Highlands pre-school providers say they are prioritising children over paperwork.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
This is the feedback from some operators following the release of a report into national quality standards by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).
ACECQA ranks centres as exceeding, meeting or working towards the national standard based on seven components.
The ratings chart includes educational program and practice, children’s health and safety, physical environment, staffing arrangements, relationships with children, collaborative partnerships with families and communities and governance and leadership.
Northern Villages OOSH in Colo Vale received a ‘working towards’ rating in every component except for relationships with children, which received a ‘meeting’ rating.
The centre was among several to receive an overall ‘working towards’ rating.
Provider and coordinator Karen Revitt said the centre was small and so were staffing numbers.
“My staff are employed casually. They’re very committed to their jobs but don’t have the same personal responsibility as me,” Ms Revitt said.
“While I engage them in policy review and contributing to the national quality standards, and they contribute a lot of the work, I do get spread a bit thin.”
Ms Revitt said the centre put quality childcare at the forefront.
“I think as a small centre it’s nice to be recognised for the fact that you’re doing your best and working hard to achieve better standards,” she said.
“It can be fairly involved process to get to those standards.”
According to ACECQA, Rainbow Kindy Moss Vale received a working towards rating in educational program and practice, physical environment and governance and leadership.
The centre’s director Ling Ling Chao said it was a matter of children’s care over paperwork.
“We’re doing everything to meet requirements, but when they ask for evidence, we need to put that to writing. We couldn’t show the evidence,” Ms Chao said.
“I prefer to look after the children very well.
“I don’t want to compromise the children’s care with paperwork.”
Ms Chao said the national quality standard gave the centre a benchmark to work towards.
“We’re feeling very positive that we’ve become more aware of how to approve in terms of the assessment,” she said.
According to ACECQA’s national annual performance report, small and medium sized providers, and providers of pre-schools/kindergartens, were more likely to report that quality assessment and rating visits were burdensome in 2018.
In contrast, large providers and providers of family day care services were less likely to report that quality assessment and rating visits were burdensome.
In keeping with last year, providers again reported that preparing paperwork and preparing staff were the most burdensome activities associated with quality assessment and rating visits.
The majority of Highlands pre-schools and out-of-school-hours care providers were rated as ‘meeting’ the national quality standard.
About 10 providers from across the Wingecarribee Shire were rated as exceeding the standard.
ACECQA chair Judy Hebblethwaite said there were changes to national quality standard between 2017 and 2018, which strengthened the care provided to children.
“A number of important developments occurred during 2017-18, including the implementation of changes to the national quality framework, as well as the publication of the Guide to the National Quality Framework in late 2017,” she said.
“These have contributed to strengthening quality in children’s education and care, while at the same time reducing red tape for the sector.”
Visit www.acecqa.gov.au/resources/national-registers to learn more.
