13 May, 2020

A mother and daughter childcare duo on the Northern Beaches are gearing up for growth at Let’s Play Daycare in Belrose by accessing online TAFE NSW qualifications to offer best practice services to local families.

The number of early childhood (pre-primary school) teachers in Australia has grown strongly over the past five years with the same growth rate expected over the next five, from 40,800 to 49,800 by 2023.  There will be 29,000 job openings over five years, or 5,800 per annum, according to the Australian Government’s Job Outlook.

Let’s Play Daycare Director, Shanti Graham, said that she ensures her staff have a solid understanding of the Early Learning Framework methodology so that they can assess each child’s needs and develop individual programming plans. During the COVID-19 crisis, her staff were able to draw on disciplines learnt focusing on care, inclusiveness and collaboration.

“The pandemic came as a shock to us and we needed to draw on all our resources to consider the health of the children, their parents or guardians, and the wider community.

“We were determined to keep the centre open throughout the crisis and went back to the theoretical components of our TAFE qualifications to think of creative ways to improve children’s experiences with us,” Shanti said.

Robyn Graham, who recently completed a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care online with TAFE Digital, said, “I enrolled in this course because it would equip me with the practical skills and experience that I needed to confidently communicate with parents what learning outcomes they could expect for their children, while implementing  safe practices and procedures.

To ensure children are not negatively affected by social distancing protocols, fun ways to transform normal affectionate actions were implemented.

“We have a staff member waiting at the gate with a warm smile to welcome parents, while encouraging a quick drop off,” said Robyn.

“When children come running to us with outstretched arms for a morning hug, we redirect their attention by saying ‘Look how the sun is giving us a huge hug today’, or encourage them to reach up by saying ‘Let’s blow the sun a kiss’.”

As self-isolation regulations are eased and parents return to work, Let’s Play Daycare is looking forward to more children returning to the centre.

Media contact: Bonny Gunn, TAFE Digital Media and Communications Business Partner. M: 0417 134 048.