Drowning in paperwork!!!

[patty]

I cannot believe the amount of paper work that is now involved in childcare!!! I love the eylf and all but oh my goodness, everynight after work i am spending 3-4 hours doing magical moments, observations, scrapbooks, programming and more! I feel as though i am literally drowning in paperwork! I try to get my assistant to help out but they just seem so unwilling to help me, or act as if its not their job and they dont have to listen to me or help me so i do everything while they go home and relax!! How is this fair?? as an assistant i was always doing the same if not more amount of work that the room leader because i loved my job and wanted to help! My centre has also said that everthing in a scrapbook MUST have photos to go with, which i agree its good and looks better but say i am sitting with a child that does something so cute that only i saw, and there are no cameras around or by the time i get up, leave the situation i was having with the child to get the camera, they are no longer interested/have moved on/wont do it again for the camera?? this then cannot be included because there is no photo evidence?? this milestone/achievment/gorgeous moment simply goes to waste??? I just dont understnd i really dont and it saddens me

[Lorina]

I really am sorry to hear this... Once again another Childcare professional is concerned about the amount of paperwork now required and you are absolutely right! The paperwork is really getting all too much! Just reading the posts on the forum itself goes to show how much the paperwork is really taking a toll on all of us, yet instead of trying  to fix it we are given more. 

I really don't believe that paperwork should be taken home to complete! I'm very against it actually...I mean we get paid while at work and we should also be given sufficient time during the day to get everything complete, without having to take it home! Doesn't matter how far I am behind I do what I can at work and only at work. 

It really saddens me that your assistant doesn't want to help out with the paperwork. I mean when working in Childcare we are kinda all in it together regardless of qualification and we should all be supporting one another! I think it's important that you discuss this issue with your assistant. Find out what she is interested in being responsible of such as the scrapbooks or give her a focus group of children she can compile magical moments for etc.  You also have to work together and give each other time during the day to complete the paperwork. For e.g. If you are outside in the sandpit with a group of children you could ask your assistant to supervise vi the group while you are completing paperwork ( you will still be outside though). In the morning when you have less children spend some time in the room and get some work done. It's always a good idea to have a clipboard ready with what you need to get done so you can work on it when possible. The only thing is that at times you feel like you spend most of the day head down in paperwork rather than interacting with the children... I know it can be hard but sometimes it's just gotta be done! 

Like I said its really unfair that you are spending so much of your own free time completing paperwork. Talk to your director and just be honest about how you're feeling... You do not deserve to make work a first priority in your life.. you're going to stress yourself out and end up hating this industry....  

Regarding your scrap books I don't believe that everything has to include photos. Yes I agree photos is one way of documenting but there are other ways too which doesn't include a photo....

I really hope that you take some time out of the day to spend for yourself... You are not a machine (which I also remind myself) and it is completely unfair that you are given so much paperwork to do! Sometimes you just have to take a step back and say no... Enough is enough... No more paperwork after work!!

,
L.A

[kristyl74]

Oooh I so hear you about paperwork at home.. I work splits so I kiinda have to do alot at home :/

Ummmm I must say Robyn Miller once gave us something to ponder on and that was that she didnt agree with over doing the photo thing.. She said "would you like someone to take a camera into your personal space/play time"????? Really got me thinking thats for sure

[grandma]

I really think that something will have to change soon or there will be no dedicated carers left to give quality care. As a family day carer I am overwhelmed with paper work and as I also do my husbands bookwork for his business you can imagine my stress at times worrying wether the tax man or my CDO should get priority!!!!!!!
I like EYLF but I think its gone too far. I am a believer in quality not quantity and surely when validaters attend your place of work they should be trained enough to see what you are providing without having to have everything documented. I dont have a problem with certain amounts of documentation but this has gone beyond normal. I for 1 am doing what I can but my first priority is to the children I have in care and if that means I dont keep up with paper work every day so be it. I dont think family day carers should be expected to provide as much documentation as LDC and preschools and even in those places its too much. I did a little survey with parents and a lot of them are concerned that the FAMILY part is being taken out of daycare. They are concerned that our time will be taken up with paper work and the kids wont have the same amount of attention that they want them to have.
Patty take time for yourself or you will burn out. Take it from someone who knows all about burnout. We are humans not machines. As a former assistant in a preschool, I loved being involved with programming (a long time before EYLF) as it gave me a sense of satisfaction and belonging.I guess to some its just a job and a pay packet at the end of the week. I hope you can get your assistant to see how hard it is for you. Good luck

