Child times Winter/Dry Season Edition 2014
Inside Quality Area 1 Educational Program and Practice
Australia
Critical Reflection – a process for strengthening early childhood programs.
Contents
From the CEO’s desk
2
Professional feature article
3
Showcasing quality
4
Sector news
5
In practice
6
Feature interview
8
CA’s service delivery
9
Events
11
Support/PD & resources
14
Q&A/comments & feedback
15
Calendar & contacts
16
Cover Photo: The beginning of a gardening project at Farrar ELC. Photograph by Zoe Davis
From the CEO’s desk Welcome to the winter edition of the Child Times which focuses on Educational Program and Practice, Quality Area 1 of the National Quality Framework. The educational program embodies every aspect of that provided to children in Education and Care settings and we hope the articles in this edition prove to be informative and inspiring. The biggest news for the ECEC sector is the establishment of the Long Day Care Professional Development Program (LDCPDP) by the Federal Government. The additional funding has been provided to meet the professional development needs of educator’s and makes an important contribution to the goal of delivering quality education and care for children. The funds will be available to Long Day Care services only, as mandated by legislation. From July 1st all Professional Support Coordinator programs (PSCs) will continue to provide Long Day Care services with professional development and training at full cost recovery.
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This will enable a shift in emphasis and activities of the PSC as we will have additional capacity to focus attention on providing subsidised support to other service types such as Family Day Care schemes and Out of Schools Hours Care services. That is, Professional Support Coordinator programs will augment its subsidised training and support to the Family Day Care and Out of School Hours Care services. Two upcoming events to put in your diaries; the first is Little People, Big Dreams, the 2014 NT conference being held on Saturday October 11th in Darwin. http://wired.ivvy.com/event/ ECECC/ The second event is the WA ECEC 2015 conference which we have entitled: One Voyage: Exploring Excellence in Early Childhood Education & Care Keep well, and enjoy this edition of the Child Times. Dawson Ruhl Chief Executive Officer
Australia
Professional feature article
Quality Area 1 Educational Program and Practice is for the Lockridge Campus one of the most exciting of the quality areas. The Lockridge community, in Perth’s north east, is rich in local culture and the cultures of families from all over the world. Children start at the Early Learning Centre, stay until school starts then go on to the Middle Childhood Centre (incl. Outside School Hours Care) till high school. If ‘curriculum’ is everything we do for a child, then Quality Area 1 is the place where we most get to express this. The language of the Quality Area is necessarily broad (as it has to cover all service types and setting). We found here at Lockridge that we wanted more guidance to bridge from the Quality Area to what we do in the rooms for each child each day. To do this we wrote a Guidebook which acts as a map for us from those broad requirements of our profession to what we need in our rooms each day and across the Centre. This way each child’s
learning continues from the nursery to the Outside School Hours Care in a seamless way. The challenge of writing the Guidebook was, surprisingly, quite easy. We met and talked about what we needed to have and how that would look in rooms. We kept testing the answers to our questions with three key questions:
‘What outcome will that have for children?‘ ‘Is it practical in a busy room? ‘ ‘Will it speak to parents and families? ‘ The Guidebook drew together all of the Educators as each had come from a different qualification or course , in fact when we explored the idea of background knowledge we were surprised at how different each of our qualifications were even if they had the same name! The Guidebook also provided every educator and the Educational Leaders with common ground and with that came confidence on exactly
how we were going to practice and what was required of them and parents who have siblings in different rooms expressed confidence as well. The Guidebook covers what we need to know, giving accurate and easy to find references we have decided are the most practical and then what we need to do stage by stage. At the Lockridge Campus we are lucky to have a consultant pedagogue, Lynn Whiteside to guide and contribute to our curriculum directions. As we have been working with the Guidebook for a while now we decided to have it reviewed by Lynn. This is to make sure we remain true to the professional practice requirements and since we are now more experienced, that the Guidebook can reflect our new knowledge and experience. We are looking forward to that review being completed soon.
By Doreen Blyth, Director Lockridge Campus Early Years, Middle Years and Parent Support 3
Showcasing quality
QA 1: Educational Program and Practice – How our Program and Documentation meets the Quality Standard By Bubbles Toft
According to the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (2014), Quality Area 1 – Educational Program and Practice – is the main area that school aged care services are rated as “not meeting” not only in the Top End but also throughout Australia.
individual children in our care which is achieved by ensuring all children, families and educators have input into the program. The gathering of information is documented through various methods such as children’s meetings, ‘Your Voice’ books and weekly evaluations.
