Quality Area 4 – Staffing arrangements

Standard 4.1 Staffing arrangements - Staffing arrangements enhance children's learning and development.

Case study 1

This inner-city long day care service makes deliberate decisions about the continuity of care for children and families to align with their service philosophy and the Early Childhood Australia’s Code of Ethics. Decisions are also informed by the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child, which state that “all organisations concerned with children should work towards what is best for each child.”

Case study 2

This outside school hours care (OSHC) service is located in an inner city suburb and was recently approved to increase licenced places from 60 to 100, due to increasing demand from the local community. This includes increasing the number of children in their first two years of school, with research undertaken by the school and the service predicting this trend will continue for some years to come.

Standard 4.2 Professionalism - Management, educators and staff are collaborative, respectful and ethical.

Case study 1

This before and after school and vacation care service is located in an outer suburb of a major city. The service is operated by an approved provider managing a number of OSHC services. The provider has a strong induction process, which has been key to establishing and sustaining a positive workplace culture in each of their services. This process has also provided strong support to those in designated leadership positions. This includes coordinators, assistant coordinators and educational leaders.

Case study 2

This family day care service is situated in a regional city, supporting educators across a large local government area. The service is committed to creating and sustaining a positive workplace culture. This is evidenced by a clear purpose and shared values, open and honest communication, a commitment to ongoing learning and development, and creating ongoing opportunities to acknowledge and celebrate the individual and collective strengths, successes and achievements of the service team. Coordination staff, including the service leader, have remained with the service for many years and have established and sustained positive and respectful relationships with children, families and the community.