The Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) is a not-for-profit, member-funded organisation advocating for the future of Australia's children.
We work on behalf of long day care owners and operators to ensure families and their children have an opportunity to access affordable, high quality early learning services throughout Australia.
ACA is well aware that the transition to the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) has been a rocky road for many Approved Providers and families.
From educating families on how to complete the activity test to navigating through technical issues, there has been a range of complications that have affected the early learning sector, and in some cases resulted in families reducing their days or leaving their early learning centre.
The transition to the CCS is now being assessed by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO).
The following case study was provided by Smileys Childcare, Freemantle, Western Australia.
It originally appeared in ACA's Belonging Early Year Journal, Volume 7 Number 3 2018
One of the initiatives we are most proud of here at Smileys which has allowed us to develop and foster relationships between educators, families and the community is the introduction of Auslan.
The decision to introduce Auslan at the service came about when a deaf family enrolled in 2016. With a lack of knowledge in this area and facing a significant communication barrier, we worked collaboratively with families, Communicare, WA Deaf Society and Deafinite Employment Agency to ensure we were able to provide a supportive and inclusive environment for all.
In the last edition of ACA's Belonging Early Years Journal, we featured some case studies which focused on innovative approaches used by some of our members.
We also republished them here on the ACA website for your easy access:
The following case study was provided by Bonkers Beat Music Kinder and Childcare, Aspendale, Victoria.
It originally appeared in ACA's Belonging Early Year Journal, Volume 7 Number 3 2018
Bonkers Beat Music Kinder and Childcare, Aspendale, Victoria
“Bonkers Beat is the first dedicated music kinder in Australia that provides a holistic approach to learning and has music and wellness as the foundation for its curriculum” says Galina Zenin, the program’s founder and director.
“The program empowers children, educators and parents by embedding music, yoga and meditation practices into the daily curriculum. We believe this lays the foundation for children to enhance their wellbeing and instil a love of lifelong learning.”