Tag Archives: Long Day Care
NQS and Bureaucracy
Centre Support talks to many services across Australia and some educators are becoming angry about the NQS. It’s not hard to see why. In NSW a service was assessed and their teacher wasn’t recognised, even though the teacher had been a NSW public school kindergarten (first year of school) teacher for the past 30 years. Why was this a problem? The assessor went to teachers’ college … read more
There is no manual or book of evidence that can make you exceeding.
Let’s get something straight. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A NQF/ NQS LIST/ MANUAL OR BOOK OF EVIDENCES TO MAKE YOU EXCEEDING. That is a NOT TRUE. The NQS is outcome based. So it is about using professional judgement and expertise to make informed decisions about how you meet the standards based on reflection, assessment and improvement, as long as you meet the regulations and … read more
Templates and Documentation
Is it okay to use templates when documenting children’s learning? Yes!!! I am so sick of hearing rubbish like “you can’t get exceeding using a template” or “the program has to be in a scrapbook, or on a computer or IPad.” What a load of childcare whispers! We constantly use templates every day – think about the forms you fill in, the checklists you complete, the … read more
We love to hate them!
Every service must have the policies required by the regulations but do they? And do the policies actually reflect what educators and staff do? Many educators will tell you they know what is in their policies, but often this is not the case. Do they really believe they know or are they just fibbing? We have regulations to make sure certain standards are achieved and maintained. … read more
Don’t Follow On. Do Extend Learning.
What do you say to an assessor who says “show me how this links?” Read on to find out and to clear up the confusion! Several weeks ago Centre Support posted a blog about the “follow-on”. This is a concept that most would associate with our old developmentally appropriate program of the past. “Follow on” referred to the next logical or linear experience that educators would … read more
Passion versus Reason
“Childhood has become the battleground of the unreasonable.” Wow! I read that statement recently and it certainly got me thinking. What Professor Andrew Whitehouse meant, as he goes on to explain, is that so many activities, theories and practices around early childhood evoke a passionate response. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, except he believes in some cases that passion can override reason. I must admit … read more
iPads and Babies
How do you engage with babies and toddlers? Ever think about putting a baby in a bouncy seat which has an iPad attachment so they can watch videos or specially downloaded “apptivities”. What about toilet training children on an iPotty which has an iPad stand attached? Products like these are marketed as “educational”. However, parents and teachers who think these products are giving children a” head … read more
One Size Fits All?
We often get questions from services about health and safety issues – for example, cleaning, storage, food and nutrition requirements and supervision. Services are worried that they may be breaching regulations, that there may be something they are failing to do or understand. This is understandable because the old regulations were often very prescriptive. However, while some aspects of the current regulations are quite detailed, like … read more
Teaching factories versus rich learning environments
I’ve recently been watching some of Sir Ken Robinson’s videos. One of my favourite quotes is “teaching is a creative system, not a delivery system.” What does this mean in practice? Well, he makes the point that you can be busy going along educating children, engaged in the activity of teaching, but the children may not actually be learning anything.
Head Lice and Nits
What do you do if a child at your Service has head lice (they’re the adult insects) or nits (eggs)? Staying Healthy Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services says there is no need to send the child home immediately head lice are detected, and that children can return to the Service the day after head lice are detected if they are being … read more
Outdoor play
How many of the children at your service live in an apartment or townhouse with limited space outside for play and physical activity? Modern urban living often involves higher density housing with limited areas for children to actively explore their environment.
Are nappy rash creams medications?
How often do you have parents complaining that they have to authorise the use of nappy creams? Have you ever wondered whether a nappy cream or product is considered to be a medication in the Education and Care Regulations? Is medication actually defined in the Regulations?
Sleep and Rest
How much sleep should a preschool aged child be allowed during the day? This seems to be a controversial issue for many child care services, especially when parents request their child be woken after a certain length of time so they will go to bed earlier in the evening or sleep through the night.
Immunisation in Children’s Services
How many children are fully immunised at your education and care service? All of them? Most of them? Do you think the recent push by several States to ensure all children are fully immunised when they enter a Children’s Service will increase vaccination rates?
