The first five years of a human being’s life are when the most critical brain development occurs. It is during this period that children develop the foundations for cognitive and social development and lifelong learning success.
Early Learning Matters Week takes place each year, providing the opportunity to celebrate the inspiring and meaningful work undertaken by early childhood educators, teachers, trainers and carers every day. Organised by leading early childhood organisation, Early Childhood Australia, Early Learning Matters Week helps to raise awareness of the importance of early learning for our children and society.
To celebrate Early Learning Matters Week, we asked a few of our trainers to explain why they are passionate about the work they do within the ECEC sector and why early learning matters to them.
ECEC trainers, Catalyst Education
Empowering children to reach their potential
High quality early years education and care contributes to the social, emotional, physical, behavioural and cognitive development of children. The early learning provided through child care services and kindergarten can have a notable positive impact on a child acquiring the skills needed to flourish and enter their formal years of schooling with confidence and readiness. Early childhood education plays a particularly important role for the most vulnerable children in our communities, reducing inequalities in educational outcomes both in the short and long term.
The early childhood sector also delivers vital support to families. Without it, parents and carers of young children may be unable to return to work or struggle to provide for their families.
Early childhood education for growth and development
Early learning also provides children the chance to discover their surroundings and explore the world from a safe place with the comfort and security of caring adults. Early childhood education ensures that all children have access to stimulating and educational experiences, supported by educators who are trained to deliver them.
The play-based approach taken by early childhood providers means children benefit from participating in activities that are engaging and lots of fun, while also fostering skills and creativity that will contribute to their learning for life.
Early learning matters
To get involved in Early Learning Matters Week online, centres can share information to families about the importance of early learning, create a message wall for educators about how they provide high-quality learning, or post messages on social media, to name a few examples. The Early Learning Matters website has ideas for you, and if you do use social media, feel free to include the hashtag #earlylearningmatters.
From the team at Catalyst Education, we say thank you to all those who work in and advocate for ECEC — you are making a difference in the lives and futures of every child every day.
For information about our early childhood education courses, contact us today.
If you were trying to decide which early childhood education centre is best suited to caring for your child, how would you choose? It is likely that before you even step foot into a centre, that you would have conducted some online research and read the available online reviews to form your judgement.
Online customer feedback is the new word of mouth and it essential for your marketing strategy in child care, with 91% of 18 to 34-year olds putting as much trust in online reviews as they do in personal recommendations.
Customer feedback for business success
The message is clear — positive customer feedback and reviews online can help you attract more customers or clients. Data from across a range of sources highlights the importance of customer feedback for businesses to thrive. For example, according to a U.S. study, 93% of consumers confirmed that online reviews have an impact when it comes to choosing where to direct their time and money. Furthermore, 63% of consumers were willing to spend up to 15% more for the same product or service if they believed that the quality would be higher.
Customer feedback doesn’t have to be visible to everyone for it to improve or grow your business. Hearing what you’re doing right — or what you could be doing better — directly from your customers is the best way to update the way your business is run.
Seeking quality customer feedback
If you are ready for your business to start gathering customer feedback online, you might be wondering how you can go about it. It’s one thing to know that feedback is important, but the next step is to create ways for your clients to get the feedback to you.
Customer feedback can be gathered through a variety of means, including:
- Online surveys and feedback forms: You can make a free online survey for your customers with a tool like Google Forms or Survey Monkey and email it to them for feedback delivered in a private space.
- Social media feedback: Facebook recommendations are easy for people to leave and are a commonly viewed place for prospective clients to research your business and its culture.
- Online reviews on relevant sites: Early childhood education centres have numerous websites that help people choose reliable centres, such as Care For Kids.
- Google reviews: As the world’s most popular search engine, the quality of your listing on Google can have a huge impact on your business. More on this later.
The easiest way to get customers to start providing your business with online feedback is to simply ask!
You can ask in person, via email or over the phone. Some businesses might opt to outline the ways that feedback can be left online on signage in the reception area or noticeboard, or it can be included on brochures, newsletters or business cards. Feedback forms and surveys can be sent out to your customers at various points in the year to provide the opportunity for people to provide feedback privately if they prefer. If you’re hoping to share feedback provided privately for marketing purposes, best to be clear.
When you are asking for customer feedback in the form of online reviews, it is important to familiarise yourself with the legalities that should be considered. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) makes these three points, stating that businesses should NOT:
- encourage family and friends to write reviews about your business without disclosing their personal connection with your business in that review
- write reviews when you have not experienced the good or service reviewed, or which do not reflect a genuinely held opinion
- solicit others to write reviews about your business or a competitor’s business if they have not experienced the good or service.
Offering incentives in exchange for customer feedback can be tempting, but if you choose to do this then you must ensure that your incentives are offered regardless of the nature of the feedback. The ACCC explains that incentives can be used only if:
- incentives are offered equally to consumers likely to be complimentary and consumers likely to be critical, and positive and negative reviews are treated the same
- the reviewer is expressly told that the incentive is available whether the review is positive or negative
- the incentive is prominently disclosed to users who rely on affected reviews.
