Early Childhood Update - December 2022

The inaugural Best Start, Best Life 2023 Educational Leaders Conference will be held on Wednesday 15 February 2023 in Melbourne and live streamed.

The conference will be an exciting opportunity for educational leaders in early childhood education services to hear from world-leading experts and other leaders in the field about practical, evidence-based approaches to lift the quality of early childhood education.

We look forward to welcoming early childhood leaders from across the state to a day of exploration and learning through keynote presentations, panel discussions and workshops. The conference has been carefully curated to inspire and support you to deliver high-quality programs.

The conference will feature 3 renowned international experts:

• Professor Iram Siraj, Professor of Child Development and Education, University of Oxford
• Professor Jane Bertrand, program director, Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation
• Sir Kevan Collins, Vice Chairman of The Board, Committee Chair at Learning by Questions, Youth Endowment Fund.

This will be an important event on the education calendar, and we are sharing this date to support educational leaders in their planning.

All Victorian kindergarten services will shortly receive via email an invitation for their educational leader to register for the conference.

One educational leader per funded kindergarten service in Victoria is eligible to attend the conference, virtually or in person.

Event details

Date: Wednesday 15 February 2023
Time: 9 am to 5 pm
Platform: in person and online
Cost: free.

For more information and to register online, refer to Best Start, Best Life 2023 Educational Leaders Conference.

Find out more

For further enquiries, please contact: earlychildhoodleadersconference@education.vic.gov.au

A joint initiative between the department, Jobs Victoria and Chisholm Institute aims to create 200 new early childhood education jobs in Victoria.

The Jobs Victoria Early Childhood Educators Traineeship Program will give early childhood services the chance to engage one or more trainees next year.

While gaining practical skills in the workforce and earning an income, trainees will also undertake a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care.

Through the program, Chisholm Institute will find trainees who are ready to work and contribute valuable skills to services across the state.

Employers interested in recruiting trainees through the program can attend an upcoming online information session to learn more.

About the program

Through the program, trainees can access up to $2,500 in Australian Apprentice training support payments for a one-year traineeship. Trainees may also be eligible for a further $4,000 in milestone-based training support payments from Chisholm Institute.

Trainees will complete a Certificate III Early Childhood Education and Care qualification, under the Free TAFE program, while undertaking a paid traineeship in an early childhood education service.

The program focuses on providing opportunities for people who are:

• long-term unemployed or at risk of being long-term unemployed
• under 25 or over 45 years of age
• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Victorians
• people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
• women.

People interested in becoming trainees can attend an online information session to learn more.

Interested applicants can apply now through Jobs Victoria. Places are limited.

Find out more

For more information, refer to Jobs Victoria Early Childhood Educators Traineeship program Chisholm TAFE.

From Wednesday 1 February 2023, Victorian businesses and organisations (including early childhood education and care services, schools and higher education, TAFEs and registered training organisations) will not be able to sell, supply or provide a number of single-use plastic items.

Items that will be banned from Wednesday 1 February 2023

The ban applies to the following single-use plastic items made from conventional, degradable or compostable plastics:

• drinking straws
• cutlery including knives, forks, spoons, chopsticks, sporks, splades and food picks
• plates
• drink stirrers and sticks
• cotton bud sticks.

The ban also applies to:

• food service items and drink containers made from expanded polystyrene.

For more information on items that will be banned, refer to this fact sheet(pdf - 2.31mb).

Exceptions to the ban

People who need single-use plastic drinking straws due to disability or for a medical need will still be able to purchase and use these items.

Early childhood services can continue to purchase single-use plastic straws from their suppliers so that these are available when needed.

There is no requirement for individuals to provide verification of disability or medical need when requesting straws.

Implementing the ban

Victorian organisations and services can continue to use up existing stock before the ban starts on Wednesday 1 February 2023. Banned items cannot be provided after this date, even if they were purchased before the ban.

From Wednesday 1 February 2023, all businesses and organisations (including early childhood education and care services) will need to comply with the regulations and ensure they do not purchase, supply or provide any banned single-use plastics.

Services should make plans to replace single-use items with reusables. Where it is not possible to use reusable items, services can choose single-use items made from alternative materials – such as uncoated paper, wood or bamboo.

Find out more

For more information, refer to:

• Single-use plastics ban – fact sheet
• Sustainability Victoria – single-use plastics ban.

For further enquiries, email our Environmental Sustainability team: sustainability@education.vic.gov.au