Teachers in Childcare/Price of childcare

[bree]

Hi,
I am a teacher who has worked both in childcare as a room leader and for the ed department as a techer in WA. I enjoyed working in childcare because there was more freedom in planning and I liked working closely with other staff, with whom I am still friends.

HOWEVER the pay and conditions were reaaly bad in childcare in comparrison with what the ed department pays and the working conditions provided. As by the beginning of 2012 all WA childcares will have to employ a teacher, I was wondering what the pay and conditions might be. As NSW seems to employ alot of teachers in childcare, from what i SEE on the job boards, I was wondering if they could let me know what type of pay and conditions they get. I would really appreciate it.

Also I am hearing alot of parents complain about the cost of childcare. This bothers me as I feel the workers, work very hard and are underpaid and over worked. Isnt a child the most important thing in your life? What do you think?

[Lorina]

Hello Bree,

An interesting point you have raised...

I understand what you are saying about pay and conditions for teachers in childcare. But I really think that depends on which child care service you are working for. I mean some childcare services offer above award pay for ECT's including allowances, flexibility and RDO's each month. At other services it feels like you are getting nothing. It all depends on the childcare setting. For example not all family owned/small business child care settings will be able to offer above award conditions and allowances because it just isn't affordable...

Yes, all us childcare professionals work hard and put in way too many hours than we actually get paid for. I agree a lot of parents do complain about childcare fees but I guess thats because they think it only affects them. I don't think they realize that their fees are part of our wages... I mean I've seen some parents who don't even take the time to realize what we are doing for their child's learning... it has to changes that's for sure...

,
L.A

[bree]

(PLEASE do not notice the grammar in this post)
thanks so much for that reply. the center where i worked had 4 teachers and is a chain. they did not provide any benifits 4 us-or any of the other girls for that matter- but loved to tell the parents we were teachers.

Personally i think a starting would be a union for childcare workers of our own would be a starting point. Could you image the panic if cc went on strike! Maybe THEN parents would understand the value of cc workers.

[Lorina]

I found this site which may be helpful for you, with your query regarding teacher’s pay and conditions in childcare. This is only relevant for NSW but I’m sure it will give you an idea. The link is: http://www.industrialrelations.nsw.gov. ... w=document.

From what I understand teachers get paid on what level they are on. For e.g. two year trained teacher, three year trained teacher and so on. The minimum fortnightly range for a teacher working in childcare, NSW, is about $1312.36 which works out to be $34 per hour, based on a 38 hour per week shift. I’m not sure if that is equivalent to the wages you receive in WA…

,
L.A

[jane]

Hi,

I been working in childcare for 17 years and have seen a lot of changes in this time. I am now a parent of two children and one child in care one in school. My older child in school pays only fraction of the cost a good private school compared to child care fees. The only people to blame is the government who did not cap the price of daycare and contribute money to better wages for Child Care workers.

Why is it that School Teachers get paid by the government and each child in a private school also gets funding from the government? Why is childcare not the same!! We have the most precious and vunerable age group to care and educate yet not the same conditions, the government had their chance to make childcare great but opted for private mickey mouse centres to be built with limited playgrounds and stressful work environments.

WAKE UP AUSTRALIA, ABC CHILD CARE CENTRES IS THE BEST EXAMPLE OF A FAILED CHILDCARE SYSTEM!!!

[Lorina]

Hi Jane,

You are right; the government has completely stuffed around the childcare system. Is it because we as childcare workers are not taken seriously within this industry or is it because our jobs are looked down upon. Maybe that’s why the government has brought out the EYLF to explain to the community and families who use childcare that the children are actually learning while in childcare (well in most childcare centers).

As a result of private centers wanting to make a huge profit the working environment has a very big impact on all staff. Some centers are a nightmare to work in…Employing young & inexperienced staff is a major issue (the wages are cheaper), having no help or support from staff, only a minimal amount of resources and equipment for children’s activities and placing too much workload on staff with a qualification. No wonder families and the community think we are babysitters, look at the centers and the staff in the centers. It’s so frustrating… even more frustrating is the new modern award wages that have come into play. With a step 3 diploma qualification, instead of getting paid for being on step 3, my pay has gone down in light of the new modern award wage.

