OCTOBER 2024
With the end of the year in sight, we have put together a newsletter full of useful updates and resources to help you cruise through these last months. You will find details on our year-end gatherings – a fantastic chance to catch up and share a bit of fun together. We have also included some important information on mandatory reporting, sun safety as we head into Summer, and new trauma-informed resources to support you in your dayto-day work. There’s plenty more too, with updates on food safety, policy changes, and ideas to help children to connect with Country through nature play. Take a look and enjoy all that’s in store as we wrap up another month in 2024!
Welcome
We would like to extend a warm welcome to Manjinder Kaur in Piara Waters. We look forward to working with you Manu, and are excited to see what wonderful adventures you and the children will participate in.
Year End Gatherings
Can you believe that it’s already the end of the year? We would love to catch up with everyone before 2024 is over and have scheduled a few events and gatherings around the State. You are welcome to attend any event, even if it’s not in your region! Please make sure you RSVP to your ESO so that we know how many people to expect.
• Geraldton : Wednesday, 23rd October 2024 – Dinner TBC
• Kalgoorlie : Tuesday, 5th November 2024 – Dinner at York Hotel
• Dunsborough : Saturday, 09th November 2024 – Gathering at Vasse Tavern in Busselton
• Perth : Saturday, 09th November 2024 – Gathering at the Camfield Bar in Burswood
• Perth : Thursday, 14th November 2024 – Play Session at Kent Street Weir in Wilson
• Busselton: Tuesday, 19th November 2024 – Play Session at Thyme Pass Park
• Bunbury : Wednesday, 27th November 2024 – Play Session at Vat 2 Beach
• Albany : Details to be confirmed, but this will be in December 2024
• Kununurra : Details to be confirmed, but this will be in December 2024
• Broome: Coffee or Activity with the children during the next visit
As you can see, some details are still to be confirmed, but it would be greatly appreciated if you could save the date for whichever event you are interested in attending. Feel free to contact your ESO for more information.
Empower, Extend and Grow Forum
NSW Family Day Care Association inc. are hosting an inspiring online Educator forum on Saturday 26th October. Together, they will explore innovative practices, share invaluable insights, and cultivate skills that will empower us to extend our impact and grow as professionals. You can find out more about the stella lineup of Anthony Seaman, Jessica Staines, Louise Dorrat and Angus Gorrie and book your tickets here. Please be mindful of the AEST time frame when logging on.
Incidents Involving Emergency Services
If at any time, police or emergency services are required to attend the Family Day Care premises in relation to violent behaviors, drugs or alcohol related incidents, or any incident that relates to the health and safety of any person on the premises, Nature Alliance must be notified within 24 hours of the event or on the next working day, even if the event occurred on the weekend or over a public holiday. This applies regardless of whether the children are in care.
Mandatory Reporting
From the 1st November 2024 you will officially be classed as Mandatory Reporters. It is very important that you understand your obligations and the process around reporting. The Ombudsman will be conducting unscheduled visits along with ECRU to assess Educator’s understanding of the requirements of mandatory reporting so you must be prepared. We have uploaded the FAQ and Mandatory Reporting Flow Chart onto our website and we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the content. If you have any questions, please chat to your ESO during your next visit, or send us an email.
Food Safety Supervisors
We are pleased to share that we now have 4 Food Safety Supervisors on site. They are Sandra St Jack, Lea Major, Joy Alder and Jo Chapman. Each one of these staff members spent countless hours becoming qualified and they will be using their new skills to ensure that adequate food safety practices are conducted in your service. Please ensure that you have a thermometer that measures the temperature of food, cutting boards that are different colours and food grade cleaning products. These should be staple items in your kitchen and are to be used as per the requirements of the Food Safety Checklist. If you would like additional support or guidance with your food safe practices, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our Food Safety Supervisors to chat about it.
Educator Extended Leave or Closure
In the case that you decide to take an extended break from Family Day Care or close, we have been given a new timeframe from ECRU of 42 days from last timesheets to advise them of the change and remove Educators from our CCMS (Harmony). This means that we will confirm final timesheet dates with the Educator and inform families of the finalization procedures including final invoice date and refund of holding fee information. An Educator will have 30 days to download anything they may need from Harmony before we remove them. We will also provide Educators with a checklist of what needs to be provided to the service and set a time for ESO’s to collect this. As it can be a busy time we can guide you through the process. In the case that you are just on extended leave we will continue to keep you active and involved in all service news (apart from Harmony), we will still collect the required paperwork and return it to you, if necessary, together with any policies that were updated while you were closed.
Nutrition in Family Day Care
Good health begins with what we fuel our bodies with. National Nutrition week is an opportunity to open discussions with Children and families about how they nourish their bodies. You can find resources and inspiration here and here.
