Kindergarten teachers

The criteria for QKFS teacher eligibility is set by:

1. The qualification requirements of the Child Care Act 2002 and the Child Care Regulation 2003.
2. The additional requirement to be either a four year early childhood trained teacher or hold current teacher registration in Queensland.

An approved kindergarten program must be delivered by a person who meets one of the following qualification requirements:

A four year qualified early childhood teacher would typically hold a teacher education qualification at bachelor degree level of four years duration with content focused on (or a specialisation/major in) the early childhood years, that is children from birth to five years or birth to eight years of age.

The qualification would typically include practical placement in a variety of early childhood education and care settings. Some primary qualifications with a specialisation in early childhood meet this criterion and are included on the list of approved qualifications.

• Check the attached list of Queensland courses that have been assessed as meeting the 4 year qualification requirement  (if you hold a 4 year tertiary qualification from another state or territory, your qualifications will be assessed on a case by case by basis)
• Check your academic transcript (i.e. official list of all subjects completed and results) for confirmation of early childhood
• Seek advice from the issuing university/ institution
• Seek advice from the Office for Early Childhood Education and Care (by telephoning (07) 3247 0405).

The four year Option 1 list is also available at: http://deta.qld.gov.au/earlychildhood/workforce/career/requirements/index.html

A QCT registered teacher with an approved early childhood qualification is a person who has current teacher registration with the QCT, and who also holds an approved two or three year early childhood qualification under the Child Care Act 2002 and the Child Care Regulation 2003. Available at: http://deta.qld.gov.au/earlychildhood/workforce/career/requirements/approved-qualifications.html

Examples include:

To check if a qualification meets the qualification requirements of the Child Care Act 2002 and sections 113 [(a) to (c)] or 114 of the Child Care Regulation 2003 it should be checked against the two and three year lists of approved qualifications available at: http://deta.qld.gov.au/earlychildhood/workforce/career/requirements/approved-qualifications.html.

A primary teacher with full registration with QCT and who is studying towards an approved early childhood qualification(s) is a person who is a fully registered Queensland teacher, and who is studying towards an approved two or three year early childhood qualification under the Child Care Act 2002 and the Child Care Regulation 2003.

Examples include:

To check if a qualification meets the qualification requirements of the Child Care Act 2002 and sections 113 [(a) to (c)] or 114 of the Child Care Regulation 2003 it should be checked against the two and three year lists of approved qualifications.

Generally, primary teaching qualifications with a specialisation or major area of study in early childhood will meet the requirements, and a number of primary qualifications are included on the approved four year early childhood qualifications (Options 1) list.

Examples include:

• Bachelor of Education (Primary) with specialisation in Early Childhood Education from the Australian Catholic University
• Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary) from the Australian Catholic University
• Bachelor of Education (Primary) with major in Early Childhood from Griffith University.

It is not currently a legislative or funding requirement for a four year early childhood teacher to hold registration with the QCT.

A QCT registered primary teacher who also holds an approved two or three year early childhood qualification under the Child Care Act 2002 and the Child Care Regulation 2003 will also meet the requirements.

Generally, primary teaching qualifications which do not have a specialisation or a major area of study in early childhood do not meet the qualification requirements of the Child Care Act 2002 for positions in centre based services such as child care centres and kindergartens, because they do not address the birth to five year age group.

For primary teachers who do not currently hold a qualification in early childhood (or a qualification with a specialisation or major in early childhood), there are a number of options available to teachers holding a primary teaching qualification to qualify to deliver an approved kindergarten program:

• Pathway 1 (For primary teachers with current full registration with the QCT)

  The teacher could be studying towards or have completed the early childhood bridging program under the Teacher Recognition Strategy. This bridging program has been specifically developed to assist QCT registered primary trained teachers gain the relevant early childhood qualifications to secure employment in services licensed under the Child Care Act 2002.
  
  Teachers will exit the program having achieved a Certificate and Diploma of Children's Services (Early childhood education and care.)
  
  For further information, contact the Key Account Management Agency for the Children's Services Skilling Plan on 1800 441 141 or your local TAFE.

• Pathway 2 (For primary teachers with current full registration with the QCT)

  In addition to the teacher's education degree, a QCT registered teacher could be studying towards or have completed a qualification from the approved two year or three year approved early childhood qualifications lists. For example a Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood)(DTEC) from Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, or a CHC60399 Advanced Diploma of Community Services (Children's Services) from various registered training organisations.

