find at childcaresuper.com.au.

Issued by Guild Trustee Services Pty Limited ABN 84 068 826 728 AFS Licence No. 233815 RSE Licence No. L0000611 as Trustee of the Guild Retirement Fund ABN 22 599 554 834 (which includes GuildSuper and Child Care Super) MySuper Authorisation No. 22599554834526

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With Child Care Super you can turn your everyday shopping into more superannuation.

childcaresuper.com.au | 1800 060 215 You should consider whether Child Care Super is appropriate for you by reading the PDS available at childcaresuper.com.au

1114_CCS ACA QLD advert full page 05-2021 v2.indd 1

25/6/21 10:46 am

Productive Partnerships Katy Mason > Education & Quality Coordinator, Eastwood Early Education

The toddler class are having a small group time to start their morning. The children gather as their educator begins to sing “the ants go marching two by two”…. And the cheerful voice of Mackenzie can be heard saying “hurrah hurrah”, grinning and clapping.

Mackenzie has been a part of the Eastwood Early Education family since the day she was born prematurely at 28 weeks. Her mum Sarah has been an educator with our service for the past 8 years. When Sarah and Blake announced Mackenzie’s early arrival and the journey that followed, as a service we rode the rollercoaster with them.

Mackenzie was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. Together with her extended family support network, paediatrician, occupational therapist, speech therapist, physiotherapist, KU Children’s services and our centre, we have banded together to maximise Mackenzie’s opportunities for learning and development within the service.

Navigating the world of NDIS funding, the variety of equipment available, and Mackenzie’s specific needs was both daunting and overwhelming. The communication and support between Damien our KU Support Professional, Mackenzie’s parents, Louise her OT, and our educators meant that at every turn the trajectory of opportunity for Mackenzie was reinforced through collaborative decision making and the championing of each professional’s input towards a common goal. Her Mum Sarah, an early childhood educator herself, said

In a true testament to the success of productive partnerships, these allied health professionals, early intervention services and early learning setting have come together to resource and support the child. Mackenzie has received specialised equipment and mobility aids that allow her to fully interact with her classmates, educators, and the program both indoor and outdoors at Eastwood Early Education. Taking inclusivity to its most genuine level of engagement and interaction, Mackenzie’s floor chair, high/low activity chair, tumble floor sitter, and standing frame are amongst the tools that enable the success of this.

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“It is astounding to see the outreach there is these days. Having a child with special needs is by no means an easy journey but knowing that there is a village of people that genuinely collaborate to support Mackenzie to be her best, giving her the best start to life is truly amazing and something we openly value as parents.

We feel lucky as parents to have such a wonderful team of professionals to help us on our journey.”

What have been your experiences with inclusion?

Have you also had success in implementing measures to support a child with a disability or additional needs?

Or have you faced challenges in your endeavours to be inclusive? What has been your experience with Inclusion Support?

We’d love to hear about your experiences. Please contact our CEO Kate Tully on 07 3808 2366 or ceo.qld@childcarealliance.org.au to share your story.

Our service philosophy at Eastwood Early Education states that every child is a unique learner and our role is to provide a responsive environment to support and encourage their education and development. Every child in our service has an opportunity to grow and play, from Mackenzie, to Fletcher using Auslan, to Sally who loves tactile learning, and Robbie who responds to more visual or auditory engagements. Dynamic and responsive environments support inclusive learning for every child, and productive partnerships with families and professionals enable this to its greatest extent.

NFP BOARD EDUCATION & SUPPORT For board members to be fully effective, they must know their legal and other responsibilities, understand how to work as part of a team, be able to read and analyse financial reports and know what questions to ask.

This practical & insightful course is available free of charge for one member of your board & others at a 50% discount. (usually $900 EX GST).

To view the course details and register, follow the link below. Be sure to enter the promotion code NFPBOARDFREE to redeem your one free registration and NFPBOARD50 for any additional registrations!

pathwaysaustralia.com.au/training-courses/nfp-board-member-course T: 1300 212 212

E: mail@pathwaysaustralia.com.au

W: pathwaysaustralia.com.au

Educate Your Educators

And Watch Retention Rates Rise Barry Lehrer > Founder & CEO, ChildHR

I don’t think there’s ever been a time when employee engagement has been more important, as we continue to navigate the new world we live in and face new challenges in the workplace.

What that looks like day-to-day is different for every industry, but for the early learning sector one of our greatest challenges is not just keeping teams engaged, but also keeping our people - full stop.

Attracting the right staff for your centre is only the beginning, but keeping people engaged requires an ongoing commitment to learning and development that goes well beyond timesheets and team meetings.

