Author(s): Karen Kearns

Non-Fiction

Focuses on becoming an early childhood service manager. The management of an early childhood education and care service is challenging for educators who assume the role of manager. The role encompasses a wide range of responsibilities such as workplace health and safety, human resource management, strategic planning, financial and resource management, and sustainability. Importantly, it also includes ensuring compliance with legislative requirements such as the regulations for early childhood education and care services, which also now include compliance with the National Quality Standards. This edition has been written to support training and delivery of CHC50113 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care. Each chapter in the The Business of Child Care relates to one or more competencies from the Community Services and Health Training Package (Children s Services): Chapter 1 provides an overview of management in the context of the regulatory environment. Chapter 2 looks more closely at how services can provide evidence of the NQS using a Quality Improvement Plan. Risk management and WHS is the focus of Chapter 3, while Chapter 4 explores innovation, change and sustainability. Chapters 5 and 6 focus on the challenges of managing and supporting teams. The final chapter, Chapter 7, addresses the strategies needed to manage, organise, access and use information from both internal and external sources. Throughout the text scenarios are used to demonstrate how management practices can be applied to the workplace. The scenarios also offer learners an opportunity to review information and critically reflect upon their own personal attitudes and beliefs. At the end of each chapter, exercises titled Think About, Discussion and Activities can be used as part of group or individual assessment.