Early Childhood Educator

Sustainable Play Preschool; Newcastle-Maitland; On-site; AUD 33,000 - 39,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Child Protection training

First Aid training

Asthma training

Anaphylaxis training

Professional development opportunities

Plant-based menu

Staff meals provided

Staff meetings with dinner

Supportive management

Team social events

Staff discount for enrolled children

Sustainability focus

Job summary

Sustainable Play Preschool in Barnsley, NSW, is seeking a part-time Early Childhood Educator on a maternity leave contract. The role is 22.5 hours per week, with potential to pick up additional shifts, supporting children aged 2–6 in a warm, nature-inspired setting.

You will collaborate with a dedicated team, contribute to the play-based program, complete required documentation for NQ standards, and help maintain a safe, engaging environment that fosters curiosity and well-being for children and

Qualifications

• ACECQA recognised Cert III or Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care or currently studying towards obtaining a certificate.
• Current First Aid Certificate & CPR (and preferably Anaphylaxis Management, Emergency Asthma Management Training)
• Working with Children Check
• Police Check
• Great communication skills and a passion for early childhood education
• Willingness to learn and grow with us

Responsibilities

• Collaborating with the team, you will help create and implement engaging experiences and activities into the preschool educational program
• You will complete documentation and programs required to support the National Quality Standard outcomes
• You will assist with daily room tasks e.g. activity preparation, documentation and meal times
• You will maintain a safe, hygienic, sustainable and nurturing environment for children and staff

Skills

Great communication

Passion for ECE

Education

Cert III or Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care

Job description

We are seeking a part time Early Childhood Educator, on a maternity leave contract, to join our team of educators at our service inBarnsley, NSW, caring for children aged between 2-6 years. Applicants of all qualifications will be considered (Cert III or Diploma)

We believe in nurturing children holistically by providing them with large blocks of uninterrupted play and engaging resources, by connecting them with nature through nature-play and our bush kindy program and by forming genuine connections with our educators.

Sustainable Play Preschool is a small 47 place, long-service day care. We have open, natural learning environments inclusive of trees, native plants and vegetable gardens. We encourage outdoor play and allowing our children and educators to spend large block of time outdoors in the fresh air - our indoor rooms are designed with ample natural light and open into both garden areas. Our philosophy focuses on engaging children thoughtfully with the natural world every day. We utilise a play-based curriculum and offer a variety of experiences including bush kindy excursions, garden to kitchen lessons, yoga sessions, creative arts, music incursions and STEM activities. Sustainability is embedded throughout the preschool's daily routines and operations - we involve children in these processes and encourage their participation.

About the Early Childhood Educator role:

Our educators are dedicated to providing high quality care for children and desire to be part of a team that aims not only to create amazing experiences for our preschoolers and their families, but also to communicate effectively, reflect critically and grow together. The role is part-time maternity leave role, 22.5hours per week, with the opportunity to pick up additional shifts.

In your role, you will partake in the following:

• Collaborating with the team, you will help create and implement engaging, experiences and activities into the preschool educational program
• You will complete documentation and programs required to support the National Quality Standard outcomes
• You will assist with daily room tasks e.g. activity preparation, documentation and meal times
• You will maintain a safe, hygienic, sustainable and nurturing environment for children and staff

Benefits of being a part of the Sustainable Play Preschool team:

• Paid training such as Child Protection, First Aid, Asthma, and Anaphylaxis
• We recognise educator strengths and passions, providing paid professional development opportunities for our educators and the team
• We provide an award-winning, plant-based menu - all staff meals are provided
• We offer paid staff meetingswith dinner included
• We have a supportive management team who value collaborative and reflective practice
• We organise frequent paid staff social events to encourage strong team relationships
• We provide a staff discount for your own enrolled children
• Our team supports each other, and will support you in your role and your growth - we share a common interest in sustainability, connecting children with nature, and creating beautiful experiences for our preschoolers and their families

To work with us, we require the following or willingness to obtain:

• ACECQ recognised Cert III or Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care or Currently studying towards obtaining a certificate.
• Current First Aid Certificate & CPR (and preferably Anaphylaxis Management, Emergency Asthma Management Training)
• Child Protection Training
• Working with Children Check
• Police Check
• Great communication skills and a passion for early childhood education
• Willingness to learn and grow with us

WE ARE COMMITTED TO CHILD SAFETY:

At Sustainable Play Preschool, we create and cultivate an environment where all children are safe, empowered, active participants. We take all reasonable measures to maintain a skilled team that promotes not only the physical, mental and cultural safety of children, but also their empowerment. Preschool visitors and volunteers are monitored with vigilance and are included in our policy and procedures.

Proactive culture

We encourage a culture where the prevention and the reporting of abuse is supported and encouraged. We aim firstly to prevent any instance of child abuse, evaluating possible risks early and strategically removing or reducing them. We take every allegation seriously and respond promptly. In accordance with our policy, we will contact the authorities if we are concerned about a child’s safety.

Training

We require and support every permanent educator to have up-to-date knowledge in child safety with regular Child Protection Training.

Office of the Children’s Guardian

We embed the NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian ‘Safe Series’ across the preschool in addition to implementing its 10 Child Safe Standards to the best of our ability (see more on the Office of the Children’s Guardian below).

Human rights safety

We are dedicated to providing a holistically positive environment for children’s wellbeing, which includes supporting cultural safety for Aboriginal children, fostering cultural safety for children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds and providing a safe environment for children with a disability. We collaborate with KU’s Inclusion Support as needed and our staff inclusion leader experiences regular training in best practices for embedding inclusive practices in the centre.

Physical safety

We take all practical steps to ensure children being educated and cared for are adequately supervised. Every reasonable precaution is taken to protect children from harm or hazards with potential for injury. We approach physical risks with prevention first, then removal or reduction of the risk. Any areas of the preschool that present a physical risk are analysed with detailed risk assessments to mitigate harm.

Child empowerment

To empower children, all primary educators ensure children have a ‘safe’ person while at preschool. Our utilisation of the RIE approach supports a preschool culture where children are active, empowered participants in caregiving routines.