7 October 2020

2020/2021 Federal Budget announced

The Australian Government handed down the 2020-2021 Budget last night, following a budget speech from The Hon Josh Frydenberg MP.

Although early childhood education and care (ECEC) was not a major focus of last night’s budget, the following new measures were introduced for ECEC services, providers and families:

• Amendments to the reconciliation of income against CCS entitlements for individuals who have had a change to their relationship status;
• An investment of $18.5 million over four years to streamline the approval process for prospective ECEC services from mid-2023 onwards, introducing a single application across jurisdictions; and
• An investment of $314.2 million to support Victorian ECEC services, including $269.0 million in recovery payments of 25 per cent pre-COVID revenue for all Victorian ECEC services (excluding OSHC and Vacation Care services).

FDCA will continue to monitor information on the 2020-2021 federal budget announcements and update members with any important details as they are provided. Should you have any questions about the federal budget measures for ECEC services, please contact us at enquiries@fdca.com.au.

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Call for Abstracts - Share your insights at the FDCA 2021 National Conference

Widely recognised as Australia’s premier family day care event, Family Day Care Australia (FDCA) offers our members an exclusive opportunity to present alongside keynote speakers and stakeholders at the FDCA 2021 National Conference to be held on 28-30 October next year.

This is your chance to stand out from the crowd and rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector, including Dr Helen May, Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Otago, and Jay Laga'aia, renowned actor, entertainer and father of eight.

Whether you are a seasoned participant or a first time attendee, presenting at the FDCA 2021 National Conference is a professional opportunity second to none. We welcome submissions on a range of topics that will appeal to the unique and varied experiences of our members, and which will enrich the work of FDCA in representing, supporting, and promoting the family day care sector.

If you are passionate about your work and hungry to share your expertise onstage to an audience of family day care professionals from across the country, this is the platform for you.

The submission process couldn’t be easier. Simply click on the link below to submit an abstract of your presentation:

Click here to submit your abstract.

To assist you in developing your abstract, FDCA has provided a collection of themes that you may wish to consider:

Abstract review and selection

Due to high demand and limited session numbers, FDCA is unable to provide feedback on all of the abstracts we receive. When drafting your abstract, please note that interactive sessions will receive preference over non-interactive oral presentations

The closing date for submitting your abstract is 31 January 2021.

Successful applicants will be informed no later than 26 February 2021.

Session options

If you are selected to present, you will have the flexibility to choose either a 60 or 90 minute slot for your presentation, with individual and workshop sessions welcome.

For more information please view the terms and conditions.

‍Odd Socks Day, Friday 9 October 2020

This Friday 9 October, don your best mismatched socks to raise awareness of and reduce the stigma around mental health issues.

Odd Socks Day is hosted by GROW, a community-based organisation that helps thousands of Australians recover from mental health issues through a unique program of mutual support and personal development.

One in five Australians aged 16-85 experience mental health issues every year. 

FDCA encourages our members to take part in this initiative and start a conversation about mental health and wellbeing this Friday. If you’d like to know more about the initiative, please visit GROW’s website.

‍REMINDER - 10-month FDCA 2021 National Conference payment plan available 

Following a wrap on our 12-month payment plan, FDCA is excited to present our members with an exclusive 10-month payment plan for the FDCA 2021 National Conference.

This new payment plan has been developed to provide our members with flexibility, and allows the purchase of conference tickets with 10 payments of $62.40.

The 10-month payment plan will be available for members to access up until 30 November 2020.

Click here to secure your ticket.

Full ticket refunds available to members until 28 July 2021.

We are mindful that for many, committing to the purchase of a conference ticket is a big decision. To support our members to attend, we are committed to offering full refunds to all members up until 28 July 2021.

This means that you can purchase your ticket with the knowledge that you will be able to get a full refund before 28 July 2021.

We look forward to seeing you next year!

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