Comments from people who work in education and care services

I'll tell you why: because society and especially THIS government, believes that teachers working in ECEC services aren't using their degree as much as a teacher in a primary school - because they view ECEC services as baby sitters and not education services!!!!!!! It's fucking bullshit!

I am disappointed with the commission, generally. It seems to be very much a numbers game, looking at ways to make it cheaper and more accessible, rather than concentrating on the quality of education. I feel that to change this industry, money needs to be spent, higher wages, higher qualified staff, better educators to child ratios, more time for paper work off the floor are just a few. I really believe that to achieve better early childhood education in this country higher respect for the industry as an education industry is the fundamental starting point.

NSW
Accessing affordable childcare is a big challenge for many of the families. I welcome the recognition that the overall level of childcare assistance needs to be increased. Keeping quality educators is a big challenge due to low wages. A pay rise is needed for every educator working in the industry.	WA
According to the NQS QA 5 Relationships with children, how do you expect to have a relationship with a high volume of children's program, when the ratio is being questioned? You need to put into consideration the school based programs, that have multiple classrooms, indoor and outdoor play. We require qualified educator's to be working with our children, its like any field, you need a qualification! what makes our industry different? In order to maintain high quality of care, we require qualified educators that have a strong philosophy in educating children, and not just supervise children. In society these days, children's needs and wants are becoming increasingly more demanding. Eg children with allergies, illnesses, additional needs require extra care and knowledge. Everybody is on the same page with DOC, understanding needs and requirements of children. The qualified educators provide planned programs that assist children's needs which develop their life skills, positive behaviour, social development, ownership of their behaviours and wellbeing. The risk in not maintaining ratios creates absconding children, incapability of providing smooth functioning learning environments and maintaining the safety of children. The benefits of maintain minimum ratios enables us to form strong foundations + relationships with children and families. We learn about all children's needs and assist them with transition in the real world. We have become a stronger and more advanced industry. Why should we be stripped of our hard work. Our new NQS has been introduced to develop all children's education before they reach a secondary level.	VIC
As a coordinator of Education and Care Service there a lot of expectations from the services and staff across the country The child care sector is vital footstep for the future generation and requires much recogntion for the work they deliver on daily basis. Changes such as better coordination unit support / training / pay increase to educators is definitely needed. The cost of trainings are already increasing before the funding cut has taken place. Most services, if not all will heavily suffer financially	NSW
As a worker at primary school OSHC I am proud of the high standard of care we deliver here for children and parents. We are constantly analysing and evaluating our standards and procedures to improve the care for all. When I read that it was suggested to water down the national quality standards I was shocked, why take a back step after various communities have worked so hard to reach the point where they are at! Having fewer staff on will drastically reduce he amount of attention and quality care we can provide for the children attending, it's a huge risk not to maintain minimum ratios as you must be prepared for any situation which may occur. It's also quite offensive to me and undermines the provision of quality education and care. I think it's important that the minimum ratio remains the same, for carers, children and parents. Connection with OSHC has been of great support to families at the school, especially vulnerable children from disadvantaged families. They know we are here to help and always accepting.	VIC
As an educator whom has worked in the sector for over 17 years i strongly oppose the draft recommendations for Childcare and Early Learning. I have huge concerns particularly with the proposed ratio changes and non requirement of qualifications for educators directly working with children under the age of 3 years. These years are the most signification and valuable years of a child's life. Extensive brain search shows that between conception and age three, a child’s brain undergoes the greatest amount of change which supports their learning, memory, and other cognitive abilities. As educators we are in a position to provide best possible outcomes for children and their lives by playing a significant role in their early childhood development. To have untrained educators, working with watered down ratio's is certainly detrimental to children and their ongoing learning throughout life.	TAS
Ask yourself.... Non qualified nannies? Would you leave your most valued precious gift with someone you don't know? Someone who may not speak English and understand your child is in danger? Someone who has had no experience working with children and your child does something dangerous? Are you ok that when your child attends school they will be developmentally behind their classmates because their English will be behind due to lack of excellent communication? What happens if your child as additional needs? Will an unqualified give them the education, support and care required? Or do you want to close your front door and as soon as you've left the drive your child is put in front of the tv all day? Research UK Nannies qualified NNEB against unqualified. In years to come you will regret this decision!! Don't reinvent the wheel look at other countries mistakes and not make the same!!!!	TAS
Concerned with the proposal to rollback NQF, especially in relation to qualifications. Lack of recognition of the crucial importance of educating infants. Great acknowledgement of the fact that educators are underpaid but the solution of increasing parent cost is not an appropriate answer.	TAS
