tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/early-childhood-workforce-73804/articlesearly childhood workforce – The Conversation2022-06-20T19:57:36Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1852102022-06-20T19:57:36Z2022-06-20T19:57:36Z‘Greatest transformation of early education in a generation’? Well, that depends on qualified, supported and thriving staff<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469636/original/file-20220620-26-pcgbyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=18%2C0%2C5961%2C4016&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australia’s two most populous states, New South Wales and Victoria, have set the target of delivering an extra year of learning for all children before they start school. Billed as “the greatest transformation of early education in a generation”, last Thursday’s <a href="https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/joint-commitment-transform-early-education">announcement</a> follows close on the heels of the new federal government’s <a href="https://anthonyalbanese.com.au/media-centre/budget-reply-2022">legacy vision for childcare</a>, with an extended childcare subsidy to increase access. </p>
<p>These moves are well justified. There is compelling evidence that such investments could lift productivity by increasing parent employment and children’s development gains and improving life chances for the most disadvantaged. </p>
<p>Realising the promise of these gains, however, depends entirely on the <a href="https://theconversation.com/low-paid-womens-work-why-early-childhood-educators-are-walking-out-91402">availability of a qualified, supported and thriving workforce</a>. We can’t deliver high-quality learning without them. Developing such a workforce must be an urgent priority given Victoria’s target date for the new program is 2025 and NSW’s is 2030.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-15-billion-promise-of-universal-access-to-preschool-is-this-the-game-changer-for-aussie-kids-185211">A $15 billion promise of universal access to preschool: is this the game-changer for Aussie kids?</a>
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<h2>What do we mean by high quality?</h2>
<p>Not all early education programs deliver on the promise of promoting children’s development and learning. “<a href="https://anthonyalbanese.com.au/media-centre/labors-plan-for-cheaper-child-care-budget-reply-2022">Cheaper childcare</a>” may enable parent workforce participation. But it is unlikely to deliver the long-term benefits of promoting children’s learning and closing equity gaps. </p>
<p>Quality matters. The first five years of life are a critical period in human brain development. The quality of experiences in these years lays the foundations for lifetime achievement and well-being. </p>
<p>For this reason, research seeks to identify the essential components that go beyond child-minding to delivering high-quality early childhood education and care.</p>
<p>More than two decades of research has shown the interactions between educators and children are the critical element of optimal child learning. Policy-regulated features, such as physical resources and staff qualifications, help support higher-quality learning. Yet they alone are not enough to deliver on the promise of improving children’s life chances and reducing the stark inequities among children starting school, as documented by the 2021 <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/early-childhood/announcements/report-now-available-2021-australian-early-development-census">Australian Early Development Census</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/preschool-benefits-indigenous-children-more-than-other-types-of-early-care-149724">Preschool benefits Indigenous children more than other types of early care</a>
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<h2>What really matters for early learning?</h2>
<p>For this reason, researchers in this field focus on identifying the qualities of educator-child interactions that best support children’s learning and well-being. Our Australian research has examined the long-term effects of instructional, organisational and emotional qualities of interactions. </p>
<p>Instructional qualities are focused on teaching content and language interactions. Organisational interactions are focused on setting behavioural expectations and maintaining predictability. Emotional interactions are focused on relationships between child and educator, including regard for the child’s perspective. </p>
<p>Analysing data from <a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-016-2985-1">E4Kids</a>, Australia’s largest study of early childhood education and care quality, the emotional qualities of interactions emerge as the critical factor. <a href="https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cdev.13811">Our study</a> published last week in Child Development, tracked 1,128 children across three years of early education to ask how change in instructional, organisational and emotional qualities of educator-child interactions was associated with each child’s rate of learning. </p>
<p>We found instructional and organisational aspects of interaction did not reliably predict child learning. Changes in the emotional environment did predict language development. </p>
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<p>Further, in <a href="https://research.qed.qld.gov.au/#/manage-findings/99cc245e-3055-4282-9ea7-c71d6af25df6/">a study</a> for the Queensland government, we linked the qualities of the early learning environment at age four to the subsequent school achievements (maths, science, English, NAPLAN) of the children participating in E4Kids. Again, the emotional quality of interactions was the key predictor of outcomes. We could still see the effects in secondary school.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-diversity-can-help-solve-twin-problems-of-early-childhood-staff-shortages-and-families-missing-out-185205">More diversity can help solve twin problems of early childhood staff shortages and families missing out</a>