Building Resilient Foundations: Trauma-Informed Resources for Educators
We are excited to share some incredible, tailored resources developed specifically for us by Jo at Core of Wellbeing. These tools are designed to support your wellbeing and help build resilience in your daily practice. The resources include “8 Simple Habits to Help You Flourish,” a step-by-step guide to creating a life you love, and tips on transforming your habits with neuroscience. There are also additional materials available to explore. These resources are practical, easy to implement, and offer valuable strategies for enhancing both your personal and professional wellbeing. By integrating these habits into your routine, you can create a more positive and balanced environment for yourself and the children in your care. We hope you take the opportunity to use these specially crafted tools and discover the benefits they bring. Please reach out and share your experiences—we’d love to hear how they’re making a difference for you!
Parent Authorizations for Excursions
Please ensure you have the parent authorization for excursions completed as a child is enrolling and a copy is provided to the office. Nature Alliance is required to have a current copy on file as well as any risk assessments listed on the Authorization form. Leaving it until later is not ideal practice as life gets busy, you move through the weeks and then something happens and there is no parent authority in place. We also require updated copies of Parent Authorization forms for excursions if you add any new risk assessments to it or remove any by crossing them out. Your ESO is always available to guide you through the requirements so please check in if you are in doubt.
Staying Sun Safe: Protecting Children from Hot Surfaces This Summer
As the weather heats up, it’s a good time to reflect on the safety of your outdoor environments. Have you considered how hot equipment and surfaces might become, even on overcast days? Take a moment to review your current practices: Are surfaces being regularly checked? How do you manage hot surfaces? Think about how you can inform and involve children in these safety practices, helping them understand why certain areas might be unsafe and encouraging them to participate in checking for hot surfaces. This awareness should also extend to your evacuation practices—are children wearing appropriate footwear, or do your drills consider risks associated with hot ground surfaces?
Connecting to Country: Exploring Reconciliation through Nature Play
Recently, we were encouraged to reflect on a thought-provoking question from Narragunnawali: How does nature play strengthen children’s relationship to and with Country? This question led us to explore how we can meaningfully connect children to the land and embed respect for Country. Through nature play, children go beyond simply engaging with their surroundings—they develop a deeper sense of appreciation for Country as a living, breathing entity, fostering a strong emotional and cultural connection to the land. Nature becomes more than just a setting; it becomes a teacher. This aligns closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, which view the land, plants, animals, and people as interconnected parts of a whole. By encouraging children to explore the natural world with respect and curiosity, we help them build a lifelong sense of care and responsibility for the environment. As we continue to reflect on this question and integrate these practices, we would love to hear from you: What does connecting to Country look like in your service? How do you see nature play enriching children’s relationships with the land? Let’s continue this conversation and share our ideas to deepen our collective understanding of reconciliation through nature-based experiences.
Hi from Baldivis….
The wonderful Amy Fairman, from Koala Cuddles Family Day Care, is in the spotlight this month! Amy has been an Educator with Nature Alliance for over 2 years and it has been an absolute pleasure working with her. Visits at Amy’s house are great fun. The children often invite us to sit with them while they eat, and we chat about all the interesting things they have been doing with Amy. Amy provides an environment that gives children the opportunity to play and explore at their own pace. Amy has wonderful relationships with her families and it’s heart-warming to see how regularly the children gravitate towards her for extra cuddles! Amy’s vision is to provide children with a caring, accepting, magical childhood full of discovery and it’s evident that this is the driving force behind her business. Thank you for always being so welcoming and eager to share your ideas and plans with us. We look forward to sharing many more adventures with you.
Good luck Adele
We are very proud to share that Adele Lancaster, in Geraldton, is competing in the Australian Eight Ball Championships this month for pool. Gathering some of the country’s best eight-ball pool players, this competition typically features individual, team and doubles events. Each state and territory send its top players and WA is sending the WA State Ladies Team with Adele as their Vice Captain! Good luck we can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Policies being Updated
The following Policies are being updated and we invite and welcome any feedback, suggestions or additions:
• Policy 1.2 Sun Protection
• Policy 3.3 First Aid Administration
• Policy 4 Serious Incidents, Emergencies & Evacuations
• Policy 7 Confidentiality, Privacy & Educator Record Management
• Policy 11 Participation of Volunteers & Students on Practicum
• Policy 29 Educator Leave
Word of the Day
Neurodiversity – This highlights the diversity of human minds and how they learn and interact with the world around them. It describes a range of differences in how individual brains function, process information, and respond to experiences, all of which are part of the natural variety we see in human development.
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
“Great things never come from comfort zones!” Neil Strauss