Early Edition Spring 2012 by Australian Childcare Alliance Queensland

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - Spring 2012

Laurie Lawrence and Childcare QLD Join Forces! Transition Statements for Kindergarten Teachers Early Childhood Educators Day Stress in the Workplace Conference 2012 - Our Biggest Yet! Child Protection Training Porta Lawyers - A Word on Leasing Inside Look to Assessment and Rating New First Aid Requirements Childcare Week 2012 KASS Connections Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS) - Myths and Facts

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CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - Spring 2012

Executive

Committee Members

President Peter Price

Brent Stokes

Vice President John Keast

Majella Fitzsimmons Fiona Haber

Treasurer Graham Sagar

Christine Mayer

Message from Childcare Queensland President

Katy Paton

Message from Childcare Queensland CEO

Secretary Debra North

Kerrie Lada

Laurie Lawrence and Childcare QLD Join Forces!

Transition Statements for Kindergarten Teachers

Early Childhood Educators Day

CEO Gwynn Bridge

Jae Fraser

Queensland

Stress in the Workplace

Conference 2012 - Our Biggest Yet!

Child Protection Training

Fax: (07) 3808 2466

Porta Lawyers - A Word on Leasing

Toll Free: 1300 365 325 (outside Brisbane)

Inside Look to Assessment and Rating

New First Aid Requirements

CEO: Gwynn Bridge

Childcare Week 2012

General Manager: James Blake

KASS Connections

Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS) - Myths and Facts

Location:11/6 Vanessa Boulevard, Springwood Mailing: PO Box 137, Springwood QLD 4127 Telephone: (07) 3808 2366

Web: www.childcareqld.org.au Email: info@childcarequeensland.com.au

Senior Office Administrator: Jen Smyth

Editorial

Associate Member Directory

Editor: Jen Smyth Contributors: Peter Price, Gwynn Bridge 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, Childcare 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.

Message FROM

Childcare Queensland President, Peter Price

elcome

Over the past couple of issues, I have spoken about the characteristics of good staff and good managers. In this issue, I wish to discuss the third group of people who could be considered as an integral part of your “people” team – the external childcare management organisation. While many centre operators carry out this function themselves, others choose to use external managers. Why do they do this? Basically there are 3 reasons….

imperative that the owner receives value for the money paid. So what should you get for your payment?

1. To gain the expertise of the childcare manager, because they do not have the expertise themselves. Some childcare centre owners have never been in the childcare industry before, and are really ‘passive investors’. By using a management company, these owners gain the expertise of (often) a team of experts in the fields of childcare finance, data processing, policies and procedures, and other general business operations.

Secondly, the external management will usually set budgets for the centre management and the staff. This gives the staff guidelines for their spending. They should prepare a business plan for the future, to give everyone a vision of the direction in which the centre is headed. They should prepare a marketing and funding strategy, and this in turn, will help to increase occupancy and hence income.

2. Sometimes the locality or the remoteness of the owner from the centre means that it is more prudent to employ a local manager. 3. In some cases, the owner may have his own full-time job, or business (in which he is an expert) that he is involved in on a full time basis, and he just doesn’t have the time to be involved in childcare operation on a day-to-day basis. In any case, when management companies are used, they charge between $3,000 and $5,000 per month for their services, and it is

Firstly, on day one, the external managers will ‘audit’ all aspects about the centre, from its documentation and processes, to equipment condition, quality of staffing, and general compliance and regulations. Without a good leader at the helm, these items are often overlooked.

Thirdly, they will assist with finding the best possible staff. This means the most appropriate staff for your centre and its direction, and not just the ‘cheapest’ staff. They will organise the induction of the new staff, as well as facilitate staff training, this is especially important at the moment with the introduction of the National Quality Framework. The preparation of the Quality Improvement Plan (Q.I.P.) has become important this year, and it is a concern that many owners do not know what their Centre Q.I.P. is all about, when the owner should be fundamentally involved in its preparation.

Fourthly, they will usually prepare the financial statements, the BAS, the payroll, and all the other reporting needs of the childcare service. They will prepare the parents accounts, organise the purchasing of supplies, inventories, and the general maintenance of the centre. This is what the centre owner pays for. It is obvious that the external managers are required to do a lot more than to just facilitate fees growth. All owners must remember that the buck stops with them. It is the owner who is the approved provider, and not the external manager. Owners cannot say that they did not know about the deficiencies within the centre, because they had appointed an external manager. Finally to all those owners who undertake the management process themselves, and do not use external management companies…do you carry out all the above processes to the highest quality levels? There are three types of people in the world…Those that make things happen…those that watch things happen….and those who wonder what happened. Where do you fit ?

Peter Price,

President – Childcare Queensland.

Message FROM

Childcare Queensland CEO and Australian CHILDCARE ALLIANCE PRESIDENT, Gwynn bridge

t last it is feeling like spring and with it being less than a year since we began to implement the sizeable changes of the National Quality Framework we all need a little “spring” to keep us focused till the end of the year.

We are hearing from members who have already gone through the assessment and rating process and the comments and results are quite mixed. One thing we are learning is that the process of the visit is not as threatening as it was under the previous system but we have also heard that services are receiving “false hope” that everything is fine only to be shattered when the paperwork arrives a few weeks later with a Working towards result.

required to display those results at this time. If you have gone through assessment and you are comfortable about sending your result to me, please remove your service details and you have my assurance of confidentiality. Comparing outcomes is the only way we can assess whether there truly is “consistency” across all regions and I believe that this is one thing that we must determine as soon as possible.

We are constantly told that Working towards is a good result but with the media picking up on some of the wording in the National Quality Standards for that level our concerns are that the parents will receive a mixed message – one from the media stating how bad it is and the other from ACECQA and state departments reinforcing that it is appropriate for services to receive this as the bar has been lifted so high.