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<h2>It all depends on a stable and supported workforce</h2>
<p>Emotionally positive early childhood education and care environments require a stable and supported workforce. Globally, there is a <a href="https://www.oecd.org/education/good-practice-for-good-jobs-in-early-childhood-education-and-care-64562be6-en.htm">shortage</a> of qualified early childhood educators. Australia is no exception. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10833-020-09382-3">workforce study</a> included a national survey and detailed study of services in metropolitan, regional and remote locations. We found one in five educators intended to leave the sector in the next year. In tracking a cohort of educators, each year one in three left their service. In remote settings the attrition rate was one in two. </p>
<p>This represents a serious loss of relationships for children and their parents. As educators leave, they take with them their depth of knowledge of each child and family. </p>
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<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/low-paid-womens-work-why-early-childhood-educators-are-walking-out-91402">Our research</a>, and a <a href="https://bigsteps.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Exhausted-undervalued-and-leaving.pdf">2021 survey</a> by the United Workers Union, found those who stay are often stressed. They feel unable to deliver the optimal emotionally supportive environment. </p>
<p>Early childhood workers are paid well below average weekly earnings. Many struggle financially or depend on spouses or family members for financial support to continue in the job they love. Those studying for a degree are often doing so to move to the school sector where pay, conditions and status are better. </p>
<h2>Need to boost workforce is urgent</h2>
<p>Without significant investment in the workforce, the new early education strategies will lack solid foundations and may well fall short on the promise they offer.</p>
<p>A workforce strategy for the next decade, <a href="https://www.acecqa.gov.au/national-workforce-strategy">Shaping Our Future</a>, was published in September 2021. It acknowledges the need for better pay, conditions and professional recognition to grow and sustain the workforce. The strategy also recognises their well-being as important, though it emphasises individualised supports for well-being, not systemic change. </p>
<p>However, the stated strategy to remedy the crisis is to “investigate options” for improving pay and conditions and well-being supports by 2025. That’s when the extra year of preschool learning is due to begin in Victoria. Our research, and the timing of the announced changes, suggests an urgent need to move from investigation to immediate action to stem the exodus of qualified early childhood educators and enable those who stay to thrive.</p>
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<p><em>This article is part of The Conversation’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/breaking-the-cycle-119149">Breaking the Cycle</a> series, which is supported by a philanthropic grant from the Paul Ramsay Foundation.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185210/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karen Thorpe receives funding from the Australian Research Council as a chief investigator on the Centre of Excellence for Children and Families across the Life Course ( CE200100025) , the Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child (CE200100022) and a current Discovery Project (DP190102981). She has also been funded by the Queensland Government and Commonwealth Departments of Social Services, Education and Health to undertake studies of early child development. This article is part of The Conversation's Breaking the Cycle series, which is about escaping cycles of disadvantage. The series is supported by a philanthropic grant from the Paul Ramsay Foundation.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Azhar Potia's research is supported partially by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (Project ID CE200100025). He has also received funding from Government departments such as the Queensland Department of Education and the Department of Health, and NGOs such as the Former Origin Greats, Social Ventures Australia and Beyond the Broncos.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Rankin's research was supported (partially or fully) by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (Project ID CE200100025). He has also been funded by the Queensland Government and Commonwealth Departments of Social Services and Education.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sally Staton has previously received research funding from the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council, from the Queensland Government Department of Education, and from NGOs including Social Ventures Australia and Early Childhood Australia. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Sandy Houen's research is partially supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (project ID CD 200100025) and the Australian Research
Council Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child (project ID CE200100022). She has previously received funding from the Queensland Government Department of Education and Social Ventures Australia.
