Lead Educator

The organisation:
The Uniting Church in Australia (the Church) is a large uniquely Australian Christian denomination in Australia with heritage from historical reformed evangelical denominations. In Queensland, the Uniting Church has around 250 congregations and has schools, colleges and large community services (such as UnitingCare Queensland and Wesley Mission Queensland).

Position purpose:
The purpose of this role is to provide leadership in the development and implementation of a quality care and education program for young children.

Key responsibilities:

- Lead the delivery of the educational learning experiences in your room through a quality play-based early childhood education program within the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and/or Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline (QKLG).
- Plan and implement programs based on knowledge of the child, children, EYLF, QKLG and National Quality Framework (NQF) in preparation for the children’s first year of formal schooling.
- Effectively lead and manage the room and resources to maximise and maintain an effective, engaging, safe and aesthetic learning environment.
- Work collaboratively and respectfully with fellow educators to support each other’s professional development and to utilise a variety of teaching strategies including intentional teaching, reflective practice and continuous improvement that provides quality education and care of children.
- Develop and maintain a strong understanding of relevant legislation, frameworks, policies, procedures and guidelines to ensure the service meets all compliance obligations.
- Exemplify personal drive and integrity, taking personal responsibility for meeting objectives, showing initiative and committing energy to achieving goals, showing resilience and professional conduct under pressure and scrutiny.
- Build and maintain strong, positive relationships with families and children, supporting meaningful parent participation, maintaining professional boundaries.
- Support commitment to inclusion and access to a quality early childhood education program for all children and families, treating all children with dignity and respect.
- Positively guide children’s behaviour and encourage children to interact with others with care, empathy, kindness and respect.
- Undertake and fulfill the duties of a responsible person, in day to day charge of the service as per the National Regulations (in the absence of the Nominated Supervisor), where required.
- Model the values of the Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod in day to day work including in interactions with managers, educators, children, families, clients and stakeholders.
- Identify and develop strategies to provide internal and external client focused customer service including identifying improvements to policy, process and the work environment.
- Maintain thorough knowledge of relevant Child Protection Law matters applicable to the jurisdiction and proactively respond to child protection matters.
- Ensure a safe environment and culture by supporting the development of the centre team capabilities to identify and respond to hazards and risks, informing the Director of issues and supporting the implementation of solutions to resolve and prevent a re-occurrence of incidents.
- Work within the Code of Conduct and other policies and procedures of the Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod and the provisions of the Workplace Health and Safety and other relevant legislation, including reporting hazards/incidents, support for injured workers and full participation in return to work plans.
- Support and promote change initiatives within the centre.
- Undertake other duties as and when directed within the scope of the role and the capabilities of the incumbent.

Role Duties:

- Prepare and execute the educational program, including setting up and packing away equipment, experiences and activities, effectively supervise and engage children in participation of outdoor/indoor activities.
- Effectively document the educational program making each individual child’s learning and growth visible, undertaking assessment and engaging in ongoing reflective practice that enrich children’s learning.
- Participate in all care and education duties as required with all children at the service, including, but not limited to:

- welcoming parents and children to the centre
- responding and supporting children’s emotional needs
- promoting and developing secure relationships
- serving and assisting children during mealtimes
- Undertake general cleaning tasks to maintain overall cleanliness of the room and service including, but not limited to:

- sweeping/vacuuming floors
- mopping floors
- wiping tables
- cleaning toilets
- Comply with all lawful instructions provided by management, the Church policy and procedures, National Law and National Regulations.

Qualifications:

- Early Childhood Diploma level qualification or equivalent as approved by ACECQA