Lead Educator (Child Care Worker) Full Time NEW

Position: Lead Educator (Child Care Worker)

Position Type: Full-Time

Salary: $79,000 to $85,000 plus superannuation per annum

Location: Bundaberg QLD 4670

Our client is seeking a Lead Educator (Child Care Worker) to join their team located in

The Lead Educator (Child Care Worker) will be responsible for managing the assigned room’s day-to-day operation, including providing leadership and support to educators and staff within your team in line with relevant regulations, policies, and procedures.

In collaboration with the Educational Leader, assist with developing, implementing and reflecting on the educational program to provide a high-quality program for all children and families.

Build and maintain positive relationships with children, families, educators, staff, and management to deliver the best outcomes for families and children.

In the absence of the Director/Nominated Supervisor, undertake responsibilities as per the Responsible Person policy and procedure for the day-to-day management of the Service

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Educational Program & Practice

• ensure a play-based learning environment is facilitated and develops learning programs responsive to children’s ideas, strengths and abilities that inspire independent learners.
• work with the Educational Leader to implement the successful planning, implementation, and reflection of a program for the service that is reflective of an approved learning framework; the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) or My Time Our Place (MTOP)
• ensure the early childhood program meets the goals of the approved learning framework (EYLF or MTOP) to help children develop:
• a strong sense of their identity
• connections with their world
• strong sense of wellbeing
• confidence and involvement in their learning; and
• effective communication skills
• assist in the collection, recording and evaluation of children’s records and observations, as required under the National Quality Standard and regulatory authority and ensure all educators within the service comply with these requirements
• implement inclusive practice and lead an environment that honours diversity.
• be proactive in ensuring currency in the best early childhood practice.
• in collaboration with the Director/ Nominated Supervisor and Educational Leader, contribute to developing, implementing, and updating the Quality Improvement Plan for the service.
• develop an educational program based on the knowledge of each child.
• ensure the documentation of children’s developmental needs, interests, experiences, and participation in the educational program in various ways and regularly.
• ensure the assessment of children’s developmental progress against the learning outcomes, establishing further learning goals.
• work with children, families, educators, and staff to achieve optimal learning and developmental outcomes.
• in conjunction with the Educational Leader, make curriculum decisions that uphold all children’s rights in consultation with relevant stakeholders; children, families, educators/ staff and management.
• ensure the assessment and planning cycle to design programs that enhance and extend each child’s learning and development. This includes observation, analysing of learning, documentation, planning, implementation, and reflection.
• provide mentorship to educators/ staff within your team to support children’s learning through investigation and projects; and
• in collaboration with the Educational Leader, provide supervision to educators and staff to critically reflect on all aspects of the educational program, suggest improvements and continue to evolve as an educator and team.

Children’s Health and Safety

• promote child well-being and prevent harm to children and young people by adopting and adhering to the National Principles of Child Safe Organisations.
• maintain and demonstrate extensive knowledge of Child Protection legislation and its implications for the care and protection of children.
• ensure compliance as a mandated reporter in accordance with the service Child Protection policy and procedures.
• assist the Director/ Nominated Supervisor in complying with child protection in the workplace.
• recognise and report misconduct, illegal or inappropriate behaviour to the Director/Nominated Supervisor.
• ensure all duties according to the Responsible Person policy and procedure are always followed, including documentation of consent to the Responsible Person and records maintaining the history of the Responsible Person.
• ensure children are protected from harm and hazard and are not subjected to corporal punishment or unreasonable discipline at any time in line with policies and procedures.
• inform the Director/ Nominated Supervisor of all allegations or convictions of a child protection nature against an employee of which you become aware.
• provide support to Director/Nominated Supervisor (s) to ensure policies and procedures have been adhered to ensure the children are safe and adequately always supervised.
• ensure children do not leave the Service premises except in accordance with National Regulations- with a parent or authorised nominee or in an emergency evacuation situation; risk assessed excursion or regular outing.
• ensure visitors to the service are supervised at all times.
• follow policies and procedures to maintain correct educator-to-child ratios at all times.
• maintain and demonstrate extensive knowledge of Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) legislation and safety issues relating to children, educators, and staff.
• ensure correct handling techniques and procedures are followed and assist by identifying handling hazards and risks within the service.
• ensure all educators and staff within your team are aware and respond positively and consistently to children’s additional needs, including adjustments and requirements; diet and allergies; developmental needs etc.
• lead, guide and mentor educators and staff within your team to a high standard of hygiene in compliance with procedures and policies.
• ensure adequate health and hygiene practices regarding safe food handling procedures are implemented at the service and ensure the preparation and storage of food adhere to relevant food safety standards.
• supervise and support educators and staff within your team to ensure the administration of first aid or medication is in compliance with relevant policies and procedures.
• ensure accurate and detailed records of individual children’s incidents, injury, trauma or illness are recorded, and families are notified as soon as possible or within 24 hours of any incident, injury, trauma or illness.
• ensure reporting of serious incidents to the Director/ Nominated Supervisor within 24 hours in line with Education and Care Services National Regulations.

Physical Environment

• lead, guide and support educators and staff within your team to create a safe, supportive, stimulating and educational environment for all children.
• report any situation that may constitute a hazard to health or safety to children, families, educators, staff or visitors to the Director/Nominated Supervisor.
• collaborate with the Director/ Nominated Supervisor to resource the services with appropriate equipment and ensure the team maintains the environment’s aesthetics and all resources.
• And the equipment is respected and maintained.
• report any repairs, WHS safety concerns and maintenance required to the Director/ Nominated Supervisor and using the correct forms.
• ensure the physical environment complies with the National Regulations and Australian Safety Standards licensing requirements for all equipment and resources.
• ensure adequate processes are followed to meet WHS requirements.
• contribute to ensuring the service strives towards environmental sustainability in all areas through sustainability action plans; and
• assist the Educational Leader and Director/ Nominated Supervisor with the indoor and outdoor environment promoting commitment to continual improvement to the quality of care and experience each child and family receives.