Why is ongoing learning so crucial for your ELC and your educators?

Every person you employ is an investment, and by providing growth and learning opportunities you can enable that investment to grow and last, building teams that will thrive. On the other hand, in business without consistent, formalised learning channels or resources, employee engagement decreases and employee turnover rises.

Committing to ongoing learning and effective management systems will demonstrate to your employees that you’re genuinely interested in their professional growth, and that you’re on the journey with them. It can empower people to think beyond the skills directly related to their daily tasks, feel valued and motivated, and see a path to career progression.

With a consistent, reliable approach to ongoing education and training, centre operators can foster a greater culture of positivity, increase job satisfaction and ultimately boost employee retention.

Did you know effective learning management can boost job satisfaction AND improve performance?

There are many reasons to invest in learning as part of your overall approach to HR management, but keeping educators engaged, happy and high-functioning is certainly top of the list.

According to LinkedIn’s 2018 Workforce Learning Report, an overwhelming 93% of employees would stay at a company longer if there was greater investment in their career development; this statistic sends a powerful message that we can all take on board.

Not only does effective learning management feed into job satisfaction, it can also contribute to an employee’s performance through the development of both job-related skills and broader competencies, and improved performance has its own longer term benefits like advancement and salary. Learning in the online space can also increase motivation with more accessible development opportunities regardless of location, boosting self-confidence and

willingness to take on greater responsibility and creating a more inclusive workplace.

What can ELCs do to get an operational advantage?

Just as our educators can thrive in an effective learning environment, ELCs looking for an operational advantage can benefit as well.

Employee retention will always provide a major incentive for investing in learning management systems, essentially protecting the investment we have made in our people.

Start by creating healthy employee relationships through genuine engagement with your educators on their learning journey, and leverage this to continually improve the way your ELC operates.

Demonstrating to new employees that those who are engaged in the company culture are rewarded with new roles and responsibilities is also a great way to motivate incoming employees to immerse themselves in the culture early on, demonstrating that loyalty and strong performance is genuinely rewarded.

It can also help us lift the profile of our people, and reposition our early learning professionals as just that - highly skilled professionals playing a crucial role in establishing a child’s education and setting them up for schooling. We can strengthen this position with effective learning management systems and a structured approach to consistent, meaningful career development.

Learning plays a major role in the overall HR management framework, and the most efficient way to integrate learning into your ELC is with a system that can help you retain employees, create a positive culture, continually build strong teams and ultimately operate with an advantage over your competitors.

If you want to gain an operational advantage, the best place to start is with a streamlined HR management solution designed specifically for your sector, with the tools you need to onboard, engage and develop your staff all on the one platform.

Barry Lehrer has built successful tech companies from the ground up, including DiffuzeHR and ChildHR. After two decades of experience running small businesses, he now combines his extensive business marketing and HR experience with a passion for growing and sharing game-changing tech solutions.

EARLY EDITION > WINTER 2021 15

ACA Qld 2021

National Conference Australian Childcare Alliance Queensland (ACA Qld)

What an incredible weekend was had at this year’s 2021 National Conference! Thank you to all who attended. We hope you had a wonderful weekend and trust you left feeling inspired by the exciting new learnings and resources demonstrated throughout the conference program.

After the events of 2020 and the heart-wrenching decision to cancel our annual conference for the first time in our 15+ years of operating, we are so grateful our 2021 National Conference was able to go ahead and was such a success.

We appreciated everyone’s ongoing support, patience and understanding as we worked hard to deliver our incredible conference once again on the beautiful Gold Coast.

This year we had an incredible line-up of speakers and presenters featuring Anthony Semann, Maggie Dent, Michael Crossland, Dr Kaylene Henderson, Dr Vicky Abad, Donna-Leigh Perfect, Sandi Phoenix, Karen Young, Tania Porter, Erica McLuckie, Alina Dan, Adam Smallhorn and Sam Jockel. We have been flooded with such positive feedback on all our presenters and would like to say a big thank you for their engaging, informative, and heartwarming presentations throughout the weekend.

We were thrilled to once again hold our very successful Approved Providers Panel Discussion and Lunch sponsored

by Childcare Concepts. Our panel of presenters this year featured Jeaness Muir (Employer Services), Jannette Cotterell (Executive Counsel Australia), Nesha Hutchinson (ACA National) and Rhonda Livingstone (ACECQA).

This year’s conference officially kicked off with the Welcome Event on Friday night sponsored by Kangarootime. With an amazing atmosphere, food, and live music, it was the perfect way to start the weekend filled with networking and many learning opportunities!

