Excerpts
A national survey of early childhood educators revealed unsustainable workloads and unpaid hours are impacting the quality of care provided to young children.
Led by the University of Sydney, the study is the first in Australia to link educator workloads with early childhood education quality. It found educators spend less than 30% of their time, or less than 2.5 hours a day, in undistracted and uninterrupted time with children; more than three-quarters work an average of nine unpaid hours per week; and more than two-thirds said their workload demands reduce the quality of care they can provide to children.
The researchers are now calling for a national review of work in early childhood services as a first step toward improving quality and ensuring workforce well-being and sustainability. The study is published in The Australian Educational Researcher journal.
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The research found the burden of unpaid work, low pay, and unrealistic expectations is unsustainable, with many educators reporting high levels of mental and physical exhaustion.
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The study called for further investigation and urgent government intervention to rectify pay equity, particularly for degree-qualified teachers, and to address workload issues in the early childhood sector.
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