324Early childhood teachers—preschools

#### 324 Early childhood teachers—preschools 324 Early childhood teachers—preschools > > (1) This regulation applies in place of regulation 126 for preschools. > > > (2) (Repealed) > > > (3) On and after 1 January 2014— > > > > > (a) the first and second educators required to meet the educator to child ratio for preschool aged children in a government preschool (other than a prescribed preschool) must be early childhood teachers; and > > > > > (b) any other educators who are required to meet the educator to child ratio for preschool aged children in a government preschool (other than a prescribed preschool) must have, or be actively working towards, at least an approved certificate III level education and care qualification. > > > (4) On and after 1 January 2014— > > > > > (a) the first and third educators required to meet the educator to child ratio for preschool aged children in a prescribed preschool must be early childhood teachers; and > > > > > (b) any other educators who are required to meet the educator to child ratio for preschool aged children in a prescribed preschool must have, or be actively working towards, at least an approved certificate III level education and care qualification. > > > (4A) If an early childhood teacher is absent from a preschool because of a circumstance specified in subregulation (4C), the following persons may be taken for the purposes of this regulation to be an early childhood teacher during that absence— > > > > > (a) a person who holds an approved diploma level education and care qualification; > > > > > (b) a person who holds a qualification in primary teaching; > > > > > (c) a suitably qualified person. > > > (4B) To avoid doubt, subregulation (4A) does not apply in case of a period of leave exceeding 12 weeks. > > > (4C) For the purposes of subregulation (4A), the following circumstances are specified— > > > > > (a) short-term illness; > > > > > (b) the early childhood teacher’s resignation; > > > > > (c) a practicum placement required to be undertaken by the early childhood teacher for an approved education and care qualification; > > > > > (d) leave. > > > (5) In this regulation— > > > > prescribed preschool means— > > > > > (a) a preschool provided by a school on the site of a school; or > > > > > (b) a rural preschool; or > > > > > (c) a preschool with fewer than 16 children. > > **Reg 324:** Am 2013 (417), reg 35; 2017 (543), reg 106; 2019 (631), reg 29; 2023 (165), reg 19.