IEU-QNT member and early childhood education teacher Debbie Quig has witnessed many changes to the sector during her 38-year teaching career and loves that no two days in her job are alike, writes Emily Campbell.
A long-term staff member at Aspley East C&K Community Kindergarten in north Brisbane, Debbie has worked in not-for-profit community centres in both Queensland and NSW.
Changing children’s lives
“Growing up, I enjoyed attending school and had some very special teachers throughout my life,” Debbie said.
“I thought teaching would be a rewarding career and might provide different opportunities for meeting people, travel, relocation and career progression.
“I also felt the early years were an important aspect of children’s lives, even before learning more about this at university,” she said.
One of Debbie’s favourite aspects of being an early childhood teacher is being involved in children’s precious formative years.
“I enjoy developing relationships with the children and their families to provide a learning environment where each child is nurtured and can flourish,” Debbie said.
“Each day brings new delights to children, and it’s always exciting to explore new possibilities with them,” she said.
A tight-knit work team
Debbie finds it a privilege to work alongside her colleagues at Aspley East Kindy.
“It’s great being part of a team of dedicated, caring professionals who always strive to do their best for children, families, the community and each other,” she said.
“To this day, we remain a not-for-profit organisation, maintaining high standards of education and care for children and providing a safe, welcoming place for all.
“There is a sense of pride, achievement and community spirit in our kindergarten.
“We continue to have great respect for the history of the service and core values that were developed when the Association was first established in 1965,” Debbie said.
Throughout Debbie’s career, the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector has seen incredible change, which she said has impacted staff and centre operations.
“There are constant changes in policies and procedures to keep abreast of but also numerous changes to curriculum frameworks, funding models and much more,” she said.
“In 2007, the Queensland education system changed significantly with the introduction of Prep. Community kindergartens had to change their operational models to cater for the pre-Prep age cohort, rather than the traditional kindergarten (3 to 4-year-olds) and preschool (4 to 5-year-olds) age groups,” Debbie said.
The most notable change was the development and commitment of a national approach to early childhood education with the introduction of the Universal Access funding and National Quality Framework (NQF).
“Both the Universal Access funding and NQF, which were implemented in our kindergarten in 2012, required significant planning, preparation and change, particularly to our operational models and employees' working hours,” Debbie said.
“The introduction of Universal Access funding recognised the importance and value of affordable, high-quality ECEC for the youngest citizens of Australia – an investment in their futures.
“It provided funding across a range of different services, enabling families to choose between services best suited to their values and needs,” she said.
Importance of IEU membership
During this time, changes occurred in the industrial relations space, with a shift from state awards to modern (federal) awards.
Debbie said these changes were the catalyst for smaller centres like her workplace, to begin organising and negotiating their own collective agreements, to ensure employees’ wages and working conditions were maintained.
“I joined our union in 2011 when I began working temporarily in the role of Director/Teacher because I felt our kindy needed advice and support to navigate all the changes, particularly in relation to the impact on employees’ working conditions,” she said.
“My colleagues and I, individually and collectively, have benefited greatly from the expertise our union’s officers provided, especially when negotiating our very first collective agreement.
“IEU membership has been crucial to navigating the complexities of teaching and changing landscape of the education sector,” Debbie said.