</span></em></p>Research confirms that a focus on restoring the well-being of educators is vital to deliver the gains promised by huge new investments in early childhood learning and care.Karen Thorpe, Professor, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of QueenslandAzhar Potia, Research Fellow, Institute for Social Science Research, The University of QueenslandPeter Rankin, Research Fellow in Statistics and Developmental Psychology, The University of QueenslandSally Staton, Senior Research Fellow, The University of QueenslandSandy Houen, Research Fellow, Institute for Social Science Research, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1700912021-10-28T01:15:21Z2021-10-28T01:15:21ZEarly childhood educators feel burnt out and undervalued. Here’s what we can do to help<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428665/original/file-20211027-27-2y814x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6989%2C4663&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australian early childhood educators feel burnt out and undervalued. <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10643-021-01203-3">Our research</a> reports on more than 200 educators’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed existing strains on the system and further eroded their well-being. </p>
<p>However, educators also identified three important ways their well-being can be restored. As one educator told us:</p>
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<p>“You cannot pour from an empty cup. Our well-being needs to be supported so we can do the best job possible.”</p>
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<p>The pandemic has brought into sharp focus the <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/101622/1/Brief_report_ECEC_Workforce_Development_Policy_Workshop_final.pdf">challenging working conditions</a> the profession faces. Educators have to navigate emotionally complex work. They work <a href="https://theconversation.com/early-childhood-educators-are-slaves-to-the-demands-of-box-ticking-regulations-167283">long hours, with poor pay</a> and a lack of status or public recognition. Their opportunities for professional development or career progression are limited. </p>
<p>As a result, levels of work-related stress and burnout are high. Many are <a href="https://theconversation.com/insulting-and-degrading-budget-funding-for-childcare-may-help-families-but-educators-are-still-being-paid-pennies-160610">choosing to leave the sector</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/early-childhood-educators-are-leaving-in-droves-here-are-3-ways-to-keep-them-and-attract-more-153187">Early childhood educators are leaving in droves. Here are 3 ways to keep them, and attract more</a>
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<p>Well-being is essential for educators to do their job well. Their well-being affects the well-being, learning and development of children across the country. <a href="https://snapshots.acecqa.gov.au/workforcedata/demand.html">A stable, qualified and healthy workforce </a> is essential for families, communities and societies.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10643-021-01203-3">our research</a>, more than 85% of educators reported the pandemic had negative impacts on their well-being. However, three key findings detail how well-being can be supported. Educators talked about the importance of: </p>
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<li><p>self-care</p></li>
<li><p>relationships with children, families and colleagues (and in educators’ personal lives)</p></li>
<li><p>recognition for their essential work.</p></li>
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<h2>Self-care has to be a priority</h2>
<p>Educators spoke about a renewed focus on self-care to support their own well-being. </p>
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<p>“We’ve all finally realised that taking the dog for a walk has huge merits and having some meditation and doing some mindfulness and having our weekly yoga sessions are all actually working.” </p>
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<p>Self-care involved more than exercise and meditation. Creativity was also a support for well-being, including activities such as baking, clay-making and knitting. Educators took proactive steps for their health, to strengthen their own well-being. </p>
<p>Service supports also matter. Counselling and professional development services were helpful. Educators made use of (mostly online) professional services such as <a href="https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/what-is-mental-health?gclid=CjwKCAjw_L6LBhBbEiwA4c46uuoS6y280V1GdPD7PneU8-Ztq5yaWW4zVWJtSD2ev-HznnStH0GO3hoCngAQAvD_BwE">Beyond Blue</a> and the <a href="https://eapassist.com.au/?gclid=CjwKCAjw_L6LBhBbEiwA4c46ujIeZX2VPOEumDU3_aHcjNVYaOw93GznuNpy07qewR7cO0D1cPLy9RoCNQ4QAvD_BwE">Employee Assistance Program</a>. Some services provided additional resources to support mental health. </p>
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<p>“The psychologist was extremely powerful and she’s given a few presentations of how to look after ourselves.”</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/early-childhood-educators-are-slaves-to-the-demands-of-box-ticking-regulations-167283">Early childhood educators are slaves to the demands of box-ticking regulations</a>
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<h2>Supportive relationships lighten the load</h2>
<p>Personal and professional relationships are key to educators’ well-being. Supportive professional relationships provided solidarity and shared understanding. The value of being able to unload, debrief or talk with others at work increased throughout lockdowns.</p>
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<p>“That sense of belonging to a team and all the educators really caring very strongly for each other.”</p>
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<p>Despite reporting that the pandemic had a negative impact on their well-being, educators <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10643-021-01203-3">reported strong relationships with the children</a> they work with. Teaching and engaging with children is central to educators’ well-being. Connection to other aspects of children’s lives is also important: </p>
