Building a Brighter Future For Australian Children

John F. Kennedy once said “children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future”. In an echo of this sentiment the Australian government announced in 2009 their National Early Childhood Development Strategy – a nationwide initiative to invest in and focus on the early childhood development of Australia’s children now and into the future.

The strategy, aimed at benefiting children from birth to the age of eight years is designed to improve the health, safety, early learning and well being of all Australian children across different socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds. A key priority of the government’s strategy is to strengthen the workforce in early childhood development and family support services.

The strategy is a formal recognition that children are the future of Australia, and that with the growing number of dual-income families investment in facilities and child care services is crucial to ensuring that future is bright, happy and healthy.

In line with this recognition and the growing demand for childcare services from busy working families, the number of available part time jobs in the child care sector has also grown – and will continue to grow. So if you like children and are interested in positively shaping their future, then why not take advantage of this increased demand and make a career of it?

Working with children as they develop is one of the most important jobs you can have – you’ll help children reach their full potential and help put them on a happy and enriched path in life. There are a number of child care courses available that will equip you with the skills needed to world in child care services.

After taking a child-care course, what jobs will I be qualified for?

Child care courses will give the qualifications necessary to be employed in a number of roles in the Child Services sector, including: Read the rest of this entry »

Interviewing Parents Is Essential For Child Care And Daycare Providers

As a child care provider you will spend your day caring for other people’s children. This may sound ideal, since you get to send them home to their parents at the end of each day. However, many new providers are so eager to bring in new families that they don’t take the time to do proper interviews before signing on new clients. This can lead to a multitude of problems down the road that can be avoided with a sit down interview prior to contract signing and a trial period with each new family.

It may surprise you to find out that many parents searching for care for their children don’t request an interview before placing their children in care. There are a few reasons why this may happen. First, in some areas child care services are very scarce and parents are willing to take almost anything that comes along so that they can work and provide for their family. They assume that if other people are bringing their children to the provider for care then the provider must be fine. Secondly, parents are sometimes in a huge hurry to find child care for their children because they are starting a new job or because other child care arrangements are no longer available. So again, they take the first opening they find. Third, parents may know other families that bring their children to that particular facility and are happy there, so they assume that their children will be happy there as well. This is a case of a family choosing a provider based solely on reputation. Throughout my nine years of being a child care provider, I had several instances in which parents called up and were ready to bring their children without ever visiting my home or meeting me! Since this does happen, it is the responsibility of the provider to insist on an interview before agreeing to provide care for a family. Read the rest of this entry »

Searching For Child Care Online

Using online child care services may be a scary thought to many parents. How will you know who is a good provider? How can you be sure the provider is certified in First Aid and CPR? How do you know if your child or children will like the provider? Although these questions have normally kept you from looking for child care online, you no longer have a need to worry. You can now search for child care using your preferences to find the perfect babysitter or nanny for your child or children.

To find a child care provider online, you can search the database using your zip code for a large number of babysitters or nannies that are near your home or place of employment. From there, you have the option to choose what age range you would like your provider to be, as well as gender, language, and hourly rate. You can also choose if you would like them to watch your child or children in your home or at their home, as well as if they are licensed and much more.

Read the rest of this entry »

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