Bubbles Toft, director of Sacred Heart Outside School Hours Care in Palmerston, Northern Territory, shares how they use the My Time, Our Place Framework to guide their curriculum decision making and how their documentation is more often done by the children, rather than for the children. Everything we do has an educational goal and supports the principals, practices and outcomes of the framework for school aged care. Our curriculum reflects the needs, knowledge, ideas, cultures, abilities and interests of all the
From this information our program is developed and the educators’ intentional teaching is added to further extend or scaffold the children’s learning and leisure. The children are encouraged to express themselves and feel that this is their second home where they have ownership and input into the curriculum. How each child relates to the program they have created varies on the individuals and they have the ability to change it whenever needed. For example, if there is something they do not like or want changed they will write or draw over the program with the changes that need to be made. Giving the children the opportunities to just be a child and having educators ‘seize a moment’ is a great educational tool.
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Child Australia has been the principal provider of professional development to long day care services in Western Australia and the Northern Territory since 2006. We have extensive experience in delivering quality professional development that supports LDC services to provide high quality education and care, implement the EYLF and meet the requirements of the National Quality Standard.
Child Australia is broadening its support to the Education and Care sector by developing its capacity to offer accredited training. The first milestone in this endeavour is the establishment of a partnership with Group Training Northern Territory (GTNT).
Sector news
LONG DAY CARE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
P rof es sio na l De ve lop me nt
Make the most of your LDCPDP funding.
Accredited Training for the Sector, by the Sector
GTNT is a not for profit company that started in 1989 and has grown to be the largest employer of apprentices and trainees in the Northern Territory. The partnership means that Child Australia can qualifies for LDCPDP funding. provide nationally recognised accreditation for Why invin Australia. All Child Australia PD and Support Whatever support yourqualifies service requires, in whatever format training delivered anywhere est i
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for LDCPDP funding. suits your team; Child Australia’s qualified and experienced Whatever support your service requires, in education and care professionals have a package to suit. ce e whatever format suits your team; Child Australia’s Fa o vic e t r e in qualified and experienced education and care Se nl ac n I F O professionals have a package to suit suPPort PaCkages e
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SUPPORT PACKAGES Assessment, Quality Improvement Plan Review, Intensive Workforce Development Planning, Post Assessment Action, Quality Health Check Up Supported Self Assessment, Quality Improvement Plan Review, Intensive Post AssessmentaCCreDiteD Action, Quality training Health Check Up Includes Certificate III and Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care
ACCREDITED TRAINING Includes Certificate III and Diploma in ProfessionaL Early Childhood Education and Care DeveLoPment
A range of workshops to support services and individuals
the implementation of the NQS and EYLF PROFESSIONALwith DEVELOPMENT A range of workshops to support services and individuals with the ProfessionaL DeveLoPment CustomiseD implementation of the NQS and EYLF Tailored to suit the specific needs of your service
CUSTOMISED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Tailored to suit the specific needs of your service
Why inve st in Professio na Developm l ent? As w
ell as be ing requ ired und National er the Quality S tandard, in profess investing ional dev elopmen enables t staff to m aintain an improve d their pro fe ss ional compete nce by ke eping ab of best p reast ractice, n ew theory regulato and ry requir ements. qualified Having and well tr ained sta promote ff s a stable workforc improves e, the quali ty of pra achieves ctice and better ou tcomes fo commun r our ity’s child ren.
To discuss your professional development needs pleasecall us on 1800 783 768 (WA) or 1800 138 662 (NT) www.childaustralia.org.au www.facebook.com/PSCWA www.facebook.com/PSCNT
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as being required Nationa under th l Quality e Standar in profe d, inves ssional ting develop enables ment staff to maintain improve and their pro fessiona compete l nce by k eeping a of best breast practice , new th regulato eory an ry requir d ements qualifie . Having d and w e ll trained promote staff s a stab le work improve force, s the qu ality of a hieve prato s Australia cticoffer In the future cChild plan better o e andthe utcome commu s for ou nityaccredited following nationally courses: ’s childr r en.