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<p>“COVID has taught us that it’s the relationships we have with parents, with families, with everybody in our community that’s the most important thing.”</p>
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<h2>Recognise their essential work</h2>
<p>Educators in our research rated their sense of contribution high. <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/providing-quality-early-childhood-education-and-care_301005d1-en">Workforce studies</a> reflect this, showing educators value and recognise the importance of their work with children. But their professional contribution is not always acknowledged. </p>
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<p>“[Being told by government] we are here to support ‘essential workers’ without actually being referred to as essential ourselves was a real blow to the industry and self-esteem of educators.”</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/insulting-and-degrading-budget-funding-for-childcare-may-help-families-but-educators-are-still-being-paid-pennies-160610">'Insulting' and 'degrading': budget funding for childcare may help families but educators are still being paid pennies</a>
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<p>Acknowledgement at the local level was even more important to educator well-being during the pandemic: </p>
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<p>“Families [are] really, really appreciating the work that we do. I think they got an extra insight into, and appreciation, for the work that the educators do for their children.”</p>
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<p><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/183693911303800203">Research</a> in child development shows us the continuum of vital learning between birth and eight years of age. However, the Australian education system treats school and pre-school settings very differently. Educators felt ignored in government decision-making throughout the pandemic, and have long argued for early learning to be recognised as pivotal for life trajectories.</p>
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<p>“A system that acknowledges the absolute fundamental truth that unless you get early childhood right, you never get it. That child then struggles into adulthood. And as educators, we know that. So that affects our well-being as well.” </p>
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<h2>Let’s listen to educators</h2>
<p>The pandemic has added to existing strains on the system. Educators’ well-being has continued to suffer as a result. As one educator said:</p>
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<p>“The stress of COVID-19 exacerbated any of the stresses and difficulties that were going [on], it didn’t create them. The precedent that we have, there were always going to be problems.” </p>
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<p>We know there’s a problem, we know the problem affects the community more broadly, but to support well-being effectively, we need to understand the experiences of educators themselves. We need to keep listening to them and act on what they’re telling us. </p>
<p>Here’s a good place to start: encourage self-care and provide access to resources; support and sustain relationships; acknowledge educators’ essential role in society and recognise that their well-being matters.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170091/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The pandemic highlighted Australia’s reliance on early childhood educators, while adding to their existing stresses. A study of how educators fared identifies three key factors in their well-being.Penny Levickis, Senior Research Fellow, REEaCh (Research in Effective Education in Early Childhood) Hub, The University of MelbourneAmelia Church, Senior Lecturer, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of MelbourneJane Page, Associate Professor, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of MelbourneLisa Murray, Research Fellow, REEaCh (Research in Effective Education in Early Childhood) Hub, The University of MelbournePatricia Eadie, Professor & Director of REEaCh (Research in Effective Education in Early Childhood) Hub, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1672832021-09-21T20:12:18Z2021-09-21T20:12:18ZEarly childhood educators are slaves to the demands of box-ticking regulations<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422262/original/file-20210921-23-n0usgj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-kindergarten-teacher-playing-music-little-635590394">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>More than two-thirds of Australian early childhood educators reported working many extra hours to satisfy regulatory requirements in our <a href="https://uneprofessions.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_38j3CdPsHnM8l81">2021 survey</a>. Half did unpaid work during accreditation — the process of demonstrating compliance with all the regulations governing early childhood education. Some were paid for as little as half of the hours they worked.</p>
<p>It’s not like they were well paid in the first place. Early childhood educators are the <a href="https://au.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/lowest-paid-jobs-in-australia">13th-lowest-paid workers in Australia</a>. </p>
<p>These educators earn an average of $29.10 an hour. Workers with the minimum of a certificate in childhood services are more likely to <a href="https://www.payscale.com/research/AU/Job=Childcare_Worker/Hourly_Rate">earn $23.50 an hour</a>, while those with a diploma or degree earn more. Unqualified workers in male-dominated industries <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-19/wage-price-index-slips-despite-labour-market/100386326">earn far more</a> than workers in the <a href="https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/early-childhood-education/working-in-early-childhood-education/media/documents/Workforce-Literature-Review.pdf">female-dominated</a> early childhood sector.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/insulting-and-degrading-budget-funding-for-childcare-may-help-families-but-educators-are-still-being-paid-pennies-160610">'Insulting' and 'degrading': budget funding for childcare may help families but educators are still being paid pennies</a>
