Educators feeling understaffed, unsupported, and unheard.

I am concerned about educators, children, and families. I am concerned about educator burnout. I am concerned about children not getting the education and care they deserve. I am concerned that families are not finding suitable care and education for their child. I am concerned that our sector is in crisis and the human cost is huge. I am CONCERNED.

What is happening? Why are so many educators struggling? Every day I hear about educators struggling with the workload, the children, the hours, the ratios and so much more. Digging deeper, some of the biggest issues are:

• Documentation and Programming. The expectation of too much documentation, too many observations and reflections and not enough non-contact time.
• Children’s Behaviour. Educators feel children’s behaviour has become more challenging and they are needing more educators in the rooms. That current ratios are not meeting their needs or the needs of the children.

There is absolutely no doubt that everyone has been negatively affected by the current pandemic. The uncertainty, the changes, the lack of control, the fear, the restrictions, the negative news, and the fact that this has been constant over the past 2 years has ground everyone down. In addition, many parts of Australia then had catastrophic flooding with many ECEC services severely affected. How do you pick yourself up with a smile again, and again, and again? The sector was already struggling and have had to manage the additional challenges. We can see why this is a profession in crisis. 

Some solutions are immediate short-term solutions, what we need are solutions that are long term, solutions that become embedded in ECEC culture and practice. We need solutions that initially nurture and support while building knowledge, expertise and most important, resilience, in educators and children. Increasing resilience will enable all to cope, manage, accept, and even thrive with challenges. 
 
Back to basics.
Services have a duty of care towards their educators as well as the children. If the level of expected documentation is causing or contributing to feelings of being overwhelmed, anxious, stressed and depressed, it is time for change, time for looking at other ways of working to reduce pressure while maintaining high quality. If children’s behaviours are challenging educators, it is time to explore why children are displaying such behaviours and ways of supporting the children and the educators to ensure best outcomes for both.  It is time for critical reflection.   

Did you know that there are no legal requirements

• stipulating the number, length, format etc of documentation? 
• for educators to ‘do’ documentation only in their limited non-contact time?

Educators and individual services are free to document in a way that works for them and their community. 
 
Did you know that

• young children do not ‘choose’ to be ‘naughty’?
• all behaviours are communication?
• many behaviours seen as challenging are developmentally appropriate behaviours?
• children who are bored, scared, uncertain, uncomfortable, tired, hungry, shy, traumatised, stressed, depressed, misunderstood as well as children who lack communication skills, have sensory processing issues, have ADHD, ASD, Dyslexia, lack connection may all display behaviours that challenge us. It is our duty as professionals working in a team to respond appropriately and ensure that all needs are provided for. 

​What next? 

• Reflect on current practice and expectations.
• Explore regulations to be confident with what is required.
• Seek up to date professional learning, advice, consultation, mentoring, literature. 
•  BE BRAVE
• Change practice.

 
Niki Buchan offers a range of professional learning opportunities including face to face, live online and recorded webinars and E-courses on a range of relevant subjects
 
‘Australian Learning Tracks’ documentation framework is a simple, practical, meaningful way of documenting and programming that is proven, popular and beneficial to educators, children, and families. Available as an E-course for individuals and groups on a price sliding scale as well as an in-person course presented by Niki in your setting.
 
‘Behaviours that Challenge Educators’ is available as an E-course, individual recorded webinars or as an in-person course presented by Niki in your setting.

Australian Learning Tracks E-course

Challenging Behaviours E-course

CONTACT NIKI BUCHAN