We were thrilled to partner with ECA, SNAICC and Thrive By Five to advocate on behalf of the Early Childhood Education and Care sector at the Election Forum on Monday night.
We had the opportunity to engage with the Hon Stuart Robert MP, Acting Minister for Education and Youth, the Hon Amanda Rishworth MP, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education, Shadow Minister for Youth, NSW Senator Dr Mehreen Faruqi, Australian Greens spokesperson for Education, NSW Senate Candidate and Jane Caro AM, Reason Party.
Now that the year is well under way, it is timely to review how you manage your accrued leave (where applicable) including formulating plans detailing how excess leave, rostered days off and time in lieu accruals will be managed and cleared.
The end of the current payroll year is fast approaching and now is a good time to check that that all of your wage categories have been assigned the correct ATO reporting category.
Be Brave. Make Change. is a challenge to us all to Be Brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can Make Change for all. We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.
Applications for the Aboriginal Early Childhood Education Scholarships and Early Childhood Education Scholarships are now open until 7 June 2022. Successful applicants will receive up to $20,000 to support their study of a Bachelor-level Early Childhood Teaching qualification in 2022-23.
The Department of Education Skills and Employment want to hear from staff who have experience with the Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) (child wellbeing). Your answers will help inform the Department's advice to government about improving access to early childhood education and care for vulnerable families. The survey will close on 17 May.
Happy National Family Day Care Week to all of our Family Day Care members! Have a great week as you celebrate the important role you play in our early childhood education and care sector. #FDCWeek2022
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.
Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) 2021 data collection outcomes are now available. New South Wales is offering AEDC community grants of up to $15,000 to fund initiatives that address the data. These grants aim to support early intervention in communities with high vulnerabilities or limited access to services. Applications close Friday, 13 May 2022.
2022 HESTA Early Childhood Education & Care Awards
Nominations are open for the HESTA Early Childhood Education & Care Awards. These awards recognise the front-line educators and carers at the very heart of Australia's early childhood education system. Winners will share in a $30,000 prize pool.
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.
Registrations are open for the Department of Education free roadshow sessions to be held in May. Some of the sessions include communicating with families, medical management plans and disability and inclusion program.
Changes to COVID-19 Isolation and Mandatory Vaccination Requirements
Close contacts (defined as a household contact or an individual deemed by NSW Health to be a close contact) have changed isolation requirements: Please see the part 2A of the Public Health (Covid-19 self-isolation) order 2022.
If a child or staff member has tested positive, they must isolate for 7 days and can leave isolation after 7 days only if they are symptom-free. They do not need to test before returning to the service.
Mandatory double vaccination requirements for staff and volunteers will no longer be in place from 13 May, but services will need to look at their own risk management and policies and procedures.
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.
Flood Information
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.
Coffee Conversations
Coffee Conversations are returning this June, offering members a platform for facilitating important conversations about the issues currently affecting our sector. These sessions offer access to subject matter experts and guest speakers along with the opportunity to collaborate and share experiences with other services in small group breakout sessions.
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.
Clearing Up Some Common Misconceptions About Committees
The CCSA Member Support team is often contacted by new members of a management committee who are unsure about how it all works. These calls often highlight several common misconceptions about management committees.