Come one and come all, step right up and have a ball! Our

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conference once again featured our famous Gala Dinner.

This year’s theme was “Under the Big Top” which did not disappoint! The costumes were the best we have seen yet, and we were all left amazed by the creativity and thought

The incredible Mirror Man recieved best dressed of the night.

that everyone put into their costumes. The best dressed went to the incredible Mirror Man with a close runner up going to the Invisible Man. Congratulations to all who were selected as nominees for the best dressed!

This year we were once again honoured to have Super Max and Bryce and Walk With Us charity organisations on board. It was heartwarming to hear the Super Max and Bryce team tell their story and share the love to all attendees as their endless work and efforts are always so inspiring. We were also honoured to once again support the Walk With Us charity with a large donation of singleuse toiletries. Thank you to Modern Teaching Aids for their donation of prizes to the service that contributed the most toiletries to the Walk With Us charity.

Super, Modern Teaching Aids, Storypark, Xap Technologies, Kindyhub, Croft Care and Jasol, HESTA, Kangarootime and Destination Gold Coast.

Our sincere thanks also to representatives of government and agencies who gave their time to meet face-to-face with ACA Qld members. We had the opportunity for an in-depth discussion of key issues and are now working with these representatives to provide further updates to all members. Finally, a big thank you to all our delegates.

You are what makes our conference such a success and we can’t wait to see you all again in 2022!

We extend our heartfelt thanks to our amazing sponsors, exhibitors, ACA Qld Committee, and staff team for all their support. A special mention to Guild Insurance, Child Care

EARLY EDITION > WINTER 2021

17

2021 Awards for Excellence College for Australian Early Childhood Educators (CAECE)

Every year, ACA Qld Supporter Member, HESTA offers outstanding students from the College for Australian Early Childhood Educators (CAECE) the opportunity to nominate for the Award for Excellence program.

The Awards for Excellence promotes commitment to professional development and community spirit. HESTA, Australian Childcare Alliance Queensland (ACA Qld) and CAECE aim to support the advancement of passionate and dedicated early childhood educators who strive for continuous improvement and excellence. Three separate HESTA Awards payments of $1000, $750 and $500 were awarded to CAECE students at the ACA Qld 2021 National Conference!

We received a significant number of high calibre nominations, a testament to the quality of students that we have at CAECE and our hard-working trainers and accessors. It was a tough decision to choose three finalists out of the many incredible nominations from inspiring and passionate educators in the early learning sector.

We would like to congratulate Francis McNally from Little Legends Early Learning Centre for placing 2nd runner

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up, Shannon Collier from Bright Buttons Kindergarten Currumbin for placing 1st runner up and Nicole Cooke from Little Scholars School of Early Learning Burleigh as the 2021 Awards for Excellence winner! Each of these students has exemplified Passion, Dedication and Professionalism – the three pillars of excellence!

Congratulations to all our nominees and winners!

The 2022 Awards for Excellence nominations will open later in the year. Visit caece.com.au for more information!

Congratulations!

Winner!

NICOLE COOKE > Little Scholars School of Early Learning Burleigh

1st Runner Up SHANNON COLLIER >B right Buttons Kindergarten Currumbin

2nd Runner Up FRANCIS MCNALLY > Little Legends Early Learning Centre

EARLY EDITION > WINTER 2021 19

Educator in Profile:

Claudia Gibson

Meet Claudia Gibson, who works at GoodStart Early Learning.

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What is your role within your service and what do you want to achieve in the next five years?

What do you find rewarding about working in the early learning sector?

My current role within the service is as a float educator assistant. I move around the service in different rooms during the day covering other educators for their lunch, I love my role at the service at the moment because it gives me an opportunity to be with children of different ages during the day and it feels amazing how they welcome me into their room. In the next five years I would love to take the role of a group leader and have my own key children and be able to engage more with families and provide a program for the children that I care for. I am passionate about my job and I would like to be able to show others that.

The most rewarding part for me is sharing conversations with the children during the day. It is amazing what children come out with, their imagination has no limits!

When I sit down with the children, most of the time their interactions blow me away as it is just like having a conversation with an adult. Another rewarding part of my job is how the children bond with me. I get lots of cuddles and the children often call me over to show me what they are doing, tell me stories from home or what they have done with mum and dad. It gives me joy to be able to listen and acknowledge our beautiful little people that have so much to say. It always makes my day!

What/who inspired you to forge a career in early learning?

How would you describe your early learning philosophy?

My children inspired me to start my career in early learning.