Dear Productivity Commission, First thanks for your effort and great job for making Childcare and Early Learning Childhood Learning more flexible and affordable to both families and Australian Tax payers. I would like to take this opportunity to forward my comments about the best way the socio economic disadvantage families can benefit the child care system. To gain those communities children the most basic early learning education, I am suggesting the following points; Educate the families how the childcare system works and their responsibilities to use it for the benefit of their children. to make the information on their level of understanding not normal middle class language which most of the Departments use. To reform the RTO Curriculum for adding how Australian taxation system works, Most of the educators from that communities never work before, so they need to know how system operates, not to pick up wrong information from the street Also training and information must include the importance of Early Learning of child has the rest of children life. If the children miss this valuable Early Learning Education, then its both the educator and the parents that may take much of responsibilities, not only the services and the system only.	VIC
Don't understand or believe in placing all unqualified staff with children under three. Do parents of these children know about this or given an opportunity to voice their opinions about it. Probably not! Children of any age are important but under 3 are the most vulnerable and need to have their care needs met first and foremost. Disgusted in how we are treating our future generation.	TAS
Early childhood education should not be lessened in quality. Our children are our future and under three years are when childrens brains develop the most. I am studying for my bachelor in early childhood teaching because I am passionate about children's education and want to stay in the sector	TAS
Having worked in both Long Day Care and Preschool settings for the past 18yrs as an Early Childhood Teacher, I have experienced much change. With the release of the draft report from the commission I feel as though educators and service providers alike are increasingly more uncertain about the future of early childhood education. The recommendations talk a lot about making education and care flexible, accessible and affordable to increase workforce participation and whilst I acknowledge the validity of these measures, surely quality has to fit into that equation if this approach is to be successful. Quality education and care doesn't just happen. It takes skilled professionals to create the relationships, environments and pedagogical practices that support learning and development in early childhood. I strongly support the proposal for the Government to continue to provide universal access to a preschool program in the year before school. Perhaps as part of the long term funding model further consideration could be given to how this may be adapted to more effectively meet the needs of the wide cross-section of providers in this industry, in particular rural services who often rely on the enrolment of younger children to make their services viable. Quality education and care for the children and families of Australia. The decisions that we make now will impact greatly on the future of early childhood education in this country - lets make them responsibly!	NSW
Hello. I am a young member of an education and care service and I have only been working full time for a couple of years. Still in this time I have fallen in love with my work. I love every part of my job, working with all different families, children, and staff. I believe I truly have a great, important and fulfilling job, but it is also very hard work. I have quickly learnt that in this job you have to constantly be on your toes, prepared for anything. You need to not only care for all children in ways that are obvious to most, but in ways that are not so obvious. Also you need to be a positive role model at all times of the day and even if some people do not believe us, we do need to become strong educators. When I was told about the discussed possibly changers, involving ratios and qualified staff. It made me very upset, and I don't feel like a small comment like this one gives me the opportunity to really express why I know these policies should not be changed in the way that have been suggested. All I can say is what has been suggested is incredibly unrealistic, and I can not personally see myself continuing my role in this service if these changers are put in place. I truly love this job, but it is so incredibly hard at times. These changers would only make my job harder. To a point where, as a young person with my whole life ahead of me, it would be silly for me to stay in a job that is a continuous battle. What I'm trying to say is, while I am young I have a very real option to leave what I'm doing to go to university and change into another area. I understand I am only one person but this is a real option for many young people. I only ask why give us more reasons to do this.	TAS
I am a qualified educator working in ECEC sector for the last twenty one years. I worked hard for the Big Steps Campaign to get professional recognition for the ECEC sector. We are professional educators and not baby sitters. I am passionate and committed to quality early education and care and is very concerned about the Productivity Commission Recommendations relating to children under 3 years of age. I have been working with this age group for the last 20 years and understand with experience how important and crucial are the early years in the development of a child's life. Experts through research estimate that more than 75% of a child's brain development takes place between birth and 3 years. To facilitate play based learning, educators need to have professional knowledge and skills. Failing to recognise the importance of 'education' for this age group is a big concern to me as "Quality Matters". When I began my journey in 1993 in the ECEC sector I was not qualified. I learnt everyday from qualified and experienced professionals and realised how important is to obtain qualifications. While working full time I studied at TAFE to get the qualifications. I became very confident as qualifications improved my pratices and skills in child development. I became a better educator and was able to provide quality play based educational programs for infants and toddlers using theories and practices of early childhood teachings. I have witnessed and is evident that qualified educators offer quality learning programs for better outcomes for children Please listen to experts in early years education and continue NQF standards as Quality Matters because children of future come before economics.	TAS
I am a university early childhood trained educator and a director of a long day care service. Just today I received an email from a parent complimenting our service on the educational practices we instill daily. the parent proudly boasted how we had educated her child on the government as he over heard the prime ministers name on the news and was able to tell his mother that firstly he was the prime minister and secondly the federal police look after him. Put simply, we are not babysitters. We deserve recognition for the endless and tireless hard work we put into educating young children. Quality care needs to be maintained and in addition become more accesible to families as research has proven that founds invested in early childhood education reduces the need for fundsto; problems in schools. Children have a right to quality. Parents should all have a right to access affordable quality care. Reducing qualifications and increasing ratios roles back quality and would place more stress on all stakeholders, not just the staff. Parents have indicated their desire for lower ratios to myself anf I believe would not feel comfortable leaving their children should the reverse happen.	NSW