[patty]

thanks everyone for your replies! I have spoke with my assistant this week about how i feel so hopefully they will help me out with the paperwork, I doubt they will though their attitude is quite bad so i think i will talk to my centre manager about the issue. Tonight for instance, i finnished work at 6.30 pm, got home at 7, had a quick bite to eat and then went straight to my office to finnish paperwok i didnt get time to do today, and to finnish documentation for scrapbooks, i have just finnished and it is now 10.00pm, so ontop of working 8.5 hours today i came home and worked for a further 3 hours. I am knackered Lucky that i love my children at the end of the day i guess thanks everyone!!

[Angellhart]

Wow we don't have lots of paperwork!! Our centre made scrapbooks years ago before I started but not anymore. The only paperwork we have is our weekly program which is simple, and checklists to ensure each child gets their observations every month, and the team leaders get 3 hours programming time off the floor every week to keep on top of things. Instead of scrapbooks we do a daybook on the laptops. It included the photo's and obs for the day and then they simply get copied into the childs portfolios and elaborated on a bit more during programming. At the end of the year or when they leave the parents get a disc with their childs portfolios and a folder full of artwork.

[justathought]

After doing a fair bit of study on European settlement in Australia it just goes to show how much common sense the intelligent that they call them selves really had, those European intellect came to these shores and thought they could tell people how they should live because they knew better. All they did was come here and turn the place upside down.
These people who call them selves intelligent, still, are not using common sense and think they can tell someone about who they are and their journey through the EYLF framework.
Just some more bureaucratic bull crap to make someone look good, well I say "what about the people" sure we are losing quality staff but in all the bureaucracy there is always someone needing a pay packet at the end of the week.
I just come back to what I have always said "Children need your undivided attention and how can you do that when you have endless amounts of paperwork" And seriously I have a family and a life of my own I have no time to bring my work home which I was because my first concern was the children, if I had programming and a child that was in my room felt unsettled because an unfamiliar staff member was covering me I wouldn't go because I was not leaving a three year old with someone they did not want to be with or a new child who wasn't settling. I know some of you would say you would have to leave or you couldn't program, Whats really important here?

[Angellhart]

When I read some of the things about other centres I feel so lucky to be in my centre. When the team leaders get their programming time it does not effect the children as there are 3 permanent staff in the room and the programming cover is usually the same person, so the children are still left with 3 people they know and like. And all day book or daily diary as others call it get done over rest time. I guess we really have it lucky in my centre and the next time my room leader is complaining about missing out on programming time one week I will think of how much worse it could be.

I actually can't wait to finish my diploma and be a room leader, that way I can be organised and on top of things that are currently in the hands on my current room leader and I have no control over.

[rachelroo]

Angellhart if she was a good room leader then you would have control as you would be a team, making team decisions and your opinions would be listened to and valued...dont become like her when you are trained!! Thats whats good about working your way up, you know what its like to be the Cert III .

[justathought]

Its just been proven children who attend day care are no better off than children who don't attend day care, so give it up guys all your fussing over paper work EYLF & outcomes is a big waste of your time and taking away quality time that could be spent with the children.