• Pathway 3 (For primary teachers with current full registration with the QCT)

  A teacher could also build on their primary teaching qualification and be studying towards or have completed further study at university level. There are a range of approved qualifications available to provide the early childhood education specialisation required to meet the legislative and funding requirements. For example, a Graduate Diploma in Education (Early Phase) from the University of Sunshine Coast, or a Master of Teaching (with "Early Childhood" indicated in the course title on the transcript) from Queensland University of Technology.

A QCT registered secondary teacher who also holds an approved two or three year early childhood qualification under the Child Care Act 2002 and the Child Care Regulation 2003 can deliver an approved kindergarten program.

If a secondary teacher holds current registration with the QCT, the teacher could complete a qualification from the approved two year or three year approved early childhood qualifications lists.

Alternatively, a teacher could also build on their secondary teaching qualification and complete further study at university level. There is a range of approved qualifications available to provide the early childhood education specialisation required to meet the legislative and funding requirements.

The licensing qualification requirements are outlined in Schedule 2 of the Child Care Act 2002 , and sections 110-120 of the Child Care Regulation 2003 . You may also contact your local Department of Education and Training Regional Office for more information 134k.

If the qualification is not on the approved lists of qualifications the person will need to apply to have the qualification determined against the qualification requirements of the Child Care Act 2002 and Child Care Regulation 2003. The application form required for this process is available at: http://deta.qld.gov.au/earlychildhood/workforce/career/requirements/determination-qualifications.html

To assess the qualification the Office for Early Childhood Care and Education will require:

• completed Application Form 20;
• prescribed fee of $25;
• certified copy of the original certificate/diploma or degree;
• a certified copy of an academic transcript (i.e. official record of study-subjects and results);
• a summary of the major areas of study/subjects within the qualification; and
• details of practical placement completed during study e.g. setting and duration of placements, ages of children.

If the qualification was attained overseas, the Office also requires an assessment to be completed to determine the academic level of the qualification/s against the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). An overseas qualification assessment may be obtained by contacting Queensland Skills Recognition, Training Services on telephone +61 1300 369 935 or by email at skillsrecognition@deta.qld.gov.au. Once this assessment has been completed, a copy of the assessment letter will be required to support the application for determination of qualifications.

A hard copy of the application form including certified copies of all evidence requested and the application fee must be received by the Office by mail.

Under Section 163 of the Child Care Act 2002, you may apply to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) to have a qualification decision reviewed. The application to review the decision must be lodged within 28 days of receiving the notice of the decision. An application form may be obtained from the QCAT website at www.qcat.qld.gov.au; in person on Level 9, 259 Queen Street, Brisbane; by telephoning QCAT on 1300 753 228 or by email at enquiries@qcat.qld.gov.au. The application may be lodged in person at Level 9, 259 Queen Street, Brisbane; posted to GPO Box 1639, Brisbane 4001 or faxed to 3221 9156. Please note the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal is bound by the same provisions of the Child Care Act 2002 in relation to qualification requirements when making their decision on any appeals lodged.

Teacher registration is not a legislative or funding requirement for four year qualified teachers that deliver an approved kindergarten program. However individuals with a four year teaching qualification in early childhood education are encouraged to apply for teacher registration with the QCT.

To access the QCT website, go to QCT .

The Application for Kindergarten Teacher Recognition form is available to both:

• Individual teachers
• Services or organisations to complete in conjunction with the applicant teacher. The application is viewed as submitted by the applicant teacher, not the service or organisation. The applicant teacher's personal details and signature must be provided on the form if submitted by a service or organisation.

The Office has an application process to recognise qualifications that meet the requirements to be a kindergarten teacher under the QKFS. If the applicant's qualification(s) meet the criteria, a Letter of Recognition with a unique identifier will be issued.

A person who holds a Letter of Recognition as a kindergarten teacher under the QKFS is required to provide a copy to a prospective employer to support ongoing eligibility under the QKFS.

A Letter of Recognition identifying the criteria that has been met will be sent to the applicant.  This letter will contain a unique identifier.

If the applicant's qualification(s) are not recognised as meeting any of the criteria, a letter will be issued which identifies what action can be taken by the applicant to meet the requirements of teacher recognition.  In this letter the applicant will be provided with advice about how they may meet the eligibility requirements to deliver an approved kindergarten program under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme.

The sector can recruit teachers holding a teacher recognition letter and know they satisfy the requirements of the legislation as well as requirements under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme.

Portability of teacher recognition will allow teachers to confidently seek employment as a kindergarten teacher under the QKFS across Queensland.

Services will have certainty at the point of employment that the teacher is recognised to deliver an approved kindergarten program.