AEU Early Childhood Sector Newsletter Term 3 2012

SUPPLEMENT TO THE AEU NEWS • SEPTEMBER 2012

A E U h e a d o f f i c e 112 Tr e n e r r y C r e s c e n t , A b b o t s f o r d 3 0 6 7 Te l : 0 3 9 417 2 8 2 2 Fa x : 13 0 0 6 5 8 0 7 8 We b : w w w. a e u v i c . a s n . a u

EARLY CHILDHOOD SECTORNEWSLETTERNew log of claims servedThe AEU seeks wages and conditions that better reflect the increased workload and importance of early childhood workers.

Quinn and Menz elected UNOPPOSED

SHAYNE Quinn and Martel Menz have been returned unopposed as early childhood vice president and deputy vice president in AEU

elections.No other hats were thrown in the ring for these positions when

nominations closed on September 3.However, early childhood members will soon receive ballot papers for

contested elections for AEU branch president, deputy president, branch secretary and deputy secretary. Elections run from October 1–22.

Members will also vote for AEU councillors. All successful leadership and council candidates serve a three-year term from January 1.

Quinn and Menz thank members for the confidence expressed in them. ◆

Members urged to complete survey WE ARE surveying members to get a snapshot of the wellbeing, workload, work

intentions and recruitment issues in the sector.Our June 2011 workload survey showed how teachers and co-educators were

coping with the national early childhood reforms.It told us you were generally supportive of the reforms but significantly affected

by their demands. Almost 73% of respondents said that workload was affecting their decision to stay in the sector, with more than half expecting to leave within three years and 71% within five years.

The findings of that survey helped us formulate our present log of claims for the next VECTAA and LGECEEA.

Our new survey will help us help members in their delivery of quality services to Victoria’s young children and their families.

In particular it will assist us in our negotiations for the successor to VECTAA and LGEGEEA.

Please go to ECWellbeingSurvey.questionpro.com and take a few minutes to complete the survey. It is open until Monday October 15. For more information contact Shayne or Martel on (03) 9417 2822. ◆

Shayne Quinn vice president, early childhood

OUR log of claims for the successor to VECTAA has been served on employers’ representative

Kindergarten Parents Victoria. Our log demonstrates our continuing commitment

to a team approach in early childhood and to better recognition of the role of teachers and their co-educators or assistants.

In the claim we acknowledge the additional requirements placed on staff by the national quality reform agenda. Accordingly, we seek terms and conditions that support staff in their increasingly demanding work, and salaries that recognise and reward them for it, and which will attract and retain staff. We have developed our log with an eye to the school sector’s log of claims.

In 2010 the State Government promised to make Victorian teachers, including early childhood teachers, the highest paid in Australia. It is now offering teachers a wage increase of 2.5% a year with any further increases to be met by productivity gains.

Our log of claims reflects members’ views and the findings of our workload survey last year.

The claim and a summary of it can be found in the members-only section of the AEU website at www.aeuvic.asn.au/early_agreements; for help with logging into the members’ area, download our help card at www.aeuvic.asn.au/login_help.

Update your detailsEffective communication is critical during log-of-claim negotiations and possible campaigns.

We request that you:• Sendusyourpersonalorhomeemailaddress• Replaceyourworkemailinourrecordswith

your home address• Checkyouremailoften• Adviseusof changestohomeorworkplace

details.You can update your details by contacting

Membership Records on (03) 9417 2822 or on our website at www.aeuvic.asn.au/update.

Members interested in meeting in their area to discuss the log and the progress of negotiations can email [email protected] or [email protected]. ◆

2 Early Childhood newsletter | september 2012

An agreement on meal breaks will end confusion about how and when they can be taken.

The AEU and the Teacher Learning Network

(TLN) have developed a package of information to

help members with Universal Access.

AN AGREED interpretation of meal-break rules has been reached in talks with Kindergarten

Parents Victoria. It applies to people working under VECTAA. This advice can also be applied in relation to LGELEEA.

Changes to kindergarten timetables driven by the move to Universal Access had resulted in confusion about the application of meal break rules.

In developing timetables, members must take into account other relevant legislation, including the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (as amended), the Fair Work Act 2009, regulatory requirements and funding criteria.

Several principles underpin this meal-break agreement:

• Theindustrialprovisionsof VECTAAandLGECEEA are legal requirements and legally binding on all parties. An employee or employer cannot elect or agree to offer anything less than the provisions.

• Workiscountedfromthestartof rosteredduties — not the start of the session.

• Rostereddutiesbeginwithtimetoestablishthe indoor and outdoor learning environment. This enables delivery of a quality program as required by the National Quality Standards, and meets the requirements of the OH&S Act.