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<p>The stresses of low pay and long hours cause almost <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0022185618800351">one in three</a> early childhood educators to leave the profession each year. This year, <a href="https://bigsteps.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Exhausted-undervalued-and-leaving.pdf">a survey</a> found <a href="https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/73-of-early-educators-plan-to-leave-the-sector-within-three-years/">73% intend to leave</a> the profession in the next three years. Providers are struggling to find qualified staff.</p>
<h2>Long hours of unpaid work are common</h2>
<p>I’m involved in a <a href="https://thesector.com.au/2021/09/14/accreditation-effects-on-early-childhood-educator-morale/">transnational study</a> exploring the work of early childhood educators in Australia, Canada and Denmark. The Australian data include survey responses from 50 educators from a range of service types in cities and regional and rural settings. </p>
<p>Some 70% commented on how many extra hours they worked during accreditation, with 50% reporting unpaid hours. Educators said: </p>
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<p>“I work a 68-hour week yet get paid for 30 hours.”</p>
<p>“a lot of unpaid hours.”</p>
<p>“Staff were given work to fill in whilst on breaks, often stayed back for unpaid staff meetings and to do extra work.”</p>
<p>“lots of unpaid work to catch up on the documentation that was required”.</p>
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<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/421801/original/file-20210917-17-14qmf99.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/421801/original/file-20210917-17-14qmf99.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/421801/original/file-20210917-17-14qmf99.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421801/original/file-20210917-17-14qmf99.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421801/original/file-20210917-17-14qmf99.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421801/original/file-20210917-17-14qmf99.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421801/original/file-20210917-17-14qmf99.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421801/original/file-20210917-17-14qmf99.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Percentages of overtime during accreditation reported by early childhood educators.</span>
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<p>To be accredited, services must provide state regulatory authorities with documentary evidence they are meeting or exceeding the measures of quality laid down by the Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (<a href="https://www.acecqa.gov.au/">ACECQA</a>). Some participants said the demands from these rigorous quality checks have become “ridiculous”, requiring volumes of documentary evidence. </p>
<p>Preparing this evidence requires time away from the children, whose development depends on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmxoiU87dp8&list=PLs5uqwJIALQu0i439U9ctA-yZaNtW5WYQ&index=6">quality interactions</a> with their educators. Many said they could not do the documentation in working hours because they were busy teaching children and supporting families. </p>
<p>Why do educators do the extra work? If the service doesn’t pass, it triggers more checks, requiring more frequent documentation. Very few educators said they were paid for this extra time. </p>
<p>When commenting on the number of unpaid hours, some noted the impacts on their family life:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Too many. It caused stress at home with family.”</p>
<p>“We dedicated over 2 weeks of nights and weekends to be ready for accreditation and registration. Even our husbands came and did work with us.”</p>
<p>“Detrimental. Lack of work life balance during this time.”</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/421767/original/file-20210917-25-h7u9if.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A wordcloud showing how often educators used various words in their comments about working extra hours during accreditation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/421767/original/file-20210917-25-h7u9if.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/421767/original/file-20210917-25-h7u9if.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421767/original/file-20210917-25-h7u9if.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421767/original/file-20210917-25-h7u9if.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421767/original/file-20210917-25-h7u9if.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421767/original/file-20210917-25-h7u9if.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421767/original/file-20210917-25-h7u9if.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A wordcloud showing how often educators used various words in their comments about working extra hours during accreditation.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Attrition is creating staff shortages</h2>
<p>With unfair wages and <a href="https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/early-childhood-directors-are-carrying-an-exhausting-load-during-covid-19-even-beyond-major-outbreaks-research/">increased expectations due to COVID-19</a> health orders, many providers are <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-11/federal-budget-2021-child-care-worker-shortage-could-get-worse/100129004">struggling to staff their services</a>. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0022185618800351">Research</a> shows educators leave the profession when they can no longer afford to stay.</p>
