Engagement and registration of Family Day Care Contract Educators Assistants Policy

1. Purpose

Our FDC educator assistants are engaged or registered based on their suitability to provide quality education and care and meet the needs of the service, the children and their families.

Educator assistants must meet and maintain the standards expected by the service, the National Quality Framework, families, and the community.

2. Scope

FDC only

This Policy applies to the family day care co-ordination unit and family day care educator assistants.

3. References

• Education and Care Services National Law Act, 2010 and Education and Care Services National Law Amendment Act 2017
• Education and Care Services National Regulations, 2012 and Education and Care Services National Amendment Regulations 2017
• National Quality Standard for Early Childhood Education and Care and School Age Care (2017)

4. Definitions

5. Council Policy

Family day care educator assistant may be approved to provide assistance to the family day care contract educator only under the circumstances set in r144 and will need to meet me the registration requirements to provide early education and care for children and families.

1. The family day care service will have a registration process to be used when engaging family day care educator assistants.
2. The family day care service will maintain a register of family day care educator assistants approved by the service that meets the requirements of r154.

Family Day Care Educator Assistant guidelines

1. in the absence of the family day care educator, transporting a child between the family day care residence or approved family day care venue and—
1. a school; or
2. another education and care service or children's service; or
3. the child's home; and
2. providing education and care to a child, in the absence of the family day care educator, in emergency situations, including when the educator requires urgent medical care or treatment; and
1. The FDC Educator assistant may only be used to assist the FDC contract educator by:
1. in the absence of the family day care contract educator, transporting a child between the family day care residence or approved family day care venue and—
1. a school; or
2. another education and care service or children's service; or
3. the child's home; and
2. providing education and care to a child, in the absence of the family day care contract educator, in emergency situations, including when the contract educator requires urgent medical care or treatment; and
3. providing education and care to a child, in the absence of the family day care contract educator to attend an appointment (other than a regular appointment), if—
1. the absence is for less than 4 hours; and
2. the approved provider of the family day care service has approved that absence; and
3. notice of that absence has been given to the parents of the child; and
4. providing assistance to the contract educator while the educator is educating and caring for children as part of a family day care service. (there are not to be any extra children included in the initial child ratios, when the educator assistant works with the educator).
2. The approved provider will not approve the use of an educator assistant unless the family day care contract educator provides the written consent of a parent for each child being educated and cared for by the educator to use the assistant in the circumstances as set out in section 1 above.
3. An educator assistant cannot be used for:
1. non-emergency absences of the educator for more than 4 hours;
2. regular absences of the educator;
3. when parents do not provide consent;
4. when the service denies consent.

6. Quality Records

• ECEC individual service handbook
• Family Day Care Educator Assistant Parent Permission Form
• Family Day Care Educator Assistant Procedure