Meal breaks for teachersUnder VECTAA clause 41 and LGECEEA clause 37, a teacher is entitled to a break after 5.5 hours of work. A break is 45 minutes in duration.

It can be paid (completing non-teaching duties and counted as time worked) or unpaid (free from duties and not counted as time worked).

There are two ways to vary this; such variations must be agreed to, be in writing, and last for a preschool year:

• Ateachercandelaytheirbreakuntilsixhoursfrom their starting work.

• Ateachercanagreetoa30-minutebreak.Where the same teacher delivers morning and afternoon sessions, the break between sessions is 60 minutes (or no less than 30 minutes by agreement).

Where different teachers deliver morning and afternoon sessions, the break is 45 minutes (or no less than 30 minutes by agreement).

Meal breaks for assistants Under VECTAA clause 49 and LGECEEA clause 37, an assistant is entitled to a break after five hours’ work. A break is 30 minutes in duration.

It can be paid (completing support duties and counted as time worked) or unpaid (free from duties and not counted as time worked).

There is one way to vary this: an assistant can delay their break until 5.5 hours of work. At 5.5 hours they receive a 30-minute paid break, free from duties.

If children are picked up late from a session, and the assistant is required to supervise them, the break is paid and 45-minutes long. Such a break is counted as time worked. This scenario cannot be scheduled as part of a regular roster.

Challenges in longer sessionsA challenge identified by members and employers has been in allocating meal breaks for assistants in sessions of five hours or longer. Two options are available:

• Anassistantcantakea30-minutebreakduring the session and be covered by another staff member. This break could be paid (completing support duties) or unpaid (free from duties).

• Anassistantcanberosteredtoworkto5.5hours then take a 30-minute paid break, free of duties. This could involve 15-minutes’ set-up time, five hours with children, 15 minutes pack-up time, a 30-minute paid break, followed by the balance of support duties.

A six-hour or longer session will necessitate meal breaks during the session for teachers and assist-ants.

More Universal Access helpThe AEU and the Teacher Learning Network (TLN) have developed a package of information to help members with Universal Access.The resource kit includes:

• Samplescenariosfortimetabling15hours-a-week programs

• Timetablingpossibilitiestoconsideranddiscuss•Acompliancechecklist

• Atimetablingtoolthatincludesashort,explanatory video.

This resource is available in the members-only section of the AEU website at www.aeuvic.asn.au/early_agreements — scroll down to “Members-only guidance and resources”. For help with logging into the members’ area, download our help card at www.aeuvic.asn.au/login_help. ◆

TIME for a break

www.aeuvic.asn.au 3

THE Education Depart-ment wrote to all service

providers in July advising on the inclusion of teacher breaks in 15-hour-a-week kindergarten programs.

DEECD said that meal breaks of up to 30 minutes taken by early childhood teachers can be included in a 15-hour program provided the children are under the supervision of the service provider in accordance with education and care

services laws and regulations.The Victorian Regulatory Authority

(DEECD) advised that:•Theguidetothenationallawandnational regulations* includes provisions for breaks where each educator may take a break of up to 30 minutes a day (refer page 89); •Servicesusingthisprovisionmust

consider needs of the children, main-taining adequate supervision and ensuring

every reasonable precaution is taken to protect children from harm and hazards;•Whereaneducatorhasa30-minutebreak, another educator needs to replace them. Those replacing a degree-qualified educator do not need to be a degree or

diploma-qualified educator (Note: services are required to meet minimum qualification and related requirements for all educators).

• Whenanunqualifiededucatorreplacesaqualified educator, the qualified educator must remain on the premises.

From January 1 next year, the Victorian Kinder-garten Programs funding criteria for service providers will be updated to reflect this advice.

Existing rules require:• Theteachertobereplacedbyanother

qualified EC teacher, or• Thechildattendanceperiodtobeextended

by the period of the teacher’s break.Next year, if a service elects not to replace a qualified EC teacher with another qualified teacher for their 30-minute break, the service will be deemed to have met the criteria for the kinder-garten program to be planned and delivered by a qualified early childhood teacher provided that regulatory requirements are met.

This provision can only be applied in services

operating under the VECTAA or LGECEEA where teachers genuinely agree, in accordance with the breaks provisions (clause 41.1.2(b) VECTAA; clause 37.1.2(b) LGECEEA), to reduce their 45-minute meal break to 30 minutes. Should a teacher agree to a 30-minute break, and have to remain on the premises during the break, this time should be allocated as management support/ancillary time

(not non-teaching time) as they remain “on call”. These provisions will also apply to services funded at 10.75 hours per week.