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE ROSES

[Liz]

I am new to this stuff but want to add to what has been said by just a thought - I am a parent of a child who attends a 3 year old play program at a small community centre in Perth. We as a centre (I am on the Committee) are battling just to stay afloat as we are very small (only 100 members) of which only maybe 20 at most are families with children. A lot of the users are families with grown up children or grandchildren! Anyway getting to the point - we are not certain that we are definitely covered by the EYLF but have been told we are in a group of yet to be assessed so have to complete a strategy by 12 November which due to lack of people to do it we have not yet done. The experienced Child Care Supervisor we have is threatening to resign if she needs to complete the paperwork required for the EYLF and noone else would do the job for only the few hours a week she works. I have read your sites simplified explanation of the framework and I am sure we do achieve a lot of what is in there - most of it is just common sense after all. Anyway, the main bit we don't do is the observations and portfolios for the children and also the planning of the learning to take place as to what outcomes it develops in the kids. For example I remember for a whole term the kids studies different farm animals, they talked about these and did craft related to farms / farm animals. The carers (2) at our centre are very loving dedicated people and I know they naturally do the things in the EYLF. I am positive all the kids get some learning from coming to the program and their parents are all very happy. I know the main reason I sent my first child there was for socialisation and getting used to being without mum before starting kindy. It was not to learn all the other things noted in the EYLF although if those things resulted then great - I might add I am sure he did gain some of the other outcomes but not through the carers having to engage in all the paperwork required under the EYLF. We in conjunction with a lot of similar centres in Perth are trying to obtain and exemption. If anyone knows anything about any other like centres in Australia trying to do this could they please give me some advice or support in arguing our case - we are not a day care centre but a creche/occasional care centre. We only run a 3 year old program one day a week for 3 or 5 hours depending on what the parent wants and two days of 3.5hrs max of occasional care to support mums wanting to do activities with our centre and to give them some much needed time out for appointments etc when they lack family support. If you could assist me I would greatly appreciate. I am desperately trying to help keep our creche open!!

[justathought]

Thankyou for understanding Liz my point the entire time has been we do all this naturally without paper work and just like you said its common sense, to me this whole EYLF is just putting babies and children into categories and the EYLF has enough of them to put every child in one and like I have said time and time again we are dealing with babies and children they are not text books, give them a break and leave them alone. And I will just add Liz you must have an amazing staff if they followed on the childrens interst related to Farms and Farm animals and they did this with out the EYLF well done see common sense. I wish there were more people like your supervisor we need people to make a stand on the stress of the unnecessary paper work that needs completing in the industry not how much we are paid, and if it keeps going we will just continue to lose good quality staff.

[cathiek]

HI Liz
I am in WA too, but teaching at a 4 yo Kindy. I would suggest that you email ACECQA, the governing body Aust wide, and ask for their advice. They have a good website with a FAQ page. I have emailed them about schools in WA and they replied in a little over a week. If you like I could also ask the co-ordinators at our Independent schools association. they MIGHT know something about your situation. Let me know how you go with ACECQA, unfortunately WA does not seem to fit in with the rest of the states and we are a little left out here.
More than happy to help, if I can.
Cathiek

[NorthLight36]

Hmm... Maybe I'm coming from a different perspective, but what's so wrong with doing some of the paperwork at home? My mother has been a high school teacher for longer then I've been alive and for as long as I can remember, she's had work to do at home as well, marking assignments, tutoring struggling students, planning classes, chasing up on absent, misbehaving or failing students... She may not enjoy those hours of work, but they are part of the job. If she didn't sacrifice those hours, she would not be as effective and talented a teacher as she is and would not have risen as high in the school as she has.

Being a teacher's child, I've socialised with a large number of teachers and it seems to me the best teachers are those who sacrifice that bit of their down time. It also seems to me that if we want to be acknowledged as being the Educators we are, we should be prepared to make the same sacrifices that our fellow teachers make.

Primary School and High School teachers have to take work home with them. Why should we expect to do any less?

[Alisona]

As a teacher in a government preschool, I have always done many hours of paperwork at home, weeknights, weekends and s hook holidays. The introduction of the NQF has meant that the amount of work at home has increased dramatically. However, I work school hours ie 8.30 to 3 pm and I get school holidays. If I worked an 8hour shift with 4 weeks holiday each year, as staff in child care do, I would really resent having to do paperwork at home as well!