• Certificate III in Early Education and Care • Certificate IV in School Aged Care • Diploma of Education and Care • Advanced Diploma of Community Sector Management To discuss your professional
Watch this space andneeds join please development our Facebook page call us on 1800 783 768 (WA) for more information! or 1800 138 662 (NT)
www.childaustralia.org.au www.facebook.com/PSCWA Find Us on Facebook
Northern Territory
Western Australia
https://www.facebook.com/PSCNT https://www.facebook.com/PSCWA
30/05/2014 12:02 pm
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In practice
Critical Reflection – a process for strengthening early childhood programs. by Caroline Fewster, Early Childhood Education Consultant Quality Area 1: 1.2.3. Critical Reflection on children’s learning and development, both as individuals and in groups, is regularly used to implement the program. Critical Reflection involves closely examining all aspects of events and experiences from different perspectives. Educators often frame their reflective practice within a set of overarching questions, developing more specific questions for particular areas of enquiry (EYLF:13) (MTOP:12). There are three elements of the critical reflection process. The combination of these three elements are integral to the process: 1. Self-awareness – for educators, the ability to assess and justify the quality of practices within their settings is important to perpetuating the unique qualities of early childhood principles and practices. 2. The second step to effective critical reflection involves building relationships with other educators. Ongoing learning and reflective practice when it involves conversations with others rather than engaging with the process alone, so educators can share knowledge and experience, ideas and possibilities.
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3. Building knowledge – the opportunity to engage in critical reflection to construct new understandings and effective decisions about curriculum, practices, learning outcomes, principles and practices, as well as personal and professional ethics and consequently build their knowledge. When each of these steps are in place, educators can engage in critical reflection that will enhance the quality of their practice. Cartmel et al (2012:20).
A Critical Reflection Case Study Every day, educators gather evidence, judge and make decisions about philosophy and practice. Aspects of the program can be evaluated: relationships inclusivity of all children and families, the indoor/outdoor environment, grouping strategies, documentation, resources, educator interactions with children and families, as well as the overall program. This involves gathering evidence from a number of sources, organising the information and analysing the evidence to make judgements about the current situation and recommend future program directions.
We analyse the meaningfulness of something based on our values and understandings, current theory and research and make decisions about what we believe should happen next. The focus on meaningfulness in evaluation distinguishes itself from standardised measures of quality. (Dahlberg et al, 2007). In this case study, educators framed their critical reflection project from a meaningful evaluation of how children’s learning is valued and displayed in the service.
A Meaningful Evaluation An educator asked some families to comment on a display of children’s learning on wall. One parent remarked that her child’s learning had not been featured in any display during the year. The educator talked about the situation with other educators; this conversation led to valuable discussion about inclusive practice involving families, children’s learning, educator practices, displays, documentation of children’s learning and the NQF quality areas. The group of educators created a mind map to record their thoughts about displays of children’s learning. After a time, they all agreed that displays could be more meaningful. Their process of critical reflection involved children’s voices, family conversations and educators’ thoughts and ideas. After further reflections, some new ideas were implemented: • Each child has a box frame to display the work they choose to display • Educators now ensure all children have their learning highlighted within the environment • Displays of children’s learning have been broadened to include visual representations of children’s learning, construction exhibitions and a children’s display area. Educators included the elements of a critical reflection process.
SelfAwareness Educators purposefully investigated their practices in how they value and display children’s learning.
Building Relationships Educators, children and their families were included in the project to reach new understandings and consider multiple perspectives.
Building Knowledge Educators were provided with critical reading opportunities to extend reflection possibilities for future collaborative decisions.
This critical reflection project provided a catalyst for change and innovation to strengthen the program.
Educators consider that their practices in relation to valuing, displaying and documenting children’s learning are more closely linked to the values included in Service Philosophy. Children are selecting objects that are important to them to display in the children’s interests’ display area. The box frames continue to provide possibilities for displaying many kinds of learning experiences looking beyond the practice of just displaying paintings and drawings from some of the children in the Service. Involving families in our critical reflection conversations ensured that our program and practices continued to be responsive, collaborative and strong. Reflective practice is considered to be an essential technique for promoting improvement in areas that impact on a child’s develop0ment, wellbeing and learning and to provide families with quality information about their child’s learning experiences in children’s services. Critical Reflection – the deepest type of reflection and the one that really helps the professional learning of educators and, subsequently, improves practices in LDC, FDC and OSHC.
References Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E. Dockett, S. Farmer, S.(2012) Programming and Planning in Early Childhood Settings. ACEAQ (2010), Carter, M., Curtis, D. (2003). Designs for Living and Learning. Transforming Early Childhood Environments. Cartmel, J., Macfarlane, K., Casley, M. (2012). Reflection as a tool for quality: Working with National Quality Standard. A Research in Practice Series Title. ECA. DEEWR (2010). Guide to the National Quality Standard. Malenfant (2007). Routines and Transitions. O’Connor, A., Diggins, C. (2002). On reflection. Reflective practice for early childhood educators.
