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27 October 2021

2021 Excellence in Family Day Care Awards – Coordinator National Finalists for 2021

Following another amazing Awards season with over 5,200 nominations placed, Family Day Care Australia (FDCA) was proud to announce yesterday our Coordinator National Finalists for 2021.

Selecting our National Finalists is a rigorous process that reflects on the practices, professionalism and performance of our nominees, in addition to the impacts they have on others.

Our 2021 Coordinator National Finalists have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to going above and beyond in support of their educators and service.

Click here to view the 2021 Coordinator National Finalists.

You can also visit our Facebook page to pass on your congratulations and view the ongoing announcements and coverage on our winners.

2021 Excellence in Family Day Care Awards Calendar

Keep your eyes peeled for the reveal of our next round of National Finalists, in the lead up to our Gala Dinner and the announcement of our 2021 National Winners.

National Finalist Awards

·       Service of the Year National Finalists – 2 November 2021

·   Educator of the Year National Finalists – 9 November 2021

Gala Dinner and National Awards

·   26 February 2022

Importance of the 2021 Awards

Now celebrating its tenth year, the Excellence in Family Day Care Awards is the only program of its kind celebrating the family day care sector across Australia. It’s our chance to showcase the stories and achievements of educators, coordinators and services and promote family day care as the natural choice in early childhood education and care for more Australian families.

We look forward to congratulating our 2021 Coordinator National Finalists in person at the 2021 Excellence in Family Day Care Awards Gala Dinner, which will take place in Canberra on 26 February 2022.

In the meantime, we encourage our members to keep an eye out for media stories on our National Finalists, which will be shared on our Facebook page and website.


Wanted - Summer JiGSAW Book Reviewer

Calling all bookworms and lovers of literature, we invite you to nominate for the position of JiGSAW book reviewer for the upcoming 2021 summer edition.

Not only will you receive four wonderful books to share with your family day care children, you’ll also get the opportunity to talk about the stories with them and share their thoughts and feelings about the stories with the entire sector.

If you would like to be considered as our book reviewer for the upcoming summer edition of JiGSAW, please email marketing@fdca.com.au with your membership number and contact details before 3.00pm AEDT on Friday 29 October.

Good luck to everyone!

Excursions 101 - Refresh your knowledge on the regulatory requirements for excursions

With summer on our doorstep and restrictions easing in parts of the country, more educators are getting out and about for excursions.

Before embarking on your next adventure, we encourage you to refresh your knowledge on the risk assessment and regulatory requirements for excursions and reflect on the current practices in your business and at your service.

Background

On 1 October 2021, amendments to the Education and Care Services National Regulations came into effect surrounding the transportation of children within early childhood education and care settings.

In addition to the current regulatory requirements for excursions, including risk assessments and written authorisations, these amendments established new requirements for services to have in place policies and procedures, risk assessments and written authorisations for the transportation of children.

Fast facts

  • Risk assessments for excursions must be undertaken prior to seeking written authorisation from a parent or guardian for an excursion

  • Written authorisation must be sought prior to undertaking each excursion

  • If the excursion is a regular occurrence, written authorisation must be sought once every 12 months and risk assessments must be conducted periodically or when risk factors substantially change

  • The new amendments as of 1 October 2021 require discrete risk assessments and written authorisation for the transportation of children

  • Risk assessments for the transportation of children must be undertaken prior to each instance of transportation unless it is a regular occurrence, in which case, a new or updated risk assessment is required every 12 months (or earlier)

  • If an excursion involves the transportation of children, the risk assessment for the excursion must include the means of transport, safety restraint requirements, the process for pick up and drop off, and procedures for embarking and disembarking (including how each child will be accounted for

  • ACECQA provides additional information on excursions and the safe transportation of children

REMINDER - Educator Health and Wellbeing research

Would you like to take part in a research study looking into the health and wellbeing of educators?

Edith Cowan University is currently conducting a research study to better understand the health and wellbeing of family day care educators and the factors that may affect this – so your input is invaluable!

Part of the research involves collecting responses via a questionnaire. The questionnaire is open to all family day care educators who are registered with an approved service.

Click here to have your say and participate in this worthwhile project.

The questionnaire will take approximately 20 minutes to complete and all data collected will remain confidential. 

Further information can be obtained by clicking on the link or by contacting the researcher Theresa Rayfield at trayfiel@our.ecu.edu.au or Principal Supervisor Dr Ruth Wallace at ruth.wallace@ecu.edu.au

Your chance to WIN with our final FDC Educator Hacks for 2021!

A reminder to submit your entry for our final edition of FDC Educator Hacks for 2021, for your chance to win a FREE Bunnings gift card!

Your challenge: to come up with a fun, low-cost and innovative program, activity or resource connected to an area or element of the NQS, that reflects this month’s theme.

Your prize: the winner of each month will receive a $50 Bunnings e-gift card and a dedicated post on our Facebook page featuring their creation!

Our final theme for 2021 is…

“Child-centred”

How to Enter

To submit your FDC Educator Hacks entry, simply send us a Facebook message with:

- Your FDCA membership number;

- A high resolution photograph or video of your creation; AND

- 100 words or less on how your creation fits this month’s theme and how it connects to the NQS.

Submissions will close at 11:59pm on Friday 29 October 2021, with the winner to be notified and announced here on our page on Friday 5 November 2021.

Our FDC Educator Hacks series will return in 2022 with a new and exciting twist, so make sure to get your entry in and watch out for the series’ return next year!