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Childcare workers should be trained up, rather than teachers brought in, to deliver on the Rudd Government's promise of 15 hours a week of preschool education for all four-year-olds.
Further qualifications for the nation's 95,000 childcare workers would provide a better career path and stem the yearly exodus due to the low pay.
And it would ensure the Government's Early Childhood Learning agenda is not sidetracked by shortages of qualified teachers willing to come and work in the sector.
The new proposal to qualify the childcare workers already employed in the sector will be put on the national agenda today by the childcare workers' union, the Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union, with the launch of its Big Steps campaign.
To be launched by Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Sydney, the campaign recognises staff turnover at childcare centres remains unacceptably high, and aims to develop a national workforce strategy for the early childhood sector "as a priority".
The campaign calls for a greater emphasis on developing career paths for the workers who each day look after 1.5 million children across the country.
"It's exciting that suddenly front and centre of the public agenda is reform of the nought to five-year-old program across Australia, and a recognition of the importance of early learning to children's development," LHMU national secretary Louise Tarrant said yesterday.
"The Government's strategy is fine in theory, but how do you fill in the steps to get there?" The new program requires qualified teachers, but there aren't enough teachers to take up the positions.
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Staff retention in the childcare sector is appalling, with 35 per cent of workers leaving each year -- up to 60 per cent in South Australia. Even qualified workers earn only about $37,500 a year, 25per cent less than primary school teachers, the LHSU said.
Another problem is the qualification requirements of staff, which differ across states. There are no national mandatory minimum qualifications for childcare workers, and up to 45 per cent have no formal qualifications.
"Parents as well as experts will tell you stability is the key to delivery of any sort of quality care, particularly for infants and young children," Ms Tarrant said. "The level of turnover in education and care staff is bad for children, it's costly for childcare operators, and that means more worry and expense for parents."
Ahead of the 20-20 Summit in April, Kevin Rudd indicated reform in the early childhood education sector was his key hope for the future. He said maternal and child health and welfare, childcare services and preschool could all be offered at a "one-stop shop".
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The Big Steps program calls for improved skilling of childcare workers as the "most efficient and equitable way to provide the teachers needed to deliver 15 hours of preschool to all four-year-olds by 2013".
- reprinted from The Australian