‘It’s more than wiping noses’: Early childhood educators exhausted, demanding more than better pay

An estimated 30,000 families have been affected by strike action today in what’s been described as a “shutdown” of one fed-up sector.

Hundreds of early childhood educators are walking off the job on Wednesday, demanding to be paid the same as school teachers. But that’s not all they’re wanting.

Childcare centres across the country have shut their doors on Wednesday in what the United Workers Union (UWU) is calling a “shutdown” of the early education sector.

An estimated 30,000 families have been affected by the strike, with a series of rallies across the country on Wednesday afternoon, most beginning at 3pm.

THE PROBLEM

Carl Elassal, head of the National Coptic Childcare Alliance and the founder of Thrive Early Learning in NSW, said the system was “broken”.

“There’s a sense of exhaustion and undervalue in the childcare sector, which is central to our society, heavily relied on by working parents, but the system as it stands is broken,” he said.

Chronic staff shortages, two years of working through the pandemic and poor pay are driving educators out of the job

Carl Elassal says the system is broken. Picture: Supplied

“People are burnt out and feeling largely under-appreciated by society,” Mr Elassal said.

He reported that early childhood educators must be tertiary qualified yet earn as little as $24 an hour in the public sector, which is about $30,000 less than primary school teachers.

“It’s a vocation with enormous responsibilities,” Mr Elassal said.

Mr Elassal, however, questioned how the increased pay would be funded.

“For most working families, early learning is the biggest source of financial pain after their mortgage, with OECD data showing Australian childcare is the second most expensive in the world,” he reported.

“Childcare fees are on par with sending a child to private schools, costing up to $160 a day for one child if the parent is not entitled to government assistance.”

Crystal Bishell, with her daughter Miah, 3, supports the childcare workers in their protest. Picture: Liam Kidston

But the childcare expert said “better pay is only half the battle”.

He is looking for much larger reforms, including changes to staff-to-child ratios.

“Many centres are having to cap enrolments due to the staff to current child ratios which dictate for every 10 children of preschool age, there must be one teacher,” he said

“For children under 36 months, it’s one to five and one to four for babies up to 24 months.”

He said early childhood teachers and educators were leaving the sector “in droves” due to being overworked and stretched.

A 2021 survey of union members found close to 40 per cent had intended to leave the industry within a year.

“We can’t afford to lose more early childhood educators, in fact we need more. There’s a national shortage of around 6500,” he said.

Protest demanding childcare workers are better paid at Goodstart Bellbird Park. Picture: Liam Kidston

“Yet, the regulations and ratios remain the same, making it very difficult to staff centres and having to resort to casual staff hire on a daily basis to fill gaps.”

THE SOLUTION?

Jessica Hennessy, managing director of Z Recruitment, an online platform connecting childcare centres to casual educators, says she has a fix to one of the central reasons workers are quitting the profession: flexibility.

“It’s important to pay educators above the award wage, but that’s not going to fix the deep staffing issues that are currently crippling the industry,” she said.

“The concerns of childcare educators are similar to those of other workers post-Covid.

“They want flexibility, they want choice over where they work and when, and they want to feel like they’re part of a community.”

Centre Director Anne Pickels, 33, joining demands for better pay for childcare workers at Goodstart Bellbird Park. Picture: Liam Kidston

Ms Hennessy said current ways of filling staffing gaps were “outdated”.

“It’s time for a better solution,” she said.

“Every day centres across Australia face disruptions with staff unavailable at the last minute,” Ms Hennessy said.

She said a recent survey found 99 per cent of childcare educators blamed workload and staffing issues for making them feel burnt out and undervalued.

And 81 per cent of centre directors have had difficulty attracting and recruiting staff.

Job ads for childcare workers have increased by 52 per cent compared with the same period last year, but the number of job applicants has dropped to their lowest level in nearly a decade.

As a potential fix to the growing issues, Z Recruitment has built a new app for childcare educators who are looking for flexibility and “work-life balance”.

NSW Education and Early Learning Minister Sarah Mitchell has proposed massive reforms to early learning. Picture: Justin Lloyd

“The gig economy is extremely popular – and this app allows childcare educators to work when they want, where they want,” she said.

The app services NSW, Victoria and Queensland, with 700 educators signed up to receive shift alerts.

“There has been fast uptake, with nearly 700 educators and 180 childcare centres using Z Recruitment and we’re filling 70-80 per cent of all shifts posted via our purpose-built app,” Ms Hennessy said.

NSW Education and Early Learning Minister Sarah Mitchell launched major reforms to early learning last month, proposing a universal school starting age of six.

Mr Elassal said the proposal would put children on an equal footing by wiping out the 18-

month age difference among children in classrooms.

“If children are staying in daycare longer, consideration must be given to ratios and the pay packets of those educating them,” he said.

Originally published as ‘It’s more than wiping noses’: Early childhood educators exhausted, demanding more than better pay