About the Awards

The Australian Family Child Care Awards will publicly recognise Australia’s child care workers and celebrate those who have made the most outstanding contribution to children, the community and to individual families.

The Awards also provide a great way for families to say “thanks” to the special child carers in their life.

Awards nominations are open from 16 October 2009 to 12 March 2010. Please nominate the child care worker, director, scheme coordinator or children's service that has made a difference to your life - they could win a prestigious award and you could win $500 of Fisher-Price toys!

Who can Nominate?

Anyone over the age of 18 can nominate any Australian child care worker, children's services director or coordinator or a children's service for an Award.

Eligibility

All Australian children's service workers are eligible to be nominated for an Individual Award. All approved Australian child care providers are eligible to be nominated for a Team Award. This includes long day care centres, family day care schemes, occasional care centres, creches, kindergartens, preschools and outside school hours care.

Australian children's service workers aged 23 years and under as at 30.04.10 are eligible to be nominated for the Rising Star Award.

Categories

Fisher-Price Australian Child Care Worker of the Year
5 finalists will be selected (one per state group of QLD, NSW/ACT, VIC/TAS, SA/NT and WA). The national winner will be selected from amongst the 5 finalists.

Australian Scholarships Group Australian Child Care Director of the Year
5 finalists will be selected (one per state group of QLD, NSW/ACT, VIC/TAS, SA/NT and WA). The national winner will be selected from amongst the 5 finalists.

Claratyne Australian Children's Service of the Year
5 finalists will be selected (one per state group of QLD, NSW/ACT, VIC/TAS, SA/NT and WA). The national winner will be selected from amongst the 5 finalists.

Educational Experience Rising Star Award
One National Winner will be selected from amongst all nominations in this category.

How to Nominate

• Nominations open on 16 October 2009 and close at 5pm 12 March 2010.
• To nominate online click here
• Alternatively, you can download the appropriate nomination form from the following options:
  • Child Care Worker of the Year (PDF)
  • Child Care Director/Scheme Coordinator of the Year (PDF)
  • Rising Star Award (PDF)
  • Children's Service of the Year (PDF)
  
  and return the completed form to:

Email: nominations@childcareawards.com.au
Mail: Australian Family Child Care Awards,
PO Box 3087, Auburn, Vic, 3123
Fax: (03) 9819 6733

• Nominations will only be accepted on the official Nomination Form (or a photocopy of it).

How will Winners be Selected?

After the nomination closing date, nominees will be shortlisted based on the written submissions forwarded with each nomination.

Each shortlisted nominee will be asked to make a written submission; judges will select State Winners in each category (except the Rising Star category) based on these written submissions. The National Winners will then be determined following a personal interview between each state winner and the judges. In the Rising Star category, judges will select the National Winner based on the written submissions of each shortlisted nominee in this category. The judging panel will be made up of representatives of the Awards partners along with other childhood and family experts.

The Prizes

Every child care worker, director/coordinator and service nominated for an Award will receive a special certificate acknowledging the outstanding work they perform in child care and the special place that they hold in the hearts of the children they care for and their families.

All State Winners will receive a range of Fisher-Price toys for their children's service, prizes from Educational Experience and will enjoy the Awards celebration in Sydney, including the Awards event, flights and 2 nights accommodation, and be treated to a special pamper package.

In addition to the above, the four National Winners will receive industry training valued at $4,000 each, a $1000 travel voucher, a crystal trophy, and be well rewarded for their outstanding contribution to the child care industry.

Nominator Prize

Everybody who nominates a child care worker, director/coordinator or service has the chance to win one of two major prizes each consisting of $500 of fantastic Fisher-Price toys! There is also $200 of Fisher-Price toys for the runner up! Entries for the Nominator Prize will be judged based on the most interesting and creative submission to the last question on the nomination form.

The Nominators' Competition has now been judged; see the list of winners.

For full conditions click here.