Some members of the Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) NSW have been raising concerns about the mass-scale distribution of the NSW Department of Education's star rating, regardless of whether services have had an Assessment and Rating since 1 July 2020 or not.
And members would previously be aware that ACA NSW does not support NSW's star rating because fundamentally it devalues the understanding of services' quality by its attempt to simplify it to symbols of stars similar to white goods (eg refrigerators, microwaves, dishwashers).
During the first half of 2020, ACA NSW had already confirmed that NSW's star rating cannot be legally imposed on early childhood education and care (ECEC) service providers. And the NSW Department of Education to date has continued not to contest against ACA NSW's legal advice.
And the NSW Department of Education, nor its Authorised Officers, cannot force services to display the star rating given the star rating is not referred to in the National Law or the National Regulations.
That said, in the face of COVID-19 and childcare oversupply, and hence lower attendances, it is understandable for services to adopt the star rating for marketing purposes (ie to attract new parents in the midst of competition). That would be a commercial decision made by the service.
However, for others who DO NOT want to display the star rating, but are still obligated to comply with Regulation 173, the legal alternate template is available via the ACA NSW Members' section upon login with your username and password.
ACA NSW can also offer a certified version at no cost to members. This will include a printed version with a unique certified sticker that are then mailed to members upon receiving a copy of the issued ratings from the NSW Department of Education.
Services who are not members of ACA NSW can also receive via mail their printed version and a certified sticker upon receiving a copy of the issued ratings from the NSW Department of Education at a cost of $50 inc GST.
For any further information/clarification, please contact ACA NSW via 1300 556 330 or nsw@childcarealliance.org.au.
PUBLISHED: 15 DECEMBER 2020