A new study into the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector has found teachers and educators are working an unacceptable number of unpaid hours.
The research, conducted by the University of Sydney, also found ECEC staff have so many additional duties that it takes away from their primary role of supervising and educating children.
It confirms feedback provided by IEU members and included by the union in a submission to the NSW Upper House inquiry into the sector.
The findings clearly demonstrate the inevitable impacts of unsustainable workloads and excessive documentation on the core work of early childhood teachers and educators.
Against the backdrop of horrifying failures to ensure child safety in the sector, the issue of diversion from critical time spent interacting with children is of great concern.
Robbed of meaningful time
The research found early childhood staff are spending less than a third of their day in focused, uninterrupted time with the children in their care.
Two-thirds of survey respondents reported that workload demands consume time that would otherwise be spent in meaningful interactions with children.
Lead researcher Dr Erin Harper told the ABC: “Over 70 per cent of our educators say that they are working unpaid hours every single week and for those educators, they’re reporting an average of nine unpaid hours each week – we end up with massive burnout.”
The research follows revelations about safety breaches at mainly for-profit centres and allegations of child sexual abuse by a worker in Victoria.
It also identified factors that have been raised by IEU members and pursued by the union in advocacy with federal bodies, including:
- contact and non-contact workloads that are unsustainable
- unpaid work hours undertaken to cope with excessive documentation
- distractions and interruptions that negatively impact teacher capacity to be fully present in their interactions with children
- the need for a review of the National Assessment and Ratings system to evaluate detrimental effects on dedicated contact time for early childhood teachers.
When combined with other factors such as low wages, inadequate access to professional development and insufficient support for children with high learning and support needs, it is clear that prompt and far-reaching change in the sector is essential.
Addressing workload issues
In 2024, the IEU approached the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) to clarify the documentation requirements necessary to comply with the assessment and ratings process, a known driver of work intensification.
The result of that engagement was a collaboration between ACECQA and the union on a set of four fact sheets that provide specific advice to early childhood education workers and providers in both school age care and early childhood.
The Educational Program Documentation Information Sheets confirm the evidence requirements necessary to satisfy the assessment and ratings process, without producing excessive or duplicative documentation.
Ongoing advocacy
The IEU will continue to advocate for positive changes in the ECEC sector that allow teachers and educators to focus on their core work and ensure both child safety and high-quality early childhood education.