$278.6 million dollars for universal access in NSW

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1 Community Child Care Co-op February/March 2009 Photo: Yolanda Fenwick $278.6 million dollars for universal access in NSW What progress has been made on the Commonwealth s commitment to achieve universal access to early childhood education for all children in the year before school by 2013? We know that a National Partnership Agreement on Early Childhood Education for implementing universal access has been finalised between the states and the Commonwealth Government. NSW s funding allocation from the Commonwealth for universal access is a total of $278.6 million: $10.2 million in 2008/09; $21.3 million in 2009/10; $26.9 million in 2010/11; $82.3 million in 2011/12; $137.9 million in 2012/13. The funding has been weighted towards those states which are further behind in delivery of preschool services for the first four years, and NSW has done quite well from this funding. However, we do not know exactly how the NSW Government is going to spend this money. Community Child Care understands that the NSW Government s intention is to do this in a way that is consistent with and complementary to the Preschool Investment and Reform Plan. For the first two years of implementing universal access (2009 and 2010), national priorities include: increasing participation rates, particularly for Indigenous and disadvantaged children; increasing program hours; ensuring cost is not a barrier to access; strengthening program quality and consistency; and fostering service integration and co-ordination across stand-alone preschool and childcare. There is a rumour that the Department of Education and Training is going to open another 100 preschools within primary schools. Community Child Care understands that this is not the case but, of course, all settings that offer preschool programs will be able to be part of the universal access program. The universal access commitment is that by 2013 every child will have access to a preschool program in the 12 months prior to full-time schooling. The preschool program is to be delivered by a four year university qualified early childhood teacher, in accordance with a national early years learning framework, for 15 hours a week, 40 weeks a year. It will be accessible across a diversity of settings, in a form that meets the needs of parents and in a manner that ensures cost does not present a barrier to access. Reasonable transitional arrangements including potentially beyond 2013 are needed to implement the commitment to preschool program delivery by four year university qualified early childhood teachers, as agreed in the bilateral agreements. For more information see:

2 Briefings Accreditation: Where is it up to? The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) appears to have loosened the timelines for the new accreditation system. The DEEWR website now states that it is expected that the National Quality Framework will be progressively implemented from 1 July Remember the submissions we made last year and the public consultation forums we attended for the National Quality Framework? A five-page summary of the outcomes of these consultations is now available on the DEEWR website, as well as a report by notable early childhood education and care professionals known as the Expert Advisory Panel. The Productivity Agenda Working Group of the Council of Australian Governments is now taking the views from experts and the field into consideration in the development of: a set of draft national quality standards; draft models of service quality rating systems; and proposed regulatory arrangements. Apparently, further public consultations on these reform proposals are expected to take place in the first half of DEEWR reports that the aim of this phase of the development process will be to trial initial drafts of the documents, testing assumptions, identifying issues and refining details. This should ensure that the draft documents taken to the next wave of public consultations are practical proposals for genuine, achievable reform. New autism spectrum website Australia fails at early education and care A UNICEF report placing Australia third-last in the developed world for childcare was released at the end of December UNICEF s report, The Childcare Transition: A League Table on Early Childhood Education and Care in Advanced Countries, ranked Australia 22nd out of 24 developed countries for childcare and early learning, meeting only two out of ten benchmarks. The benchmarks that Australia did not reach include: The goal of subsidised and accredited early education services for 80 per cent of four yearolds; The goal of 80 per cent of all childcare staff trained; and The goal of 1 per cent of a country s gross domestic product spent on early childhood services. For more information, go to: publications/pdf/rc8_eng.pdf Qualifications for children s services professionals Make this the year you or your staff acquire more qualifications! Are you aware of the new website on the autism spectrum that was created as part of the $190 million Helping Children with Autism package? The website provides information, online resources and interactive functions to support parents, carers and professionals. This includes impartial, evidencebased information about Autism Spectrum Disorders and early intervention treatments available to children with ASDs. The ASD website can be found at: Community Child Care Co-operative offers Nationally Recognised (Accredited) training courses for people working in children s services. CCCC offers Cert III & Diploma courses in Children s Services, in small Business Management and in Training and Assessment and short courses in food handling and child protection. Call or see 2 Broadside February/March 2009 Community Child Care Co-operative Ltd. (NSW)

