AUGUST 2024
Welcome to this month’s edition of the Nature Alliance newsletter! We are excited to share some important updates, new opportunities and heartfelt farewells within our community. As we continue to grow, we are actively seeing passionate Educator to join us in several locations across the state. We are also thrilled to welcome new team members and extend our best wishes to those moving on to new adventures. This edition also covers essential policy updates, professional development opportunities, and resources to support you in your invaluable work with children. Thank you for your ongoing commitment and dedication – let’s continue to create nurturing and inspiring environments together!
We are looking for Educators
There are currently vacancies for Educators in Broome, Kalgoorlie, Kununurra, Busselton/Dunsborough and Manjimup/Bridgetown. If you know someone who wants to join the rewarding world of Family Day Care please send them our details or refer them to our website for more information.
Admin Team & Reminders from FDSee
Kylie has bid her final farewell to Nature Alliance and has transitioned to a new job. We’re excited to welcome Lisa Parker as her wonderful replacement! Although Lisa won’t be directly handling timesheets or Educator fees, you may still receive occasional emails from her. Please note that you will continue to receive reminders on FDSee from both Kylie and Nadia’s profiles, as these reminders are sent from the email address of the person who originally input them onto the system.
Welcome and Farewell
We would like to extend a very warm welcome to Amy Donohue in Kununurra! We are very excited to be working with you and look forward to sharing your bush adventures with you and the children in your care!
We would also like to say farewell to Courtney who operated her Family Day Care in Kununurra for the last two years. Thank you for all the wonderful work you did with the children in your care. We wish you all the best!
Safe Arrival Of Children Policy
During our visits we have been talking to you about the regulatory changes that have been implemented regarding the Safe Transportation of Children. These changes are important for any Educators who have children who are travelling between school and your service, or are being collected or dropped off at school. You will need to review your school run risk assessments and ensure that all the risk assessment requirements are addressed on this document. Please have a look at the Safe Arrival of Children handout from ACECQA, particularly page 2. These documents must be sent in for review as soon as possible to ensure that you are covered in the event of an incident. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to your ESO.
Mandatory Reporting
Thank you to all those Educators who have already sent in their certificates of completion for the Mandatory Reporting training. This is just a gentle reminder that the training has to be complete before the end of September. All Educators and Educator Assistants are required to complete it. The link for the webinar can be found here.
Policies being Updated
The following Policies are in the process of being updated. This is your opportunity to have your say and suggest any changes or updates. Please forward any feedback to Info and it will be discussed during our staff meeting.
• Policy 1.6 Child Protection
• Policy 4 Serious Incidents, Emergencies and Evacuation
• Policy 9 Legal and Insurance
• Policy 17 Anti Bias Equity and Inclusion
• Policy 22 Fit and Proper Persons Policy
• Policy 28 Employment of FDC Service Staff
• Policy 35 CCS Governance Policy
Planned Professional Development
One of the many benefits of our monthly visits to your service is the opportunity to regularly discuss the development of the children in your care. We’ve noticed that Educators across the state are facing challenges with the behaviors of 2 to 4-year-olds. Our preliminary research suggests that you’re not alone—these behaviors seem to be widespread among the ‘COVID generation,’ affecting early childhood, primary school, and even early high school settings. We understand your frustrations and are actively exploring behavior management training, which we plan to offer early next year. These little children were born into a very different world and with your knowledge, care and gentle guidance we can help them adapt. In the meantime, please reach out to us if you need additional support.
Changes To Educator Leave Policy
The Educator Leave Policy #29 has been updated to reflect the Family Assistance Law requirements to remove an Educator from the CCS system after 3 months of non-activity.
This law will not affect an Educators Membership with Nature Alliance if they choose to take up to 6 months leave.
The updated policy will be distributed on the November and December visits and is available on the Nature Alliance website.
Incident Reports
These are an Educator’s worst nightmare, both from a nerve-wracking perspective and a paperwork perspective. Policy 3.1 states that any incident that results in a child bleeding, bruising, being bitten/stung by an insect, bitten by another child or is showing emotional discomfort after an incident must be recorded on an Incident Report. Please remember that these are legal documents that the Regulatory Authority and your Public Liability Insurance may ask for, and therefore they must be completed accurately, with all relevant details filled out in full. All Incident Reports need to be sent to info@naturealliancfdc.com.au so that we can maintain accurate records. If you are unsure as to whether an incident report needs to be completed, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Hi from Eaton….
This month we would like to introduce you to Alicia Davies from Davies Family Day Care in Eaton! For over 12 years, I’ve proudly supported my community, offering care in-venue across Karratha and Bunbury. My goals are always evolving, but right now, I’m hopeful to see the Carlton Football Club clinch a premiership in honour of my son, Zach, who is no longer with us. I’m also working towards paying off my mortgage one day and making the most of my time with my family, including our pug Winnie, as we explore our favourite spots and discover new ones during our holidays. Professionally, I aim to continue nurturing the children in my care, helping them flourish into their best selves. I find great pleasure in capturing moments of the day and week and sharing them in the floor book for us all to see. We enjoy reflecting on the journey and remembering how far we have come. I’ve been fortunate to welcome many of my children as babies or toddlers, guiding them through to Kindergarten, Pre-primary, and even before- and after-school care. Witnessing their journey affirms that I’m on the right path, and it brings me immense joy.
New Access Grant for Small Business Owners
Your mental health and wellbeing is very important to us. We have come across a small business grant that may be useful for you. This program provides free and confidential mental health support to small business owners. The program has been developed by Beyond Blue to give small business owners support during challenging times. Over 6 sessions, a New Access coach will work side by side with business owners to overcome difficult issues and provide practical skills to help them manage stress. Find out more about your eligibility and how to apply here.
Food Allergy Awareness
Do you have children with food allergies in your service? Do you feel confident enrolling children with Food Allergies? This free course, created by the National Allergy Council, is designed to help Educators to gain knowledge and understanding about food allergens, and to develop best practice procedures to ensure the right food is given to the right child. It takes about 1.5 hours to complete and there are many great resources that you can access. Thank you Narelle for sharing this great training with us!
Word of the Day
Executive Function – Includes working memory, flexible thinking and self-control. Executive functioning refers to the mental processes in the brain that enable children to plan, focus attention, remember instructions and manage multiple tasks successfully. Kid Sense have some useful information that you can use in your service with your children and families.
Office Hours
Our office hours are 8.30am to 4.30pm. If you have a query outside of these hours, please phone and leave a message. If you need to speak with someone in an emergency, please ring Jo Georgiou and if your call is not answered immediately, leave a message and your call will be returned.
Phone Numbers
Sandra / Mandy: 0431 449 567 (Mon – Fri); Joy: 0429 030 362 (Mon, Tues, Wed & Fri); Jo C: 0477 029 531 (Mon – Fri); Jo G: 0477 029 132 (Mon – Thurs); Lea: 0477 029 228 (Mon, Tue, Thurs & Fri).
To ensure that we respond to your emails promptly please send your queries to: info@naturealliancefdc.com.au
“Try to be a rainbow is someone else’s cloud” Maya Angelou