[Barbie]

Having been a manager before in a different industry as a leader this is how i would handle it
(by the way i am cert III only because i refuse to do my diploma and be taken advantage of with extra work like you)
i would speak to the director as for assistants position descriptions which should include assisting with the duties you are taking home to do - hold a team meeting in the room with all assistants whilst children are sleeping ask director to sit in with you if you feel she is approachable enough and will sit there for moral support - Hand them their position descriptions and remind them of their duties. Have a list of all children and allocate certain focus children for each assistant to follow around and take photos of, come up with learning stories, portfolio entries whatever your centre calls them. Tick them off on the list and do daily reminders of who still needs to be done. In my room we have 60 children who attend over the week so per month with 4 educators we each try and do 15 each so its fair.
Review again next month if its not adhered to warnings need to be given out. Simple as that. I too am sick of lazy blobs who park themselves at work and do nothing that is asked of them.

[Lorina]

Being a teacher's child, I've socialised with a large number of teachers and it seems to me the best teachers are those who sacrifice that bit of their down time. It also seems to me that if we want to be acknowledged as being the Educators we are, we should be prepared to make the same sacrifices that our fellow teachers make.

Primary School and High School teachers have to take work home with them. Why should we expect to do any less?

I think being a primary and high school teacher is completely different from working in a childcare. First and for most I think that early childhood educators have alot more challenges to face. For example nappy changing, constant crying, toileting, feeding, constant round the clock care, engaging with children, playing with children, putting children to sleep, dealing with tantrums and behavioral issues, family relationships and on top of all this teaching and programming all in a days work.

The hours and also longer. Staff in early childhood either work a 4 day 40 hr a week shifts or 38 hours over a period of 5 days. I would also like to mention that while I have been working in childcare you don't often get lunch break as you usually have to attend to children crying or engaging with children who don't sleep because there is not enough staff to cover ratio. Yes, primary and high school teachers have difficulties as well...

The last thing that I would want to do after a 10 hour day of dealing with babies, toddlers or preschoolers is to take work home with me to complete! No way!! You don't get paid at home to do the extra paperwork and your work should be providing you with time AT WORK to complete it!

If I was working as a primary school or high school teacher I wouldn't mind taking work home to complete I agree it's part of the job but not for early childhood educators, it's completely different!

Just wanted to add my opinion to this discussion,

,
L.A

[samanthaa]

hi,
drowning in paperwork doesnt sound like fun at all. specially if your doing it all at home,
i did a little bit of work in a child care centre that was using this software called Central Info Hub, does everything online very easy very quick and uploads any evidence of learning straight onto the parent portal. n can be accessed from anywhere as its web based. they were implementing it as i was kind of leaving but we dealt with a lovely lady there i think her name was samantha or vanessa. cant remember she showed us all around the software before they bought it.
maybe seek them out and have a look what they have to offer. i do believe its intergrated with ccms software also..

[aeball]

I also agree and let's not forget the amount of pay and holidays that primary and secondary teachers get. Most of us get less pay, less holidays and work 8 hours a day. I dare anyone to work in childcare at the moment with all the paperwork. Our non contact time with children is between 2 to 4 hours a week. How much non contact time do primary and secondary teachers get?

I hope something is done soon. Child care is no longer a happy place to work because of the paperwork. Everyday I get told "you need to do more to make learning visible and extend children's learning.

It's time for a change NOW.

[wimble]

Just wanted to add another perspective. I have come from working at an international school teaching Early years (3-5). I worked 10 hour days five days a week (50 hours a week). This was the bare minimum expected. During report time it was 12 hours a day (for about 3 weeks twice a year). Yes there were a lot of holidays (approx 10 weeks) but almost half of them were spent at school doing planning and documentation, so all up about 5 weeks holidays to myself. I am now in childcare and working approx 40 hours a week with four weeks holidays. So from my experience I certainly felt I worked more hours at the school (the extra week or so of holidays did not make up for the gruelling 50 hour work week). High school teachers almost certainly work more hours. If you haven't actually worked as a primary or secondary teacher I don't think you have much to say on the topic...