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Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) providesplay, leisure, care and education for significant numbers of Australian children. As government has become increasingly involved in the regulation of OSHC, the sector has become increasingly professionalised. OSHC practitioners are active participants in quality improvementprocesses and increasingly likely to have qualifications. Despite its growing social importance, there is little research about the OSHC workforce. This article draws on aresearch project conducted with OSHC practitioners who participated in aprofessional development program that introduced aset of professional standards for practitioners. The research investigated how participants engaged with the standards after completion of the program and demonstratedthat uptake of the professional standards was complicated by workplace and sector hierarchies. Participants were less likely to use the standardsfor service leaders and short-term,casualised workers. These hierarchies formed in complex ways around dominant discourses that underestimate care and leisure work and positionOSHC as asecondary consideration for school management. The findings in this research have important implications for the sustainability of the OSHC workforce, how it is perceived and how it engages with professional development programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the issue of professionalism in the field of extended education. It highlights that staff working in extended education settings often come from various disciplines and may not have specific training for their roles. The article emphasizes the importance of professionalism in providing high-quality programs for children and youth. It proposes five domains of professionalism for extended education staff: reflectivity and discourse, professional awareness, collaboration and collegiality, diversity management, and personal mastery. The article calls for continued discourse, program development, and measures to promote professional development in the extended education sector. [Extracted from the article]

Economic, health and social issues associated with the ageing population and the disconnect between the generations call for novel approaches to care services. Intergenerational programs are known to enhance engagement between generations, improve health and well‐being and create a stronger sense of community. While the health and social benefits are well documented, little attention has been given to the operational aspects of intergenerational programs within care facilities. This paper describes the research protocol used to develop, implement and evaluate an intergenerational learning program for preschool‐aged children and older people attending care services. The research focuses on five key areas: (a) impact on older people and children; (b) intergenerational learning; (c) workforce development; (d) socio‐economic implications and costs; and (e) program fidelity and sustainability. Findings from this research are expected to contribute to building age‐friendly communities through the development of practical operational guidelines for intergenerational learning programs to be implemented more broadly across Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the benefits of intergenerational learning. Topics include indicate the value of intergenerational care programs which act as an alternative model of care in Australia; its usage among quality childcare, older people, and cognitive impaired people; and improvement children's attitudes towards ageing and perceptions about older people.

• Professionalism of Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) Workforce. • Professional Standards for OSHC educators. • Evaluation of professional development using Guskey (2016). • Time and finances of OSHC services impacted on the intent of the professional development. The Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) sector is the fastest growing child care sector in Australia. It is staffed by a workforce that is an eclectic mixture of disciplines. In policy and public perception the workforce has been often linked inappropriately to the workforce of very young children. Queensland Children's Activities Network (QCAN) developed a set of professional standards (The Standards) for educators working in OSHC. The Standards reflect and build on national and international evidence that an educator's effectiveness has a powerful impact on children's development and wellbeing. The Standards were introduced to the OSHC sector with a professional development program. A five level model of evaluation (Guskey, 2016) is being used to provide a systemic evaluation of the professional learning associated with the Standards. This paper discusses some of the findings associated with the levels one and two of the evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]