Grow with Google reviews
We know that online reviews are important to customers and clients while they are in the research phase of finding the right child care centre. So, where are they doing this research? While Facebook is popular, for most people, it’s via Google.
To be able to ask for Google reviews from your customers, you will need to be searchable via Google Maps. This requires you to have a Google Maps listing, plus if you want to be able to reply to your customers’ reviews (which you definitely do), you will need to verify your business with Google. This process involves Google sending your business a verification code usually by post, though phone and email verification is possible for select businesses. Once verified, you can begin to receive Google reviews, edit your business listing including name, hours and phone number, or even claim an existing listing if one already exists for your business.
Once your business is set up to receive Google reviews, you can start asking your customers to leave reviews by providing them with your personalised link that takes them right where they need to go.
Reviews and realisations
While you generally hope that your customer feedback will be overwhelmingly positive, sometimes it may not be. It might feel distressing or irritating when you first come across this, but sometimes bad feedback can shed a light on a gap in your service or an issue that needs attention. Feedback that is less than glowing can provide your business with the chance to learn and grow. Take this feedback on board as a learning opportunity — talk about it with your staff to brainstorm ways your business can prevent similar issues occurring in the future, or how you can improve customers’ experiences.
Sometimes customer reviews may appear online that seem unlikely or simply untrue. These situations can be frustrating, but they also give you the opportunity to showcase your professionalism and quality service through a thoughtful and carefully worded reply. This shows your prospective clients that even if issues do arise, your team is capable of handling things with care and competence.
If providing the highest quality service to your children in your child care centre is your priority, customer feedback is essential. This powerful tool helps you to understand what you are doing right and what areas might need work. Use customer feedback to enhance your business and grow it, all at once.
Ensure your staff are highly trained to enhance the quality of care provided by your centre. Get in touch with us to find out how.
Certificates and Diplomas are delivered by a number of Vocational Education and Training (VET) institutions. If you have been researching study options, chances are you have heard of TAFE (Technical and Further Education) and RTOs (Registered Training Organisations).
Both TAFE and RTOs are providers of Vocational Education and Training, offering a range of qualifications across many industries. When comparing these providers of VET, it is important to understand the key differences to ensure you are choosing the provider that best meets your study needs.
The rise of Vocational Education and Training
Due to the practical nature of VET and their focus on practical learning outcomes for specific careers, VET is a popular way to train or upskill. It can also provide pathways to higher studies, such as university. In 2018, 4.1 million students were enrolled in either a certificate, a diploma or an advanced diploma course according to the most recent figures from NCVER.
VET appeals to both mature age learners and school leavers alike as NCVER states that the estimated participation rate of VET students in Australia as a proportion of the Australian population aged 15 to 64 years was 24.1%, with participation highest among those aged 15 to 19 years 46.1%.
What is a registered training organisation (RTO)?
An RTO (Registered Training Organisation) is a provider of nationally-accredited courses. It may be privately-run (such as Selmar or Practical Outcomes), or government-run (TAFE).
What is a privately-run RTO?
A privately-run RTO is a training organisation that is owned and operated by a company and often specialises, focusing on particular industry or niche — be it child care, aged care, hospitality, building or business. As a result of specialising in specific sectors, privately-run RTOs often employ teams of trainers who are experts in their respective fields. They often have years of experience working in the sector themselves and truly care about the industry within which they train. This firsthand experience ensures they can offer learners with guidance throughout their training journey plus hands-on experience with practical placement and developing strong relationships with industry.
Privately-run RTOs are more likely to offer all or a proportion of their training online. Even when you take up the option of studying online, a dedicated trainer should offer a wealth of support and guidance to help learners to achieve their goals.
What is TAFE?
Technical and Further Education is something you may not recognise, because most of us know it by it by its acronym: TAFE. These training organisations are financed, owned and operated by the Australian government. Also called technical or career courses, traditionally when compared to university these courses are said to place an emphasis on occupational skills and cover a wide variety of professions and trades. Similar to private RTOs, TAFE’s certificate and diploma courses are nationally accredited and focus on practical training.
TAFE courses are an option for students looking for a broad certification, though class sizes tend to be larger. They also tend to specialise in classroom delivery rather than online.
Things to consider when comparing private RTOs to TAFE
When comparing TAFE courses with courses run at privately-owned RTOs, it’s worth noting that the quality of all RTOs can vary. Each VET training provider should be assessed on a case by case basis depending on what you are seeking from your training provider. Let’s examine some of the differences you might encounter:
Education and pathways
Both TAFE and RTOs can provide students with qualifications such as certificates, diplomas and advanced diplomas. While these can help create a pathway to university, some private RTOs have direct university pathways that are integrated into courses. For example, Selmar and Practical Outcomes have a university pathway that allows students to fast-track a Bachelor Degree in Education with Swinburne Online by earning academic credits while studying a Diploma of Early Childhood Education (CHC50113).
Costs and funding options
Course costs can vary depending on each individuals’ circumstances and funding eligibility. While TAFE and some private RTOs, receive government funding for courses, RTOs tend to have more options for students to access funding support such as payment plans and interest-free student loans.