3 NEWS SCAN funding extended Preschools should have received a communiqué from the Department of Community Services (DoCS) about the extension of Supporting Children with Additional Needs (SCAN) funding. The communiqué states that: To minimise disruption to the sector and allow more time for consultation regarding the new model, the changes to SCAN have been postponed for six months and are now scheduled to take effect on 1 January Please note that there is no change to the current SCAN program for 2009, however whilst services can continue to apply for funding for children from ATSI and CALD backgrounds, the NSW Department of Community Services has asked the SCAN organisations to prioritise funds for children with disabilities and challenging behaviours. Any changes made to the SCAN program will be communicated to the sector by September Community Child Care congratulates DoCS for ensuring that services who have placed children with additional needs at the start of the school year will not be out of pocket by a mid-year program change. The commitment to ensuring that services will know by September what is happening in 2010 is also good: it will mean that services can plan enrolments more effectively and efficiently. Community Child Care understands that the revised SCAN program will: only allow two-day participation, in line with the general Resource Allocation Model (RAM); have all administration and funding managed by DoCS; have two levels of funding only; be available only for children with a disability and children with challenging behaviours; have non-government organisations funded to provide service support and training to services for these children, as well as children from Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; and fund services six months in advance. Food safety As Broadside readers would be aware, the NSW Food Authority has been determining how NSW childcare centres should be required to comply with the National Food Safety Standard The Authority has published a regulatory impact statement (RIS) on a proposed amendment to the Food Regulation 2004 and has invited public comment on this amendment. The RIS outlines the impacts on children s services, government and consumers. Currently, certain food businesses providing services to vulnerable persons (such as hospitals and aged care facilities) have to prepare and implement a food safety program, as well as being licensed by the Authority. Childcare centres have been exempt from this requirement but the proposed amendment to the Regulation will remove this exemption. The RIS explores options for implementing Standard in childcare centres but recommends making them subject to the Food Regulation This option will result in NSW childcare centres being subject to yet another regulation, but would mean that centres will be able to access specialist support from the NSW Food Authority. Essentially, if the change to the Regulation goes through, childcare centres will need to: develop and manage a food safety program (a written document indicating how a centre will manage the food safety hazards relevant to its food handling activities). This will be based on a pro forma document provided by the NSW Food Authority; have the program audited; and hold a NSW Food Authority licence. Community Child Care will advocate for the changes that result in the lowest costs and for the changes that can be easily implemented. We will also advocate for the specific exclusion of preschools from the amended Regulation. 3 Broadside February/March 2009 Community Child Care Co-operative Ltd. (NSW)

4 NEWS Children 21 lodges bid for ABC2 centres Children 21 is a new consortium of not-for-profit organisations committed to high quality children s services. It was formed as a response to the collapse of ABC Learning and has bid for services deemed to be unprofitable by ABC Learning s receivers, with the aim of securing their management for the community sector. Children 21 is comprised of five organisations which have extensive childcare expertise, providing professional development and support services to the childcare sector and operating communitybased childcare centres. Community Child Care Co-operative is the lead agency. The other members are: Lady Gowrie Tasmania (LGT), Child Inclusive Learning and Development Australia Inc. (CHILD Australia) from Western Australia, Try Youth from Victoria and Enterprise & Training Company Ltd (ETC) from Coffs Harbour. The group is backed by Community Sector Banking, which is a joint venture between the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank and Community 21 Pty Ltd, a company established by a group of community sector organisations to provide financial solutions for the community sector. After weeks of extensive modelling, assessment of business plans and discussions among the consortium members, Children 21 has lodged a bid for all the ABC2 centres. Children 21 has developed a childcare model that utilises efficiencies of scale in administration and management, and which also engages with communities regarding the operation of services to suit local needs. The consortium believes a transitional period will be necessary to stabilise the business and transform it to an economically sustainable operation. The members of Children 21 would like to express their thanks to all the businesses, union members, families and community organisations that have contacted us with messages of support and encouragement. We are grateful for the goodwill that has been generated and, regardless of the outcome of the bid, we remain committed to objective of returning more childcare centres to community sector operation. The outcome of the bid process is expected to be announced shortly. REACHing out for rural funds The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal and Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation have established a grants program to assist early childhood services in small rural communities. Not-for-profit community groups in rural and remote Australia that offer early childhood services can apply under the REACH Program for grants between $1,000 and $20,000, from a total funding pool of $450,000. Services in communities with populations under 10,000 people will receive preference. Funding can cover items such as interior and exterior refurbishment, educational resources, training and professional development, heating/ cooling systems, water (tanks, irrigation, drinking supply), equipment, information technology and community gardens. Fee subsides and operational and administration costs are not eligible for funding. Application forms are available at programsdetail.asp?programid=5 and applications will close on 16 April For more information, go to: or contact the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation by phone (toll free) or by info@frrr.org.au DO you receive shortside? It's the e-news with the latest updates, delivered by . If you are not currently receiving it, please go to and register for the mailing list. As the information about early childhood and education changes so quickly, it is the main way for services to stay informed. 4 Broadside February/March 2009 Community Child Care Co-operative Ltd. (NSW)

