Educational leader job description

Educational leaders must hold at minimum a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care. However, many services prefer or require a Bachelor degree in Early Childhood Education. The educational leader must also have significant experience in programming and documentation, typically at least 3 years in early childhood settings, along with a current Working with Children Check and First Aid/CPR certification.

While not always required, having certified supervisor status is beneficial as educational leader roles are often combined with room leader or other senior positions that require supervisor certification. Check your state/territory regulatory authority requirements for specific certification needs.

Educational leaders typically need minimum 3 years experience in early childhood education with demonstrated expertise in curriculum planning, programming and documentation. Experience mentoring other educators and leading professional development is highly valued. Strong understanding of the EYLF/MTOP frameworks is essential.

All educational leaders require a Working with Children Check (WWCC) or equivalent clearance, a National Police Check, and current First Aid, CPR, asthma and anaphylaxis training. These are standard regulatory requirements for all educators working in early childhood settings.

Educational leader responsibilities can be allocated to a full-time, part-time or casual senior educator. Many services designate an existing room leader or senior educator as the educational leader with allocated non-contact time for leadership duties. See our guide on casual vs permanent employment trends and simplify employee management with HR software.

While the NQS doesn’t specify exact hours, services should provide sufficient non-contact time for educational leaders to fulfill their responsibilities including mentoring, documentation review, program development and professional learning facilitation. Many services allocate 4-8 hours per week depending on service size.

Yes, the educational leader role can be shared between two or more suitably qualified educators. However, clear role definition, communication processes and coordination are essential to ensure consistency in curriculum leadership across the service.

Key elements include: position title and classification level, employment type, hourly rate, applicable award, reporting structure, educational leadership responsibilities, allocated non-contact time, room/group allocation if combined with floor role, and professional development expectations. Use our digital employment contracts to simplify this process.

Schedule dedicated non-contact periods when the educational leader is free from direct care responsibilities. Consider rostering during children’s rest time, at the beginning/end of the day, or on a designated day each week. Use rostering software to clearly mark non-contact time and ensure adequate floor coverage.

Educational leaders only count toward educator-to-child ratios when they are working directly with children. During allocated non-contact time for leadership duties (mentoring, documentation review, program planning), they do not count toward ratios, so additional educators must be rostered to maintain compliance.

Under the Children’s Services Award 2010, employees working more than 5 hours are entitled to an unpaid meal break, plus paid rest breaks based on shift length. Educational leaders receive the same break entitlements as other educators. Use rostering tools to manage breaks effectively.

Create rosters that clearly distinguish between floor time and leadership time. Consider rostering educational leaders in rooms during peak periods while protecting leadership time during quieter periods. Communicate the roster clearly to all staff so they understand when the educational leader is available for mentoring and support.