Child Care Needs Building Blocks Not Stumbling Blocks

Child Care Needs Building Blocks Not Stumbling Blocks

It is an optimistic time in early childhood, however, there are still challenges that must be confronted and overcome – for our children’s sake.

C&K’s Acting General Manager for Early Childhood Education and Care Lisa Palethorpe explains.

The research is indisputable. The quality of children’s services has a profound influence on children’s development and later adult life.

Brain research studies, initially led by Dr Fraser Mustard, have demonstrated the importance of the early years (birth to five years) and, in particular, how crucial these years are in regards to intelligence. This has major implications for early childhood services and adds huge responsibilities to staff working in these services.

Combine this with the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) report revealing the high economic and social dividends resulting from investment in early childhood, and research conducted by Associate Professor Margaret Sims on stress levels of babies in child care and it is easy to see that high quality early childhood services with qualified early childhood professionals is not an option - it is a societal essential.

One of the biggest challenges facing the child care sector is the distinction between care and education. These two cannot be separated; children do not stop learning when they begin child care and start learning when they enter kindergarten or preschool.

All staff have the opportunity to either support a child's learning and development or provide an experience that may be detrimental.

The distinction between care and education has often been fuelled by employers’ associations, unions and early childhood professionals, creating turf wars in order to protect awards and conditions. It has also been used as a means to separate high quality programs from those of questionable quality.

CHILDCARE CHALLENGES

Shortage of staff
Wages and conditions
Level of responsibility and accountability
Qualifications
Professional development
Regional and remote issues including housing, cost of housing, cost of living
Increasing number of children diagnosed with additional needs (special rights)
Pressures of working families
Lack of professional respect from other educational professionals and community

With the relevant research available, it is time to stop the argument between care and education and for all early childhood professionals to recognise the importance of all early childhood service types.

We need to unify and advocate for a national plan of action to address the anomalies that have been allowed to occur over the last decade - to fight for adequate funding that will support and ensure the employment of qualified and experienced staff, in all services. This will also help create incentives for current staff to seek further qualifications which, research has proven will only benefit children and, subsequently, society.

The poor cousin mentality that exists in the child care sector has now reached crisis point. The child care worker’s self-esteem has hit rock bottom, with increased exoduses of long-serving dedicated individuals. In a period of skills shortage, attracting qualified staff to the sector has become increasingly difficult, and keeping them even harder. In some rural and remote regions there is simply no staff available. There are some situations where staff have not been able to take any sort of leave in years.

A national agenda, as part of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s education revolution to give all pre-prep children 15 hours of access to university trained early childhood teachers in all service types including child care, can only be applauded; however, without dramatic changes to awards and conditions attracting these workers will be a major stumbling block.

In Queensland, a kindergarten teacher can earn $68,805.36 per annum (Band 3, Step 4 – permanent rate) in comparison to the teacher in child care earning $46,996.99 per annum (Permanent rate Band 3, Step 2) – Child care Industry Award – State. This does not include the teachers’ additional conditions and other allowances.

Unless the child care profession gains pay parity with the entire early childhood sector, including school colleagues, there will continue to be issues regarding recruitment and retention of qualified staff. In regional and remote areas (all non-school service types) this is further exacerbated by the lack of support and assistance for housing, the increased costs of living and the professional isolation.

Awards and conditions are not the only problems facing the profession. Young, unqualified or inexperienced staff are sometimes put into roles where they are responsible for the development and care of young children with complex and diverse needs. These staff may not have the opportunity to be supported by experienced mentors, nor given access to professional development - an essential facet of early childhood. Basically, we are setting these staff up to fail, often relying heavily on their passion and good intentions as a motivator.

All early childhood staff are accountable and responsible for educating our nation’s current and future citizens. For this reason it is important we provide staff with up-to-date comprehensive knowledge, skills and equipment so they can do their job well. We also need to ensure their remuneration reflects the importance we, as a society, place on their role and, complementary to this, provide them with optimum conditions to allow for quality educational outcomes and work satisfaction. The aim is for early childhood staff to do their job to the best of their ability - no matter where they are located.