Seriously, what a waste of my time doing my diploma qualification and having so much responsibility for only a few $ more than a cert 3 worker who doesn’t have to take on so much responsibility. The only reason why I’m working in this industry is because I love to teach children and this is the closest I can come to do that without having to go to uni to do a degree… This industry has changed but I don’t think for the better…we have to wait and see…

,
L.A

[jane]

thanks for the long comment. Glad to not feel alone on this subject. I am fortunate I have a husband who is on a proper wage to pay most of the bills, however most child care workers don't have this luxury and some live on the poverty line which must make it hard to smile each day at work.

When I first began child care the industry had some wonderful group leaders and I was fortunate to learn off these wonderful Carers. As the government relaxed the group leader quals, assistants without proper training replaced these wonderful Group Leaders, (because they were cheaper) and to add more insult the government allowed private training centres to train child care workers who were only interested in money, yet again and not training them properly. They have now brought back in Teachers to rescue child care and taking away another age group we are not allowed to Teach and blaming child care for literacy problems instead of pumping money into Schools making classrooms smaller and more Teacher Aides but that's another story.

Just can't understand why government couldn't up the wages in childcare to make a half decent living instead of wasting money on school teachers, advertising etc, some have had only one year training because they are upper grade Teachers doing one extra year (another insult).

I have been working out whether or not to do my Bachelor but am worried about the cost and not spending enough time with my own children when studying. Just so cross at the moment thinking maybe after the ABC childcare failure the government had a small window of opportunity to turn things around and make better conditions and wages for workers, (our union doesn't seem to care either).
If only child care workers had a voice! Ohhh yess and with the EYLF program calling us Educators I am sorry but working in the Babies Room I have a hard time calling myself an Educator I love calling myself a Child Carer and promoting care as a core of all my programming decisions. Thanks for the comment, I get the feeling that most carers are too scared to speak out because of getting the sack, good to hear a like minded carer oops educator.

[Misse84]

I agree ! I am 27 and a trainee at a Kindergarten. I do the same work as the others , yet while working in retail I got paid a lot more. I love my job and want to become a ECT so after I get my Cert 3 I am going to attempt my Diploma and Degree . It angers me that the pay is so pathetic , even a Kindy teachers wage is a joke when you see how much people get for doing Data entry etc ( which I did for a while ) . I believe a lot of people think childcare is about playing with children all day. But the Government needs to monitor more centres because some of the places are just horrible. Education , especially at such a young age is so important . But as workers we need to do more and push for more rights and speak up.

[Kaz]

Just saw this and thought I'd comment know it is a OLD post, But as a childcare worker and a mother who's child was in care 4days a week so I could work in the same centre, I think that the pays and cost is crazy. I am a single mother, I wanted to work, loved working but the cost of long dayacre for 1 child and ASC for another killed me, Yes I got centrelink and a high percentage, but that doesn't go far when you are working crazy hours and pay daycare costs.. I think that owners should be allowed to help their workers out a little more if they have the child in care. or the govenment needs to step up again and help the people that raise the children of tomorrow.

[Lorina]

I think that owners should be allowed to help their workers out a little more if they have the child in care.

You don't receive a discount rate for Childcare when your child is at the same centre as you? That's totally unfair... Centres I've worked in previously have offered discount rates to Childcare staff if they have their child enrolled in the same centre.. If I remember correctly I think it was 20% off...

I agree that owners should support their staff. With your child at their centre that's another "spot" filled and they are still earning income from it! If you pulled your child out then they will be making less per week until they find another family..

Childcare is getting very expensive and we all know that the high profits owners get goes in their back pockets... Because I'm not seeing that money spent on increasing our wages, buying Resources...Childcare is just a profitable business now!

[Kaz]

not at last one LA nope. I got a few days here and there, but none thing long term. :/

[rooneyzeus]

In todays era the Nursery/Preschools are lot in demand. The Nurseries & preschools don't have qualified & professional teachers for the proper care of the children in their Nurseries. So i think that you are well qualified + professional teachers then there is huge demand for you as child care teacher in various nurseries.