A career in Early Childhood Education and Care in Australia
Early Childhood Education in Australia gained popularity by the mid-1960s. Early childhood education programs respond to addressing the child’s basic needs and safety to actual education programs for young children which boosts their physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development. Children who receive high-quality early childhood education from birth to five years have a distinct advantage, including early social-emotional skills.
Currently, in Australia, early childhood education and care services are struggling to find qualified staff to fill open positions. The announcements by the New South Wales and Victoria governments that they will each provide an additional year of education for children aged three and four (by the years 2030 and 2025, respectively) will only add to the pressures already being felt.
These multibillion-dollar commitments are in addition to the plan that the newly elected federal government has to reduce childcare costs by providing a larger subsidy, which will benefit many families. While it is encouraging to hear these announcements, it is essential to note that expanding early education programs to include more children and longer hours will require significantly more staff, who will need to be trained and hired. Even at this moment, there are thousands of open positions that have been advertised.
Because of a worsening staff shortage, more childcare centres are operating without enough qualified early childhood teachers. This could put the federal government’s promise to make childcare more affordable at risk. In particular, to meet the needs of all families in multicultural Australia, staff will need to be recruited from populations with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
The most recent data from the National early childhood education regulator reveals that in the first quarter of 2022, 8.1% of childcare providers were allowed to operate with a staffing waiver because they were unable to meet the legal requirement for suitably qualified early childhood teachers on staff. The percentage was 3.9% when we last checked in on it four years ago (SMH, 2022).
The statistics on jobs show that the deficit is likely to worsen, which could influence the ability of the sector to deliver on the promise made by the Albanese government to cut the cost of childcare, which is projected to increase demand.
As per The Sydney Morning Herald,
“More services have been struggling with some of the requirements to have a certain percentage of your educators with a diploma qualification because there’s just not enough educators out there”.
Until now, it is not yet known how many educators are serving within the industry. Reports from the Australian Education Union state that there are currently an astonishing 6,000 job vacancies per month within the field of Early Childhood Education and Care. Further, the report also estimates that this growth will rise to more than 41,00 per year by 2030. Hence, it can be understood that undertaking a certificate course could lead up to a rewarding career in Childhood Education and Care in Australia. These courses will allow an individual to upscale their skills and knowledge that will allow them to provide care to children and to plan engaging and educational activities to maximize their development.
Those who have a passion for working with children and want to build a career that is both personally satisfying and financially stable can join an entry-level qualification at the certificate level.
Child Care Worker
Child care workers are responsible for providing care and supervision to children participating in various programs offered by childcare centres, hospitals, and educational institutions. These programs include long day care and occasional care. To be able to work as a Child Care Worker, you are required to have a certificate III in early childhood education and care. This qualification is available through many vocational education providers in online and blended modes.
Child care centre manager
Managers of child care facilities are responsible for supervising and coordinating the educational, physical, and personal development activities that are provided for the children in their charge. They serve as the primary point of contact for the parents or guardians of the students. The work is performed on-site at the childcare centre, but on occasion, you may be required to travel to other locations for training or workshops. People who are dependable, well organised, and have strong interpersonal and communication skills are ideal candidates for this position. Office administration and the ability to lead a group are two skills that are useful to have. It is necessary to possess a diploma in early childhood education and care in order to be eligible for employment as the manager of a child care centre.
Co-authors/Contributors: Dr Abhishek Sharma
