Inclusion support educator

Many service directors are enthusiastic about implementing the Child Safe Standards but may be looking for tips on how to engage the entire team. 

Director of St Luke's Preschool Dapto Vikki Shaw shares how they have approached the implementation to date, and how they are thinking beyond the preschool staff to support the broader community. 

At Euroka Children’s Centre in the NSW Blue Mountains suburb of Blaxland, leadership opportunities are open to educators of all levels. All educators are also given non-contact programming time to develop and realise these opportunities and the projects that arise from them.  

We speak to Director Lorriene Bullivant, who's been working in the sector for 40 years, about how this model of distributed leadership came about and how it benefits staff, children and the community.  

Reports of the ECEC workforce crisis, educator burnout, insufficient pay, and a lack of professional respect have recently been prevalent in the media. These reports are backed up by studies such as CELA’s Early Childhood Education and Care Workforce Survey Pulse Check, which showed that demand for places, alongside staff absences due to illnesses, professional fatigue and caring for sick family members, are impacting services’ capacity to operate.  

The University of Sydney is currently conducting a study called the Early Learning Work Matters Project (ELWM). The study aims to provide more information about educator workload and how it relates to quality education and care. This week we share results from the study’s initial phase and how you can share your experiences relating to workload through their survey.