02 DecReminder re new staffing requirements from 1 January 2020
From the Victorian Department of Education November Quality Assessment and Regulation update …
From 1 January 2020, Victorian long day care services and kindergartens will need to have a second early childhood teacher or a ‘suitably qualified person’ in attendance when 60 or more children preschool age or under are being educated and cared for on a given day.
A ‘suitably qualified person’ can be counted towards educator to child ratios when working directly with children, in the same way that an ECT can.
A suitably qualified person can be:
- A person who is ‘actively working towards’ (regulation 10) an approved early childhood teaching qualification; and
- Has completed at least 50 percent of the ECT qualification, or holds an approved early childhood education and care diploma.
OR
- A person who is registered as a primary or secondary school teacher in Australia; and
- Holds an ACECQA approved early childhood education and care diploma (or higher approved qualification).
Services must keep a record (regulation 151) of educators working directly with children that includes the following information:
- the name of each educator who works directly with children being educated and cared for by the service
- the hours that each educator works directly with children being educated and cared for by the service.
More information can be found at the ACECQA website.