I am a proud mum of two beautiful girls Emma and Sophie and I did it all for them. I wanted my girls to be proud of their mum and what she does, that is why I pushed myself hard to get my qualification. I struggled when I was a parent leaving my children in early learning services being away from them all day, now as an educator I understand that I had nothing to worry about and that they were in good hands and this helps them grow as little individuals.

Now I can also help families to go through this big step in their lives as I can see it is hard for every parent, helping them makes me feel accomplished in what I do.

My philosophy starts with “I am here for the children”.

EARLY EDITION > WINTER 2021

Children need a nice warm hand to trust and feel safe As an educator I believe that children learn by exploring an environment that is safe, secure and provided with lots of opportunities for learning. For me the most important thing that children need to learn is to belong, to be comfortable with who they are and be able to reflect that in the ways they interact with others. I want children to be confident

and have a voice to be able to say what they want to say without being afraid or having limits. I believe that when a child is confident they grow in every single way and every part of learning becomes easier due to them developing the ability to show who they are and what they can do in a much happier and confident way.

How do you engage the families in your service?

At the service we use Storypark which is one of the main ways to communicate with parents as they can see what their child has engaged in during their day at the service. We also try to spend time at drop off in the mornings and pick up in the afternoons having face to face interactions with the parents and sharing stories that happened throughout the day. It is important for us to let parents know that we are here for them and that they can approach us at any time they need. We always have a friendly welcoming face for all our parents and we are always here to support and help them about any concerns, goals, interests or stories that has happened at home and are happy to share with us.

What is your biggest challenge as an educator and what strategies do you put in place to manage these challenges?

One of my biggest challenges is dealing with paperwork.

I love to engage with children and have fun, discover and talk about new things or singing but I find it very hard with the amount of paperwork educators have to deal with.

This is something that would be difficult for me to take on as I believe educators should spend more time on the floor playing and engaging children in learning. This is something I will have to work on by learning how to manage my time better.

How have the challenges you faced helped you to grow as an educator?

make observations, stories, create goals, engage children in learning, connect with them and their families and create a learning environment for all of them. It makes me love my job more than I ever did before and I felt very proud of my work and I still am.

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

I want to be able to understand every child as an individual to provide the best care and program for each of them, acknowledging their strengths, abilities, likes and dislikes and supporting them through their first 5 years in life which are crucial for the years coming ahead.

What advice would you give to someone who wishes to start a career in early learning?

I would say that the first step to start a career in early learning is that ‘you need to love children’ because we are surrounded by them, and it feels amazing, but you need to be passionate about these little souls to give the best you can to them. The children need your support and care while they are away from home, this is their home and we are the people they know and trust, a child needs to feel safe to trust. If you are passionate about children, love to listen to their stories, love to engage in meaningful conversations with them, love to play with them and get messy and have a laugh this is the right place to be.

Finally, what is your fondest memory from your own childhood?

When I was a child I remember I loved the outdoors, that is where I was most of the time, on my bike, playing tag with my friends, at the park in the swings, I loved the swings and I still do! My childhood was very good and I did lots, I never sat down and watched TV, I was always running from one place to another. I also loved to draw and colour and read books. My childhood was beautiful.

I think I have learned a lot from it. I have been at GoodStart Early Learning for 9 years and it is my first job as an educator, and I am very sure it will be my last as I am very happy here. As I mentioned it has been challenging when it comes to paperwork but I have done it in the past when I was the educator assistant in the toddlers room and I was helping the group leader in the room with all this work. It helps expand my learning and to understand a lot of things that I did not understand before. It also helps me to connect with each child and have a better understanding of each child as an individual. I learned to

EARLY EDITION > WINTER 2021

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Re-imagining“Rooms” Trisha Dean > Educational & Operational Coordinator, Eskay Kids

For many years, I fell in with the idea that Long Day Care is based around the idea of age-based rooms that children transition between when reaching a certain age.

At one point in my career, this was pretty much the way that regulations were set up. But 2012 came along and opened up a whole new world for us. Many things were wonderful. And some things that should have been wonderful, were made a nightmare, through misuse and abuse.

I still fight for the idea that those changes were made to enable us to reimagine the way we worked. If we take the entire National Quality Framework (NQF) into account – we have a space that allows us to find ways of working that honour not only children, but also our educators and teachers. For me, and the thinking I was already engaging in – the NQF was a treasure!

We are no longer restricted by age-based rooms. We are no longer bound to have adults in spaces dictated by the number of children. And yet – this is still the mindset of so many in our sector.

The calculation of ratios across the service, immediately enabled engagement in true indoor/outdoor practice… a world in which children could flow freely between the indoor and outdoor environments… a world in which the adults could judge where they were needed by children.

