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6 October 2021

2021 Excellence in Family Day Care Awards – Perpetual Star Award Winners announced!

Family Day Care Australia (FDCA) is excited to announce our 2021 Excellence in Family Day Care Awards, Perpetual Star Award Winners!

The Perpetual Star Award honours an educator, coordinator and service that has contributed to the family day care sector for a period of time of 15 years or more and continues to thrive.

To view this year's Perpetual Star Award Winners, click here.

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 announcement of our National Finalists, in the lead up to our Gala Dinner and the announcement of our 2021 National Winners.

National Finalist Awards

·       Coordinator of the Year National Finalists – 26 October 2021

·       Service of the Year National Finalists – 2 November 2021

·       Educator of the Year National Finalists – 9 November 2021

Gala Dinner and National Awards

·       National Award Winners - 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 congratulate our 2021 Perpetual Star Award Winners and thank them for their dedication and long-standing commitment to providing excellent outcomes for children.

We encourage our members to keep an eye out over the coming weeks for media stories on our Emerging Star Award Winners, which will be shared on our Facebook page and website.

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  

Be You Cultural Actions Catalogue

Developed originally as a place-based resource for educators within the Kimberley and Pilbara regions, the Be You Cultural Actions Catalogue is an online learning resource that can be adapted to a variety of contexts to promote an inclusive, culturally responsive education environment that incorporates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and history.

The Cultural Actions Catalogue covers a diverse collection of approaches to provide culturally responsive education and care, how to work effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Officers, guidance on ‘walking softly’ when connecting with Indigenous communities and building connections with caregivers and networks that support Indigenous children.

Visit the Be You website to download the Cultural Actions Catalogue and additional resources to support responsive, inclusive and flexible early learning within your home and service.

Grow and promote your business with FDCA's Family Day Care Locator

Did you know that each year FDCA's Family Day Care Locator generates over 60,000 searches from families looking for family day care?

Our Family Day Care Locator Tool has been designed to assist you to grow and promote your family day care business. You can customise and manage your locator listing to help your family day care business stand out from the crowd.

How do I manage my Family Day Care Locator listing?

To manage your Family Day Care Locator listing, all you need to do is log in to your FDCA Member Zone and select "My Locator Listing". Inside your Locator Listing you will be able to:

  • Update your Location Name (the name of your business as displayed on the locator)
  • Upload a photo to your listing
  • Update your vacancy information
  • Enable or disable your locator listing

How can I access my Family Day Care Locator Enquiries?

To access your Family Day Care Locator enquiries, log in to your FDCA Member Zone and select "Locator Enquiries".

This will allow you to view a summary of your recent enquiries. You can review the details of each individual enquiry by clicking on the 'View' link for that enquiry, which will allow you to view the full message that was sent.

It is important to note that contact details are sent to the family day care service. 

To view a short video on how to manage your Family Day Care Locator listing and view your enquiries, click on one of the links below:

Click here to view our educator locator video; and

Click here to view our service locator video.

How will I know when I receive an enquiry from the Family Day Care Locator?

When you receive a new enquiry from the Family Day Care Locator an email will be sent to your registered email address. This will contain a link that will take you straight to your FDCA Member Zone so that you can view the enquiry.

What if I haven't activated my FDCA Member Zone?

To access your FDCA Member Zone, follow these five simple steps:

  1. Click here to activate your free account (for the best experience, use the latest Chrome browser)
  2. Enter your registered email address
  3. An email will then be sent to your email address; click on the 'create password' button
  4. Create and confirm your password
  5. ‍Click here to log in and enter your FDCA Member Zone.

Home and Contents insurance for tenants that care

At FDCA, we understand that when starting up your business or moving to a new property, there are lots of things you need to consider.

That’s why FDCA's Home and Contents insurance is designed to cover your family day care business regardless of whether you're renting or own your property!

We’ve also developed a brochure that you can access here, to help you communicate to your landlord the unique benefits of having a family day care educator as a rental tenant.

These benefits include:

1. Long term tenants: Educators are invested in the property as both their home and their business - they are established community members.

2. Well maintained property: Educators keep the premises safe, clean and well-maintained, as required under the National Law.

3. Regular rent payments: Educators are running successful businesses. Their services are in demand, providing them with a regular income.

Click here if you would like to get a quote to cover your Home and Contents as a rental tenant, or give us a call on 1800 658 699 if your landlord would be interested in receiving more information.

Stay up to date with sector news, events and initiatives on the FDCA Facebook page

FDCA’s Facebook page houses everything from sector news and media updates, to important events info and the latest initiatives for our members.

Make sure to like and follow the page for your weekly dose of all things family day care!

Our Facebook page is also another way to connect with the team here at FDCA. Share your recent activities with us or send us a question, we’d love to hear from you!