BALLINA FOX STREET PRESCHOOL
'Hand in hand together we walk'
OUR MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
As a not-for-profit, community based preschool, the Management Committee play an important role in the strategic management of the preschool. The Management Committee is accountable to members (all parents are members of the Association) for the performance of the preschool. The Management Committee is also accountable to the statutory and regulatory authorities for the financial and legal obligations of the Preschool.
The Management Committee has overall responsibility to members for the sustainability and relevance of the service. The Management will direct its activities towards achieving the preschool’s goals and implementing the preschool’s Quality Improvement Plan by guiding and monitoring the preschool’s business and affairs in line with the objectives as set out in the preschool’s rules and in line with the preschool’s philosophy. In carrying out its responsibilities, the Management Committee undertakes to maximise the value and contribution of the preschool to the community, and to serve the interests of the preschool’s members, employees, families and children using the service. In serving these interests there is an implicit understanding that the rights of the child are paramount in all decision making. The Management Committee is the employer of all staff of the preschool and are responsible for the management and control of the preschool as the Approved Provider of education and care under the Children (Education and Care Services National Law Application) Act 2010 and the Education and Care Services National Regulations.
GOVERNANCE:
Governance is the system or process by which organisations are directed, controlled and held accountable to ensure that the right decisions are made. Our preschool service recognises the importance of having a framework of rules, relationships, systems and processes within and by which authority is exercised and controlled in the organisation. We view good governance and management as essential to our provision of quality education and care in a responsible manner.
To ensure our organisation has good governance we will:
• Conduct our affairs legally, ethically and with integrity,
• Identify organisational risks and legal obligations and manage these through policies and relevant processes;
• Ensure that mechanisms are in place for fair and transparent governance.
STRUCTURE:
It is important that parents understand the way the preschool is governed and managed. From January 1st, 2012 a new National Quality Framework came into being to “ensure the wellbeing of children throughout their lives and lift the productivity of our nation as a whole” (Guide to the NQF, ACECQA, 2011:3).
The National Quality Framework (NQF): All preschools in Australia operate under an Australian Governmental Quality Framework called the “National Quality Framework” (NQF).
The Law: The foremost component of the NQF is the National Law called “Children (Education and Care Services National Law Application) Act 2010”. This Law regulates education and care services for children.
The Regulations: The way that this law is applied is detailed through the “Education and Care Services Regulations”. These regulations are the practical details and rules under the law (A Really Simple guide to The New Regulations. Community Childcare Cooperative 2011:3).
The National Quality Standards (NQS): The NQS is a schedule to the National Regulations (The Guide to the National Quality Framework, ACECQA:9). The NQS is part of the Regulations. Amongst other things, the Regulations set out the minimum operational requirements organised around each of the seven Quality Areas of the NQS (Guide to the NQF, ACECQA, 2011:8
The Seven Quality Areas are as follows:
QA1 Educational program and practice
QA2 Children’s health and safety
QA3 Physical environment
QA4 Staffing arrangements
QA5 Relationships with children
QA6 Collaborative partnerships with families and communities
QA7 Leadership and service management
Each preschool and long day care centre receives a rating for each of the seven quality areas and an overall rating.
There are five rating levels within the national quality rating and assessment process:
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Excellent rating – awarded by ACECQA
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Exceeding National Quality Standard – to receive this rating you need to receive an Exceeding rating in four or more areas.
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Meeting National Quality Standard
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Working Towards National Quality Standard
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Significant Improvement Required
The Quality Framework NQS 1.1 states, “an approved learning framework informs the development of a curriculum that enhances each child’s learning and development”. The approved learning framework for preschools in NSW is the Early Years Learning Framework called “Belonging, Being & Becoming (DEEWR, 2009). This document is generally referred to as the “EYLF”. The aim of the ELYF is to extend and enrich children’s learning from birth to 5 years and through the transition to school. It assists services to provide young children with opportunities to maximize their potential and develop a foundation for future success in learning (Guide to the NQF, ACECQA, 2011:10)
The Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA): Is the council that overseas the implementation of the NQF, makes the Regulations and appoints members of the ACECQA (see below) board (Guide to the NQF, ACECQA, 2011:6).
The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA): ACECQA is the new national body jointly governed by the Australian Government and state and territory governments to oversee the new system.
NSW Department of Education and Community (DEC): Under the NQF, each state and territory has its own Regulatory Authority that has primary responsibility for the approval, monitoring and quality assessment of services in their jurisdiction in accordance with the national legislative framework and in relation to the NQS (Guide to the NQF, ACECQA, 2011:4). In NSW, the Department of Education and Community is the Regulatory Authority.
APPROVED PROVIDER:
Our preschool operates under a community-based not-for-profit model of management. This means that we have a management committee (currently comprised of parents of enrolled preschool children) and, any profits made by the preschool are fed back into the service. The management committee of the preschool is referred to as the “Approved Provider” under the new Regulations. Our preschool is an incorporated association. This is the preschool’s business structure.
MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE:
The Approved Provider or the Management committee is responsible for the overall performance of the organisation. They determine the service’s mission and purpose, set the strategic directions of the organisation, that is, develop the service’s strategic plan, appoint and monitor the performance of the director/nominator supervisor, ensure staff are employed in accordance with industrial obligations, ensure compliance with legal obligations, ensure the on-going financial viability of the service, monitor and evaluate the service’s performance against the strategic plan (including the committee/board’s own performance), enhance the profile of the service in the community and recruit and orient new committee/board members (Community Connections Solutions Australia fact sheet, Roles and responsibilities of the Committee/Board).
The Management Committee operates under the NSW Associations Incorporation Act 2009, and the Ballina Fox Street Preschool Constitution. Therefore, we have executive committee member roles of president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary and public officer, as well as ordinary committee members. These positions are annually elected and filled at each Annual General Meeting (AGM).
April 2016 – April 2017 Management Committee:
President: Tracey Kristiansen
Vice President: Gerard Rees
Treasurer: Kai Hansen
Secretary: Linda Howland
Member: Jessica McOmish
Member: Claudia Sampson
Member: Kate Walton
Public Officer: Kai Hansen
Link to the National Quality Standards-