Making the KU Difference
For staff
Christine Morandini
Education Support Manager, KU Central Office
Chris achieved 10 years employment with KU this year
and continued her celebrations when she received the
KU Difference Award for staff.
Chris is a warm and engaging person who has a
positive and respectful manner when helping staff
to deal with difficult situations. She makes staff feel
comfortable and encourages families to continue to
support their child’s learning needs.
Professional Learning
and Development
The KU Professional Learning and Development
Program supports staff in exploring their educational
practice and delivery of quality services. The program is
offered free of charge to KU staff and families. For the
first time, sessions were offered online in 2011 to help
improve accessibility.
During 2011 KU’s Professional Learning and Development
Program included a total of 193 professional development
sessions with 3,637 participants. These included:
Through her work with children with additional needs,
Chris always advocates for the rights of children and
assists staff to focus on the best outcomes for children and
their families. • 112 workshops : 1,852 participants
• 57 regional meetings and professional
development days : 1,595 participants
• 23 online sessions: 190 participants
As an experienced early childhood professional, Chris
is sensitive to individual children’s and families’
circumstances. She acknowledges the challenges that
lie ahead and works with both staff and families to
develop appropriate, inclusive, and achievable strategies. The KU Annual Seminar continued to grow, attracting
620 early childhood educators from both within KU
and the wider early childhood sector.
Chris is an excellent communicator which allows her
to develop strong relationships with the staff and to
help guide less confident staff in implementing the
agreed strategies. No situation is too difficult and
Chris is always readily available to support staff either
during her centre visits or over the phone.
Chris also supports the staff in their professional
development. She has conducted workshops, such as
Guiding Children’s Behaviour, on behalf of KU for
both KU and non-KU staff, and has also assisted in the
development of a number of KU training packages.
An employer of choice
100
Staff turnover
80
60
40
20
0
15.3 %
2009
10.65 %
2010
15.34 %
2011
KU continues to enjoy a
strong sector reputation
as an employer of choice.
In 2011 the increase in
staff turnover rate was
largely company driven
by the impact of changes
in centre numbers, the
redesign of the Permanent
Relief Staffing model and
the streamlining of
Central Office services.
116th Annual Report 2011
9