I have recently attended the National Children’s Services Forum in Canberra for two days and we were fortunate to have ACECQA, a representative from most state/territory departments and DEEWR in the meeting for a full day. As your representative of the Australian Childcare Alliance, I was able to address the issue of Certified Supervisors (amongst other points) that has come to my attention over the past months. Many services Australia wide are having difficulty in ensuring that they have adequate Certified Supervisors to operate within the law at all times. Two states have already changed their process to permit the service to use the Certified Supervisor when the forms have been lodged. This is concerning, as whilst it is a state/territory decision to offer this relaxation, it is still law that we must have an approved Certified Supervisor and I will check with our insurers to determine how this will be handled should an incident occur. I do believe we will ultimately see some movement on this matter as we also heard that the states/territories

To all of our members who have received positive assessments we congratulate your team. I have received a full assessment report from a service and I am surprised at how intense the detail is in the report as to the evidence/standard sought. For those who have gone through assessment in this first six months it was quite a hard task as the change implementation time was just far too short. The results of the first assessment are still being analysed through ACECQA and services are not

have been absolutely swamped with applications that do take considerable time to process. I imagine it will be a similar situation when waivers need to be applied for by 2014 to meet the Early Childhood Teacher and other staffing qualifications. On the Industrial side – a decision has been handed down on some of the matters before the Fair Work Australia – Modern Award Review Children’s Services Award 2010. A summary of these results will be forward directly to our members. I am looking forward to conducting meetings in Cairns, Townsville and Mackay in the week commencing 19th November. I do hope to see many of you as we will be analysing the “hands on” implementation requirements of the National Regs and National Quality Standards as well as hearing from Linda, the Kindergarten Advisory Support Service (KASS) advisor. Linda and I will also be visiting services in these areas throughout the week. Regards, Gwynn Bridge

CEO - Childcare Queensland

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - Spring 2012

Laurie Lawrence and Childcare Queensland join forces!

highlight of the 2012 Childcare Queensland National Conference was the announcement of Laurie Lawrence as the first Patron of Childcare Queensland. We are proud to be forging such a close relationship with Laurie. His dedication and passion for children in Australia is inspiring and we look forward to a long and lasting relationship. It is fair to say that every Australian would know a little about Laurie Lawrence. His spirited personality as a motivator and entertainer, his sense of humour and zest for life are famous. His manner is direct, sincere and honest and whatever Laurie is involved in, he gives all of himself. He is one of Childcare Queensland’s favourite Australians, and has accomplished so much.

Remember…. 1.

Fence the pool

Shut the gate

Teach your kids to swim (it’s great)

Laurie is a top athlete in his own right. He is a former Australian Rugby Union representative and world class swim coach. His love for Rugby saw him overcome the twin handicaps of having one lung and being an asthmatic to fight for and gain selection in the Australian Rugby Union side which toured N.Z as the Wallabies in 1964.

Supervise – watch your mate and

Learn how to resuscitate!

Laurie has represented Australia as a coach in Brisbane's 1982, Edinburgh's 1986 and Auckland's 1990 Commonwealth Games, and also at the 1984 Los Angeles, 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. During those international contests Laurie's pupils succeeded in breaking many National, Commonwealth and World Records in a number of Gold Medal winning performances. In 1996 he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an honour coach.

STOP PRESS!

Today, Laurie is a highly successful small businessman and close family man. He operates the now famous Lawrence Learn To Swim School which also specialises in teaching the physically disabled as well as speech and hearing impaired children.

For more information on the Kids Alive Program go to www.kidsalive.com.au

Childcare Queensland would like to congratulate Laurie Lawrence on securing funding from the Australian Government to develop a mandatory water safety curriculum to be taught in childcare centres. We are very excited about this program which will teach all aspects of water safety for the beach, pool, rural and home to children under 5. Further information will be printed in the next Early Edition magazine.

In1988, Laurie launched the Kids Alive Drowning Prevention Campaign to combat this problem. Since then, drowning statistics have reduced significantly but there is still a long way to go. For the last 12 months, Childcare Queensland has been working with Laurie to deliver his water safety messages to early childhood educators and families. Childcare Queensland will continue to unashamedly promote the Kids Alive program to achieve the goal of zero child drowning throughout Australia. We hope you will join us in fighting for this very admirable and achievable goal.

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - Spring 2012

Transition statements for kindergarten teachers

arents and carers often have a very keen interest in knowing how their child’s learning and development is progressing. Since the publication of the Queensland kindergarten learning guideline (QKLG) in 2011, there is an expectation that kindergarten teachers will share written information about children’s learning and development with parents and carers via transition statements. The QKLG describes a set of five learning and development areas that relate to the five broad learning outcomes identified in the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). The learning and development areas describe the breadth of knowledge, skills and dispositions that children explore during the Kindergarten Year. Teachers monitor and document each child’s learning across the year in relation to these learning areas. This documentation provides evidence of children’s current knowledge, skills and dispositions. The information that teachers gather helps them to form a “point-in-time snapshot” of each child’s learning that informs their ongoing work with that child during the year. Why have transition statements? The Office for Early Childhood Education and Care (OECEC) expects that: • all approved and funded kindergarten services write a transition statement for each kindergarten aged child in their program • a copy of the transition statement is provided to parents or carers. At the end of the kindergarten year, teachers complete a transition statement which summarises a child’s learning. Sharing information about children’s

learning helps parents and carers and other partners to promote continuity and support children as they transition into new settings. Transition statements are written in collaboration with all partners: other educators, all kindergarten staff, children and parents or carers. They are written to share information about each child’s learning with the parents or carers. Families may choose to share them with their child’s Prep teacher. Privacy legislation requirements prevent kindergartens from providing statements directly to schools. What is the purpose of transition statements? Transition statements help Prep teachers to: • identify strategies that will support children to settle into school during the initial transition phase

• child’s learning and development in each of the five learning and development areas • level of support the child requires in familiar and/or new situations • kindergarten service, teacher and contact information • child’s attendance history and relevant family information. The Queensland Studies Authority (QSA) provides a range of professional development resources to support teachers implementing the QKLG. The QSA website provides more information and resources about transition statements, http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/12974. html and upcoming teacher professional development workshops http://www.qsa.qld.edu. au/18712.html Queensland kindergarten learning guideline

• recognise starting points for learning that build on children’s identified strengths, talents, motivations, interests and learning needs • provide information about children’s approaches to learning and previous learning. What is recorded in a transition statement? All transition statements should include information about the:

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - Spring 2012

Early Childhood Educators Day

n Wednesday 5th September, services acknowledged and celebrated their wonderful Educators in a variety of different ways, from giant cakes and flowers to face painting and even a jumping castle. We thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the articles sent in for our competition, many of which brought a tear to the eye of the CQ office staff. It was very difficult to choose the 1st prize winner and two runner's up, but a decision was finally made. As there were so many wonderful messages and photos sent in, we have published the complete first prize article and excerpts from the runners up and other articles received.

