12 February 2020

Engaging Families in Early Education research project

Yesterday, Family Day Care Australia (FDCA) participated in a research workshop on early education and care in high poverty contexts, hosted by the Social Policy Research Centre at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney. The workshop presented current research on early childhood education and care (ECEC) for children and families experiencing high levels of disadvantage, providing the starting point for Engaging Families in Early Education, a new Australian Research Council Linkage Project, led by the Social Policy Research Centre to be conducted over the next three years.

What is this research project about?

The Engaging Families in Early Education project responds to evidence that a significant percentage of families experiencing high levels of poverty either do not enrol their children in or opt out of ECEC services. This is a significant issue given that sustained participation in high quality ECEC has been shown to improve the education and health outcomes of children who face economic adversity and its related challenges.

Additionally, little is known about how ECEC services can calibrate their work to effectively engage with and respond to the strengths, aspirations and needs of such families. The findings and outputs of the research project will include accessible multi-media materials specifically targeted to practitioners, providers, policy makers and families, and will be very relevant to the family day care sector.

Why is FDCA supporting this research?

Alongside Early Childhood Australia, KU Children’s services and Goodstart Crèche and Kindergarten, FDCA is a Linkage Partner in this research project, providing in-kind and financial contributions. FDCA is proud to be supporting this important project. It supports FDCA’s strategic objectives to drive service innovation and promote and support high quality service and educator practice. The findings will be a valuable addition to the evidence base for our ongoing policy and advocacy work on behalf of the sector and the resources produced will be very useful to our members.

 

Updated fact sheets from the Australian Government about the novel coronavirus

On 8 February 2020 the Australian Government published further updated factsheets on the novel coronavirus for the education and training sector.

The updated Department of Health factsheets can be found by following the link on the Department of Education, Skills and Employment website. The Department will continue to advise each time these factsheets are updated.

Please regularly check the Department of Health’s website to help ensure that you are using the latest version of these factsheets.

 

National Engagement Program – Register now for Melbourne and Canberra forums!

The National Engagement Program is coming back to Melbourne and Canberra!

Following overwhelmingly positive feedback to the 2019 National Engagement Program (NEP) forums, Family Day Care Australia (FDCA) is excited to announce that the NEP is returning to Melbourne and Canberra in 2020.

We’re bringing everyone together

This year we're delighted to announce that for the first time, educators and service staff will have the opportunity to meet and work together at each of the 2020 NEP forums.

A strong and positive relationship between services and educators is key to achieving positive outcomes for children. This year's forums will allow attendees to explore this idea further and unpack as a sector how we can strive for higher quality together.

Free for FDCA members

With tickets valued at over $100, we're proud to say that the NEP remains a FREE professional development opportunity for all FDCA members. The NEP is an opportunity for educators and service staff to receive professional development, network with other family day care professionals and engage directly with representatives from FDCA.

All attendees will also receive a certificate of participation.

In addition to high-quality professional development sessions and updates from sector professionals, a free networking lunch is included as part of the day. This lunch provides you with a valuable opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with other family day care professionals.

Be quick, tickets are limited!

Places are limited for each forum, so be sure to register quickly for the NEP by clicking here.

To find out more about the 2020 NEP forums, visit www.fdca.com.au/nep.

 

Is your home and contents or motor vehicle fully covered?

This is an important reminder for members to make sure that their Home and Contents and Motor Vehicle insurer (if not placed through FDCA) is advised that a family day care business is being run from the home, and that their car is being used to transport children for their family day care business.

If these important facts are not disclosed to the insurer there is a possibility that the insurer may decline a claim due to non disclosure.

This could happen even if the claim is not related to the family day care business. It is vital that members get their insurer to confirm this has been noted in writing.

To obtain a Home and Contents quote from FDCA, click here. To obtain a Motor Vehicle insurance quote, click here.

 

FDCA 2021 National Conference - Payment plans now available to members

FDCA is excited to announce that payment plans for full registration early-bird tickets to the FDCA 2021 National Conference are now available, exclusively to FDCA members!

Why use a payment plan to purchase my ticket?

For many members the option of paying for their conference ticket by the month makes it much easier to purchase, as they don't have to worry about paying for the full amount up front. Payment plans were an extremely popular option for members who attended the FDCA 2018 National Conference and we're pleased to be able to support members by providing these additional options for purchasing tickets.

What plans are available?

To provide members with more flexibility when purchasing tickets, two types of payment plans are available to members: a 12-month and a 6-month plan. FDCA members are able to access the 12-month payment plan up until the end of 31 August 2020, while access to the 6-month payment plan will conclude on 28 February 2021.

How can I access a payment plan?

To purchase your FDCA 2021 Conference ticket via a payment plan, simply click here and choose the 12-month or 6-month option when selecting your ticket.

To find out more about the FDCA 2021 National Conference, visit www.fdca.com.au/conference.