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With the tenth anniversary of the Excellence in Family Day Care Awards officially coming to a close, Family Day Care Australia (FDCA) was thrilled to reveal our National Winners on Saturday 26 February during the 2021 Awards Gala Dinner held at the Midnight Hotel in Canberra.
To view the Educator of the Year, Coordinator of the Year and Service of the Year for 2021, visit our website here.
Impact of the 2021 Awards
The 2021 Excellence in Family Day Care Awards has been one of our biggest years yet, celebrating 10 years of recognising the family day care sector on a national level as the only event of its kind in the country.
Our Regional Educator Winners, Star Award Winners, National Finalists and National Winners represent the enormous amount of talent, dedication and passion within family day care.
Over 120 stories were captured in Australian media on our Award winners and finalists, reaching over 1 million Australian readers!
FDCA Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Paterson, spoke to the importance of the Awards and the achievements of the National Winners.
“Our 2021 Educator, Coordinator and Service of the Year have displayed excellence in all areas of practice and are committed to providing quality outcomes for their children, peers and communities," said Andrew.
“2021 has been a landmark Awards season, with an incredible number of nominations received. Once again we are proud to shine a spotlight on our sector as a vital component of the early childhood sector in Australia”.
Relive the Magic
To view the video profiles of our 2021 National Finalists and our National Winners, visit the FDCA website here. You can also relive the magic of the National Award Winners announcement and watch the winner's speeches by clicking here.
FDCA thanks each and every nominee, participant, finalist and winner for their time and effort in making our 10th anniversary of Excellence in Family Day Care Awards an event to remember!
The sheer number and high quality of the nominations we received is testament to the hard work coming out of our sector each and every day to support Australian children and families.
We also thank our sponsors for their ongoing support: the Tasmanian Government Department of Education and Early Childhood Australia.
The Australian Government has declared a Local Area Emergency (LAE) in some areas for the period 23 February to 4 March 2022 following severe rainfall and flooding in New South Wales and Queensland.
The LAE includes all education and care service services in the following Local Government Areas (LGAs):
NSW
Tweed Shire Council, Byron Shire Council, Ballina Shire Council, Kyogle Council, Richmond Valley Council, Lismore City Council, Clarence Valley Council, Coffs Harbour City Council, Bellingen Shire Council and Nambucca Valley Council.
QLD
Brisbane City Council, Ipswich City Council, Moreton Bay Regional Council, Somerset Regional Council, Gold Coast City Council, Logan City Council, Redland City Council, Scenic Rim Regional Council, Sunshine Coast Regional Council, Noosa Shire Council, Gympie Regional Council, Lockyer Valley Regional Council, Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council, North Burnett Regional Council, Toowoomba Regional Council, Southern Downs Regional Council, Fraser Coast Regional Council and South Burnett Regional Council.
If you have to close
Services that close during the LAE will continue to receive Child Care Subsidy (CCS) payments and must continue to charge gap fees.
You must notify the Department if you temporarily close your service. You can do this via the Provider Entry Point (PEP) or your third-party software. You will also need to tell your state or territory regulatory authority.
Support for services
The Community Child Care Fund (CCCF) Special Circumstances grant helps services stay open when something unexpected happens, such as a local emergency. Affected services can apply on the DESE website.
FDCA Survey
Members in affected areas have received a link to a ‘Flood Impact Survey’, following a request from DESE for data on the impact of the floods on early childhood education and care services and the extent of closures.
We thank those members who have been able to provide their invaluable feedback.
To all of our members affected by the floods, please don’t hesitate to contact FDCA on 1800 658 699 or at enquiries@fdca.com.au if you require information or support during this difficult time.
Registrations are open for FDCA’s 2022 National Engagement Program forums and with seating limited, we don’t want you to miss out!
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.
Tickets are available now and have been heavily subsidised, with FDCA members on average receiving over $125 worth of value for just $15!
In 2022, FDCA members will also be able 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.
Tailored professional development for family day care
Joining representatives from FDCA will be Red Nose Australia and Australian Child Care Career Options (ACCCO), who will both be providing premium professional development opportunities.
Red Nose Australia will deliver a “Safe sleeping for family day care” workshop, with ACCCO facilitating a presentation on “Child Protection: a family day care focused approach”.
Both workshops 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.
Full summaries of forum workshops are available to download from the FDCA website by visiting each forum’s webpage.
Attendees will receive a certificate for each workshop in acknowledgement of the learning experience.
Refreshments across the day and an official Networking Lunch will also be included, alongside an exclusive presentation from FDCA on our 2021-2022 Member Initiatives.
Secure your ticket
Capacity across each event is strictly limited, so make you secure your registration by clicking here.
Supporting the professional practice of educators is a key part of excellence in service delivery. For early education and care, a commitment to and investment in professional development has tangible benefits for educators, children and the service as a whole, and has a significant return in relation to educators being valued and supported in their complex roles.
ACECQA sat down with four Excellent rated services to discuss how their unique approaches, including the adoption of Yarning Circles by Choices Family Day Care, are supporting educators in professional practice and identity.
We encourage you to read the full article here and consider how these approaches could be adapted or integrated into your business and your service.
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 have 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.
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