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Following an unprecedented 5,600 nominations, Family Day Care Australia (FDCA) announced yesterday our first round of winners in the 2020 Excellence in Family Day Care Awards.
Congratulations to all 24 of our ACT and NSW Regional Educator Winners!
We are thrilled to recognise the incredible work of these educators and celebrate the support they provide each and every day to children and families in their communities.
Over the next three weeks, FDCA will announce the remaining Regional Educator Winners from around Australia. These announcements will be made as follows:
Following the Regional Educator Winner announcements, we will reveal the winners of our Star Awards, National Finalists and National Winners on the dates below:
As the only national event of its kind, the 2020 Excellence in Family Day Care Awards are an important opportunity to highlight the unique benefits of the family day care home learning environment, and position family day care as the natural choice for quality early childhood education and care.
FDCA would like to commend all of our nominees in the 2020 Awards and thank everyone who has participated.
We encourage our members to keep an eye out over the coming weeks for media coverage on our Regional Educator Winners, which will be shared on our Facebook page and website.
In December 2019, the Australian Governments’ Education Council endorsed the development of a new national strategy to support the recruitment, retention, sustainability and quality of the early education and care workforce. On behalf of all governments, ACECQA has been asked to lead the development of the Children’s Education and Care National Workforce Strategy and to provide a draft to Education Ministers in March 2021, ahead of national consultation.
The background report is now available on the ACECQA website at www.acecqa.gov.au/national-workforce-strategy.
This strategy will be developed in partnership with key sector stakeholders. A ‘Children’s Education and Care National Workforce Strategy Co‐design Stakeholder Group’ (Co-design Stakeholder Group) has been established so that sector representatives can share their perspectives and consider options for action.
Yesterday, Michael Farrell, Advocacy and Engagement Manager for FDCA, attended the first meeting of the Co-design Stakeholder Group on behalf of the family day care sector. The Co-Design Stakeholder Group will play an important role in the development of the new National Workforce Strategy by identifying relevant workforce initiatives and providing specialist advice on key priorities through a collaborative and consultative approach.
Six focus areas were proposed as pillars of the new National Workforce Strategy:
Commenting on the pillars, Michael noted, “From a family day care perspective, we certainly agree with the pillars generally. However, I think the main initial point I would make on behalf of the family day care sector, is that… the unique context, strengths and challenges of different service types must be appropriately considered in strengthening, growing, retaining and improving the quality of the workforce and service delivery.
…if we are to strengthen the workforce, blunt and uniform policy responses will not achieve the goals of the strategy. The strengths of family day care in terms of flexibility, accessibility, and resilience must be recognised, considered and emphasised in specific measures implemented under the strategy."
FDCA looks forward to continued participation in the Co-design Stakeholder Group to ensure that the strengths of family day care are recognised, considered and emphasised in any specific measures proposed as part of the National Workforce Strategy.
Has your family day care recently gone on an excursion or adventure? If the answer is yes, we would love to hear about it and share your story in the summer edition of JiGSAW Magazine.
We're looking for a story about your latest excursion or adventure to feature in JiGSAW's Out & About section.
We understand that for many, opportunities to get "out & about” have been very limited recently, so we also welcome contributions about creative adventures from home.
If you have a story and would like to be featured in the upcoming summer edition of JiGSAW magazine, please email marketing@fdca.com.au for more information.
Widely recognised as Australia’s premier family day care event, FDCA offers our members an exclusive opportunity to present alongside keynote speakers and stakeholders at the FDCA 2021 National Conference to be held on 28-30 October next year.
This is your chance to stand out from the crowd and rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector, including Dr Helen May, Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Otago, and Jay Laga'aia, renowned actor, entertainer and father of eight.
Whether you are a seasoned participant or a first time attendee, presenting at the FDCA 2021 National Conference is a professional opportunity second to none. We welcome submissions on a range of topics that will appeal to the unique and varied experiences of our members, and which will enrich the work of FDCA in representing, supporting, and promoting the family day care sector.
If you are passionate about your work and hungry to share your expertise onstage to an audience of family day care professionals from across the country, this is the platform for you.
The submission process couldn’t be easier. Simply click here to submit your abstract.
To assist you in developing your abstract, FDCA has provided a collection of themes that you may wish to consider:
Due to high demand and limited session numbers, FDCA is unable to provide feedback on all of the abstracts we receive. When drafting your abstract, please note that interactive sessions will receive preference over non-interactive oral presentations.
The closing date for submitting your abstract is 31 January 2021.
Successful applicants will be informed no later than 26 February 2021.
If you are selected to present, you will have the flexibility to choose either a 60 or 90 minute slot for your presentation, with individual and workshop sessions welcome.
For more information please view the terms and conditions.
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