1st Prize

Winner - Village Kids Childrens Centre - Wulguru At Village Kids Wulguru, we feel that the role of an Early Childhood Educator is most definitely one to be celebrated. So, on Wednesday 5th September, we celebrated! We celebrated the uniqueness and individuality of each of our educators, as we do in our curriculum decision making for each of our children every day. For it is this very uniqueness, that not only makes each of them so special, but makes the team so creative, caring and dynamic. A centre is only as good as the team within it - a fact to truly recognise and celebrate! So, we took this wonderful acknowledgement of the power and passion of the individual and grew it a little. In the spirit of inclusion, for Wednesday we organised a CRAZY COLOUR DAY - to compliment that crazy, colourful mix we have and to illustrate the concept that we all bring our individual 'culture' when we come to play and learn. What a riotous blend it was - we added as many balloons

as we could fit in the centre and some wild hairspray and zinc cream. We organised for families to contribute to the 'colour' of the day with an area set up where they could 'send' our team messages of appreciation which we broke open and shared on the day. Oh, what amazing energy and positivity you create from some simple words of kindness and thanks! In the end, it was just another fun filled day at the centre - we played, we had a puppet show which delighted and sent us all into fits of laughter. We partied together with a mini disco in our Toddler room and shared a sausage sizzle lunch in the shade of our big, back veranda. A giant "Educator's Cake", thanks to our Centre Coordinator, led into an afternoon tea party, again with many families joining us in our celebrations. But then, there were those mini, magic moments, like when a Mum shared a story from her 2 year old at Village Kids as, "I love my kindy so much that when my mummy comes to collect me, I don't want to go!... For all at Village Kids, you truly are (her) sunshine!" It stops the heart and speeds it up all at once and served as a wonderful inspiration for us all, that this was why we all do what we do. To end the day, we took our educators out to dinner - on us! On a deck with an ocean view, we played trivia games and continued to learn to appreciate the different strengths we each bring to whatever we do together. We enjoyed a meal and let loose but of course, the conversation always came back to the centre and 'our' kids. As a team, we have embraced the old African proverb that "It takes a Village to raise a child" but sometimes, it's also just as important to realise that sometimes, it's the children that help to raise our village! Happy Educator's Day to all!

Runner Up

It was such a relaxing and fun environment for all involved. We would like to thank all our families who were able to come celebrate and support our educators on this special day. We are a three room centre and while some would see this as a disadvantage we feel that it’s more of an advantage as we have become an extended family providing all our families with that little something special that only we have. This is a special day for all our educators to be recognised but more importantly we here at Maryborough Central believe in recognising each other’s dedication on a daily basis. Runner Up - Maryborough Central Early Learning Centre A celebration just would not be a celebration without the input of the many people who make our centre so special – children, families, staff and the community; we invited all to attend and participate to make our day a special celebratory event. But we believe what we do should be celebrated for more than a day, so we had a week of celebration. Our parents were offered the opportunity to say thank you via a drop box that asked for feedback for our educators that could be placed in envelopes and handed out to our wonderful team at our award ceremony. This opportunity allowed parents to write from their hearts about what it is we do, that makes their child feel safe, secure and supported in the care environment. Our families have developed wonderful partnerships with the centre and our educators and provided lovely words of thanks, praise and respect. Runner Up - Torquay Kids Early Learning Centre

Runner Up

The staff were amazed to see some of the really lovely messages that the parents and their colleagues had written to them/about them and it really put a smile on each and every one of their faces. Aspley Early Learning Centre

We created a "your special" book, with every staff member's photo. We placed the book on a table in the foyer, and parents/educators and children signed and wrote lovely messages.

It is wonderful to have a day specifically planned to acknowledge the hard work Early Childhood Educators do unconditionally. Thank you Childcare Queensland for giving us great ideas to help us celebrate this special day. The information, wrist bands, posters and certificates were a thoughtful and valuable resource for our Educators! Allenstown Childcare

In the staff room each staff member had a "bucket of appreciation" on the wall where other team members could "fill" each other's buckets with "drops of appreciation". By the end of the day all the buckets were overflowing with words of kindness and support. I truly feel blessed working in such an amazing industry and with a great team. Today was a super special celebration for us as we celebrated our 6 month birthday too! Hills Montessori Early Learning Centre - Jimboomba

Bright Beginnings - Chermside

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - Spring 2012

STRESS IN THE WORK PLACE

ecent events in child care services in Queensland are an important reminder that we are all human beings and stress, from all sources, can dramatically impact our workplaces. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland have a series of fact sheets available on their website addressing work-related stress and ways services, as businesses, can support their employees. The way workers are supported is key to reducing or moderating workrelated stress. Support provided by supervisors and peers can cushion the stress responses people might otherwise experience when their jobs are demanding and they feel they do not have control over those demands. Possible solutions Decisions need to be made about what practical solutions (control measures) will be used in the workplace to prevent, eliminate or minimise the effect of work-related stressors on worker health. At the organisational level, controls target the work itself and focus on job design, work environment and working conditions. For the risk factor ‘poor support’, organisational level solutions address practical assistance, the provision of information, emotional support and positive feedback. Organisational structures There are many approaches a workplace can take to ensure its workers feel supported: • Ensure that management structures across the organisation and reporting lines within work

teams are clear. This will help workers know who they are accountable to (either overall or for particular tasks) and where they can go for help with work problems. • Provide new workers a proper induction to the organisation and work unit. • Provide and promote an employee assistance service that responds to individual issues or concerns, both work and non-work related. • Promote a culture that values diversity in the workplace. • Provide and promote flexible work practices that best suit individual and business needs. This may include working from home or flexible working hours. Practical support There are various types of assistance that a supervisor/ manager or colleague can provide: • Assist with work demands, including clear work goals. • Provide all workers with adequate information. • Provide workers with training and development opportunities. • Conduct performance reviews and include constructive feedback.