<p>As quality education and care depend on interactions with individual children, <a href="https://www.iejee.com/index.php/IEJEE/article/view/1447/532">their families and communities</a>, staff turnover is of great concern. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UmxoiU87dp8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The quality of their interactions with caregivers, including early childhood educators, has a profound influence on children’s development.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Yet, rather than tackling these issues, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/our-uni-teachers-were-already-among-the-worlds-most-stressed-covid-and-student-feedback-have-just-made-things-worse-162612">increase in managerialism</a> in Australian education has added to the stresses of poor pay for a demanding job. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/our-uni-teachers-were-already-among-the-worlds-most-stressed-covid-and-student-feedback-have-just-made-things-worse-162612">Our uni teachers were already among the world's most stressed. COVID and student feedback have just made things worse</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What are the impacts of managerialism?</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2331186X.2017.1365411">Managerialism creates a system</a> where the worker is positioned as someone who is mistrusted. </p>
<p>In these systems, workers are given <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02680939.2014.924561">highly detailed descriptions</a> of tasks that need to be checked by managers and authorities. Rather than doing the job they were employed to do, workers find themselves <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02680939.2014.924561">busy producing data</a> to show they are <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/183693911604100306">following these instructions</a>.</p>
<p>Managers and authorities say this is necessary to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02680939.2017.1352032">ensure quality</a>. Their <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1350293X.2020.1836583">beliefs about quality</a> are transcribed into voluminous documents. Often these documents are so complex, even <a href="https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/acecqa/files/National-Quality-Framework-Resources-Kit/educators_guide_to_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia_2.pdf">longer documents</a> or <a href="https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/about/guide">guides</a> are provided to decipher the original document.</p>
<p>In early childhood education, these include <a href="https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-05/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf">curriculum documents</a>, <a href="https://www.acecqa.gov.au/national-quality-framework">frameworks</a> and <a href="https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/national-quality-standard">standards</a>. The Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (<a href="https://www.acecqa.gov.au/">ACECQA</a>) creates these documents. State and territory regulatory authorities are responsible for ensuring compliance through registration and accreditation — a process of assessment and rating.</p>
<h2>Quality may actually suffer</h2>
<p>Many educators believed accreditation requirements lowered the quality of education and care during accreditation. One said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“It is a joke! Everything is so inhibited, and the children and educators are far too over-regulated. The children cannot be free to learn. They cannot go near water, they cannot climb. Fear is instilled into the educators. It is a horrible and restrictive learning environment. It makes the children so small-minded and full of anxiety.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>An <a href="https://thesector.com.au/2021/07/26/acecqa-shares-findings-from-national-workforce-strategy-as-recruiting-challenges-persist/">ACECQA survey</a> this year found educators intending to leave the sector early blame <a href="https://thesector.com.au/2021/07/26/acecqa-shares-findings-from-national-workforce-strategy-as-recruiting-challenges-persist/">overwork, administrative overload and burnout</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/early-childhood-educators-are-leaving-in-droves-here-are-3-ways-to-keep-them-and-attract-more-153187">Early childhood educators are leaving in droves. Here are 3 ways to keep them, and attract more</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Have authorities unwittingly created an accreditation system that enslaves workers and reduces quality during accreditation periods? Further research is needed to discover the full burden of these compliance systems. </p>
<h2>What now?</h2>
<p>What can we do about this discovery of excessive unpaid wages and chronic underpayment of our <a href="https://www.unicef.org.au/about-us/media/august-2020/early-childhood-education-care-an-essential-service">essential workers</a>? Being a slave is defined as being part of the slave trade, but also includes those who do not receive <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=slavery+definition&client=firefox-b-e&sxsrf=AOaemvIEzTZTCZaTUDxvOUAPYVsCLeS7FQ%3A1630888568410&ei=eGI1YZK5GNHc9QPsuoC4Ag&oq=slavery&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQARgAMgQIIxAnMgcIABCxAxBDMgQIABBDMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIICAAQgAQQyQMyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDoHCCMQsAMQJzoHCAAQRxCwAzoHCAAQsAMQQzoLCAAQgAQQsQMQgwE6CAgAEIAEELEDOgQILhBDOgUIABCRAjoLCC4QxwEQrwEQkQI6CwguEIAEELEDEIMBSgQIQRgAUJIaWN8iYPI2aAJwAngAgAGJAogB8wuSAQUwLjIuNZgBAKABAcgBCsABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz-serp">proper remuneration</a> for their work. With a federal election looming, it is another matter to lobby our government about given Australia’s <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2331186X.2017.1365411">uneasy relationship with slavery</a>.</p>