Links To NQS Quality Areas Quality Area 1: Educational Program and Practice. Element 1.2.3. Critical Reflection on Children’s Learning and Development, both as individuals and in groups, is regularly used to implement this program. Quality Area 4: Staffing Arrangements. Element 4.2.2. Educators, co-ordinators and staff members work collaboratively and affirm, challenge, support and learn from each other to further develop their skills, and to improve practice and relationships.
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Feature Interview
Leigh’s Story Leigh Metcalf is a leading advocate and mentor for Outside School Hours Care services and educators in Western Australia, and Leigh has kindly offered to share some of her story with us. Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your service: My name is Leigh Metcalf and I own Waratah All Year Care, a Falcon (Mandurah) based OSHC facility. We operate from a Community Centre which also contains Playgroups and Community Health Services, along with other user groups. We are able to maintain permanent displays for families, as long as they are above toddler height due to the Playgroup children, but have to set up and pack away a lot of our equipment on a daily basis. I have five permanent staff with a combination of Diploma and Certificate IV in OSHC qualifications and I have an Advanced Diploma in Children’s Services. Along with Waratah All Year Care, I also sit on the committee as Treasurer for OSHC WA. This organisation was started as a support network for Outside School Hours Care services in WA, who previously only had networks available that were based in other states. OSHC WA membership is growing with 21 services currently and up to 7 committee members. How have you implemented the NQF and the framework for school age care into your service? The NQF underpins all procedures and policies. It is the basis of our daily practice,
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and a guide to making all of our business decisions. Educators are required to write in a reflections diary on a daily basis and their reflections are based on questions that come from My Time, Our Place (MTOP), such as ‘How was the children’s learning promoted today?’ and ‘How did the children negotiate today?’ The questions are developed by staff using MTOP and link back to one of the outcomes which is the focus for the week. Reflections are then used to inform future planning, where individual children’s and group needs are met. The QIP is reviewed monthly, with a summary at each staff meeting. This ensures all educators have an understanding of the goals currently being worked toward and gives them an opportunity to discuss any additional information that needs to be added to the QIP.
staff effectively supervise and manage this huge event, they went above and beyond, using their knowledge of this age group to truly engage with the children in meaningful ways. It was an excellent opportunity for networking and will hopefully be done again in the future.
Can you please share something inspirational about your service, for example something that you have recently done with the children, your educators, environment or families?
Our challenges are finding support and knowledge specific to Western Australia. Creating OSHC WA has been one way to overcome this, with grass roots support to centres based here in our state. This has allowed us access to more streamlined support that is specific to our context and is immediate. We are also challenged with staff retention. Split shifts and reduced hours in particular are not desirable. Being an employer of choice though; offering flexible working hours, opportunities to take time off and offering family friendly policies, have aided in this. The isolation of owner operator services in Mandurah is another challenge but networking within the industry has not only helped with this but often makes other tasks, like excursions easier.
In the April school holidays Waratah All Year Care organised an excursion to Kings Carnival, a fair ground situated in Mandurah. 277 children from 5 OSHC facilities were invited to be a part of this event, along with 40 staff members, volunteers and students who supported on the day. The children participated in a ‘3 hour frenzy’ where they had access to a number of exciting rides and experiences such as the ferris wheel, mini golf, dodgem cars and the roller coaster. The day was a huge success! It was stress free because not only did
Waratah All Year Care also has a ‘kindness tree’ - paper leaves are provided to the children and each time kindness is recognised, the children themselves complete a leaf with the details, and stick it to the tree. Some messages include; “Jennifer shared her Uno cards so I could join in the game”, and “Jordyn passed the ball to me”. It is a fantastic way to recognise, encourage and praise kindness within the centre and community. What are your challenges if any and how do you overcome these?
Right across the Top End and throughout Australia, families are waking up together and starting their day. For many this means an early morning ‘drop off’ at an Early Learning Centre on the way to work.
Easter Eggstravaganza and an Earth Hour celebration which included the creation of a mural linked to this years theme ‘Love of the reef.’ Our families now look forward to our events and can rest easy knowing that we will provide them with plenty of notice, plenty of reminders and plenty of opportunities to be involved in our service.
For us at Farrar Early Learning Centre this ‘drop off’ presents a unique opportunity, an opportunity that will be different for each family depending on their needs. Above all else we recognise the unique culture of each family and also understand that for many families there is only a small window in which the ‘drop off and pick up’ can occur. After all, being busy is a part of life and if we are to truly support our families we need to recognise the context of their lives and the community they form. Our educator team views this daily opportunity as a mechanism to maintain high quality relationships with families that instill a sense of trust, truth and respect.