The National Quality Standard spoke about seeing routines as an important part of the day and understanding the “learning potential” of these times. It spoke about limiting the times that children are herded together in large groups under the guise of learning. So many doors were opened.

And yet so many chose, and still choose, to slam them shut.

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Right back at the beginning of that time, I began imagining with my team. We talked endlessly about the visions that we had, and our dreams for children. If we could choose any way of being with children – what would that look like? And right back in the beginning, we had visions and dreams that we simply couldn’t comprehend – because they were so vastly different. And so, we took baby steps towards what we thought would actually be achievable. And what that started with, was just opening the doors to allow children to flow between inside and outside.

We made many observations during this time. I’d say one of the most profound, was that the majority of children seemed to prefer to spend the majority of their time in the outdoors. The next, was the way we watched children from the different rooms building relationships… the magic of unlimited sibling interactions… and the way that the older children in the centre leaned into a nurturing and protective role towards the younger children. The worries and concerns of many educators about the “safety” of the younger children, was almost immediately dispelled – with little need for us as adults to intervene. We found children more than capable of respecting and caring for one another.

It was at this time, I started reaching further, and doing research around what at that time were seen as pretty controversial practices – and still are! One of my first readings supporting multi-age environments was Peter Gray’s book, “Free to Learn”.

Children found a new freedom in being able to not only flow between inside and outside, but from room to room.

Professor Gray’s research has an aspect that revolves around historical data. He looks at the evolution of society, and states that “the segregation of children by age is a (tragic) oddity”. He also writes of how children in huntergatherer cultures educated themselves through play and exploration in broadly age-mixed groups. The value of free age mixing is undisputable. And yet…

Other early childhood theories are supported and enhanced when viewed through the lens of multi-age grouping, including: • Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development.

• Bruner’s theories around scaffolding.

Gray concludes that these concepts apply wonderfully to mixed age groupings, “where abilities differ considerably, and the learning and scaffolding occurs continually and naturally”.

We watched daily, moment by moment – the absolute benefits of children communing together in mixed ages.

Gradually, the borders between the rooms dissolved.

Children found a new freedom in being able to not only flow between inside and outside, but from room to room.

becomes important. Within this idea, by the eighth year, we abolished the idea of age-based grouping completely and evolved every child in the centre into primary care groups, ranging from 15 months of age to 5 years. Children enter a group, and remain with this group for their entire journey at the centre, building intimate relations with their primary carers… who never change. This type of care is firmly supported by current brain research, in which longevity studies show improved outcomes for children with stable primary carers in their early years.

Imagine the ways in which children build and keep the relationships that help them feel safe and secure. Imagine the family type bonding that is nurtured as the younger children in the group evolve into the older children.

We were not created to grow to our potential in age segregated groups. Imagine a world where community is central – and the development and best interests of each child are central and supported. Isn’t this the world we should all be aiming for?

Fast forward six or seven years from the beginning of the journey, and we began investigating primary care. And while this is probably a whole new topic for a whole new day, it

EARLY EDITION > WINTER 2021 23

Education Resources, Programs, Planning and Professional Development Alina Dan > Author, Presenter and Mentor – Holistic Management & Consultancy

The importance of creating learning spaces for children has never been more important than now!

In a world addicted to dopamine and focused on COVID-19 disruptions, early childhood settings are becoming more aware of the importance of meaningful invitations to play, provocations and creativity within the physical environments.

In contrast, we see learning environments that are not stimulated enough for children, with a lack of resources/ setups and a non inviting feeling, which can leave children and educators not respecting the environment and cause behavioural issues.

An effective organisation of space in an early childhood setting is essential when creating learning environments for children. The physical environment should create an atmosphere that is welcoming, inviting and, most importantly, engaging.

In creating a play-based learning environment, the focus is on how to stimulate and offer open-ended exploration.

Our research here at HMC has identified that children have over 276 toys and most are closed ended toys. Materials and resources play an important role, especially in the way they are displayed and offered to children. Start with simplifying shelves in the environment to allow children to make choices on the materials/resources offered. Utilise woven type baskets to hold materials and incorporate open-ended resources (loose parts) into the learning spaces. Smaller defined areas are needed in learning environments. Start with setting your environment with key learning spaces;

When an environment is designed well and established properly, it supports children’s growth and development.

It also allows educators to use many opportunities for scaffolding, positive interactions, observations of individual goals progression (and achievement).

