ACECQA Newsletter Issue 1 2017
Bush Kinder
This month on We Hear You, Rhonda Livingstone, ACECQA’s National Education Leader, speaks with Tina Thompson, Koori Preschool Assistant at Berrimba Child Care Centre in Echuca, Victoria about their bush kinder program.
ACECQA Board Chair and Deputy Chair announced
Judy Hebblethwaite and Catherine Hudson have been appointed as Chair and Deputy Chair, respectively, of the ACECQA Board.
Ms Hebblethwaite, who has been Acting Chair since April 2016, said she was very pleased to be able to continue the important work of improving outcomes for Australia’s children.
“I look forward to continuing to raise awareness about the importance of quality education and care, and showing how the National Quality Framework is delivering on this outcome for Australian children and families,” Ms Hebblethwaite said.
“In partnership with all governments and the sector, ACECQA is working to foster a commitment to continuous improvement among services and educators to give all children the best possible start in life.”
Ms Hudson said she too was keen to progress the crucial work of improving national standards of education and care for our youngest citizens.
“We know investing in the early years is vital to maximising children’s development and potential. ACECQA is committed to building a growing understanding of the importance of this investment for Australia’s future," Ms Hudson said.
Read more about the Board’s role and Ms Hebblethwaite and Ms Hudson in their Board profiles.
New ACECQA CEO appointed
Chair of the ACECQA Board Judy Hebblethwaite has announced the appointment of Gabrielle Sinclair as the new ACECQA Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Ms Sinclair’s appointment, which was endorsed by the Council of Australian Governments Education Council on 16 December 2016, will commence from 30 January 2017 for a term of three years.
ACECQA’s new CEO comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience in children’s education and care, including a career in teaching, senior executive positions in a number of Queensland Government portfolios and her previous role as Deputy Director-General, Early Childhood and Community Engagement in the Queensland Department of Education and Training.
Ms Sinclair said she was thrilled to be selected by the ACECQA Board to serve as CEO.
“ACECQA has a unique and vital role in supporting a consistent national regulatory system for children’s education and care that is effective, efficient and delivers on its most fundamental objective – improving educational and developmental outcomes for children,” Ms Sinclair said.
The Board and Ms Sinclair also thanked inaugural CEO Karen Curtis for her service, acknowledging her leadership and vital contribution to the implementation of the National Quality Framework.
Promote your rating to families and the community
Have you requested your National Quality Standard (NQS) rating logo?
A growing number of services and providers are using their logo on promotional materials such as their website, social media page, email signature, signage and letterhead to promote their overall rating. Use or display of the logos is voluntary.
There is a logo for Exceeding, Meeting and Working Towards NQS. We are excited to see them cropping up around the country, like this one at Creative Garden Early Learning in Arundel, Queensland.
The logos were designed to raise awareness of the ratings in the wider community and be a conversation starter that leads to greater understanding of the National Quality Framework (NQF). Helping families understand the context of the NQS can also support families to better understand your service’s strengths and goals for improvement.
The ACECQA website and Starting Blocks, ACECQA’s family focused website, have a number of resources to help educators share information with families:
- Starting Blocks – National Quality Framework fact sheet
- Starting Blocks – Ask about the child care rating infographic
- We Hear You – Helping families understand quality
- We Hear You – What does it mean to be ‘Working Towards’ the National Quality Standard?
- ACECQA – National Quality Framework poster
If your service is rated Working Towards, Meeting or Exceeding NQS, you can request your logo from the national registers and follow the steps on the ACECQA website.
Quality Practice Workshop registrations open for WA
Bookings are open for our Western Australia workshops focusing on promoting quality through staffing arrangements.
Led by ACECQA’s National Education Leader in partnership with the regulatory authority, the free sessions are open to all educators and approved providers across the sector.
Register now to secure your spot.
Ten new services join the Excellent rating list
Providing quality education and care to children and delivering exceptional practice are significant achievements. Services rated Exceeding National Quality Standard (NQS) overall are eligible to apply for the Excellent rating.
The Excellent rating, which is awarded by ACECQA, is the highest rating an education and care service can achieve. It is an opportunity for the sector to celebrate excellence, promote the value of education and care, and draw inspiration from accomplished practice, innovation and creativity.
Ten services joined the Excellent rating list in the second half of 2016 and early 2017:
- Canterbury College Kindergarten
- Burgmann Anglican School Preschool - Forde campus
- Burgmann Anglican School Preschool - Valley campus
- Everton Park Child Care and Development Centre
- Uniting Dove Cottage Early Learning Bankstown
- KU Killara Park Preschool
- KU Ourimbah Preschool and Children’s Centre
- Rosie’s Early Learning Centre
- Hillsong Child Care Centre
- The Southport School
Additionally, four services were successful in their reapplications for the Excellent rating – Wynnum Family Day Care, John Paul College Outside School Hours Care, Condy Park Preschool and Kindergarten and Bribie Island Community Kindergarten.
ACECQA congratulates these services on their outstanding achievement.
More information about the Excellent rating and how to apply is available on the ACECQA website.
Minor amendment to National Regulations
Education and care providers can continue to decide who their certified supervisors are without needing a separate approval from the regulatory authority. Regulation 238A has been extended from 31 December 2016 to 31 December 2017 to allow supervisor certificates to continue to be granted to particular classes of persons, rather than to individual applicants.
Please note that Regulation 238A does not apply in Western Australia, which still requires individual supervisor certificates to be granted by the regulatory authority in accordance with the Education and Care Services National Law (WA) Act 2012.
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