In Quality Area 4 of the National Quality Standard (NQS), "Staffing Arrangements," early learning services are tasked with ensuring that the educators and staff are well-supported, qualified, and work collaboratively within the context of their communities. This area emphasises the importance of creating an environment where professional practice is nurtured through collaboration, both within the service and with families and the broader community.
What are we trying to achieve?
Our goal is to ensure that educators engage and support each other through regular collaboration.
What are we doing?
Implementing embedded and regular staff meetings to promote centre wide collaboration
Implemented embedded and regular Room Leader meetings to contribute to service decisions and engage in critical reflection as a team.
What are we trying to achieve?
Our goal is to arrange staff to improve inclusivity of all educators, and best outcomes for children
What are we doing?
Adjusting our roster to remove 'float educators' and embedding them within rooms
4.1.1 - Organisation of educators: The organisation of educators across the service supports children's learning and development.
The centre uses a set roster system to ensure ratio requirements are met and qualified educators are present throughout the day. Rosters are available to educators at least two weeks in advance. If educators are absent, the nominated supervisor will cover shifts with qualified and capable educators.
It is the responsibility of the parents to sign their children in and out, however if this is not done, educators and nominated supervisor will do this. Ratios throughout the day are monitored by educators and management. Educators use the roll to monitor children arrival and departure which outlines the number of children, the grouping of children, which indicates if correct ratios are maintained.
All educators when joining the centre complete induction training prior to commencement. Our centre is made up of 3 qualified ECT on floor, 18 diploma, 5 Cert 3 including 4 studying Diploma, 3 management ECT qualified) a Cook and kitchen hand. All educators provide high quality care and learning for children at our centre. All educators complete online professional development throughout the year as well as mandatory CPR/First aid, Child protection and Emergency training”.
Educators receive 3-5hours of programming weekly and each have designated time to spend with the educational leader each week. Lead meetings take place fortnightly with Educational Leader and Management and on alternate weeks Educational Leader conducts meeting with each side of cente e.g. Junior side, Senior Side.
Evidence: Rosters, Rolls, Educational Leader Program, Educators Certificates, Staff Schedule, Kidsoft sign in and out
ELE4.1.2 - Continuity of Staff: Every effort is made for children to experience continuity of educators at the service.
To ensure continuity of care Educators have a set room so that children develop comfort and relationships with their educators. Each room displays photos on their front door so families and visitors can identify educators in that room. In cases where there is an absent staff member we use our regular casuals.
If educators will be absent for long period, families are notified through our weekly communication. When rostering we ensure that educators who are in the same room have shifts not together and try and spread them out where possible.
Evidence: Rosters, Room displays, Family communications, Staff Schedule
ELE4.2.1 - Professional collaboration: Management, educators and staff work with mutual respect and collaboratively, and challenge and learn from each other, recognizing each other’s strengths and skills.
Our centre has built a culture that is based on mutual respect, equality and fairness. We provide well trained passionate educators who regularly collaborate professionally and with respect towards each other, valuing ideas and opinions of others. Our team brings a wide range of skills to the service which complements our team approach to deliver high quality education and opportunities to our families and children.
The leadership team values the opinions of the team and Educators are always encouraged to give feedback and input on decisions being made within the centre. Educators' values and beliefs are incorporated into the philosophy. This is done through conversations, team meetings, mind maps, memos and on our online communication group.
During induction Educators are required to complete and sign a confidentiality agreement.
Management role model professional behaviours on daily basis.
Evidence: Visual displays of educators, Leadership updates about changes considering educator feedback- “You spoke- we listened”, Team meeting minutes, Workplace chats, Fun day celebrations, Policies and Procedures, Induction process
Training, Online Communication group
ELE4.2.2 - Professional standards: Professional standards guide practice, interactions and relationships.
Throughout the year educators complete mandatory training. Educators also have access to professional development training for educators to explore, expanding their knowledge as educators.
Informal and formal conversations occur throughout the day with educators which inspires educators to reflect and review their current practices. Monthly, educators critically reflect on a chosen practice within their room.
