Registering Early Childhood Teachers Information seminars MAY/JUNE 2015

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 Welcome to the profession Why do early childhood teachers need to be registered? Recognition as teaching professionals Support for early childhood teachers new to the profession Provides protection to the public and the profession Reduction of the regulatory burden

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 Welcome to the profession What benefits does registration provide for early childhood teachers? Recognition as a teaching professional who is: Qualified Suitable to teach (including a clear criminal record) Maintains current practice

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 Information session: program 1.The Victorian Institute of Teaching – what does it do? 2.What does the register look like? 3.Who is eligible for registration? 4.Who has to be registered? 5.What are the requirements to register? 6.Timeline 7.Other information 8.Questions

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 What is the Institute? Regulates the Victorian teaching profession in the public interest Independent government statutory authority Reports to the Victorian Parliament through the Minister for Education Self-funded

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 Governance structure Council of the Institute of Teaching 12 members with relevant skills, experience and qualifications  11 appointed by the Governor in Council from which the Minister nominates a Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson  A nominee of the Secretary of the DET Majority registered teachers and the Chairperson must be a registered teacher

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 What does the Institute do? Regulates the profession by: Registering teachers (and from 30 September, early childhood teachers) in Victoria Establishing and maintaining standards of professional practice and a professional learning framework Developing codes of ethics and conduct Investigating the conduct, competence and fitness to teach of registered teachers Approving initial teacher education programs (except for early childhood teachers)

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 What the Institute isn’t An employer of teachers or employer authority An assessor/accreditor of early childhood education and care services A member organisation A professional development provider or industrial organisation for teachers

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 The teacher register VICTORIAN INSTITUTE OF TEACHING REGISTER EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER DIVISION (Confined to employment in EC services) ACECQA approved qualification: 3 year ECT qualification 4 year ECT qual 4 year ECT/Primary qual Postgraduate ECT qualification Postgraduate ECT/Primary qualification TEACHER DIVISION (School teaching) LIMITED AUTHORITY TO TEACH DIVISION (school teaching) Provisionally registered early childhood teacher Registered early childhood teacher Non-practising early childhood teacher Provisionally registered teacher Registered teacher Non- practising teacher Permission to Teach (up to 3 years) DE&T – Secretary’s temporary approval to work as an EC teacher REGISTRATION IN TWO DIVISIONS - EC teachers with qualifications recognised in both the EC teacher and teacher divisions of the register

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 Registering early childhood teachers Who is eligible for registration? Any person with: an approved early childhood teaching qualification; who is suitable to teach; and pays the required fees.

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 Registering early childhood teachers What is an approved early childhood teaching qualification? An early childhood teacher qualification approved or recognised by ACECQA Assessed as equivalent to an ACECQA approved ECT qualification The qualifications checker on the ACECQA website guides you through a series of questions to determine if you are qualified.qualifications checker It also identifies the evidence required to demonstrate you are qualified.

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 Registering early childhood teachers Who needs to be registered? All qualified early childhood teachers who are employed or engaged in the role of an early childhood teacher in a Victorian education and care service or children’s service.

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 Transitional arrangements What are the transitional arrangements? The arrangements made to bring current early childhood teachers onto the Teacher Register with the minimum requirements What does this mean? Payment of annual registration fee only (no application or national police history check fees for first registration) Early childhood registration (no provisional registration period) No English language competence requirements

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 Transitional arrangements Who’s eligible for the transitional arrangements? Qualified early childhood teachers employed or engaged in the role of an early childhood teacher for at least one day in the previous 2 years (1 Oct 2013 – 30 Sept 2015) Required evidence: Statement of service from an EC service or other workplace Letter of engagement on letterhead (see a sample in our FAQs) Other evidence (not a statutory declaration)

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 Registering early childhood teachers When do teachers have to be registered? From 30 September 2015 all people working in the role of an early childhood teacher in a Victorian: early childhood education and care service, or children’s centre, or school... … must be registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching.

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 Registering early childhood teachers Application process 1.Establishment of individual teacher portal 2.Completion of online application for ECT registration Transitional provisions (EC teaching experience) Usual process 3.Payment of fees (annual fee only for current EC teachers) 4.Submission of certified documents Not available until July 2015

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 Registering early childhood teachers Required documents and information: Evidence of early childhood teaching experience (transitional arrangements) Evidence of ACECQA approved/equivalent qualification (evidence of completion of a qualification and/or evidence as described by the ACECQA qualifications checker) Proof of Identity – category 1 (passport, birth certificate etc) category 2 (drivers licence, student card etc) evidence of any name changes residential addresses in the previous 5 years Credit or debit card details

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 Further documentation that may be required Evidence of English language competence (not required if registering under the transitional arrangements) An overseas police history check If you have resided in any country other than Australia for a continuous period of 12 months or more within the last 10 years, and were 18 years of age or older at that time, you must provide certified copies of the original criminal record checks from each country in which you resided. Note: If you have been granted Australian permanent residency or citizenship since living overseas, you will not be required to provide an overseas criminal record check.

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 Registering early childhood teachers KEY DATES – EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER REGISTRATION WhenWhat July 2015 Invitation to currently employed or engaged EC teachers to apply for registration New EC graduates can apply for registration 30 September 2015 Registered EC teachers ‘live’ on the Teacher Register 1 October 2015 Commencement of registration period for EC teachers 31 March 2016 Last day teachers can register under transitional provisions 30 September 2016 First renewal of registration for EC teachers

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 Registration cards Colours will define the registration type A teacher may hold one or two registration cards in separate divisions of the Teacher Register Registration cards issued for the following registration categories: School teacherEarly childhood teacher Registered teacher Registered early childhood teacher Provisionally registered teacher Provisionally registered early childhood teacher Non-practising Non-practising early childhood Permission to teach

Council presentationJune 2013 The registration ‘cycle’ for early childhood teachers 21 An early childhood teaching qualification approved or recognised by ACECQA Provisional registration Provisional Registration Full Registration Renewed regularly (annual process) The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers underpin all registration requirements Meets Graduate Teacher Standards Meets Proficient Teacher Standards Maintains Proficient Teacher Standards

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 What happens after I’m registered? To maintain your registration, you will need to renew it on an annual basis. This is an online process where you confirm that you have met standards of professional practice and continue to be suitable to teach. Maintenance of professional practice: 20 days teaching, educational leadership or equivalent practice 20 hours of standards referenced professional development activities that update knowledge about pedagogy, content and/or practice And continued suitability to be a teacher A current and satisfactory National Police History Check Declarations about any charges, findings of guilt or convictions for indictable offences

Early Childhood Teacher RegistrationSeptember 2014 Registering early childhood teachers Need to know more? For information via a monthly circular subscribe to the circular via the Institute’s website: Further information about early childhood teacher registration (including FAQs) is on the Institute’s website.

Victorian Institute of Teaching Level 9, 628 Bourke Street, Melbourne Victoria 3000 PO Box 531 Collins Street West, Victoria 8007