When setting up the physical environment, many considerations must be in place; choice of furniture as well as the materials and resources used within the space, colour scheme, height of furniture, corner of furniture pieces, etc. Whether the room environment is small or large, the arrangement of the room plays an important part in a child’s overall learning and development. We are slowly transitioning away from learning environments that are full of bright colours, plastic toys, bright coloured containers, and artwork strung from the ceiling. We are learning that such environments create “visual chaos” and can become too overstimulating.

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1. Literacy and Mathematical area 2. Sensory 3. Tinkering 4. Science and Natural 5. Construction 6. Dramatic Play 7. Reading area

Then incorporate loose parts materials. Loose parts are beautiful, found objects and materials that children can move, manipulate, control, and change while they play.

Children can carry, combine, redesign, line up, take apart, and put loose parts back together in almost endless ways.

The materials come with no specific set of directions, and they can be used alone or combined with other materials.

Children can turn them into whatever they desire: a stone can become a character in a story; an acorn can become an ingredient in an imaginary soup. These objects invite conversations and interactions, and they encourage collaboration and cooperation. Put another way, loose parts promote social competence because they support creativity and innovation. All of these are highly valued skills in adult life today. As educators, we must emphasise the creative culture within our services as it also helps

with self-regulation and great right hand side of the brain development.

Loose parts possess infinite play possibilities. They offer multiple rather than single outcomes: no specific set of directions accompanies them; no single result is inevitable.

When reflecting on your service’s environment, think about and look at the aesthetics of the room, take note of the main colours in the room, the furniture, the resources, how are they displayed?

When we organise in-house training sessions on topics like Loose Parts Theory or Setting Up Invitations to Play, there is a special magic that happens once educators explore hands on various creative options.

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Con ‘grad’ ulates CAECE is delighted to present recent graduates who have completed their Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care and Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care.

Over the last quarter we have had the opportunity to congratulate CAECE graduates from both our Diploma and Certificate III qualifications. With the ongoing support from our lovely CAECE trainers, students have been guided to achieve their goals in becoming fully qualified educators.

If you, or someone you know, are interested in studying and working towards your qualifications in early childhood education and care, our friendly staff and trainers are willing to guide and support your early learning journey! For more information please contact our team on 07 3299 5784 or email admin@caece.com.au.

CAECE would like to congratulate the following graduates and wish them all the best for their future as an early learning educator!

CAECE graduates for the last quarter: Aleesha: Bohlevale Outside School Hours Care – Diploma (Trainer Lainie)

Claudia: Goodstart Early Learning Gatton - Diploma (Trainer Kellie)

Ashleigh: Petit Early Learning Journey Burdell 2 - Diploma (Trainer Lainie)

Ella: A Country Garden Early Childhood Centre Willow House - Traineeship Certificate III (Trainer Kellie)

Brooke: KinderMarlee Early Childhood Centre - Diploma (Trainer Lauren) Bryanon: Hatchlings Early Learning Centre Waterford West - Certificate III (Trainer Meaghan) Caitlyn: Essence Early Learning Traineeship Certificate III (Trainer Sonja) Candias: A Country Garden Early Childhood Centre Jacaranda House Certificate III (Trainer Kellie) Clare: A Country Garden Early Childhood Centre Willow House Diploma (Trainer Kellie)

Emma: Treasure Island Child Care Centre Clifton - Bridging Program Diploma (Trainer Kellie) Francis: Little Legends Early Learning Centre Dakabin - Certificate III (Trainer Lauren) Hannah: Calvary Early Learning Centre - Certificate III (Trainer Lainie) Hope: Play & Learn Upper Coomera Certificate III (Trainer Karla) Jacqui: Rising Stars Early Learning Centre Redbank - Certificate III (Trainer Karla) Jasmine: Pelican Point Early Learning Centre Woodridge - Diploma (Trainer Meaghan) Jaymie: Petit Early Learning Journey Burdell 1 - Diploma (Trainer Lainie) Jessica & Chloe: Little Bunya’s Early Education Centre of Excellence Certificate III (Trainers Sonja & Karla) Lauren: Gaven Early Learning Centre Diploma (Trainer Sonja)

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Melina: Hatchlings Early Learning Centre Waterford West - Certificate III (Trainer Meaghan) Natalie: Free Range Kids Gatton Certificate III (Trainer Kellie) Rhiannon: Little Scribblers Early Learning Centre - Certificate III (Trainer Karla) Ryan: Little Characters Early Learning Centre - Certificate III (Trainer Lauren) Sarah Allen: Green Leaves Early Learning Murrumba Downs - Diploma (Trainer Lauren) Sarah Ashe: Goodstart Early Learning Gatton - Diploma (Trainer Kellie) Shanelle: Essence Early Learning Nerang - Diploma (Trainers Sonja & Karla) Stephanie: Free Range Kids Gatton Diploma (Trainer Kellie) Tyson: Little Legends Early Learning Centre - Certificate III (Trainer Lauren) Zali: My School Child Care & Kindergarten Mt Cotton – Diploma (Trainer Karla)