• Provide additional assistance when workers are undertaking challenging tasks, such as new duties or roles. • Ensure adequate backfilling of roles or redistribution of work when workers are out of the office or away on leave. Information provision • Hold regular team meetings to discuss pressures and challenges within the work unit. Assist workers to come up with practical solutions for any task-related issues that arise. • Provide sufficient information to enable workers to perform tasks competently, particularly when workers are taking on new work. Training and development • It is important workers feel confident and capable of undertaking assigned tasks. Make sure they receive enough training for them to be competent in their roles. • Training can be both task-specific and more general including, for example, training in ethics and behavioural expectations (code of conduct), mental health and cultural awareness. • Develop training refresher sessions to ensure competencies are up to date.

• Make training available to parttime, casual and shift workers and those in remote locations.

performance tools are not seen as a disciplinary measure.

• All workers, contractors and labour hire workers should be made aware of the policies concerning acceptable behaviour in the workplace.

Emotional support

• When appropriate, give workers managerial responsibilities to encourage a wider understanding of their tasks. This could include: - managing workload and resources - health and safety - performance management - managing conflict - interpersonal skills - emotional intelligence, including empathy and expressing and managing own emotions - effective communication. Constructive feedback • Provide regular feedback on task performance. • Formally or informally congratulate workers/team members when tasks have been done well and be specific about what was done well. • Give workers practical advice and guidance on areas that need improving. • Use annual performance reviews to provide constructive advice for future performance, and include opportunities for skill development. It is important that annual

• Take an interest in workers’ lives beyond the workplace whilst being respectful of personal and professional boundaries.

Emotional support from co-workers or supervisors can have a protective effect and may reduce worker strain, particularly in situations of high demand and low control.

At the individual level, solutions are aimed at assisting individuals to cope or build resilience. Appropriate activities to be considered at this level of intervention include:

Ways to do this are:

• access to employee assistance programs

• Support open communication and encourage workers to share their concerns about work-related stressors at an early stage. They should feel comfortable with discussing any issues that may arise. • Be aware of non work-related stressors that might be present in workers’ lives and allow flexible work arrangements where practicable. • Promote a team culture in which workers assist each other and provide support when required. • Provide the time to talk through problems with workers and try to promote an ‘open door’ policy.

• corporate induction programs

• training about resilience • health and wellbeing programs • counselling/therapy for people experiencing distress from sources both in and outside of the workplace. This information has been reproduced by Childcare Queensland from fact sheet number 07 Support from supervisors and/or co-workers developed by the Department of Justice and Attorney-General, Queensland Government (JAG 12/509#7)

• Deal sensitively with workers who are experiencing problems. • Pay attention to a team member who is behaving out of character. • Hold formal and informal teambuilding activities to improve team cohesion. • Establish a peer support system and a mentoring/buddy program for new starters.

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS --SPRING Spring 2012 2011

Conference 2012 our biggest yet!

he 2012 Childcare Queensland National Conference was held at Jupiters Hotel and Casino on the Gold Coast from 14-16 September 2012.

The two-day conference was attended by a record 650 participants and featured 70 trade displays, providing an important forum for educators, owners and industry experts from across Australia to network and reflect on current thinking and practice. Conference participants heard from a range of speakers discussing the seven quality areas under the National Quality Framework. All presentations from the Conference are now available on the CQ website at http://childcareqld.org.au/conference-2012/. Naturally, our conference includes a little bit (or for some a lot) of fun and huge congratulations goes to the winners of the â€˜best dressedâ€™ section at our Conference dinner. Well done! A highlight of the weekend was the opportunity to welcome Mr Laurie Lawrence to the CQ family as our first patron of Childcare Queensland. He is the perfect fit for

us and our members and we look forward to working with him well into the future. We would like to extend a special thank you to the Hon. John Paul Langbroek MP, Queensland Minister for Education, Training and Employment, the Hon. Kate Ellis MP, Federal Minister for Early Childhood and Childcare and the Hon. Sussan Ley, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood and Childcare who discussed our progress as a sector and their thoughts on what lies ahead. Conference 2012 would not have been possible without our hard working CQ Committee and office team as well as our generous sponsors, particularly Guild Insurance, Child Care Super, Modern Teaching Aids, NumeroPro, Guardian, Hesta Super Fund, ANZ and Ezidebit. Thank you! We look forward to seeing you in 2013!

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - Spring 2012

Child Protection Training Prepared by Michael Pecic, In Safe Hands Educators in Safety

hat do you think about when you hear the words “child protection training”? Do you start yawning because you’ve heard it all before? Or do you get a little anxious because you think of all the statistics and wonder how anything you do could possibly make a difference?

Well you could probably be forgiven for thinking that child protection training can be boring and repetitive. Many of us have been to those training sessions where toothpicks should be handed out free at the door to help us keep our eyes open! You learn the definitions of each kind of abuse and you run through a long list of signs or indicators to help you recognise when a child is being abused. When you hear the list of things you should be looking out for, you start to think that maybe every child you meet is being abused because there doesn’t seem to be anything in the information to make it realistic, or to help you understand what a real life child abuse situation can look like. Next, you learn about how important it is that you report to authorities if you notice signs of abuse. But this just leaves you worried because you know that in real life it’s not always easy to decide whether or not to report - and there doesn’t seem to be a clear or simple rule about this. Then you realise this information is the same stuff you learnt the year before – or maybe it just came out of the same text book! Finally, you’re given some very detailed information, perhaps straight from their website, about the government department that looks after child safety – and by this stage you’ll need the reinforced toothpicks along with some pain killers for your slow throbbing headache! But it doesn’t have to be this way. Doing child protection training that way is like getting your first aid training from someone just reading to you from the text book – and we know that wouldn’t

