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16 February 2022

Don’t miss out on your spot at FDCA’s National Engagement Program forums!

Registrations are open for FDCA’s 2022 National Engagement Program forums and with seating limited, we don’t want you to miss out!

Tickets are available for forums in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

Our 2022 National Engagement Program will provide you with the opportunity to participate in workshops on safe sleeping in family day care and child protection, that have both been tailored for family day care.

The workshops will be delivered by Red Nose Australia and Australian Child Care Career Options (ACCCO); FDCA representatives will also be on hand to provide a member update and answer your questions.

Delegates will also be treated to a networking lunch where you will be able to share ideas and meet fellow family day care professionals.

With tickets heavily subsidised for FDCA members, you will receive over $125 worth of value for only $15!

Capacity for the forum is strictly limited, so make you secure your registration by clicking here.

Tailored professional development for family day care

Each workshop will have an emphasis on the role of services and educators, providing valuable insights for all participants and a holistic approach to child safety. This ticks an important box in terms of assisting services and educators to meet both their professional development obligations under Element 7.2.3 of the NQS, and their child safety and child protection obligations under Standard 2.2 and Element 2.2.3.

Helping you to access premium professional development and learning, while providing opportunities to network with fellow family day care professionals and discuss the issues that matter to you, is an important part of the work that we do as your national peak body. Through the National Engagement Program, we’re proud to continue our investment into this important initiative.

The 2022 National Engagement Program will allow members to take advantage of joint educator and service sessions, giving teams the chance to come together and share in the benefits of joint professional development workshops unique to the family day care environment.

View the full day program

You can view a full summary of all forums by downloading the full day programs here.

Attendees will receive a certificate for each workshop in acknowledgement of the learning experience.

Register for the chance to win an FDCA 2022 National Conference ticket

By registering for the National Engagement Program, not only will you get the value we’ve packed into our one-day forum, but you could also win a ticket to the FDCA 2022 National Conference.

There’ll be two tickets up for grabs for each forum and best of all, there’s no need to make a separate entry - simply register for a forum and you’ll automatically go into the draw!

For more information about the 2022 FDCA National Engagement Program and for a full listing of forums, visit www.familydaycare.com.au/nep.

Stage 3 of the Approved Learning Frameworks Update project now underway

The Approved Learning Frameworks (ALFs) Update project has now entered its third and final stage and is on track to deliver recommendations for consideration by Education Ministers by mid-2022. This third stage involves piloting potential updates to the ALFs, identified through consultations in Stages 1 and 2, in 16 early childhood education and care services across Australia, with the findings and feedback to inform final recommendations.

The ALFs Update project is being delivered in 3 stages by a national consortium engaged by ACECQA in early 2021 on behalf of all Education Ministers. The consortium is led by a partnership between Macquarie University, Queensland University of Technology & Edith Cowan University. The two national Approved Learning Frameworks that are included in this Update project are the Belonging, Being and Becoming Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the My Time Our Place Framework for School Age Care (MTOP).

Stages 1 and 2 of the ALFs Update project comprised a Literature Review and extensive stakeholder consultations in 2021, resulting in a Discussion Paper which highlighted the strengths of the current ALFs and identified areas where they could be improved. Following publication of the Discussion Paper, further consultations were held with key sector representatives, including Family Day Care Australia in the last quarter of 2021.

New ACECQA information sheet on in-nature programs

Do you run or are you looking to establish an in-nature program such as bush kindy/kinder, beach kinder or other nature play program?  If so, you may like to check out the new ACECQA Information Sheet unpacking the legislative requirements for such programs.

The information sheet summarises the general regulatory requirements, as well as discussing specific requirements regarding enrolment and orientation processes, educational programs, risk assessments, transportation, supervision responsibilities and more.

You can access the information sheet here.

2021 Excellence in Family Day Care Awards - National Finalist videos

FDCA is sharing the stories of our 2021 Excellence in Family Day Care Awards National Finalists on the Family Day Care Australia Facebook page, in the lead up to the Awards Gala Dinner in Canberra on Saturday 26 February 2022.

This week we profile our Coordinator National Finalists, as we recognise their achievements and highlight the invaluable support they provide to the entire family day care sector.

You can click here to view this week’s video profiles, you’ll also be able to look back on our Service National Finalist profiles that were shared last week.

FDCA congratulates our 2021 Service, Coordinator and Educator National Finalists and extends our thanks to everyone that has participated, making our 10th anniversary of Excellence in Family Day Care one of our biggest Award seasons to date!

Refreshed Starting Blocks website launched

On 7 February, ACECQA launched its newly refreshed Startingblocks.gov.au website.

As well as being able to search for local services and view their quality ratings, families can now view vacancies, costs and inclusions, estimate out of pocket costs and compare services side-by-side. The refreshed website replaces old services such as the My Child Hotline and Child Care Access Hotline.

However, providers are being reminded that requirements to report fees and other  information required by Family Assistance Law has not changed. You must still report these  details through the Provider Entry Point (PEP) or third party software. When reporting fees, you must report:

  • current hourly sessions fees before Child Care Subsidy, discounts or reductions. If your service has a range of fees (for example per educator), you can report a typical or average fee; and
  • any changes to fees (within 14 days of the change).

Get peace of mind with Family Day Care Legal Services

FDCA’s Family Day Care Legal Services provides you with access to a team of trusted legal professionals to have your back when you need it most.

FDCA has teamed up with Clyde & Co, a multi-award winning law firm and specialists in the family day care field, to provide our members with legal advice and resources tailored to their business.

For as little as $3.15 a week, you can access expert assistance to tackle a range of legal, regulatory and operational issues, helping you save precious time and money.

Click here to begin your legal services subscription today

One of our educators was able to begin the process of recovering over $4000 of debt through her Family Day Care Legal Services subscription - giving her much needed peace of mind and greater financial security.

FDCA’s Family Day Care Legal Services is just one of the ways that we are supporting you, our members, to feel confident that your business is in good hands.

Autumn edition of JiGSAW: Book reviewer wanted!

Calling all bookworms and lovers of literature! We invite you to nominate for the position of JiGSAW book reviewer for the autumn 2022 digital edition.

Not only will you receive four wonderful books for your family day care business, you will also be able to share them with your children and discuss their thoughts and feelings about the stories with the entire sector.

If you would like to be considered as our book reviewer for the autumn 2022 digital edition of JiGSAW, please email marketing@fdca.com.au with your full name and contact details before 5.00pm AEDT on Friday 25 February 2022.