ALEESHA

ASHLEIGH

BRYANON

CAITLYN

CANDIAS

CLAUDIA

ELLA

EMMA

FRANCIS

HANNAH

HOPE

JACQUI

JASMINE

JAYMIE

JESSICA & CHLOE

LAUREN

MELINA

NATALIE

RHIANNON

SARAH ALLEN

SARAH ASHE

SHANELLE

STEPHANIE

TYSON

ZALI

EARLY EDITION > WINTER 2021 27

Supporter Members Directory Service

Contact

Email

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Accounts Advantage

Wanda Reynolds

wanda.reynolds@accountsadvantage.com.au

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Make it Cheaper

Lucy Block

lucyblock@makeitcheaper.com.au

02 8077 0005

www.makeitcheaper.com.au

Peter Price & Associates

Peter Price

peter@peterprice.com.au

07 3376 3411

www.peterprice.com.au

ShineWing Australia

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jwicht@shinewing.com.au

07 3085 0888

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07 3947 5326

www.anz.com

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Bunnings

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07 3452 5677

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Ray Giarola

ray@giarola.com.au

07 3878 3330

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Greg Jardine

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07 3229 9322

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Tim Cox

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07 5597 6620

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Mathiou Services

Jamie Mathiou

connect@mathiouservices.com.au

1300 363 423

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Mollard Property Group

Wendy Mollard

wendy@mollard.com.au

03 9225 5254

www.mollard.com.au

Scope Protective & Data Solutions

Peter Karadimas

peter@spds.com.au

1300 172 673

www.spds.com.au

Surface Pro

Janet Osbourne

admin@surfacepro.net.au

0418 741 507

www.surfacepro.net.au

Timberplay

Sally Alderton

info@timberplay.com.au

07 5563 3755

www.timberplay.com.au

Wearthy

Caitlin Murphy

hello@wearthy.co

0456 780 201

www.wearthy.co

X-Alt Solar

Brian Mills

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0402 658 313

www.x-altsolar.com.au

Absolute Support Training & Resources

Darlene Wadham

darlene@absolutesupport.com.au

0488 666 455

www.absolutesupport.com.au

Elite Childcare Management

Debbie Thompson

enquiries@elitechildcaremanagement.com.au

07 3054 5999

www.elitechildcaremanagement.com.au

G8 Education

G8 Education Team

07 5581 5336

www.g8education.edu.au

Giggletree Pty Ltd

Samantha Ahearn

samantha@giggletree.com.au

07 3482 2490

www.giggletree.com.au

Guardian Early Learning Group

GEL Team

contact@guardian.edu.au

07 3832 7933

www.guardian.edu.au

Kids and Adults Learning

KAL Admin Team

info@kal.net.au

1300 783 880

www.kal.net.au

QLECS (Qld Lutheran Early Childhood Services)

QLECS Admin Team

admin@qlecs.org.au

07 3511 4079

www.qlecs.org.au

Ready Now Resources

Louise Thomas

louise@readynowresources.com.au

0410 456 607

www.readynowresources.com.au

The Scholars Group

Brent Stokes

brent@thescholarsgroup.com.au

1300 018 308

www.thescholarsgroup.com.au

The Help2Group

Karen Burgess

support@thehelp2group.com

0423 529 779

www.thehelp2group.com

Kimara Schulze-Prenzler

kschulze-prenzler@guildinsurance.com.au

07 3230 8501

www.guildgroup.com.au

Giovanni Porta

giovanni@portalawyers.com.au

07 3265 3888

www.portalawyers.com.au

Rostaboss

Angie Cooper

info@rostaboss.com.au

0403 795 577

www.rostaboss.com.au

Expect A Star

Amanda Lawson

amanda@expectastar.com.au

1300 669 653

www.expectastar.com.au

1Place Childcare

Martin Bing

support@1placeonline.com

1800 416 431

www.1placechildcare.com

Child Care Central

Melissa Hurley

support@childcarecentral.com.au

1300 733 667

www.childcarecentral.com.au

Accounting, Bookkeeping & Financial

Banking Services ANZ Business Bank Brokers Childcare4Sale Building & Property Services / Consultants