work. You want an expert with real experience teaching you about first aid. Someone who’s had to perform CPR on a real person – not a dummy. Someone who’s had to dress wounds or tie slings on a patient who won’t stand still or stop screaming. Child protection training is no different. Talking about real life child abuse situations with trainers who have real life practical experience can teach you more than ten text books. Not all child abuse victims display clear indicators of being abused so reading a list of indicators is not the same as hearing about what they look like in real life situations with real life children. While it’s useful to know about indicators of abuse, it’s even more useful to develop confidence in your ability to use your experience and instinct when it comes to recognising abuse. What’s even better for your mental health is learning simple rules that take the guesswork out of reporting abuse and reduce the stress and anxiety often associated with this part of child protection. But even when you’ve learnt all that – you might still wonder how you can be making a difference with child protection. When statistics tell us that in Australia 1 in 4 children are victims of abuse, it’s easy to think that the problem’s too big - and there’s nothing we can do to make a difference. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Recognising abuse and reporting to authorities is just one small way you can protect children – and while it’s extremely important, it’s by no means the most effective child protection strategy. There are many other ways we can help all children so that we can prevent abuse before it even happens.

Child protection is more about the little things you do every day for all kids. It’s helping mum to the car when toddlers and babies aren’t cooperating. It’s leaving parents with a positive story about their child – so that their stress levels drop ever so slightly at a time of day when they’ve just finished work, are struggling to get home, and know they’ve got dinner, dishes, homework and any number of challenges still between them and bed! It’s about noticing a new parent who’s struggling, and empathising with them to let them know that what they’re feeling is normal. Or it’s about putting up a board at the front of your service listing the best value takeaway, or the cheapest groceries and fuel in town – to help engage families, relieve a little financial stress, and make them feel a part of a community. Child protection is simple and fun – a game that everyone can play! It’s not complicated or hard work. Anyone can do it – so make sure your next training session teaches you how! Childcare Queensland and In Safe Hands have entered into a partnership to provide you with a perfect induction to child protection issues in Queensland. The online training modules will provide you with valuable insight. For more information go to http:// childcareqld.org.au/training/ childprotection/

PORTA LAWyers A Word on Leasing

he Tenant / Landlord relationship in childcare centres can be strained during the life of a tenancy. One area that strains this relationship and frequently requires the intervention of lawyers is the method for the calculation of rent.

To make it clear, rental calculation does not usually include the murky waters of outgoings. In the industry there sometimes exists a belief that a Tenant’s base rental (GST and outgoings exclusive) is calculated in accordance with the licensed number of places. This may be true in some cases but it is not a hard and fast rule. In any event a Tenant’s lease will detail how the base rental is calculated. Commercial Lease – m²calculation Form7 A standard commercial lease used by many Landlords (excluding those in retail shopping complexes) will define the base rental in two or three places. The first place to look is on the first page of your lease called the Form 7 at Item 7. This will either provide you with a dollar value, the period that the dollar value covers and the frequency of payments required or “Refer to Schedule”. In most instances it will point to the Form 20 Schedule or enlarged panel on page 2 or 3 of the lease, which will usually provide the following: “7 Rental/Consideration The Base Rent at the Commencement Date is set out in this schedule and is varied from time to time in accordance with the provisions of this schedule.” Form 20 Schedule The Form 20 Schedule is the body of the lease that contains the main operative Clauses. It will in most

instances start at page 2 of the lease. Where the lease provides the above information one must refer to “Schedule 1 Lease Details”. This part of the lease is a schedule with a heading in the left column of the lease and its corresponding description on the right side of the page. The figure provided is the base rental amount including the frequency and method of payments the Tenant is required to make. The lease should also provide for the base rent per square metre multiplied by the area of the tenancy that should equal the base rental figure above. The calculation of rental by this method provides certainty to the Tenant and the Landlord provided both parties understand the method of calculation prior to the signing or assignment of the lease. If there is no square metre calculation, the Tenancy may be a “whole of land lease” meaning you lease the entire Lot subject to the base rental. Commercial Lease – Licence calculation

will be set out similarly to a square metre calculation above at Schedule 1 Lease Details. However, the clauses in the body of the Schedule will have more detailed contingencies that will be open to interpretation by the Tenant and Landlord alike. Problems that can arise with these leases are changes to a centre or Childcare Regulations that in turn reduce or increase the licence capacity. This in turn will alter the base rental payable under the lease. So while a decrease in licence capacity would be an advantage in reducing the base rent an increase would mean extra places would need to be filled. The best approach is to ensure that when negotiating the lease the Tenant inserts the base rental calculation into the Agreement to Lease so there are no surprises later on. Alternatively, if buying a centre with a lease in place make sure that your solicitor has your instructions to advise you accordingly so you can terminate if you are not satisfied.

Another type of commercial lease used in centres is one that sets out the rental calculation much the same as above except it is calculated based on the licence capacity of the centre. Tenants need to be careful with leases that provide for this calculation. They need to check the lease index usually found at the back of the lease to guide them to specific clauses that relate to this calculation. The base calculation

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - Spring 2012

Inside look to assessment and rating. Prepared by – Department of Education, Training and Employment

ore than one hundred early childhood education and care services in Queensland now know what the assessment and rating visits are all about.

Overwhelmingly, services have reported that the experience was positive and provided the opportunity to discuss the many wonderful things occurring within the service and the final report articulated a pathway for continuous quality improvement. A Bundaberg service* was one of the first to be assessed against the new quality standards in June. The Director of the service said she felt prepared having developed a thorough understanding of the National Quality Standard (NQS), through the support of the Authorised Officer, and a shared philosophy amongst educators to do and celebrate their best. “Over the past few months we worked through each of the seven quality areas, collating lots of information and asking ourselves if we thought we were meeting the standards then finding ways to make small changes where we could,” the Director said. “I had arranged to meet her (the Authorised Officer) half an hour before the children arrived to give ourselves time to settle in, discuss the assessment process and sign the visitor register." “I was very nervous at first and for the other educators but as soon as she walked in the door, she told me she was feeling nervous too and that together we’d work through it." “Instantly, I felt at ease and we did just that – we agreed from the outset how the day would flow.” For an educator in another Queensland service, it was all about showing regular practice.