Staffing Arrangements

• assist and contribute to the induction process of new educators and staff within your team in collaboration with the Director/ Nominated Supervisor in line with the Probation and Induction Orientation Policy and procedures.
• ensure educators and staff within your team have a working knowledge of the National Quality Framework and meet these guidelines in their work practices.
• ensure educators and staff understand their obligations to comply with legislation, rules, policies, and procedures relating to the operation of the service.
• demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the Code of Ethics (Early Childhood Australia Inc.) and always act within these guidelines
• adhere to the service’s Child safe policies, including Child Safe Environment Policy and Child Protection Policy, always and take all reasonable steps to protect children from abuse and harm.
• ensure compliance with zero tolerance of racism within the Service.
• ensure educators and staff act within the guidelines set out in the Code of Ethics (Early Childhood Australia Inc.)
• demonstrate leadership skills in education and management to manage a team of educators and staff effectively.
• contribute positively and effectively to the team environment; within the room to ensure the smooth operation of the service.
• promote a healthy team environment and develop positive channels of communication to foster a cohesive team environment where educators and staff within your team feel supported and valued.
• participate in ongoing professional development and training programs and support educators and staff to undertake further professional development in conjunction with the Educational Leader.
• provide feedback to educators and staff within your team regarding their conduct and work practices whilst creating a supportive workplace environment.
• implement the service Dealing with Complaints Policy and procedures and encourage educators and staff to follow the Dealing with Complaints Policy in relation to complaints or incidents.
• ensure any grievances raised by educators, staff or families are reported to the Director/ Nominated Supervisor immediately in writing.
• keep up to date with current trends and issues in Early Childhood Education and Care and share information with educators and staff within your team to support research-based practices within the service; and
• attend staff/team meetings and family meetings and encourage educators and staff to attend, if required.
• ensure the Services Code of Conduct is followed.

Relationships with Children

• view and respect children as competent and capable
• promote positive, comforting and nurturing relationships with children
• promote the cultural safety, participation, and empowerment of culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, to express their culture and enjoy their cultural rights.
• promote the safety, participation, and empowerment of children with a disability.
• ensure educators/ staff provide a supportive educational environment for all children and families.
• act as a positive role model, demonstrating appropriate behaviour and language; and
• communicate with children in an open, honest manner and ensure that the child’s perspective is regarded as unique and special
• ensure all children are respected, and their rights are being met (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child- CRC)

Collaborative Partnerships with Families and Communities

• promote clear communication between the management team, educators, staff, and families.
• build effective networks and maintain community links with early childhood practitioners and other relevant community organisations and government agencies within the local areas.
• lead and support educators and staff to create a safe, supportive, and informative environment for families.
• Smile, be kind, courteous and helpful to the families in the service, and ensure all educators and staff are implementing these practices.
• collaborate with educators and staff to look for opportunities within each service where a family may become involved, e.g., multi-cultural events, craft activities etc.
• manage the information which assists families in accessing resources within the local and broader community.
• be an advocate for high-quality support services for children in our community.
• in conjunction with Director/ Nominated Supervisor, manage events and experiences with children which promote awareness of our community and reflect child-centred learning.
• ensure students on placement are positively welcomed, supported and effectively supervised.
• Positively promote evaluation strategies (e.g., satisfaction survey) to determine parents’ communication views to use for future planning; and
• promote, support and guide educators and staff to encourage families to participate in service decision-making and experiences.

Leadership and Service Management

• comply with, maintain, and review all service policies and procedures in accordance with the Education and Care Services National Law and National Regulations.
• maintain a sound and current understanding of the National Quality Framework (NQF) and approved learning framework/s.
• maintain compliance with the regulations prescribed by the regulatory authority and all legal and statutory requirements.
• strive to achieve ‘Service’ goals and ensure the Service’s philosophy statement is reflected in daily practice.
• ensure that the service’s educators, leaders and managers are treated with the utmost respect.
• submit regular reports and documents to the Director/ Nominated Supervisor on the running of the room and attend meetings as directed.
• ensure that the Director/ Nominated Supervisor is informed of current issues within the service.
• report directly to the Director/ Nominated Supervisor of any problem that would affect the children, service approval or rating, regulatory and legal compliance, or the smooth running of the service.
• maintain the confidentiality of sensitive information in relation to educators/ staff, families, children, and the service in line with the Privacy and Confidentiality Policy and Procedures.
• comply with the Privacy and Confidentiality Policy and procedures and assist in ensuring the policy is followed at a service level; and
• any other duties within the scope of the role of Lead Educator under the direction of the Director/Nominated Supervisor, Manager or Approved Provider. This job description may be reviewed in the future.

Requirements:

Qualifications

• Degree in Early Childhood from a recognised University (as listed on the approved qualification list by ACECQA), or:
• Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (or equivalent)
• Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care (or equivalent)
• Current Provide an Emergency First Aid Response in an Education and Care Setting qualification
• Current ACECQA approved Anaphylaxis and emergency asthma management training
• Valid Working with Children Check
• Accredited Child Protection Training

Experience

• Previous experience in a leadership role
• Demonstrated sound knowledge of the Early Years Learning Framework, Education and Care Services National Law (2010), and the Education and Care Services National Regulations (2011), Family Assistance Law (Child Care Subsidy 2018).