<p>To recover strongly from the economic impacts of the pandemic, we need <a href="https://pmc.gov.au/office-women/economic-security/wess/repair-and-rebuild-womens-workforce-participation-and-further-close-gender-pay-gap">strong workplace participation</a>. To support this participation, <a href="https://thrivebyfive.org.au/news/npcaddress/">real reform</a> is needed to provide universal childcare and fully staffed services. The focus must be on creating systems that support <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M89VFIk4D-s">quality education and care</a>, not big data and slavery. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/quality-childcare-has-become-a-necessity-for-australian-families-and-for-society-its-time-the-government-paid-up-131748">Quality childcare has become a necessity for Australian families, and for society. It's time the government paid up</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/167283/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marg Rogers does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>They’re among the lowest-paid in the country but are working many hours unpaid to meet the demands of accreditation. With 73% wanting to leave the profession in the next three years, change is needed.Marg Rogers, Lecturer, Early Childhood Education, University of New EnglandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1200992019-07-18T19:19:10Z2019-07-18T19:19:10ZOne-third of all preschool centres could be without a trained teacher in four years, if we do nothing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284644/original/file-20190718-147288-hlkrhq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Currently, half of all early childhood teachers have a bachelor degree, with a further one-third still working towards one. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>One-third of all preschools may lack a qualified teacher in the next four years if nothing changes, my new modelling shows. </p>
<p>Currently, <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/2016-early-childhood-education-and-care-national-workforce-census">half of all early childhood teachers</a> have a bachelor degree, with a further one-third still working towards one. With many expected to drop out, my modelling shows a significant shortfall by 2023.</p>
<h2>What are the numbers?</h2>
<p>To lift <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/research/LiftingOurGame.PDF">children’s outcomes</a>, early learning needs to be high quality, which includes being delivered by trained staff. This is why a focus on supporting the workforce to grow is so important.</p>
<p>The Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business predicts Australia will need around <a href="https://joboutlook.gov.au/Occupation?search=Industry&Industry=P&code=2411">49,000</a> preschool teachers by 2023. That means we’ll <a href="https://joboutlook.gov.au/Occupation?search=Industry&Industry=P&code=2411">need an extra 29,000</a> from where we’re at now (some of the current workforce is expected to drop off). </p>
<p>We are a long way from meeting the shortfall given the current shortage of teachers and low numbers of teachers in training. Across Australia, <a href="https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/research-evidence/ite-data-report/2018/ite-data-report-2018.pdf?sfvrsn=e0b6f33c_2">around 4,000</a> students are enrolled in early childhood education teaching degrees per year. </p>
<p>Assuming the pass rate for these teachers is <a href="https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/research-evidence/ite-data-report/2018/ite-data-report-2018.pdf?sfvrsn=e0b6f33c_2">around the average of 56%</a> (as for other teaching students), this would mean around 11,200 additional teachers would be available by 2023. That would leave a shortfall of 17,800.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/report-finds-every-1-australia-spends-on-preschool-will-return-2-but-this-wont-just-magically-happen-120217">Report finds every $1 Australia spends on preschool will return $2, but this won't just magically happen</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>It’s worth noting many of these degrees are for teaching from birth to eight years of age, or birth to 12 years of age, so not all graduates would seek to work in an early childhood setting. If more teachers choose school teaching with its higher wages and better conditions, the shortage will be far worse.</p>
<p>If we assume there is one qualified teacher per preschool service, this means by 2023 at least one-third of all services could be without the trained teacher they need.</p>
<h2>We’re not meeting the goal</h2>
<p>This is a far cry from the <a href="http://www.federalfinancialrelations.gov.au/content/npa/education/other/past/early_childhood_education_NP_2009.pdf">2009 agreement made by all Australian governments</a> to provide four-year-olds with access to preschool delivered by a trained teacher from 2013.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284682/original/file-20190718-116596-fac7on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284682/original/file-20190718-116596-fac7on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284682/original/file-20190718-116596-fac7on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284682/original/file-20190718-116596-fac7on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284682/original/file-20190718-116596-fac7on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284682/original/file-20190718-116596-fac7on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284682/original/file-20190718-116596-fac7on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284682/original/file-20190718-116596-fac7on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many children are starting school behind their peers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/-Ux5mdMJNEA">Charlein Gracia/Unsplash</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Early childhood teachers perform a variety of roles including planning and delivering learning programs and providing support for diploma and certificate-qualified educators, who make up the bulk of the early childhood workforce.</p>
