CCSA has been urging the government to take direct action to support the early childhood workforce impacted by floods over the recent weeks. We applaud the government's efforts to initiate and implement an Employment Assistance Program (EAP). The Department of Education has confirmed additional mental health and wellbeing support for flood impacted staff working in early childhood education and care services.
The NSW Government has announced $67 million for education flood recovery. The flood recovery package focuses on replacing educational resources, staff wellbeing, and trauma training to support students across the Northern Rivers and North Coast. The package includes $9 million to help ECEC services rebuild, $9.5 million committed for psychology and counselling for school and early childhood staff, and trauma training so they can support students. There is also a $10 million hardship fund for families to replace essential school items including school bags, school uniforms and lunch boxes.
The Australian Government have declared an additional Local Area Emergency (LAE) for the period 29 March to 8 April 2022 following recent flooding in parts of NSW. Support is available to services and families during the LAE.
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.
Keeping your Information up to Date on StartingBlocks.gov.au
Service fees, vacancies, quality ratings and inclusions are now available on StartingBlocks.gov.au, helping parents choose the best early childhood education and care for their families. You can update your contact details and vacancy details via the Provider Entry Point or your third-party software. If you need help, please see the task card on reporting fees in the PEP or contact your third-party software provider.
Please update your communication products with old phone numbers like the My Child Hotline and Child Care Access Hotline with links to StartingBlocks.gov.au.
CCCF Special Circumstances Grant Funding Increased
The Australian Government has increased funding for the Community Child Care Fund (CCCF) Special Circumstances to help more services impacted by COVID-19 or the recent floods. The special circumstances grant helps services stay open when something unexpected happens.
If your service has had to close due to a natural disaster, extreme weather or COVID-19, you may be eligible for a grant. Read the updated guidelines and frequently asked questions to see if your service is eligible.
Directors who are currently leading a team within an early childhood education service in Australia are invited by the University of Wollongong to participate in a research project ‘What are the challenges of children’s challenging behaviours for Australian early learning services?’ This study aims to establish a deeper understanding of understanding of the frequency and challenges of children exhibiting challenging behaviours within early childhood education contexts.
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 Early Learning team is hosting a free online Inclusion Forum on Tuesday 24 May 2022 between 8:30am and 4:30pm. This event will support early childhood educators, teachers and directors to deliver educational programs to children with additional needs in ECE services and during transition to school to improve learning outcomes.
The latest version of the Australian Early Development Census which covers the period 2018 to 2021 has been published. The Census, which is conducted every three years, measures children’s development.
Last week, the Minister for Health signed the Public Health (COVID-19 Self-Isolation) Order (No 1) Order 2022, updating self-isolation requirements for close or household contacts who have recovered from COVID-19.
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.
My new employee has not provided me with their super fund details. What do I do?
Employers can no longer sign their new staff up their default super fund. If your new employee have not chosen a super fund, you may need to contact the ATO and request the employee’s ‘stapled super fund’ details.
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.
$899 for 1 participant $1,200 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.
The Role of Director and their Relationship with the Committee
The effectiveness of a community-based organisation depends on a well-defined partnership between the committee/board and the director.
Understanding the differences between the role of the committee/board and the director can help to develop an effective partnership.