Delivery modes offered
While TAFE courses have set class dates and requirements including a campus to attend classes, privately-run RTOs are likely to give you access to more flexible study options. This could include online courses, individualised pacing of your learning or workplace training, while still receiving support from a dedicated trainer.
Practical experience
Hands-on learning is vital in most VET courses, and so you will find that TAFE and private RTOs both offer this. As a result of strong industry ties through their niche approach to training, RTOs can often provide support for students to access a broader range of practical placement opportunities.
The Catalyst Education RTOs
At the end of the day, choosing a provider should come down to the quality of the training and programs provided, as well as the support you’ll get along the way.
Catalyst Education operates three privately-run RTOs: Selmar Institute of Education, Practical Outcomes and Royal College of Healthcare which all deliver high-quality, specialised training in early childhood education and care, aged care and disability care. We have been training for more than 15 years and are committed to educating students to thrive in their chosen career.
Our compassionate and caring trainers and learner success advisors provide support from start to finish and work to ensure that students graduate with the knowledge and capabilities they need to become job-ready for the real world.
Whichever VET course provider you choose, ensure their offering is aligned with your study preferences, the level of support you need and your career goals.
Contact us if you need guidance on choosing the right provider for your study needs.
Professional development provides an integral opportunity for staff learning and growth and can help to ensure staff to remain passionate about their jobs and committed to their workplace.
Regular, ongoing professional development opportunities for staff within aged care and early childhood education, can contribute to a range of benefits for educators and carers, their employers and recipients of their care.
In 2009, Deloitte released their annual Global Human Capital Trends report, which revealed the need for learning and development as top-rated challenge. The report even cited learning opportunities as a leading reason for people choosing to take a particular job!
While early childhood services continue to strive for the highest National Quality Standard Rating (NQS Rating) possible, the aged care industry is set to be overhauled following the release of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety’s Interim Report,. Its findings highlight the need for a renewed focus on skills and quality of care. This is where professional development and upskilling become so essential.
Today’s workforce needs to be ready to adapt, and up-to-date knowledge is at the centre of its ability to do so. For employees to feel satisfied at work, they need the chance to build confidence in their individual capacity.
Professional development for enhancing standard of care
Being proactive about building the skills of your workforce ongoing is a simple yet incredibly effective way of taking a holistic approach to enhancing the quality of service provided by your early childhood or aged care business.
Retain staff: An employee who feels valued and fulfilled at work is one who stays. Linkedin Learning’s 2019 Workplace Learning Report found that 94% of employees would stay within a company longer if it invested in their learning and development. Professional development can be an excellent way to show your staff that you value them, while saving you time and money on recruitment.
Increase productivity: With the confidence and capabilities gained through additional training, you can expect your workforce to be more efficient and productive. When your team is highly trained, they also have the latest and greatest knowledge to benefit the way they approach their roles.
Raise your standard: Aged care and childcare professionals who are equipped with the latest information and training are better able to provide the highest possible standard of care.
A committed workforce through ongoing learning
The incredible benefits of professional development for your team can have a positive impact on your educators or your carers professionally, as well as personally.
Up to date knowledge and skills: Keeping your industry know-how up to date is vital and regular professional development means staff members have the latest information and tools to do their job to the highest standard.
Work life satisfaction: Everyone wants to feel satisfied within their career, and professional development can improve staff enjoyment of work. Staff feel valued when they know their employer is investing in their professional growth.
Increased confidence: Professional development training builds your confidence and sparks your passion. Increased confidence, results in tasks begin performed to a higher standard. In early childhood education and aged care, this means that the quality of care provided is enhanced.
Capturing the value of upskilling
Upskilling opportunities benefit everyone across an industry, but the right approach is essential to optimise outcomes. There are a few things to ask yourself when planning your professional development strategy:
What does my team require? Talk to your employees, listen to what they want and need, survey teams anonymously and ask for feedback and insights to guide your approach to professional development. The training should help your team to be better and do better, and they can help you identify gaps in their own skillsets that need to be filled.
Is this worthwhile to my business and my team? For a committed uptake, training should respect your employees’ time. Firstly, it should be scheduled in such a way that is respectful of their lives and other commitments. Secondly, it should be worth their time. Often this means the professional development is goal-oriented, enabling them to extend their skills with the potential view of climbing in their careers.
Am I taking the right approach to training? The training you offer your staff needs to engage them, stimulate them and excite them. If you offer the same training each year, chances are it will be met with disinterest and your workforce is unlikely to learn and grow. Be innovative and tailor your professional development to your unique business and staff.
Skills and knowledge for a bright future
Supporting a team of employees in gaining more skills and knowledge, increasing job satisfaction in your workplace and reducing staff turnover, while enhancing the quality of care offered by your child care service or aged care facility? Professional development makes it possible.
Catalyst Education’s RTOs specialise in training for those working in the aged care and early childhood education industries. We provide a range of quality courses that are specifically designed to support these vital industries and those working within them.
Contact Catalyst Education today to learn more about how professional development can pave the way to a brighter future for your staff and your organisation.