AQA Queensland welcomes continued professional development support 

The Australian Childcare Alliance Queensland (ACA Qld) has welcomed the confirmed commitment made by the new Queensland Government to fund two planning days for early childhood teachers.

“We applaud the LNP Government for maintaining this initiative, originally introduced under Labor, and for recognising the value of these planning days,” AQA Qld President Majella Fitzsimmons said. 

“Planning days allow early childhood teachers to undertake training and enhance the curriculum which ultimately improves the experience of our youngest in their learning journey.”

“This is a win-win in recognising the value of our workforce and will have great benefit to children and families across Queensland.”

Planning days, she continued, also help to improve job satisfaction and retention, something which is “absolutely vital” in alleviating the very serious problem of workforce shortages in the early childhood sector.

By making fully funded, non-contact planning days available a sense of parity within the teaching profession is created via the acknowledgement that “Early Childhood Teachers are teachers too.”

“This initiative, which ACA Qld has long advocated for, sets a positive precedent for future years,” Ms Fitzsimmons said. 

“We encourage the government to consider embedding this policy permanently to provide all Early Childhood Teachers with ongoing access to paid planning days. ACA Qld looks forward to continuing to collaborate with the government to ensure the success of these initiatives and to further strengthen the early childhood education sector for children, families, and educators alike.”