Consider a mixed age group containing nine (9) children aged over 36 months to preschool, and nineteen (19) children over preschool. What is the minimum number of educators required to supervise this group safely and legally? Answer using Queensland educator-child ratios and explain how many children each educator supervises.

To determine the minimum number of educators required to supervise the mixed age group of children safely and legally, we need to refer to the educator-child ratios specified for Queensland.

1. Children aged over 36 months to preschool:

   • The ratio for children aged over 36 months to preschool is 1 educator to 11 children.

2. Children over preschool age:

   • The ratio for children over preschool age is 1 educator to 15 children.

Now, let's calculate the number of educators required for each group:

1. For the 9 children aged over 36 months to preschool:

   • According to the ratio (1:11), one educator can supervise up to 11 children.
   • Since there are only 9 children in this age group, 1 educator is sufficient.

2. For the 19 children over preschool age:

   • According to the ratio (1:15), one educator can supervise up to 15 children.
   • Since there are 19 children in this age group, we need to divide the number of children by the ratio:
     • 19 children ÷ 15 children per educator = 1.27 educators.
   • Since we cannot have a fraction of an educator, we round up to the next whole number, which means 2 educators are required.

Finally, we add the number of educators required for each group:

• 1 educator for the 9 children aged over 36 months to preschool.
• 2 educators for the 19 children over preschool age.

Therefore, the minimum number of educators required to supervise this group safely and legally is:

1 + 2 = 3 educators.