Pipitea Childcare Centre

Pipitea Childcare Centre is a non-profit parents co-operative.  The choice of organisation structure reflects the philosophy of the centre, that we: 

• Are an inclusive early childhood setting in a caring learning community, in which every child is accepted and valued.

• Encourage and value the input of families.

• Provide a safe and welcoming environment, where parents, children and staff feel comfortable about participating in the programme.

• Promote an atmosphere respectful of ourselves, other people and their opinions, belongings, and the wider environment.

• Acknowledge that children are capable learners.

• Work to provide an emergent curriculum whereby the children set the programme for learning at their own pace and according to their own interests.

• Strive for quality.  This is reflected in our practice, by which we provide a stimulating environment for children, enhanced by teachers who value and are supported in professional development.

Given the value Pipitea puts on parental involvement, the Management Committee has an important role to play.  The precise role and powers of the Committee are defined in the Constitution.  Here we provide a high level overview of how the Committee operates. 

Role of the Committee

The Management Committee undertakes the Governance of the centre.  The role of the Committee members is to represent the interests of the centre, rather than their own individual interests.  The main functions of the Committee are:

• To set the centre philosophy, direction and priorities over the next 3-5 years;
• To set the centre budget;
• To ensure that there are processes for regulatory and legal compliance;
• To set plans for managing the centres assets;
• To set the policies to guide the centres operations;
• To monitor the centres operations;
• To create a culture for success and continual improvement.

The role of Governance is distinct from the day-to-day operations of the centre, which are the responsibility of the staff management team.  The staff management team set plans and processes consistent with the broad priorities set by the Committee.  Relationships with the staff are maintained by the management team.  In practice the Committee works closely with Viv, Tenaya and Elisabeth to ensure strategic decisions make sense on the ground. 

Over recent years the majority of Committee time has been taken up with advancing improvements of the physical environment, reviewing policies which guide the operation of the centre and ensuring that staffing, revenue and salary policies comply with ever changing Government regulation.

Membership and Structure of the Committee

All parents with children at Pipitea are welcome to join the Management Committee.  We are fortunate to have a wealth of expertise in the parent body which allows parents to make valuable contributions to improving the operation of the centre.  The reality is that there is a lot of work for the Committee to undertake, and hence the more parents the better! 

The Committee comprises a number of distinct roles.  The Constitution requires that the Committee consist of a Convenor, Treasurer and Secretary.  Further roles are created as needed. 

Convenor: Under the Constitution the convenor is the Licensee of the centre, is responsible for chairing and organising meetings and acts as spokes person for the Committee.  In practice, the convenor also liaises with Viv on on-going management tasks, provides input into staffing policies and ensures appropriate planning processes are followed.   

Treasurer: The Treasurer is required to set the annual budget and ensure that appropriate financial reporting procedures are followed, including the preparation of audited annual financial statements.  The treasurer provides monthly financial reports to the Committee.   

Secretary: The Secretary is responsible for maintaining documentation such as the minutes of the meeting.   

Policy co-ordinator: The role of the policy co-ordinator is to prioritise policies for review and keep the policy process ticking along. 

Fundraising co-ordinator: The role involves scoping out fundraising proposals to recommend to the Committee. 

Asset management: This is a new role involving performing the health and safety check and formulating an asset management plan to help the Committee prioritise capital expenditure and set fees. 

In addition the Committee often establishes sub-committees when there are matters which require an intense period of work, such as during building renovations.

Committee Processes

The Committee meets through monthly Committee meetings, held at 6pm on the last Tuesday of the month.  All parents are welcome to attend Committee Meetings.   An agenda prepared before the meeting sets out the topics for discussion.  At the meeting Viv presents a management report, informing the Committee of operational matters which have arisen during the month.  The Treasurer also presents a financial report, keeping track of the finances.  Meeting minutes are stapled to the wall in the hall way so that parents are able to keep up to date with Committee business.   

The Committee also endeavour to communicate with parents through 6-monthly newsletters and emails when important issues arise. 

Once a year, around June, an Annual General Meeting is held.  The purpose of this meeting is to report to the wider parent body on Committee business over the year and priorities for the next year, elect new members and to allow parents to Vote on any significant issues. 

Our main planning documents are The Strategic and Management Plan and the Annual Budget.  The Strategic and Management Plan sets out the priorities of the centre over the coming 3-5 years.  The plan articulates centre priorities in the following areas staffing, curriculum, policies, asset management and financial.  The Annual Budget is set in light of these priorities.  As recommended by the ERO, we are also commencing to prepare more detailed annual plans to be presented at the AGM.