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Education and Care Services National Regulations
272Early childhood teachers—children preschool age or under
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#### 272 Early childhood teachers—children preschool age or under
272 Early childhood teachers—children preschool age or under
> > (1) This regulation applies in place of regulations 132 to 135 in relation to a centre-based service that educates and cares for 25 or more children preschool age or under.
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> > (1A) If a centre-based service is educating and caring for 25 to 29 children preschool age or under on a given day, one early childhood teacher must be in attendance—
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> > > (a) for at least 6 hours on that day, if the service operates for 50 or more hours a week; or
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> > > (b) for 60 per cent of the operating hours of the service on that day, if the service operates for less than 50 hours a week.
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> > (2) One early childhood teacher must be in attendance at all times that a centre-based service is educating and caring for 30 to 39 children preschool age or under.
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> > (3) Two early childhood teachers must be in attendance at all times that a centre-based service is educating and caring for 40 to 59 children preschool age or under.
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> > (4) Three early childhood teachers must be in attendance at all times that a centre-based service is educating and caring for 60 to 79 children preschool age or under.
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> > (5) Four early childhood teachers must be in attendance at all times that a centre-based service is educating and caring for 80 or more children preschool age or under.
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> > (6) If an early childhood teacher is absent from a centre-based service because of short-term illness, leave or the early childhood teacher’s resignation, the following persons may be taken for the purposes of this regulation to be an early childhood teacher during that absence—
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> > > (a) a person who holds an approved diploma level education and care qualification;
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> > > (b) a person who holds a qualification in primary teaching.
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> > (7) An early childhood teacher required to be in attendance under this regulation may be replaced in accordance with subregulation (6) for a maximum of 60 days in any 12 month period.
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> > (8) For the purposes of subregulation (7), in relation to a part-time early childhood teacher, 60 days is to be calculated on a pro rata basis.
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> > (9) The approved provider of a centre-based service must keep a record of an early childhood teacher who is replaced in accordance with subregulation (6) that includes the following information—
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> > > (a) the full name of the early childhood teacher;
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> > > (b) the qualification of the person who replaced the early childhood teacher;
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> > > (c) the dates on which the early childhood teacher was replaced;
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> > > (d) the reason for the early childhood teacher’s absence.
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> **Reg 272:** Am 2014 (260), reg 38; 2019 (631), reg 22; 2023 (165), reg 18.