No More Cupcakes!

Many of you make have heard about the child care shut down tomorrow and be wondering what it is about.

Across Australia, and to some extent most of the world, Early Childhood Education and Care is seen as trivial, low skilled work, by both the general public and the powers that be. An example of this attitude was David Leyonhjelm’s 2017 comment about our work consisting of “wiping noses and stopping children from killing each other.” This pathetically poor attitude is, unfortunately, quite pervasive, along with the misconception that Early Childhood Educators get to “play all day” and should be happy to work for menial pay.

All that ignores the vital work we do, as well as the immense legal and ethical requirements under which we work. At any one time, within our service, will have staff and Educators working on paperwork for assessment and ratings, the Child Care Subsidy System, the Child Safety Standards, the tax system, policy reviews, the Quality Improvement Plan, reviews, etc, as well as the myriad of paperwork required for working directly with children, such as attendance records, risk assessments, authorisations, documentation of learning and programming. That is before we ensure the safety of every child in our care, and that they are developing and learning optimally, whilst being engaged in their local community. All of this is required to exacting legal standards, as well as ethical ones, amid an increasingly litigious society. We are also required to maintain ongoing professional development and formal qualifications, including child protection, first aid and much, much more. We are required to work from earlier in the morning until later in the evening than the families, as they need to travel to and from work, and sometimes we also work overnight, public holidays and weekends. We are under both state and federal government departments, sometimes having to juggle their competing and contradictory demands.

This list is just a basic summary, so for all that, keeping in mind the importance of brain development in the early years, as well as the financial benefits to the families in care, local communities and our nation, both immediate and long term, how much do you think Early Childhood Educators earn?

Before you answer that, think about trolley collectors at a supermarket. They have no legal obligations, no ongoing training, no paperwork, no compliance framework or assessment systems. Their pay starts at $25 per hour, going up to sometimes $50 per hour for weekends and overnights. So how does that compare to Early Childhood Educators’ pay? Our skilled sector’s workforce starts at a measly $22.81 per hour, less for trainees. As well as that, we are sent the occasional email from the latest Minister running one of the Departments of Education telling us, quite paternalistically, they appreciate our efforts (yes, the state and federal departments even compete over names!) Yep, the email equivalent of a pat on the head is supposed to make everything better.

September 7th is Early Childhood Educator Day. This is a day where our professional workforce is supposed to be fêted, which is frequently expressed by being given cupcakes and flowers. Sure, it’s nice to get them, but it would be far better to be paid a professional wage!

This year, on Early Childhood Educator Day, there will be staff and Educators, from many services, walking off the job in protest. There will be rallies in all the capital cities of Australia, as well as many towns. In many cases, families will be keeping their children home from care, in support of their Educators, some of whom will be going to the rallies.

Foundations Family Day Care supports every Educator who plans to join these protests. At this stage, most of our Educators are planning to still work, as they recognise the impact industrial action would have on working families.

So what can you do? Firstly, please acknowledge your Educator for their commitment. Next, consider not coming into care on Wednesday 7th September. Finally, please contact your local federal member of parliament to demand better pay for Educators: Sure, that would mean the Government would need to increase CCS, however they could very easily ensure that increase goes directly into the pockets of Educators, by mandating a minimum percentage of CCS be paid to those working directly with children, instead of lining the pockets of CEOs and shareholders.

And, once you have done all that, if you feel like adding cupcakes on top, we will still appreciate them!