As a team, this journey has provided us with the opportunity to critically reflect upon what we do and why we do it, and through this process we have established great partnerships with our local community and the families who engage in the ‘drop off’ as part of their busy day. The strategies we have implemented will continue to evolve as we reflect, but the aspect that will remain unchanged is a child’s desire to share special moments with their family. Ask yourself this question: Is what we are doing enjoyable and memorable?
With this in mind we asked ourselves a question; What role do families play in our service and how do we, as educators, encourage families to contribute to service activities and to their child’s experiences in ways that are meaningful for them? Initially we were keen to unpack what activities, events and experiences were meaningful to our families and through reflection and conversations we were able to understand that our families value the opportunity to not only discuss their child’s individual progress but to have the opportunity to celebrate meaningful events with us. We also gained an insight into the most effective communication strategies utilised by our families, which range from conversations, e-newsletters and text message reminders to our Farrar Family Calendar, which provides brief details about all of our upcoming events. Once we knew how to communicate effectively with our community it was time to start engaging our community. In the past 12 months we have proudly hosted a number of successful community events ranging from our Children’s Christmas party and a scrapbooking evening, to a parent/educator information evening, an
CA’s service delivery
Community Engagement
By Zoe Davis, Director Farrar and Nightcliff Early Learning Centres
Parent/educator information evening at Farrar ELC
Easter ‘Eggstravaganza’ at Farrar ELC Background Earth Hour mosaic at Farrar ELC
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CA’s service delivery
Community Engagement West Pilbara Mobile Children Service, South Hedland, WA. The West Pilbara Mobile Children’s Service (WPMCS) is a mobile children’s service that travels throughout the remote Western Australian Pilbara region to Indigenous Communities including Strelley, Warralong, Yandeyarra and Wirraka Maya Medical Centre community. The WPMCS travels through some very harsh environments including flooded roads and water crossings, searing temperatures (48 degrees plus),dirt tracks, complete with giant road trains, snakes and other wildlife, monsoons and bush fires . This service provides children with an opportunity to socialise with other children and participate in early childhood education opportunities that would not otherwise be available to them due to their remote locations.
Enjoyin
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Learning about Au st
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The excitement and big smiles from the children when they see the Butterfly van pulling into the community is priceless and certainly makes the long drive worthwhile. The WPMCS Educators, Sharon and Shelby, recently attended the mobile muster in Perth hosted by YIPSU titles “Wellbeing in the Aboriginal Children’s Services”. This has proven to be an invaluable opportunity to receive and share early childhood information specific to Indigenous Children and families, and to create valuable connections with other Mobile services in W.A. WPMCS Educators are using their new learnings to support their planning celebrations for NAIDOC week, which is one of the biggest events of their calendar year. In partnership with the other remote Indigenous children’s services we have made connections with, we are planning a day full of fun with the theme for this year’s celebrations “Serving Country-Century and Beyond”. This is an opportunity to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and achievement with the Children and families of remote WA.
By Shelby Ward,Educator West Pilbara Mobile Children’s service
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Yandeyarra and their Bo
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At Farrar Early Learning Centre we view our role as a supportive extension of a child’s family and we recognise the incredibly important role of a ‘Mum.’ Each day we witness the strength, determination and love that the Farrar Mum’s have for their children and as Early Childhood Professionals we take our hats off to all of the Mum’s in our community.
Events
Mother’s Day Classic
As an educator team we are always looking for ways to support our families and the wider community. This year we registered as a team to participate in the Mother’s Day Classic and agreed that no matter what, the attire needed to be BRIGHT! ‘The Mother’s Day Classic walk or run for breast cancer research was established in 1998 by Women in Super. It started from modest beginnings as a walk in the park and has grown into a major national community event. Its purpose is to raise money for National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) research programs and awareness of breast cancer in the community.’
Written and photographed by – Zoe Davis
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Events
Ongoing Professional Development The Advanced Diploma of Community Sector Management (NQF Leadership) By Jo Fletcher, Child Australia & Helen Thornton, CCCCNSW During January 2014, a group of dedicated Children’s Service leaders throughout the Northern Territory commenced the Advanced Diploma of Community Sector Management (NQF Leadership) at Child Australia in the Northern Territory. The Advanced Diploma of Community Sector Management (NQF Leadership), originally developed by Gowrie SA, has been licensed to Child Australia to facilitate as a partnership between Child Australia and Community Child Care Cooperative NSW. Community Child Care Cooperative LTD (NSW) has customised the course and is delivering it to students throughout NSW, the ACT and the Northern Territory. This course is aimed at professionals with relevant experience and prior qualification in the sector, such as those who are responsible for coordination and management of both small organisations (early and middle childhood services) and other organisations that incorporate the NQS in their work practices. Each module has been embedded with strong and dynamic leadership theories and practice, while projects link critical elements of the National Quality Framework to current practice. The qualification supports the successful implementation of the National Quality Framework (NQF), and leaders who will be facilitating change. Students focus on leadership models, the NQF, motivation, strategic planning and delegation. Through research and practical application, students explore how to achieve and maintain best practice, in addition to building essential knowledge and skills in one’s self and others. There is also a focus on critical reflection, communication, ethics, equity and social justice, as well as organisational capabilities and managing change.
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By facilitating this course in the Northern Territory, Child Australia honours its mission; developing the capacity of the Education & Care sector, and aims to be directly linked with the delivery of quality programs throughout the Northern Territory and improved outcomes for children and the community.
“Whilst completing my Advanced Diploma I believe that my understanding of the NQF has expanded, by assisting me in connecting my practices to the standards. This course has enhanced my leadership skills and is encouraging me to take the next step within the childcare industry” Caroline, Student
“I was fortunate enough to be engaged by CCCC NSW to deliver the training for the Northern Territory. Working with this group of students as we came together in Darwin was a truly unique and rewarding experience. Their commitment, enthusiasm and focus on the NQF, as well as quality improvements made training interesting, exciting, and relevant. Their dedication to the children, families and community in this rich part of Australia was evident, and we look forward to celebrating their achievements as they make positive changes and complete the Advanced Diploma.” Helen Thornton CCCC NSW Course Facilitator.
Events
Play together, Learn together
CONFERENCE
29 MARCH 2014 • 8.30AM- 4.30PM WOLLASTON CONFERENCE CENTRE MOUNT CLAREMONT WESTERN AUSTRALIA
The Play together, Learn together Conference held on Saturday March 29 was a great success. Attended by 110 delegates from 47 services, 22 of which were from rural and remote regions, the conference provided opportunities for not only learning but also networking and sharing. Delegates were spoilt for a choice with workshops presented by Toni and Robin Christie from Child Space, Niki Buchan from Inspired EC, Gillian McAuliffe from Bold Park Community School and Tracy Blaszkow from Kidsafe, all with a focus on the importance of play.
input quite emotional at times, which we believe displays the true character of a person. We felt her words and knew they were not empty thoughts without grounding or conviction. As a result, we have taken on board the value of choice to a child – even the youngest of young – now allowing our children many more opportunities to make choices in their day to day experiences. It may only be the colour of a bib today, but in a decade’s time, we feel that our children will have the courage and conviction to make solid life choices, with thanks to the foundations they are offered as a small child.
Thank you to College Community Child Care Centre in Bunbury for their thoughts:
Tracy Blaszkow, Kidsafe WA, was another presenter that we valued. Our centre is quite industrial, and we had been trying small steps to green our environments with minimal budget and many physical restrictions placed on us by the landowners. We were able to gain knowledge and ideas for very low cost, sustainable changes we can make that suit the needs of our landowners and will absolutely benefit our children’s learning. We look forward to putting these changes into action when we host a busy bee for staff, parents and community in early May.
Congratulations Child Australia on a truly amazing and insightful conference. We had the privilege to attend this conference on behalf of our centre, College Community Child Care Centre (BunburySouth West) and to come away with renewed wonder and inspiration. The knowledge and ideas we are now sharing with our child care community are proving to be richly rewarding for all stakeholders – children, families, staff and management. We are in awe of (keynote speaker) Toni Christie, who was just so inspirational and talked so passionately of her experiences. We found her
An email alert will follow shortly, advising all ECEC services in WA of when the keynote speakers’ presentations will be available on YouTube for viewing.
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Support/PD & Resources
Quality Area 1 Quality Area 1: Educational program and practice, of the National Quality Standards has a strong focus on enhancing children’s learning and development. It requires educators to be critically reflective of their pedagogical practices and the development of their programs. Ensuring that planning and programs are built on children’s interests and scaffold their learning across the five learning outcomes of the approved learning framework. To assist educators in understanding the requirements of Quality Area 1 you will find below a list of suggested sites and readings. For a holistic view of Quality Area 1 refer to; The further readings for QA1 on page 195 of the Guide to the National Quality Framework www.childaustralia.org.au/Useful-Links/NQF-RoadMaps/NQF-Road-Maps/NQS1/Road-Map_NQS1_ Curriculum-Assessment.aspx www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/nqsplp/ www.childaustralia.org.au/Useful-Links/PSCPublications/What-s-Pedagogy-Anyway.aspx www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/pdf/rips/ RIP1302_sample.pdf For information on Standard 1.1: An approved learning framework informs the development of a curriculum that enhances each child’s learning and development; www.education.gov.au/early-years-learningframework For long day care and family day care the above site will give access to; • Belonging, Being and Becoming – The Early Years Learning Framework • Belonging, Being and Becoming – The Early Years Learning Framework – Information for Families. • Educators Guide to the Early Years Learning Framework and • Early Years Framework in Action – Educators Stories and Models for practice. http://education.gov.au/my-time-our-placeframework-school-age-care-australia For Out of School Hours Care the above site will give access to; • My time, our place – Framework for School Age Care in Australia • Educators Guide to the Framework for School Age Care • The Families Guide to the Framework for School Age Care and
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• My time, our place – Promoting Collaborative Partnerships between School Age Care Services and Schools. www.mytimeourplace.com.au For Out of School Hours Care the above site will give access to; • Discussion Forums and • A range of fact sheets For information on Standard 1.2: Educators and coordinators are focused, active and reflective in designing and delivering the program for each child. EYLF Educators guide Disc • • • •
4 – Curriculum decision making 5 – Planning for learning 10 – Making sense of children’s learning 11 – Assessing learning
Online Resources Recommended Resources for Quality Area 1: www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/nqsplp/resources/ case-studies/quality-area-1-educational-program-andpractice/ Documenting children learning www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/nqsplp/resources/ case-studies/documenting-childrens-learning-anddevelopment/ Planning and programming for children’s learning and development www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/nqsplp/resources/ case-studies/planning-and-programming/ Planning and documentation - talking about practice videos www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/nqsplp/elearning-videos/talking-about-practice/planning-anddocumentation/ Marc Armitage at Play www.marc-armitage.eu My Time, Our Place www.mytimeourplace.com.au Irresistible Ideas for Play Based Learning www.playbasedlearning.com.au Inspired EC www.inspiredec.com Precious Childhood – Niki Buchan www.preciouschildhood.blogspot.com.au Teacher Tom www.teachertomsblog.blogspot.com.au Flights of Whimsy www.flightsofwhimsy-ece.com Child Art Retrospective www.childartretrospective.blogspot.com.au Rethinking Childhood www.rethinkingchildhood.com Gowrie SA, including many downloads & web links for everything QA1 related www.gowrievictoria.org.au/Resources/QualityArea1.aspx
Accessing the IPSP Online Library In three easy steps... The IPSP Online Library has been developed by the Professional Support Coordinators Alliance (of which Child Australia is a member) and funded under the the Inclusion and Professional Support Program (IPSP). The IPSP Online Resource Library is free to access and all resources are free to download. Resources include videos, professional development packages with accompanying notes, manuals, sample policies, selfguided learning packages, workbooks, reading materials and much more.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Go to the Child Australia home page www.childaustralia.org. au and select the IPSP online library link under Education & Care Professionals heading.
Use the search function at the top of the page to begin searching for key topics of interest or click on text in the word cloud on the right hand side of the page to select a topic.
Use the click here to access online option to download the resource.
Q&A/comments & feedback
are free to download. Resources include videos, professional development packages with accompanying notes, manuals, sample policies, self-guided learning packages, workbooks, reading materials and much more.
Visit www.childaustralia.org.au to access the IPSP Online Library to start downloading a great range of resources.
Australia is the Professional Coordinatorand in theProfessional Northern Territory. The Inclusion and Professional Support is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education. Child Australia is the Professional Support Coordinator inChild theAustralia Northern Territory. Support The Inclusion Support Program is funded byProgram the Australian Government Department of Education
I love the new format of the Professional Development calendar. I have found it to be so practical and easy to read. I have it hanging up on the noticeboard in the staff room and everyone is able to see what is happening that month and what is coming up. Keep up the good work :) – Kim Harris, Assistant Director, Little Joeys Early Learning Centre.
Comments & feedback In this new section of the Child Times, we welcome and encourage you to share your thoughts, opinions and feedback! Let us know what you think about previous articles or issues addressed in the Child Times, professional development or the sector in general. We would love to hear from you! Please send your comments to: pscnt@childaustralia.org.au or admin@childaustralia.org.au At the beginning of this year, PSCNT changed the layout of their Professional Development calendar. Services using this calendar in the Northern Territory were asked to provide some feedback around the new design to get an idea of whether the updated design better met their needs. The following comments are just a sample of responses received from the sector:
We love the workshops you guys provide to us, all of our staff are learning a lot. We really appreciate you guys and especially Dawn who came to our centre to help and to give us lots of important information - Susan (Ping Su), Childcare Director, Grevillea Early Learning Centre (GELC) YMCA of Central Australia Thank you for the calendar, it is very bright and colourful, with lots of relevant information regarding the childcare industry and IPSP – Bonnie Harmer, Senior Director of Childcare, YMCA of Central Australia. I would first like to say this layout – calendar is much more user friendly. The information on the workshops with them marked on the calendar dates is more effective planning for PD’s – Michelle Kemsley, Director at Woodroffe Child Care Centre Inc.
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The beautiful mural was created by a loving Grandfather JP Uys for his Granddaughter Melize Robertson’s Day Care the Treloar Child Care Centre in South Hedland. The original is now utilised by the centre that cater for children aged zero to 12 years and depicts the rugged landscape of the area.
Calendar
11 October 2014
Child Australia Locations Head Office – WA
5 Carson Road Malaga WA 6090 PO Box 2562 Malaga WA 6944 Phone: (08) 9249 4333 Fax: (08) 9249 4366 Email: admin@childaustralia.org.au
10 October 2014
Head Office – NT
13 Bishop Street Woolner NT 0820 PO Box: 37645 Winnellie NT 0821 Phone: (08) 8941 4966 Fax: (08) 8941 6433 Email: darwin@childaustralia.org.au
Northern Territory
Education and Care Awards
Geraldton
Northern Territory Education and Care Awards The 2014 Northern Territory Education and Care Awards are celebrating outstanding achievement in all shapes and forms on 10 October 2014. Nominations are now open for the following categories: • Emerging Professional Educator • Outstanding Leadership • Outstanding Achievement in Community Engagement • Outstanding Achievement in Sustainable Practice • Outstanding Education and Care Service in FIVE categories: Preschool, Long Day Care & Three Year Old Kindergarten, Family Day Care, Outside School Hours Care and Budget Based Funded Services The closing date for submissions is Friday, 1 August 2014 For further information and nomination packs, contact awardsnt@earlychildhood.org.au
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NT Early Childhood Education and School Aged Education and Care Conference
Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters (HIPPY) Parent Pathways City Hive, 184 Marine Terrace PO Box 2713, Geraldton WA 6530 Tel: 08 9923 2840 Fax: 08 9923 0277
Little People, Big Dreams
Kalgoorlie
Child Australia in conjunction with Quality Education and Care NT are proud to announce the 2014 Northern Territory Early Childhood and School Aged Education and Care Conference to be held on Saturday October 11. This will be the first major conference held in the NT catering for the educare sector. We expect to attract delegates from across the NT working in long day care; family day care; out of school hours care; BBF services; schools and the general community. This sector is growing swiftly in Australia and is in the midst of great change. This conference will provide participants with a range of international, national and local presentations that will highlight innovation, the latest research and best practice. Please see our website www.childaustralia.org. au for more information and to register. Registrations close: Friday 19 September 2014
Lotteries House Cnr Wilson & McDonald Street PO Box 10381, Kalgoorlie WA 6433 Tel: 08 9270 6620 Fax: 08 9091 6211
West Pilbara Mobile Children’s Service Lotteries House Unit 10/2 Leake Street PO Box 2491, South Hedland WA 6722 Tel: 08 9172 1722 Fax: 08 9172 3098 Email: wpmcs@childaustralia.org.au
Bagot Community OSHC
Bagot Indigenous Community, Darwin PO Box: 37645 Winnellie NT 0821 Phone: 0450 460 423 Fax: (08) 8941 6433 Email: bagotoshc@childaustralia.org.au
Child Early Learning Centre Lockridge 36 Diana Crescent Lockridge WA 6054 Phone: (08) 9377 1676 Fax: (08) 9377 1676 Email: lockridgeelc@childaustralia.org.au
Child Lockridge OSHC
34 Diana Crescent Lockridge WA 6054 Phone: (08) 9377 1676 Fax: (08) 9377 1676 Email: lockridgeoshc@childaustralia.org.au
Farrar Early Learning Centre
3 Gurd St, Farrar NT 0830 Phone: (08) 8932 8472 Email: farrarelc@childaustralia.org.au
Australia