“Over the past four weeks, we have been really involved in developing a recycling program,” the educator said. “One of our grandfathers brought in a compost bin and during the assessment visit, the children were writing letters to thank him and to tell him about the wonderful things they had been recycling." “On that particular day, we had a lot of children with high medical needs so it was an opportunity for the special needs teacher and assistant to show our policy in action." “Some of the interactions and dialogue between the teacher and children were explicitly detailed within the report.” The NQS promotes the need for Authorised Officers and Approved Providers and educators to build collaborative partnerships before, during and after the assessment and rating visit. In practice, an Authorised Officer and a service may work together by sharing knowledge, building consensus on what quality is, discussing issues and finding mutually agreeable solutions wherever possible to improve education and care. Ruth McFie, an Early Childhood Manager for the department’s north coast region said the new process gives Authorised Officers greater flexibility to look at a service as a whole and assess regular practice. “There is no formula for quality and the NQS standards are written broadly to empower educators to meet the standards in ways that best meet the needs of individual families and

children,” Ruth said. “To achieve ratings that genuinely reflect the quality of a service, the assessor will not only be looking to see that policies, procedures and the Quality Improvement Plan are developed but are also used to guide the operation of the service." “Observing practice, speaking with educators or an informal phone conversation may be ways in which we collect this information.” The assessment visit is only one part of the process of assessing and monitoring services. Following the assessment visit, services are putting steps in place to continually improve. For the Director of a long day care service, the assessment and rating report brought a fresh perspective on how the service was operating and included practical goals to work towards. “The process was very meaningful and you come out the other end as a better practitioner,” the Director said. “We do have a quality program in place and I felt validated that the Authorised Officer saw this but there’s always room for improvement and we identified that further work is needed in Quality Area 6 – Collaborative partnerships with families and communities. “When asked by other services ‘how should I prepare’ I tell them to be honest, to continually update your Quality Improvement Plan and to be proud of all the work you’ve done to date.” Other services are keeping their

Quality Improvement Plan within arm’s reach. “It sits next to the computer and every Wednesday, all three educators set time aside to develop weekly plans to start ticking it off." “Developing stronger relationships with families is important and we are in the process of asking parents for constructive feedback about the service and every staff member in order to continually improve and acknowledge our strengths." “The next step will be to integrate elements from the report into our monthly newsletter to parents to keep the NQS front of mind."

“As a team we’re committing to conduct our own formal selfassessment twice yearly to ensure we’re on the right path, it’s a process that never stops.” Focussed self-reflection and assessment should be an ongoing process to ensure your service continues to deliver high quality outcomes for the children attending your service. When preparing for your assessment visit, refer to the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority’s (ACECQA) Guide to the National Quality Standard, the National Quality Standard Assessment

and Rating Instrument and the Guide to Assessment and Rating for Services, all available at www.acecqa.gov.au on the ACECQA website. If your service has recently been assessed and you would like to share your experience, please email the Department at ecec@dete.qld.gov.au *Details which may identify the service or employees at the service have been removed so as not to identify the assessment rating provided to the service before the evaluation process is finalised and ratings can be verified for publishing.

Member Benefits What will you get for your Childcare Queensland membership in 2013?

• Access to Employer Services, a service provider contracted to Childcare Queensland to provide Members with objective, accurate and timely advice to solve workplace problems as they arise; • Automatic membership with the Australian Child Care Association (ACCA), the registered union of employers for the childcare sector, who make submissions and appear in the Industrial commission on behalf of Members to Fair Work Australia. • Telephone support with a free call number for country & remote centres as well as access to experienced approved providers on the Childcare Queensland committee; • Access to a dedicated media expert, retained by Childcare Queensland, to support approved providers in managing emergency or sensitive issues at services; • Regular bulletins on sector information, including training, member events, government information (including budgets), changes to state and federal regulations or legislation and anything else that matters to you as approved provider; • Access to the Kindergarten Advisory Support Service to support Members to operate an approved kindergarten program and advice from an experienced early childhood teacher on latest developments in the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme (QKFS); • Advocacy with the Queensland and Australian Governments, including national representation via the Australian Childcare Alliance;

• Training opportunities throughout the year, including sessions required by regulations as well as professional development for approved providers and educators; • Subscription to the quarterly Early Edition magazine providing services with information on contemporary thinking, new products and resources or best practice for early childhood services; • Discounted member rates to attend the annual Australian Childcare Alliance/Childcare Queensland National Conference – now the largest long day care conference in Australia; • An Early Childhood Educators Day pack to help celebrate the contribution of early childhood educators in your community; • Regular face-to-face Member meetings throughout Queensland on the latest issues impacting centres and webinar access to Member meetings wherever you are located; • Annual CQ diary to help services get ready, be organised and never miss a beat; • Access to the ‘Members only’ section of the CQ website for tools, guides and resources for use in your service and opportunities to access to special deals from Childcare Queensland Associate Members. • Free advertising through the Hands up for Play CQ initiative • Full voting rights including at Annual General Meetings to determine the future of your sector!

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - Spring 2012

New first aid requirements – be ready!

hildcare Queensland (CQ) has entered new partnership with St John Ambulance to help members prepare for first aid requirements commencing on 1 January 2013. Services must have staff with current approved qualifications on duty at all times and immediately available in an emergency. One staff member may hold one or more of the qualifications. The benefits to CQ members of this partnership include: • 27% discount on all training and first aid products purchased via the St John Ambulance website (see below) • options for ‘in-service’ visits at the same price for 8 or more people (applies to locations within 100 km of a St John facility, otherwise travel expenses may apply); • online training component to reduce the length of ‘in-service’ visits; • a Certificate of Attainment for relevant competencies on completion.

Training @ St John CQ members can enter the discount code sent to their email accounts at checkout on the St John website to receive discounted training and first aid equipment. To purchase now, go to the St John website www.stjohnqld.com.au . In Service Training St John is offering an ‘in-service’ option to CQ members at the same price. This applies if you have at least 8 people and are within 100 km of a St John facility. Those CQ members in rural and remote areas can still discuss ‘in-service’ training with St John, however travel expenses may be requested. Some online training options (via Skype) are also possible. Please visit www.childcareqld. org.au/training/firstaid for more information.