Consultancy / Management

Insurance Services Guild Insurance Legal Porta Lawyers Staff Recruitment

Software / IT Support

28

EARLY EDITION > WINTER 2021

Service

Contact

Email

Phone

Web

ChildCareCRM

Chuck Gibbs

cgibbs@childcarecrm.com

02 8880 0404

www.childcarecrm.com

ChildHR

Barry Lehrer

barryl@diffuze.com.au

03 9098 4317

www.childhr.org.au

Intellikid Systems

Jamie McVeigh

jamie@intellikidsystem.com

0458 034 402

www.intellikidsystems.com

Kangarootime

Sharyn Fewster

aus@kangarootime.com

1300 993 226

www.kangarootime.com

Kidsoft

Kidsoft Team

di@kidsoft.com.au

1800 827 234

www.kidsoft.com.au

Kindyhub

Darryl Winder

darryl@kindyhub.com.au

1300 859 470

www.kindyhub.com.au

Penelope QIP

Steve Collier

steve.collier@penelope.com.au

1300 435 962

www.penelope.com.au

Rubiks iT

Andre Campbell

support@rubiksit.com.au

07 5613 7889

www.rubiksit.com.au

64 224 772

Storypark

Matt Tunnicliffe

matt.tunnicliffe@storypark.com

Toddle

Ash Sachdev

hello@toddle.com.au

0402 425 661

www.toddle.com.au

Xap Technologies

Sean Murphy

sean@xap.com.au

1300 543 792

www.xap.net.au

Kayleen Tolley

info@physikids.com.au

0414 559 997

www.physikids.com.au

Child Care Super

Kylie Hancock

khancock@guildtrusteeservices.com.au

1800 810 213

www.childcaresuper.com.au

HESTA

Joanne Fenton

jfenton@hesta.com.au

07 3223 4906

www.hesta.com.au

QIEC Super

Kate Graham

Kgraham@ngssuper.com.au

0437 516 830

www.qiec.com.au

ABC School Supplies

Graham Bone

info@abcschoolsupplies.com.au

07 3823 2999

www.abcschoolsupplies.com.au

Modern Teaching Aids (MTA)

MTA Team

sales@teaching.com.au

02 9938 0411

www.teaching.com.au

Officeworks

John Rizk

grizk@officeworks.com.au

0439 284 173

www.officeworks.com.au

Pre-School Equipment

Karen Clark

info@preschoolequipment.com.au

1300 555 972

www.preschoolequipment.com.au

Step4

Katie Kennard

katie@step4.com.au

1300 720 353

www.step4.com.au

Taren Cleaning Supplies

Murray Stanton

murray@taren.com.au

02 9668 8978

www.taren.com.au

The Brand Makers

Beau Worsley

bw@thebrandmakers.com.au

07 5563 3786

www.thebrandmakers.com.au

Think Education Supplies

David Knibbe

david@thinkeducation.com.au

07 3376 3497

www.thinkeducation.com.au

ACE Community Colleges

Robyn Keenan

robyn.k@acecolleges.edu.au

07 5520 3026

www.acecolleges.edu.au

Australian College of Teacher Aides and Childcare (ACTAC)

Erin Winsbury

enquiries@actac.com.au

1300 511 455

www.actac.com.au

Australian Compliance Management

Michael Demicoli

michael@auscm.com.au

1300 206 006

www.uscm.com.au

College for Australian Early Childhood Educators (CAECE)

CAECE Team

info@caece.com.au

07 3299 5784

www.caece.com.au

Early Childhood Training and Resource Centre (ECTARC)

Jan Langtry

info@ectarc.com.au

02 4223 1111

www.ectarc.com.au

In Safe Hands Educators in Safety

Michael Pecic

enquiries@insafehands.net.au

1300 794 644

www.insafehands.net.au

Inspire Education

Kirsten George

ECE.Trainers@inspireeducation.net.au

1800 506 509

www.inspireeducation.net.au

ParentTV

Sam Jockel

sam@parenttv.com

0401 198 625

www.parenttv.com

PECE Program - Powered by Triple P

The PECE Team

contact@triplep.net

07 3236 1212

www.peceprogram.net

Phoenix Support

Sandi Phoenix

admin@phoenix-support.com.au

1300 361 243

www.phoenix-support.com.au

Herron Todd White

Simon Fox

simon.fox@htw.com.au

07 3002 0900

www.htw.com.au

Trivett Property Group

Darren Trivett

dtrivett@trivettchildcare.com.au

0419 776 008

www.trivett.net.au

668

www.storypark.com

Sports and Fitness Physi Kids Superannuation

Toys, Resources & Suppliers

Training Providers & Consultants

Valuers

EARLY EDITION > WINTER 2021 29

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