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On Monday 17 August, ACECQA announced a decision by the Education Council to introduce new requirements under the National Regulations for early education service providers who offer, or arrange, the transportation of children.
From 1 October 2020, services that offer, or arrange, the transportation of children will be required to have in place transportation-specific policies and procedures.
New requirements for transportation risk assessments and obtaining written authorisations for transportation will also apply.
Although these changes are designed around transportation other than as part of an excursion, minor corresponding changes relating to excursions that involve transporting children will also take effect.
These requirements will come in the form of new and amended provisions of the National Regulations, a full list of which is available in the following ACECQA fact sheet.
Guidance from ACECQA on existing policies and procedures is that, while it may be possible for a service to adapt existing policies or procedures in order to cover the new requirements for risk assessments and authorisations, these new requirements will differ from existing requirements.
ACECQA has published a Transportation Risk Assessment Template on their website ahead of the changes to assist service providers and educators.
FDCA encourages our members to refer to the ACECQA website for further information on the changes which will be enacted through the Education and Care Services National Amendment Regulations 2020 in the coming days. Please be assured that we will continue to dissect and disseminate the details of these new requirements as they become available.
If you have any questions about these new requirements, please get in contact with us at enquiries@fdca.com.au.
He stole our hearts in Play School and defended the Queen of Naboo in a galaxy far, far away. A man of incomparable talent and world class wit, a crowd favourite at our 2018 National Conference and a great bloke to boot!
The one and only Jay Laga’aia will be returning in 2021 as our Gala Dinner Master of Ceremonies. Best of all, not only will Jay be joining us as our Master of Ceremonies, but he will also be featuring as a keynote speaker to share inspirational stories from his life and career.
Jay is a proud father of eight, a much-loved Play School presenter, children’s entertainer, accomplished actor and has also performed his original music with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, WA Symphony Orchestra and SA Symphony Orchestra.
We look forward to welcoming Jay to the FDCA 2021 National Conference.
We understand that now more than ever, managing the cash flow of your business is extremely important.
Therefore we're ensuring that we provide you with flexible options that give you the very best chance to take part in what promises to be the must-attend professional learning and networking event on the family day care calendar in 2021, the FDCA 2021 National Conference.
In continuing with our proud tradition of providing our members with flexible ticketing options to attend the National Conference, we've given you access to an exclusive members-only 12-month payment plan.
This means you can access your conference ticket at the early-bird rate and spread the cost of your ticket out over 12 monthly instalments of only $52. This works out to be on average a little over $12 per week per ticket.
Access to the 12-month payment plans ends on 31 August 2020.
To ensure you take advantage of our exclusive members-only 12-month payment plan, click here.
We are very mindful that for many, committing to the purchase of a conference ticket can be a difficult decision. To remove any concerns for members we are committed to offering full refunds to all members up until 28 July 2021.
This means that you can purchase your ticket with our 12-month payment plan with full knowledge that you will be able to get a full refund before 28 July 2021.
The FDCA 2021 National Conference promises to be an event not to be missed! Taking place in Hobart from 28-30 October 2021, the conference will be held at the Hotel Grand Chancellor which will provide delegates with a stunning waterfront location and easy access to a range of attractions.
To find out more about the conference including information on accommodation, our keynote speakers and some of the fantastic activities on offer in Hobart, visit www.fdca.com.au/conference.
A reminder that the Perspectives on Quality in Australian Family Day Care resource is now available through the FDCA Professional Learning Portal.
The reflection tool consists of five videos and contains interviews with educators and coordination unit staff on the following five areas:
To start using the FDCA Professional Learning Portal all you need to do is login to your FDCA Member Dashboard and click on the "Professional Learning Portal" button on the left. If you do not have an FDCA online account, simply click here and follow the instructions.
If you have any enquiries regarding the FDCA Professional Learning Portal please email equiries@fdca.com.au.
After four years of studying veterinary nursing, Hannah McDonald decided to make the leap into early childhood education and care. Her reasons? Being able to set her own hours, work independently and the potential to own her own business.
Hannah has now completed her Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care and is well on track to complete her Diploma. She hopes one day to open her own family day care service , and cites her love of learning from children and being able to play on their level.
"There are so many other career pathways from early education and care and it helps you open up new doors,” she said, in an interview with NSW regional newspaper, Central Western Daily.
To read the full article please visit Central Western Daily’s website here.
The final round of nominations for the 2020 Excellence in Family Day Care Awards have now been released.
This year has seen unprecedented engagement from families and the family day care sector from all across Australia. During the nomination period a record-breaking 5,667 nominations were placed across all categories, this was an increase of 12% on previous history making 2019 awards program (5,075 nominations).
This result is a true testament to the amazing work done by everyone in the family day care sector and the contribution they make to families and communities throughout all of Australia.
Congratulations to all those who have been nominated and thank you to everyone that has placed a nomination.
To find out if you or someone you know has been nominated, click here to see the final nomination lists.
For more information about the 2020 Excellence in Family Day Care Awards, visit www.familydaycare.com.au/awards.
This is a reminder that due to the ongoing uncertainty regarding the developing COVID-19 situation, the decision has been made to postpone the FDCA National Engagement Program forums that were scheduled to take place in Hornsby (22 August) and Launceston (19 September).
At this stage a decision has not yet been made in regards to rescheduling the events. Members who had registered to attend the events will be given first preference to register if we are able to reschedule the forum at a later date.
We thank you for your understanding and support of this decision. We hope to announce a new date for our National Engagement Program forums in the future and as your national peak body, we look forward to continuing to invest in the ongoing professional development of our members.
FDCA's members are invited to take part in Be You's FREE upcoming webinar which will focus on educator wellbeing.
Hear from Be You clinical advisor, Dr Stephen Carbone, and Head of Be You Delivery, Geri Sumpter, on supporting educator wellbeing during these Covid-19 times.
The interactive webinar will discuss the mental health continuum, provide practical tips for promoting educators’ wellbeing, discuss help-seeking and ways to support educators who may be experiencing mental health difficulties and explain how Be You can help you promote, protect and support educators’ wellbeing.
The webinar will include a Q&A for attendees to ask panel members questions about how they or their service can support educators’ wellbeing.
The webinar will take place on Thursday 27 August 2020 from 1.00pm – 2.00pm AEST.
To find out more and to register for the webinar, click here.
Family Day Care Australia represents, supports and promotes the sector in delivering quality outcomes for children.
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