5 NEWS CCMS updates As of Monday 23 February, 73 per cent of services had transitioned to the Child Care Management System in NSW. The other 27 per cent are due to transition by the end of March. The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations is running free CCMS presentations. The Dubbo, Tamworth and Wollongong sessions will be held on in mid-march. Go to: Community Child Care and Children s Services Central have reviewed CCMS software and published a report on the results. If your service has software and is unhappy with how it is functioning, it may be an idea to review a different program. Go to: CCMS_SoftwareReview.pdf Community Child Care has recorded the discussion forums led by a panel of practitioners on CCMS. To listen to these forums, please go to: Community Child Care and Children s Services Central have set up a CCMS mutual support Yahoo Group group to assist children s services in NSW that are about to/or have transitioned through the CCMS process. To join the NSW preschools Yahoo Group, just send an to: ccmsmutualsupport-subscribe@ yahoogroups.com Children s Services Central has a CCB Reconciliation Tool on its website. Make sure your service is not owed any Child Care Benefit from the Government. For more information, go to: Make sure your service claims for Additional Assistance Funding before 31 July Upcoming Training Working in an Inclusive Care Environment, Armidale Sat, 21 March The Accidental Counsellor: Supporting Stronger Communities, Families and Practices, Narromine Sat, 21 March Accreditation: QIAS: Self Study and Continuing Improvement Plan, Parramatta, Tue, 24 March For more information: CCMS Tips & tricks Community Child Care is compiling a list of CCMS (Child Care Management System) tips and ideas that we are hearing from services. Here is some of the best to date: Make sure the service s internet connect is as fast as it can afford. Think about moving to collecting fees in arrears and having a bond to manage the risk. Make sure parents are aware that under CCMS that they are responsible for their Child Care Benefit payments services can no longer take responsibility for all families CCB. Refer parents to to check on their CCB payments. Advise parents to get receipts for all their interactions with the Family Assistance Office and, where possible, get advice in writing. Send messages by to the help desk, rather than contact by telephone. Make sure your data is backed up regularly. Make sure all Centrelink Reference Numbers for families and children have been obtained and entered. Check birth dates and spelling of names. When creating an enrolment for families that pays their bills using salary sacrifice, the enrolment type should be other, rather informal. It is a service s responsibility to enrol all children within seven days of CCMS transition if your service does not, it could be fined. Check on data ownership if your service is using a web-based software program what happens to the data created and collected within the program if the software provider goes out of business? It is useful to have online access to your service s bank account (internet banking) so DEEWR payments can be checked. Make sure your service is not reliant on only one person being able to work with the CCMS and has more than computer. Community Child Care and Children s Services Central will publish a more complete list of tips and tricks soon go to: 5 Broadside February/March 2009 Community Child Care Co-operative Ltd. (NSW)

6 ABN Broadside Editor Lisa Bryant Production ARMEDIA ISSN Published by Community Child Care Co-operative Ltd. (NSW) CEO Carol Lymbery Community Child Care Co-operative Ltd. (NSW) is a non-profit, non-government organisation set up to lobby for and provide information on children s services in New South Wales. It is funded by the NSW Department of Community Services. Community Child Care gratefully acknowledges the support of Microsoft Corporation in providing Community Child Care with free software under their Community Assistance Initiative. Registered Australia Post Publication No /04732 Photocopying is permitted in part however, acknowledgement must be given. Building 21, 142 Addison Rd, Marrickville NSW 2204 T: (02) FreeCall F: (02) E: info@ccccnsw.org.au W: Qualifications statistics DEEWR s submission to the Senate s Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Committee Inquiry into the Provision of Childcare contained the following tables an interesting insight into our sector Qualification and experience profile Qualification and experience Number % Relevant formal qualification 50, No relevant formal qualification: 3 years or more relevant experience 11, Less than 3 years relevant experience 23, Total 85, Level of qualification by care setting Level of qualification LDC (%) FDC (%) Bachelor Degree or higher Diploma or Advanced Diploma Certificate III or IV Certificate I or II Total Early Years Learning Framework trial The Early Years Learning Framework designed to guide early childhood educators in planning, implementing and evaluating quality curriculum in early childhood settings is currently being trialed in 29 sites across Australia for six weeks until 10 April The trial is to test the Framework and its application in early childhood settings prior to its planned implementation in July The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) stated that the sites represent a wide variety of early childhood settings and services, including preschools, early childhood settings on school sites, long day care centres, family day care, multipurpose Aboriginal children s services, early intervention and occasional childcare in metropolitan, regional and remote settings. The trial is being managed by the Charles Sturt University consortium which developed the framework. It will use a case study approach to involve early childhood educators and service providers in the interpretation and the practical implementation of the Early Years Learning Framework. The Framework was revised after consultation with the sector and a copy of the draft used in the trial can be downloaded via the Community Child Care website: DEEWR is also conducting an Early Years Learning Framework Online Forum from 14 March Though the online forum, practitioners will be able to review and trial the Early Years Learning Framework and supporting documents. You will also be able to take part in discussions and provide feedback directly to the Government. To apply to be part of this, please see the above link. 6 Broadside February/March 2009 Community Child Care Co-operative Ltd. (NSW)