I am amazed at the prospect of increasing the ration of children to staff. I challenge any of those who came up with or support this idea to go to a centre and look after and educate by yourself 4 babies under 1 year old. Unless you have a different anatomy to most people, you will only have 2 arms. How can you possibly feed, more than 2 children at a time. How can you split yourself in two so that you are changing a nappy and looking after the children in the room. How do you educate a child to be gentle whilst putting another child to bed and to sleep in a cot. How do you help a child get over separation anxiety whilst assisting 2 other children to paint, learn to walk and crawl. It is physically impossible! If you want to lower the level of care, increase the amount of stress on educators, increase staff turnover, decrease the professionally of the whole sector, then this is the way to go about it.	WA
I am an early childhood professional. I work in a community kindergarten that was rated exceeding the national standards and this was the first time that we had experienced the national accreditation system. I have adult children and within the next few months my first grandchild will begin child care while his parents work. There is no doubt that the federal government injects an enormous amount of money into child care and education. I completely agree that this funding needs to be effectively used. It is essential that families have choice in their ability to access a range of early childhood settings. It is essential that there is equitable access to families across Australia. The results of NQF accreditation show a resounding high quality of standards in community Kindergartens that is not replicated to the same degree in 'for profit' child care centres. If funding is to be effectively used then quality of care is intrinsically linked to the role out of funding. I welcome a parallel review of NQF alongside the productivity review. I very much hope that when my baby grandson begins chid care that it will be a wonderful experience for he and his parents. The quality and training of staff will have a direct impact on whether this occurs or not. I implore the commission to consider the significance of the educational qualifications of staffing for children of all ages to the value of care and education of children in care from birth onwards. The productivity of parents in the workforce will be influenced by the quality of care that their young children receive. The low rates of pay that many child care workers receive has a direct impact on the stability of a Childcare workforce and as a result an impact on the effectiveness of child care services. Funding models must address this. Finally I must emphasise that not for profit early childhood services have a resoundingly high quality of care and education. Sustained funding of these services makes complete sense. The productivity report needs to address the effective use of government funding to Centres who make a profit and cannot reach acceptable standards. This is an ineffective use of government funding. Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts.	QLD
I am concerned with the proposal to reduce qualifications requirements for educators of children aged zero to three years, I believe families need reassurance in knowing that when they choose to leave their children in an early learning enviroment that they do so with experienced and qualified educators who are compentent to know and understand their child's developmental needs and assist with their learning. This is a fundamental part of children's early learning, being supported by compentent, educated staff to provide best outsomes for the first 5 years of their life. Accessing affordable childcare is a big challenge for many families. I welcome the recognition that the overall level of childcare assistance needs to be increased for this reason. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds get the biggest benefit from accessing quality early learning and care. It would be a backward step if access to early learning for disadvantaged children became harder.	WA
I am writing in response to the PIC for Early Education and Care Sector. I have been working in the sector for 20 years and have experienced working along side children, families and colleagues to achieve positive outcomes for the nations children. I have utilised Education and Care for our children and grandchild and feel strongly that we must keep the rights of the child at the forefront of this inquiry as they are the ones truly effected by the finds. We must keep the National Quality Standards as they exist today-Do not roll back any requirements that will under mind the sector that we have worked so hard to build and create quality for all stakeholders. We must maintain ratios as it will support educators to provide learning environments and also retain those educators that if ratios were increase would simply leave the sector as it will be too stressful to stay. We must keep and strive for higher qualifications as research suggests the impact of people sense of worth and the importance to children to have appropriate educated people working with them can not be understated. We must have highly qualified educators working with children under 3 as this is proven with most current research that under 3 is the most critical in childrens learning and development not over 3 years. I am asking you to keep the NQF as it is do not change and drag us back to 30 years ago- Australia need to be leaders in this arera!	TAS
I believe that education and care for the young children from 0 - 5 years old is very important because it has a life long impact on their future learning and development. Therefore, the early childhood educators who provide care and education for the young children need to have necessary knowledge and skills about child's development (ie: at least certificate III or even a Diploma) to nurture and guide the young children in their vital learning and development period as the foundation for all of their learning and development later in life. I believe that early childhood educators deserve a recognition and funding support from the government and public for their important role and responsibility in caring and educating the young children who hold the future of our nation and the world in their hands. If we want prosperity and a better life for our country and our future generations we should invest our energy and capital in the young children lives and their education.