<p>One outcome of the 2009 agreement was:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>All children have access to affordable, quality early childhood education in the year before formal schooling.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>And one of the performance indicators was:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The number of teachers delivering preschool programs who are four-year university trained and early childhood qualified.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In 2012, governments put <a href="https://thesector.com.au/2019/07/01/latest-education-council-meeting-elects-to-again-extend-ect-provisions/">transitional provisions</a> in place. This was to give early childhood providers time to meet workforce provisions in hard-to-staff locations. </p>
<p>These provisions permitted educators working towards qualifications to be counted as teachers in remote and very remote areas. They also allowed services in these areas to remotely access teachers to meet their ratios.</p>
<p>The provisions were due to expire after five years, <a href="https://thesector.com.au/2019/07/01/latest-education-council-meeting-elects-to-again-extend-ect-provisions/">but were extended</a> until 2020 given little attention was paid to workforce development for rural and remote services.</p>
<p>The Education Council, the meeting of all state and territory and Commonwealth education ministers, met recently to discuss early childhood. </p>
<p>Instead of deciding a workforce strategy to ensure these extensions end, <a href="http://www.educationcouncil.edu.au/site/DefaultSite/filesystem/documents/Communiques%20and%20Media%20Releases/2019%20media%20releases/Education%20Council%20Communique%2028%20June%202019%20final.pdf">they agreed another extension</a> until 2021 in most states except Victoria, and until 2023 for Western Australia and the Northern Territory.</p>
<h2>What is the potential impact on children?</h2>
<p>Trained teachers and educators in early childhood <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/research/preschoolparticipationandqualissummarypaper2013.pdf">make a difference</a> to children’s academic outcomes in school. One study showed students who attended preschool led by a diploma or degree-qualified teacher were ahead the equivalent of <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/research/preschoolparticipationandqualissummarypaper2013.pdf">15 to 20 weeks</a> of schooling at Year 3, based on their NAPLAN results.</p>
<p>Many children – more than <a href="https://www.aedc.gov.au/resources/detail/2018-aedc-national-report">one in four</a> from remote areas, compared to one in five from major cities – are starting school behind their peers. In very remote areas, <a href="https://www.aedc.gov.au/resources/detail/2018-aedc-national-report">nearly half of children</a> start behind.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/preschool-benefits-all-children-but-not-all-children-get-it-heres-what-the-government-can-do-about-that-117660">Preschool benefits all children, but not all children get it. Here's what the government can do about that</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In addition to children living away from city centres, children from low socio-economic areas are most likely to be affected. They are already less likely to attend the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10409289.2015.1076674">highest-quality centres</a> and more likely to start school behind their more advantaged peers.</p>
<p>A decade after all four-year-olds received their right to preschool, a shortage of trained teachers could mean one in three children miss out and start school further behind their peers as a result.</p>
<h2>What could we do differently?</h2>
<p>Governments have a few choices to make.</p>
<p>One choice is to accept the transitional provisions are actually an ongoing reality for many services and many children will miss out on trained teachers and fall further behind.</p>
<p>A better option would be to take workforce planning seriously and commit to investing in making sure every child has access to a trained teacher and a chance to succeed.</p>
<p>This would require efforts on a number of fronts. Attrition is a major issue in the early childhood education and care sector. Trained staff average just <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/node/45126">7.4 years of experience</a> and around <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/101622/1/Brief_report_ECEC_Workforce_Development_Policy_Workshop_final.pdf">20% of the workforce</a> intend to leave the profession within 12 months. </p>
<p>A key focus needs to be on keeping the current workforce. A raft of research has confirmed the major <a href="https://education.nsw.gov.au/media/ecec/pdf-documents/2017/Workforce-Literature-Review.pdf">issues</a> that need to be addressed to achieve this, including pay and conditions, professional status, and career and professional development.</p>
<p>A secondary focus needs to be on attracting, up-skilling and retaining new entrants to the profession. This includes examining what supports would be needed to up-skill educators to diploma and degree level. </p>
<p>Some of this work is happening in individual jurisdictions. For example, scholarships are available in <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/childhood/professionals/profdev/Pages/scholarships.aspx#link11">Victoria</a> to support the roll-out of three-year-old preschool.</p>
<p>A national workforce strategy is needed to build a workforce to ensure that all children, no matter where they live, are able to benefit from quality early learning.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/120099/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Megan O'Connell consults for Community Early Learning Association. She is a director of, and acting spokesperson for, the Parenthood. Megan is affiliated with the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne.</span></em></p>In 2009, Australian governments made an agreement to provide all four-year-olds with access to preschool delivered by a trained teacher from 2013. We’re a long way from this goal.Megan O'Connell, Honorary Senior Fellow, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.