For more help or advice, contact the Membership Services Unit at the AEU on (03) 9417 2822.*Available on the ACECQA website at www.acecqa.gov.au/resources-and-templates/ ◆

Karen

Curtis

Rule update clarifies break arrangementsQualified teachers who take a 30-minute break and remain “on call”

do not have to be replaced by qualified teachers.

Talking to the bossStudents and educators implementing new national standards related their experiences to ACECQA chief executive Karen Curtis at a recent AEU forum. Shayne Quinn vice president, early childhood

MORE than 50 student, beginning and experienced teachers and co-educators

joined a conversation with Australian Chil-dren’s Education and Care Quality Authority chief executive Karen Curtis at an AEU forum on the national quality framework, standards and the assessment and ratings system.

Curtis does not come from the sector but believes her experience lies in bringing people together to achieve shared goals — something she aims to do in her focus on the national quality framework.

She outlined the framework and develop-ment of ACECQA before asking members for their experiences of the roll-out of the framework and its effect on their work.

She listened and asked questions. Much of the conversation focused on the diversity of employers in Victoria and the effect this can have on the assessment and rating of services.

Curtis said she got the message and would encourage the regulatory authority, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, to consider how such effects could be mitigated.

She said that the national quality standards significantly raised standards and services were not expected to address every aspect of their work at once.

She encouraged members to visit the ACECQA website (www.acecqa.gov.au) and use the resources there, particular the FAQs, to clarify issues. Members can email questions to ACECQA that are not answered on the website. The FAQ will be updated to include new questions and responses. ◆

4 Early Childhood newsletter | september 2012

“Not enough pay. Not enough support. Not enough recognition.”A survey of members suggests there is Buckley’s chance of qualified teachers working in every childcare setting from 2014.

Martel Menz deputy vice president, early childhood

KINDERGARTEN and primary schools remain the destinations of choice for new early childhood

teachers, which does not bode well for the federal plan to put a qualified teacher in every childcare centre by 2014.

More than half of new teachers who had found work in childcare centres were already looking for work elsewhere, again highlighting problems of continuity and turnover in the sector and the need to improve pay and conditions.

The AEU survey of 115 student teachers and 61 graduates was prompted by concerns about a growing shortage of early childhood teachers, and followed discussions with student and graduate members who indicated that this shortage will not be met.

Members often say they would prefer to work in a primary school rather than in early childhood given concerns about work conditions in such settings.

We wanted to investigate the career intentions of new teachers, and the issues involved in attracting and retaining staff in different settings.

The findings reveal the experiences of students and graduates, and where the union should focus its resources to ensure a strong, committed workforce in the future.

Students were from universities including Melbourne, Ballarat, Victoria, RMIT, Deakin and Monash and were studying early childhood teaching,

or a dual qualification in early childhood and primary teaching.

The graduate teachers work in a variety of settings but mainly childcare centres or stand-alone kindergartens.

Most students said their first choice of workplace was a stand-alone kinder-garten (46%) followed by a primary school (34%). Only 7% intend to seek work in a childcare centre, which suggests it is unlikely that all childcare centres will be able to employed qualified teachers from 2014 as required.

The situation is similar for graduate teachers, who identified kindergartens and primary schools as their preferred workplace.

Many graduates had secured work in childcare settings but had quickly become disheartened. Some 57% want to leave their job in the next two years to find work in a kindergarten or primary school.

The messages from students and graduates on working conditions were clear. Both groups want a salary that reflects their qualifications and responsibility.

This is of particular concern for teachers in childcare settings, whose salaries can be up to 30% lower than those working under VECTA or LGECEE agreements. “Lower wages make it difficult to maintain a decent quality of life, to buy a house or start a family,” one respondent said.

Another significant issue was planning time. Many teachers in childcare receive only two or three

hours a week for planning. This is unsustainable and makes many new teachers question their future in the sector.

The third issue was the lack of professional support and mentoring in childcare settings, leaving teachers feeling isolated. It was cited as another factor prompting some to seek work in primary schools where professional support is a given.

One respondent said: “Not enough pay. Not enough support. Not enough recognition.”

The overall message is that teachers should be treated equally, regardless of where they work.

These surveys will be beneficial when we renego-tiate VECTAA and LGECEEA. These agreements set the benchmark for employment in Victoria’s early childhood sector.

With a workforce shortage likely to worsen, it is critical that we remove the barriers to attracting and retaining a qualified workforce.

Thank you to those members who completed the survey and who have been important advocates for the profession. ◆

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