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Support resources for the Digital Hub

The following resources have been developed to help early childhood education and care (ECEC) services assess their needs, and plan for the Digital Hub and adopting a child care management software (CCMS) system adoption.

How adopting a childcare management system has helped our preschool

The department spoke with 3 preschools about their experiences adopting a childcare management software (CCMS) system.

The stories and steps we share can help guide you when choosing a CCMS.

  • Improved relationships with families
  • Better data, especially during emergency situations
  • Launched during the start of term

For Tom Devlin, CEO of the Inverell Group of Preschools, implementing a CCMS translated to better relationships with his families. In addition to benefits such as rich, sharable data, Tom said he understood that introducing a CCMS for his services was something he was required to do to support the data collection component of the department’s broader Digital Hub system. Tom said the start of term was an opportune time for his preschool to introduce the new digital process to families.

“For us it was about being able to have more live, easily accessible, and relevant data about our services and who is in attendance at any time – particularly off the back of recent natural disasters and events like that. It’s definitely about being able to communicate more effectively, and having more up-to-date and live information about who was in our services.”

“We basically said at the end of the year, ‘next year we’re going to be starting on this platform’. We coincided it with the reenrolment period for our families. You’ve just got to call it and go with it. So we used the reenrolment period to say, ‘You’ll receive your enrolment form electronically now’, and ‘when you resume next year it will provide these benefits’.”

“I think sometimes it’s perceived that these things as frightening, purely because they’re different. Just because you’re adding in something doesn’t mean you need to then stop doing all the things you were doing … keep going along and add different things in.”

  • No added cost to switch to a more suitable CCMS
  • Parents loved the extra data types and convenience
  • Simple transition to new CCMS

For Carley Jones, Director of Warialda Preschool, in the state’s north-west, the benefits of a CCMS for her service were immediately apparent. Carley said it took roughly 2 months for her preschool to get up to speed and have their CCMS ready to go. It was a relatively simple and cost-effective transition as they switched CCMS providers at no extra fee and spent minimally on hardware.

“Most families were really impressed with how easy it was ... and just love seeing their documentation at their fingertips, lying in bed, scrolling through and seeing what their child did that day. Families have just literally clicked on this link [on their phones] and now they’re on our waiting list. Already, all my enrolments are coming in. I had a few parents where I sent the email out to say, ‘enrolments are open’, and they did it within the first 10 minutes.”

“We did purchase a couple of tablets, one for the kiosk where everyone signs in, and another for the educators to use. My staff don’t carry a tablet with them while they’re on the floor because we feel that it takes away from the children. So, we didn’t go out and buy 10 tablets for everybody.”

  • Census auditor was “really impressed”
  • Alerts about medication being administered
  • More privacy around child data

For Lee Moras at Elizabeth Chifley Preschool in Bathurst, going digital means she now spends a third of the time she previously did capturing attendance and enrolment data. It’s also made the census data process easy and Lee says her last auditor was “really impressed.” The CCMS implementation process has brought a range of benefits to Elizabeth Chifley Preschool, including alerts to parents about medication being administered and greater confidentiality because sign-in sheets with personal details are no longer on display. With all of these new positive changes, Lee certainly hasn’t lost track of her priorities.

“Technology comes second to the children, and we’re not going to forget that,” Lee said. “It’s complementing our operations, but it’s not taking over from what we do with our children.”

“We definitely won’t change back to our old ways ... We’ve got to move with the times ... [we’ve] also got to be flexible with families and their individual needs.”

How to adopt a child care management system in 6 steps

  • Research online.  
  • Ask other local services about their experiences with software.  
  • Speak to your peak body about software options. 
  • It is important that services purchase a cloud-hosted CCMS which is hosted in Australia and integrates – or will integrate – with the ECEC Digital Hub. When deciding on the right CCMS for your service, we recommend you check with potential software providers of their intention to engage with the NSW Department of Education and integrate their software with the Digital Hub.

  • Ask, ‘What steps do we need to take to adopt a software?’ 
  • Assign tasks to your team.  
  • Draw up a timetable to track key activities.  
  • Ask your community about their needs.

  • Contact your preferred CCMS provider/s.  
  • Ask for a demonstration.  
  • Share the CCMS technology selection guide (PDF 248 KB) with them.
  • Discuss your needs and what they can provide.  
  • It is important that services purchase a cloud-hosted CCMS which is hosted in Australia and integrates – or will integrate – with the ECEC Digital Hub. When deciding on the right CCMS for your service, we recommend you check with potential software providers of their intention to engage with the NSW Department of Education and integrate their software with the Digital Hub.
  • Compare the costs.  

  • Pick a CCMS, proceed with their training and set up. 

  • Phone the Digital Hub technology helpline on 1300 412 367 or email the Digital Hub via digitalhub@det.nsw.edu.au to tell the department which CCMS you selected.
  • Communicate with parents/carers and your community, if needed.  

Category:

  • Early childhood education

Business Unit:

  • Early Childhood Outcomes
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