Course Type

Standard pricing per person

CQ price per person

Perform CPR FASTTRACK HLTFACPR201A (2 Hour Course)

$57

$41.61

$75

$54.75

$140

$102.20

$170

$124.10

Section 136 (1) of the national regulations outlines more extensive requirements for centre-based services: The approved provider of a centrebased service must ensure that the following persons are in attendance at any place where children are being educated and cared for by the service, and immediately available in an emergency, at all times that children are being educated and cared for by the service— a) at least one educator who holds a current approved first aid qualification b) at least one educator who has undertaken current approved anaphylaxis management training c) at least one educator who has undertaken current approved emergency asthma management training.

Perform CPR PLUS Includes units of competency for defibrillation, Management of Anaphylaxis and Asthma HLTFACPR201 (4 Hour Course) Apply First Aid FASTTRACK HLTFA301B (1 Day Course) Apply First Aid PLUS Includes units of competency for Defibrillation, Management of Anaphylaxis and Asthma HLTFA301B (2 Day Course)

Child Care Week 2012 Helping Hands activities were a great success!

Australian Child Care Week 2012 has been a fantastic success with over double the number of participants compared to last year! Centres all around Australia have used the Week to build their profile and showcase the invaluable contribution their Centre makes to children, parents and the broader community. Once again, Child Care Super was presenting sponsor and developed a range of free activities for this year’s helping and sharing theme - Helping Hands. Entries came from all over Australia in the form of photos, videos and commentary, all in the running for a share in $3,000 worth of prizes. If your Centre didn’t participate this year, we’d encourage you consider it for next year. For a sneak peak at this year’s entries visit www.childcaresuper. com.au/hands You may recall their colourful Beary Good Friends activity from last year’s Child Care Week which invited Centres to develop activities that promoted the enduring friendships that children have with their cuddly toys – using their mascot, Sam the bear. If you haven’t already, contact Child Care Super for your free copy on 1300 365 899 or order online at www.childcaresuper.com.au/book For information on Child Care Super, including the Product Disclosure Statement please visit childcaresuper.com.au or call the Customer Service Team on 1800 060 215. Guild Trustee Services Pty Limited ABN 84 068 826 728, AFS Licence No. 233815, RSE Licence No. L0000611 as trustee for Child Care Super (Guild Retirement Fund) Fund Registration No. R1000030, ABN 22 599 554 834.

www.guardianchildcare.net.au

1300 025 007

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - Spring 2012

KASS CONNECTIONS

eacher’s delivering quality kindergarten programs in an approved kindergarten program provider service are providing valuable lifelong learning experiences while preparing the children in their care for school.

Teachers are contacting KASS to find out where they can access information regarding the delivery of the program to validate what they are providing, and to learn more in assisting to provide even better programs.

There is a companion document titled Continua of Learning and Development which is another professional resource to be used with the QKLG. It can also be accessed on the above link.

This article will focus on professional development links to assist teachers with the delivery of approved kindergarten programs.

The publication is on the publications list on the QSA website at this link http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/ downloads/publications/qsa_ publications_list.pdf

Did you know that the Queensland Studies Authority website provides professional development materials directly relevant to the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline (QKLG)? The link to access the online learning modules is http://www.qsa.qld.edu. au/12968.html This resource section provides a wide range of ideas, templates, video segments etc. to support teachers implementing quality kindergarten programs. The website also provides information regarding workshops and conferences. Where can I obtain a copy of the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline? All long day care services approved for funding with the QKFS should have received a hard copy of the QKLG when they were approved. If you don’t have access to a copy, you can download the document on the QSA website at http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/10192. html

What other resources are available to assist with the delivery of a quality kindergarten program? The DETE website provides information regarding kindergarten learning programs and professional development accessible at http://deta. qld.gov.au/earlychildhood/service/ access-kindy/learning-guideline. html Included on this page is an informative factsheet titled Delivering quality kindergarten programs across Queensland. More information about the alignment between the learning guideline and the Early Years Learning Framework is available in the QSA’s key message – Vision for the Early Years http://www. qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/early_ middle/qklg_pd_mod1_exp3_key. pdf What is a transition statement? Do I have to complete one for each child? The transition statement is a component of the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline and summarises what a child

has accomplished during their kindergarten year, including their motivations, strengths, skills, understanding and approaches to learning. Samples of transition statements can be found in the resources section of the professional development materials on the QSA website. The link is http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/12974. html The Office for Early Childhood Education and Care expects: • all approved and funded kindergarten services write a transition statement for each kindergarten aged child in their program • a copy of the transition statements is provided to parents • privacy legislation requirements prevent kindergartens from providing statements directly to schools. For more information regarding teaching Kindy go to: http://deta.qld. gov.au/earlychildhood/workforce/ employment/teach-kindy.html To download an application package for the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme: http://deta.qld.gov.au/ earlychildhood/service/kindy-proglong-care.html

What’s the key to high occupancy in your centre?

NEW LIVE

Well Trained

ONLINE WORKSHOPS You can now access ECTARC’s live online professional development workshops from the comfort of your own home. Enrol online, put on a headset with a microphone, sit in front of a computer with internet access and you are set to participate.

Become a friend with ECTARC on facebook and send a message with the word “study” before 1 December 2012 to go in the draw to win a $50 MYER voucher.

Your employees will receive extensive hands-on and theoretical training You will receive regular feedback on the progress of your employees

All online workshops held 6:30pm8:30pm AEST and some of the topics available are Embracing the Early Years Learning Framework, Navigating through the National Quality Standard and QIP, Navigating the Education and Care Services National Regulations, Creative aspirations, EYLF for babies and toddlers, Guiding children’s behaviour, Child Protection bridging from CHCCHILD1C to CHCCHILD401B, Art of storytelling, Let’s get physical and Sustainability.

