ACECQA has published the first ratings available under the NQF on the ACECQA website and the MyChild website.

Despite a big media blow up, with many outlets reporting that 'nearly half of child care providers assessed thus far are failing to meet standards' the general consensus from industry experts is that the NQF is doing its job and that the assessment 'Working Towards National Quality Standard' should not be interpreted as a fail.

An ACECQA snapshot of the results shows that at the end of March 2013, some 1,620 or 13 per cent of child care providers had been assessed and of those more than 55 per cent were rated as Meeting or Exceeding the NQS.

ACECQA Board Chair Rachel Hunter said the NQS sets a deliberately high standard and that the challenging benchmarks are designed to encourage child care service providers to be constantly improving their standards of care.
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With the new qualification requirements mandated by the NQF and no significant pay increases for child care workers on the horizon it would seem that qualified early childhood teachers will continue to move into the school system unless something changes.

While child care centre directors can't affect change on a national scale (we'll leave that to the politicians) they can work to inspire the tireless and dedicated team of people who work for them.

Building a loyal team of satisfied and happy workers is the best way to avoid staffing issues and the pointers below will hopefully give you some inspiration on how to achieve just that:

Professional Development
Encouraging staff to gain further education through professional development opportunities will increase job satisfaction. Consider hiring or contracting a specialist to conduct training sessions for employees on topics such as emerging literacy, theories of child development and parent relationships. Support staff wanting to further their qualifications by enabling them to work flexibly and/or take time off for study related purposes.

Provide Supplies
Nothing is more discouraging for a child care worker than inadequate resources. Try and ensure your service has a supply of up-to-date and inspiring resources which make it pleasant for them to do their job and educational for the children.
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A homemade gift on Mother's Day is a lovely way for children to express their love and appreciation for the special woman in their life.

The simple craft suggestions below offer a range of gift ideas some of which will work for very young children and others which will challenge the older kids. We hope you enjoy them.

Pasta heart plates
This activity uses macaroni and other household items to create a lovely collage themed around mum.

Felt flowers
Children may need a little bit of help with cutting out the felt to make these flowers.

Photo flowers
A quick digital picture forms the centre of these lovely flowers which will last forever.

Photo tulips
A more complicated version of the photo flowers above which would be more suitable for older preschoolers.
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This is a great opportunity to promote your service's achievements and Quality Improvement Plan so let us know