We have monthly team meetings where training and topics of interest can take place. These meeting not only gives educators a chance to learn something new but also gives them the opportunity to have professional discussions to ensure that the centre is moving forward.
Performance appraisals are conducted with all educators and are used to highlight goals and achievements, further training or professional development required. This is then used to create professional development plans which are collaboratively created between the leadership team and educators.
Educators are supported to further extend their qualifications. The Nominated supervisor supports those educators by arranging their shifts according to their study periods. Currently I have 4 team members studying their diploma who receive study time during work hours.
The services Educational Leader participates in the Educational Leader program that consists of webinars, face-to-face training, mentoring and online training opportunities.
Evidence: NQF., National Regulations, Statement of philosophy, Policies and procedures, Educators Handbook, Code of Ethics,
Position descriptions, Certificates, Coaching conversations and records of conversations, Critical reflections, Team meeting minutes, Performance appraisals, Educational Leader program
Practice is embedded in service operations
Room Leader Meetings (4.2.1) - Room Leader meetings have regularly and consistently been held and contribute greatly to centre critical reflections. These meetings also provide an opportunity for educators to share their strengths and knowledge, and to learn from other educators. These meetings have greatly contributed and impacted the running of our service, particularly impacting the programming and practice with the service. One Critical reflection of particular note, which highlights the effectiveness and true embedding of the meetings, are our reflections and progress towards slow pedagogy (see Slow Pedagogy page under Quality Area 5). These meetings are all recorded within the Room Leader Meeting book and are implemented every second Tuesday, on the first Tuesday the Educational Leader has alternating meetings with the Senior and Junior side Room Leaders. This allows us to delve deeper into age appropriate strategies and pedagogies.
Staff Meetings (4.2.1) - The staff meetings are held consistently once a month, records of this are collected and stored. These meetings are used to reflect as a team, engage in professional development and contribute to the continuous quality improvement of the centre. An example of how these meetings are used to drive centre practice is through the meetings held for the Phoenix Cups program. We had several meetings through mid 2024 whereby
Practice is informed by critical reflection
Staffing arrangements (4.1) - upon reflection about our roster and staffing, particularly in regards to the concept of a 'float' we acknowledged that educators who were 'floats' were not being challenged and contributing to service decisions. They felt lost within our centre and their potential was often forgotten. To combat this, our leadership team launched a reflection on how we should combat this throughout our centre. We decided to remove floats entirely and run every room one educator over. This means educators will cover their own lunches, programming, breaks and study time with no need to be 'covered'. It also means that educators are not excluded from the service and are a part of the rooms and rooms will have extra support when needed. This will trial run through 2025.
Evidence: Roster Critical reflection
Practice is shaped by meaningful engagement with families and/or community
Inclusive Participation - Families are given regular opportunities to contribute to our service's goals, curriculum, and daily practices. Including planning educational activities, attending meetings, or contributing to professional development workshops for staff.
Culturally Responsive Practices - We ensure that our staffing arrangements reflect the diversity of our families. We make a concerted effort to recruit and retain staff from various cultural backgrounds, ensuring that the learning environment is inclusive and respectful of different cultural perspectives.
Ongoing Professional Development - We provide staff with opportunities for continuous professional learning. This includes attending conferences, participating in professional networks, and engaging in peer reviews with other services. Educators are supported to reflect on and improve their practice through ongoing learning and collaboration.
Community Networking - Educators are actively involved in professional networks and local educational groups. These networks facilitate knowledge-sharing and allow staff to stay current with best practices and innovations in early childhood education. Networking within the community also provides opportunities for staff to collaborate with local leaders, businesses, and organisations that can support or enrich the educational experience.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration - There is a concerted effort to work with external professionals such as speech therapists, child psychologists, social workers, or other specialists who can offer expert advice and support. This collaborative approach ensures that children’s diverse needs are met holistically and that staff are equipped with the tools they need to address these needs.