Educator roles

Manages and oversees the operation of the early childhood service including managing staff, administrative tasks, implementation of programs and policies and assisting with communication between staff and parents.

Under the guidance and instruction of the Director develops, plans and implements the early childhood program, leading a group of children.

Supports the group leader to manage and care for a group of children. They may also assist in the development and delivery of the early childhood program.

Provides early childhood education and care to a group of children from their own approved home under the management of a family day care scheme. They are responsible for delivering a quality, developmentally appropriate program to the group of children in their care and for ensuring the safety and welfare of the children.

Manages the standard of service delivery in a family day care scheme through the monitoring, support and development of family day care educators in their role as home based child care educators.

Operates an OSHC service including delivery of a quality program, supervision and support of educators, administrative tasks and ensuring compliance with policies, procedures and legal requirements.

Are educators that have been granted a Supervisor Certificate by a Regulatory Authority (in Queensland this is the Department of Education, Training and Employment) and therefore deemed capable of being in day-to-day charge of a service. A certified supervisor is verified as a fit and proper person, and meets the minimum requirements for age, qualifications, experience and management capabilities. This certification is nationally portable from service to service.

A national register of certified supervisors will be maintained to identify individuals who meet certification requirements (i.e. hold a Supervisor Certificate), with some existing workers able to transition to the register, while others can apply to the department to be recognised as a certified supervisor.

Are certified supervisors that have consented to be responsible for the day-to-day management of a kindergarten, long day care, outside school hours care and family day care service.

Are suitably qualified educators designated to lead the development and implementation of educational programs in a service. It should be noted that being an early childhood teacher does not necessarily mean you will be the educational leader of a service.

Currently exist in Queensland but are not required by law. Under the National Quality Framework, early childhood teachers will be required by law in all long day care and kindergarten services from 1 January 2014.

At present, early childhood teachers are required by kindergarten or long day care service in order to receive funding via the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme. For this purpose, a qualified early childhood teacher is an individual that is a four year trained early childhood teacher that holds a qualification(s) recognised by the department.

From 2012, the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) will determine and publish a list of qualification requirements for early childhood teachers . However, it should be noted that the existing teachers that were working, accredited or registered as an early childhood teachers were transitioned into the NQF on 1 January 2012.