It was such a pleasure to connect with Members at the Rural and Remote Forum held at the Fairmont Resort Leura last week. The Forum has become a fixture on the CCSA calendar of events and one I look forward to because of the opportunity it provides to bring together members from across the State and beyond the State borders. The last two years of the pandemic have been difficult with lockdowns, service closures, teaching at home and managing sickness either in your staff or family. The Forum provided a welcome break from all of that, as well as the opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues, take inspiration from key note speakers, learn something new or hear the latest information from the Department of Education representatives at our round table discussions.
CCSA is thinking of all of our members and communities who continue to experience the impacts of the devastating floods across the east coast. We are here to support you - please don't hesitate to call or email us so we can help guide you through the process as you start to pick up the pieces.
To help you keep track of all the latest information and available support we have created this Flood Information and Support webpage. Please bookmark this page and refer to it regularly as will collate all the information from government departments and other sources here for easier reference.
Flood Care Packs
We know that staff at many ECE services in the Northern Rivers lost their homes and possessions, as well as their workplace in the recent floods. When someone has lost everything, it is hard to know where to start. We asked our members "how can we help"? Because supermarkets and other retail outlets were also destroyed, obtaining basic supplies for personal care was the one thing that our members up North said would make a small difference in their lives.
We put out the call to members attending the Rural and Remote Forum and asked them to put together and bring a care pack of personal items, which we could send to flood effected services, to support their staff or families in need. We were overwhelmed by the generosity of donations to this appeal. We have contacted services and are in the process now of packing up the care packs for urgent delivery.
Supporting flood impacted services
While flood waters have receded, the road to recovery for many services inundated by the deluge will be a long one. That is why CCSA continues to advocate for services impacted by the floods, whether that be through Flood Impact Sector Support or Start Strong Capital Works – Crisis Fund. We are ensuring the current status of CCSA Member services and voices of the people impacted by the floods are heard at Departmental meetings we attend and in conversations we have with Senior Departmental Officers. Please help us help you, by telling us how you are managing, what assistance or support you need and sharing your recovery progress during this time.
From 5 April 2022, new company directors must apply for their Director Identification Numbers (Director IDs) before appointment. This change affects the company directors of for-profit early childhood services, and of not-for-profit services structured as companies limited by guarantee.
Start Strong Capital Grants: Qualified Construction Consultancy Service
To assist Invitation to Apply (ITA) Applicants to develop their proposal for their ITA application, the Department of Education has engaged CCSA to provide a Qualified Construction Consultancy Service to ITA Applicants.
The NSW Department of Education are investigating a new program, the ECE Digital Hub, to replace the Early Childhood Contract Management System (ECCMS). To ensure the new program is designed with your needs in mind, the department will be holding feedback sessions in the coming weeks.
Please register your interest to participate in a one-to-one feedback session. You can reach out to the team on DigitalHub@det.nsw.edu.au if you have any questions or require further information.
Start Strong Free Preschool Webinar Recording
If you missed our Start Strong Free Preschool webinar, there is a recording available on our website to view here. This is available for CCSA members and non-members.
This webinar is funded by the Department of Education and brought to you by CCSA as part of the sector support program.
COVID Updates
For the latest COVID information go to our COVID Updates Page. COVID related Top Tips and other information can also be found on our News page, and we post latest information to our Facebook page here.
CCSA members can call the CCSA Infoline on (02) 4782 1470 or 1800 991 602 (option 2) for further support and for help with any COVID related questions.
The Importance of Timesheets Stop those payday headaches!
Since the invention of the clock, virtually every industry and profession has measured the value of labour in shifts, hours and minutes. Timesheets make these measurements possible.
The 2022 CCSA Rural and Remote Forum was held last week on 16th - 18th March. We were joined by some inspirational keynote speakers such as Professor Robert Booy, Caryn Walsh and Nathan Wallis followed by many informative workshops. So much knowledge and inspiration was shared throughout our time including an amazing opportunity to dance, sing and finally connect with each other in person!
Feel free to visit our online gallery to see some photos from the Forum.
Connections Magazine - Issue 6
Read the latest copy of Connections Magazine online now.
Meet Bourke and District Children's Services, understand organisational resilience, look at the Child Safe Standards, read about how Services are integrating allied health models into their everyday practice and more...
Early Childhood Administrator Network Forum - Group 2
Our first group for the Admin Network Forum sold out and is underway, so we have opened registrations for a Group 2, commencing in June 2022.
Join us for this exciting opportunity to grow in your Admin role, demystify some of the myriad regulations that apply to the sector, develop peer to peer connections and learn from experts as well as each other.
Register by 31 March for a discounted fee $799 for 1 participant $1,100 for 2 participants from the same service
This page on our website outlines the ways we can support your new committee members in their role. Please share this and encourage your committee to take full advantage of their CCSA membership.
Make sure that your new committee members are keeping up to date with sector news and information by subscribing to receive their own copy of eConnect. Scroll to the bottom of our website home page and complete the “Connect with us” form to sign up.
Outgoing committee members who no longer wish to receive eConnect can select “Unsubscribe” at the bottom of eConnect.
What to do after the Annual General Meeting
After a community-based early childhood service has its Annual General Meeting (AGM), there are several notifications, checks and forms that must be completed. These are legal requirements as set down by NSW Department of Education, NSW Fair Trading, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) the Australian Business Register (ABR), and, if applicable, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC).