Delivering a children’s program in a family day care service Introduction
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| Delivering a children’s program in a family day care service
Introduction Family day care educators’ work is important. When they support children’s learning and development, educators are helping families to lay the foundations for children’s lives. Family day care is recognised as a professional education and care service, along with centre-based, preschools (kindergartens), long day care, and outside school hours care services. Although each education and care service is different, there are some important guiding documents that highlight that all services have a lot in common. Three approved learning frameworks guide the work of family day care services and individual educators in Victoria:
A brief description of each of these approved learning frameworks follows. The VEYLDF guides all early childhood professionals, including those in family day care, who work with children birth to eight years in Victoria. The EYLF is a national framework document for early childhood educators who work directly with children birth to school age in education and care services. Since the EYLF uses the term educators to refer to anyone who works directly with children in education and care services, this is the term that will be used in this Guide. The FSAC is a national framework that guides the work of educators who provide before and after school and vacation care to school age children. Services receiving funding from the Commonwealth are required to use the EYLF or the FSAC. Services funded by the Victorian Government are required to use the VEYLDF. Most services will use both the Victorian and the appropriate national Framework. All education and care services including family day care services and each family day care educator must meet the requirements of the National Quality Framework including the National Quality Standard (NQS). The NQS provides details of all the requirements for providing a quality education and care service to children in Australia. Although there are some differences in the three approved learning frameworks, the main ideas are similar and they fit well together. They share the same five learning outcomes for children. This Guide offers advice about program decision- making that is consistent with all three approved learning frameworks and the NQS. Throughout the Guide there are links to particular parts of the NQS and some quotes from the approved learning frameworks. The three approved learning frameworks are useful resources for you to refer to over and over again as you complete your self-assessment against the National Quality Framework and you develop your Quality Improvement Plan. They will also assist you in meeting the requirements of the National Quality Framework and to reflect on ongoing quality improvement. The approved learning frameworks and the NQS can be accessed on the websites listed in the back of this document. Purpose and structure of this Guide This Guide has been written to help family day care educators to think about, plan for and deliver a program that helps children progress in their learning and development in five learning outcome areas that are in the approved learning frameworks. These learning outcomes are central to the NQS. [See next sections for a brief description of each of the learning outcomes.] The Guide contains a number of different sections. Before focusing on areas of practice, there are sections on:
The main focus of the Guide is to provide information about the range of areas to consider in relation to offering a program to children, including:
• These areas overlap and connect with each other, and you will think of them together as you go about your work. The final sections of the Guide are about what it means to be a professional educator and the relationships between co-ordinators and educators. At the end of this Guide is a list of selected resources that are easy to access and some organisations that can provide you with useful resources for your work. For each topic there are some questions to reflect on and discuss with others as a basis for taking action and improving what you do. Hopefully you will think of other questions and things to think about. Family day care includes children from very young babies through to children in primary school. As you read this Guide and think about and discuss its contents, keep in mind that the NQF and the ideas in the VEYLDF and the EYLF apply to all children including very young children – that is, babies and toddlers – as well as children over three years of age. Belonging, being and becoming and the Learning Outcomes Example Moya invited families to bring a family photo. She placed them at child height, and she notices that the children often look at them. The title of the EYLF – Belonging, being and becoming – is a vision for childhood and describes three broad areas of the important learning that happens in childhood. Belonging Children belong from the time they are born, and even before birth. They belong to their family, culture, community and heritage. Belonging reminds us that relationships are the foundation for learning and living. Children learn about belonging as they participate in their families, in the community and in the family day care service. You support children’s sense of belonging when you:
Children’s sense of belonging to their family is strengthened when they see and hear you showing respect for their family. Children’s sense of belonging to the community grows when you take part in it with them – for example, by going to the library or a nearby park. Being
Educators acknowledge children’s sense of being when they show that they trust them and respond to children telling them what they need to do. The idea of children’s being reminds us to sometimes just let children be – give them space and time to dream, to relax and enjoy themselves. Belonging and being are closely related. Who you are is in part about who and what you belong to. Becoming Children’s becoming refers to all the learning and development that happens in childhood. Becoming is also about the unique individual that each child is from birth. Awareness of children’s becoming reminds us that although there is no point pressuring children to learn things earlier than they would without the pressure, it is important to provide challenges and to build on children’s interests. Educators who appreciate children’s becoming pay attention to children’s progress, celebrate it and share the appreciation with families.
The Learning Outcomes Each of the three approved learning frameworks includes the same learning outcomes for children, and these Outcomes are a focus of the NQS.1 [Element 1.1.1] These learning outcomes describe the areas or categories of learning that matter. Educators need to be very familiar with these areas of learning and be able to describe each child’s progress in these areas. The learning outcomes also help educators plan as they think about the best kinds of equipment, materials and experiences they can offer to encourage progress in these areas for all children, including young babies. The learning outcomes are that children:
Under each Learning Outcome is information that gives more detail and explains how learning in that area looks and how educators can support that learning. It is important for educators to understand the detail about the learning outcomes, not just what the headings are. The learning outcomes describe a broad idea of learning. They help us see that important learning includes much more than what is thought of as cognitive or academic learning – for example learning shapes, colours, numbers and letters. Also, emphasis in these Outcomes is much more on children making progress than it is on reaching certain milestones. This idea is referred to as the ‘distance travelled’. Children’s learning and development may occur in all of these areas at once. In other words, any example of learning in one Outcome area is likely to be an example of learning in one or more other areas as well. Belonging, being and becoming weave throughout discussions of the learning outcomes. A brief general description of each Outcome follows. Remember that the specific behaviours that are evidence of children’s learning depend on children’s experience, abilities, skills and understandings.
Example Mali makes a point of letting each of the children, even the baby and toddler, know when she sees them helping another child or even making someone else smile or laugh, which the baby does often. She believes very strongly that it is important for children to learn that they can make a positive difference in other people’s lives. Learning Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity Having a sense of identity is knowing who you are and being comfortable with who you are. Our sense of identity comes largely from our belonging. Relationships are the foundation for building a sense of identity – ‘who I am’, ‘who I belong to’ and ‘what effect do I have on others’. Relationships and connections give us powerful messages about who we are and who we might become. Signs of children’s developing sense of identity include:
Educators help children develop a sense of identity when they:
Example Toby, age two, gets very frustrated easily, and often this results in temper tantrums. His educator tries to help him when she sees him becoming frustrated and before he loses control. She talks to him about how he is feeling and helps him to recognise these feelings. Rather than just distracting him, she asks him if he would like to do something else, and if he doesn’t have any ideas she makes suggestions and helps him find something to do where he can be successful. Learning Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world Signs that children are making progress in this Outcome area include:
Educators help children learn to connect with and contribute to the world when they:
Example Bella accepts only one new child at a time, unless siblings are coming together. She believes that it is important to focus especially on children who are new to help them settle into family day care. She says that the reward is that once they feel secure and settled, they are more independent and self-reliant. Learning Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing Signs that children are making progress in this Outcome area include:
Educators help children develop a sense of wellbeing when they:
Learning Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners Signs that children are making progress in this Outcome area include:
Example The children in Margaret’s family day care service often do projects. They decide together on something to work on over a few days or even weeks. They make a plan, decide who will do what, and each day they review the plan. They are currently preparing a small area in Margaret’s back garden and will plant a vegetable garden. Margaret sees that these more complex longer-term projects give everyone a chance to be involved and offer many challenges and problems to be solve. Educators support children’s learning in this Outcome area when they:
Example Con, age three and a half, is currently learning English. His educator can see that he understands much of what is said, but he is not talking much. She gives him lots of opportunities to draw and paint; activities that he enjoys and is very good at. She has learned to ‘read’ his work and sees that the colours that he uses and what he draws or paints are an indication of how he is feeling. Learning Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators This Outcome focuses on verbal and other kinds of communication. Signs that children are making progress in this Outcome area include:
Educators help children progress in this Outcome area when they:
Questions for reflection, discussion and action How can you use the ideas of ‘belonging, being and becoming’ to think about each child in your service? How can you use those ideas to plan for children’s learning? Which Learning Outcome areas do you think you pay most attention to currently? Are there Learning Outcome areas that you need to pay more attention to in your planning and practice? How do you strengthen children’s belonging to culture, family and community? What do you know about each child’s sense of identity? What more can you do to make sure that you are using the Learning Outcomes to guide the experiences that you provide for children? Educators offer children opportunities to learn in all of these areas. In general, all children need opportunities to:
It is important to think about how the learning program you offer fits with the learning outcomes, whether it is balanced, how appealing it is to children and how it helps them to progress in the Outcome areas. The more familiar you are with the approved learning frameworks, particularly the key components of the learning outcomes, the more they will become the way you see children, families and learning. The ideas in the approved learning frameworks become a kind of lens or frame of reference that informs all aspects of your practice. Educators’ practice and the VEYLDF Educators’ practice – what you do – is the most important consideration in making family day care a good experience for children. The basics and essentials are:
The key to good quality, however, depends very much on educators’ interactions and relationships with children. The VEYLDF lists eight Practice Principles for Learning and Development that describe the best ways for early childhood professionals to work with children and families to advance children’s learning. A number of these Practice Principles link directly to interactions and relationships with children.
but neither do they limit or set low standards for what a child may be able to achieve. Educators make sure that they provide a program that includes every child and takes account of their abilities and interests. [Standard 1.1 and 1.2] Questions for reflection, discussion and action Which of the Practice Principles are most important to you in your work? Which Practice Principles do you need to pay more attention to? What support do you need to use the Practice Principles more to guide and inform your work? [Discussing these with your co-ordinators would be a good first step]. Equity and diversity: Children’s previous experiences, their family and culture help to shape their learning and development. Educators need to acknowledge and respect diversity among children and families and build on what children know and can do. They also support children to learn to respect and be comfortable with various types of diversity, including cultural background. Respectful relationships and responsive engagement: Positive relationships are the foundation for children’s feelings of security from birth. Strong positive relationships provide a secure base that helps children to feel safe and confident to try new things and to learn. Positive relationships and interactions between educators and children, children and other children, and educators and families form the foundation for a good program. Building a relationship with each child over time is a priority in a good service. Building relationships involves getting to know the child well, showing pleasure in the child’s company, showing respect and using your knowledge of that child to offer meaningful experiences that build on strengths and interests. [Quality area 5] Integrated teaching and learning approaches: Children’s learning benefits from having both opportunities to initiate their own learning and take the lead, with an educator responding, and having some educator-led experiences that build on their abilities and interests. Providing children with many different kinds of materials that can be used in a variety of ways and giving them time to play, explore and create in their own way encourages them to initiate their own learning. Building on children’s interests and skills by offering new or more complex learning opportunities, asking them questions that make them think and introducing new ideas are all ways to promote learning. Most good learning experiences are like a dance, with both educators and children leading and following, initiating and responding. Assessment for learning and development: Educators collect information about children’s learning and development continuously and in a variety of ways to identify what the child knows, can do and understands in order to plan opportunities to help them build their knowledge, skills and understanding. Educators assess children’s learning with families and children. [Standard 1.2] Reflective practice: Educators can improve their professional practice by reflecting critically – that is, thinking about what works well, what doesn’t and how they can improve. Reflective practice isn’t about being negative but rather about always aiming to learn more and do better. [Element 1.2.1 and 1.2.3] Example Aisha has been doing family day care for 12 years. Over that time there have been four families who have had more than one child coming to Aisha’s service. She says that she has of course come to know those families very well over the years, and that although that is an important positive, she has to be careful to maintain a professional relationship with those families and not to show any favouritism. Questions for reflection, discussion and action What are the particular strengths of your family day care service? What challenges do you face in working as a family day care educator? What are some examples of ways that you take advantage of the strengths? In areas where your practice is good quality, what can you do to make it even better? What are some positive changes you can make in the ways you work as a family day care educator? Strengths and challenges of family day care Providing a good experience for a group of children is always challenging, whatever the type of service. Family day care has many characteristics in common with other types of education and care services. Family day care also has some special characteristics, some of which are strengths or positives and others that offer challenges. These include:
Providing quality family day care demands that educators are aware of what quality looks like in any type of education and care service, take full advantage of the strengths of family day care and working to overcome or minimise the challenges. Example Soula has two toddlers in her family day care. She is mindful of their desire to do things for themselves. Even though it would be quicker for her to pick them up and put them in their chairs for lunch, she allows time for them to do it themselves. She has also recently introduced the idea of letting them select pieces of fruit from a platter rather than serving them. Questions for reflection, discussion and action What is your image or picture of children? How does it fit with the image in the Frameworks? What are some of your practices that show that you see children as capable? What opportunities do children have in your service to teach each other? What has a child taught you recently? What more can you do to acknowledge and support children’s sense of agency? The ways we see children The approved learning frameworks and the NQS are based on a particular image or picture of children. The image educators have of children affects the ways they interact and talk with children and the learning opportunities they provide. This image comes in part from the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Child, which states that: All children have the right to an education that lays the foundation for the rest of their lives, maximizes their ability, and respects their family, cultural and other identities and languages. The Convention also recognises children’s right to play and be active participants in all matters affecting their lives.2 The VEYLDF adds to these ideas that children are ‘full members of society’.3 Educators who offer quality services base their practices on an image of children as human beings who deserve dignity and respect and who are:
The concept of agency is particularly important for educators to understand if they want to practise in ways that fit this image. Agency refers to children’s capacity and need to make choices and decisions and influence the physical and social world around them.
Questions for reflection, discussion and action Do you think about and plan for all Directory: Documents -> childhood -> providers -> regulation regulation -> Unacceptable practices – discipline and punishment Practice Note 11 regulation -> Standard licence providers -> Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework Evidence Paper Download 8.03 Mb. Share with your friends:
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