Your employees receive quality mentoring and regular scheduled visits from qualified and experienced trainers Receive up to $4000* per eligible employee via the Queensland Government’s User choice Funding Scheme * Conditions apply

ENROL ONLINE TODAY AT

www.ectarc.com.au PO Box 3317 | South Brisbane BC | Qld. 4101 P +61 7 3217 6655 | www.firstchoicechildcare.com.au

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CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - Spring 2012

Childcare Management • New Centre Start Up • Consultancy

Total Confidence. Experience you can trust. Total Childcare Solutions (TCS) is a vibrant childcare management company that assists owners and investors in managing their childcare centres effectively. How does Total Childcare Solutions do this? At TCS, our core belief is that managing relationships is the key to a successful childcare business - “Happy staff make for happier children, and happy children means happier parents...this makes childcare easy for everyone”. The TCS team is made up of a group of talented people... the best in the business with proven skills and experience in managing long day childcare centres around Australia. They know what works and what doesn’t because they’ve already done it! You’ll find the TCS team has a ‘can do’ approach - no task is too big or too small, and we are always committed to achieving successful outcomes, with optimal results for everyone involved. Total Childcare Solutions is your professional solution provider servicing everything you need to know about childcare. We provide advice and support in understanding the mechanics behind the childcare industry.

John Wall www.totalchildcaresolutions.com.au info@totalchildcaresolutions.com.au

1300 851 331

Childcare Management • Acquisitions & Sales • New Centre Start Up/Consultancy • Leadership Training

Inclusion Support Services - ISS – Myths and Facts Prepared by – Andrea Brownlow, Practice Advisor, Brisbane Inclusion Support Agency

nclusion Support Agencies can provide a variety of practical supports to assist eligible early childhood education and care services to include a child with additional needs – ISS is just one of many supports you may be eligible for.

Inclusion Support Agencies (ISAs) are part of the Federal Government’s Inclusion and Professional Support Program (IPSP) and are funded to work with services to build their capacity to provide a quality inclusive environment for all children including those with additional needs. ISAs can provide a variety of supports to assist services in this regard (many of which were outlined in the last ‘Early Edition’). If you have ever requested support to include a child with additional needs in your service, you would have, as part of that process, developed a Service Support Plan with the assistance of an Inclusion Support Facilitator (ISF). The development of a Service Support Plan (SSP) is a crucial part of the support process and a prerequisite to applying for Inclusion Support Subsidy, Flexible Support Subsidy, Bicultural Support Funding, and for accessing Specialist Equipment. Your Service Support Plan becomes your service’s own customised “Quality Inclusion Plan” and will identify such things as: • the impact on the environment of including a child/children with additional needs; • modifications educators may make to policy, pedagogy, planning, activities & the physical environment; • how educators will engage with the family and relevant organisations to enhance inclusion; • new knowledge, training or supports educators require in the area of inclusion; • goals that will guide all educators in the environment; • actions the service will implement to support future inclusion. Additional support in the form of funding If you have a child with additional needs attending your service the SSP may identify the need for additional support in the form of funding. There are two types of funding subsidy available – Flexible Support Funding (FSF) and Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS). These funding subsidies are a contribution toward employing an additional educator in the identified care environment. It is

important to be aware that funding is not automatically available.The service can apply for funding if a need is identified, but approval is not guaranteed. Some ECEC services will identify that they can include the child with additional needs in their program without additional funding support. In fact, many services, after a ‘settling-in’ period of getting to know the child and family, realise they already have the skills and resources available within their service to include the child successfully. Flexible Support Funding, as a short-term response, may assist with this process. What is Flexible Support Funding (FSF)? FSF is a short term, time-limited response that is processed by the Inclusion Support Agency and paid to eligible ECEC services to enable them to be more responsive to families and children with additional needs, such as those with a disability, from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, a child from a refugee or humanitarian intervention background, or an Indigenous child. To be eligible for FSF, the ECEC service must have already enrolled the child with additional needs. What is Inclusion Support Subsidy (ISS)? ISS is a funding subsidy paid to eligible ECEC services to enable them to support the inclusion of a child or children with ongoing, high support needs. Children with ongoing, high support needs are: • children with a diagnosed disability, • children undergoing continuing assessment for a disability, • children from a refugee or humanitarian intervention background. ISS is a contribution towards employing an additional educator in the child care environment so that all children, including those with additional needs, can participate in the learning experiences available. ISS applications are made to the National Inclusion Support Subsidy Provider (NISSP) with the assistance of the ISA. The ECEC service submits the application for ISS, along with the completed SSP, through an online system (called the IS Portal) that is part of CCMS.

If the ECEC service has identified a high level of ongoing need for additional support to include a child then documentation must be provided - medical evidence for a child with a diagnosed disability or undergoing assessment for a disability; evidence of refugee status for a child from a refugee background. Some important points about the additional educator • The additional educator is engaged to increase the staff-to-child ratio when the child with additional needs is in care. • The additional educator is not employed to work one-on-one with any one child. • The aim is for all staff to work together towards creating a quality, inclusive environment. We discourage a situation where one staff member / the additional educator works exclusively with the child with additional needs in a one-on-one capacity as this has been shown to actually decrease the child’s interactions with peers and prevent true inclusion from happening. The aim is for the whole service to develop its capacity to create a quality inclusive environment. Having an additional educator in the environment/room frees up all staff so that they can increase their interactions with the child along with their skill level. For more information see the new IPSP Guidelines for 2013 – 2016 available at: http://www.deewr.gov.au/Earlychildhood/ Programs/ChildCareforServices/ SupportFamilyCCS/Documents/ IPSPapplications/Guidelines.pdf If you would like to discuss any aspects of inclusion support please feel free to contact our ISAs: Brisbane: 3621 5300, Logan Redlands: 3801 6200, Gold Coast: 5595 8999, Darling Downs: 46883930 or visit our website: www.isa.uccqld.com.au or to find the ISA in your area visit the DEEWR website: http://www.deewr.gov.au/Earlychildhood/ Programs/ChildCareforServices/ SupportFamilyCCS/Documents/ ISAContactDetails.pdf

CHILDCARE QUEENSLAND NEWS - Spring 2012

Associate Members