“Educators at CCS are committed to using a curriculum
approach to program planning that allows it to be
developed on an ongoing cycle, based on children’s
interests, culture and developmental needs.”
OUR PROGRAM PLAN
COONAMBLE CHILDREN’S SERVICES INC.
PREFACE
The purpose of this document is to give families, educators and the wider
community new and existing, an insight into our program planning.
The children, their families, educators and wider community are what makes a
service thrive successfully. Building a quality learning environment for children
should include time, space and support, where skills and knowledge can flourish.
The Presentation will include• Overview of National Quality framework (NQF), National Quality Standards (NQS),
and Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF)
• How we program
• Importance of ‘partnerships’ with families and the wider community.
NATIONAL QUALITY FRAMEWORK
(NQF)
Wikipedia definition on the National Quality Framework:
“The National Quality Framework (or NQF) is part of the Australian Government’s
agenda for early childhood education and child care focused on
providing Australian families with high-quality, accessible and affordable integrated
early childhood education and child care. The NQF aims to raise quality and drive
continuous improvement and consistency in education and care services through:
• a national legislative framework
• a National Quality Standard
• a national quality rating and assessment process
• a new national body called the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality
Authority (ACECQA).
The National Quality Framework took effect on 1 January 2012 with key requirements
being phased in over time. Requirements such as qualification, educator-to-child
ratios and other key staffing arrangements will be phased in between 2012 and 2020.”
For more information click on the link below
http://acecqa.gov.au/national-quality-framework
NATIONAL QUALITY STANDARD
(NQS)
The National Quality Standard (NQS) is a key aspect of the NQF and sets a national
benchmark for early childhood education and care, and outside school hours
care services in Australia.
As the NQF progresses, every service in the country will be assessed to make sure it
meets the new quality standard. In the meantime, as safety is paramount all day and
every day, every service must comply with rigorous health and safety requirements.
To ensure children enjoy the best possible conditions in their early educational and
developmental years, the NQS promotes continuous improvement in quality.
The major benefits for parents and children include:
• improved educator to child ratios
• greater individual care and attention for children
• educators with increased skills and qualifications
• better support for children’s learning and development
• a national register to help parents assess the quality of education and care services
in their area.
(ACECQA website)
See more at: http://acecqa.gov.au/national-quality-framework/the-national-qualitystandard#sthash.5WX9lz3A.dpuf
NQS CONTINUED…
The National Quality Standard (NQS) is a key aspect of the NQF. The NQS
consists of seven quality areas, each containing standards and elements, that
children's education and care services are assessed and rated against.
The seven quality areas covered by the National Quality Standard are:
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Educational program and practice
Children’s health and safety
Physical environment
Staffing arrangements
Relationships with children
Collaborative partnerships with families and communities
Leadership and service management
See more at: http://www.acecqa.gov.au/Quality-Areas#sthash.vcyhyTsK.dpuf
QUALITY AREA 1- EDUCATIONAL
PROGRAM & PRACTICE
- See more at: http://www.acecqa.gov.au/Educational-program-and-practice#sthash.vjFdQGDC.dpuf
The Quality Area Educational program and practice requires education and care services to have an educational program that meets
children’s individual learning and development needs.
The knowledge, ideas, culture, abilities and interests of your child should be incorporated into the program, with continuous assessment of your
child’s learning and development.
Quality Area 1: Standards and elements
Element 1.1.1
Curriculum decision making contributes to each child’s learning and development
outcomes in relation to their identity, connection with community, wellbeing,
confidence as learners and effectiveness as communicators.
Standard 1.1
An approved learning framework informs the development of a curriculum that
enhances each child’s learning and development.
Element 1.1.2
Each child’s current knowledge, ideas, culture, abilities and interests are the
foundation of the program.
Element 1.1.3
The program, including routines, is organised in ways that maximise opportunities for
each child’s learning.
Element 1.1.4
The documentation about each child’s program and progress is available to families.
Element 1.1.5
Every child is supported to participate in the program.
Element 1.1.6
Each child’s agency is promoted, enabling them to make choices and decisions and
to influence events and their world.
Element 1.2.1
Each child's learning and development is assessed as part of an ongoing cycle of
planning, documenting and evaluation.
Standard 1.2
Educators and co-ordinators are focused, active and reflective in designing and
delivering the program for each child.
Element 1.2.2
Educators respond to children's ideas and play and use intentional teaching to
scaffold and extend each child's learning.
Element 1.2.3
Critical reflection on children's learning and development, both as individuals and in
groups, is regularly used to implement the program.
EARLY YEARS LEARNING FRAMEWORK
(EYLF)
The national framework created in 2009- Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning
Framework- underpins all early childhood programs and outlines learning for children aged 0-5
years.
The vision the government has is that children will develop their identity through their experiences in
life within their families and communities. This is characterised by their sense of Belonging, who they
are Being and who they are becoming, based on these life experiences.
The EYLF encourages educators to use an emergent curriculum (program) as it supports a model of
curriculum decision-making as an ongoing cycle. We are encouraged to discover children’s
interests, work out appropriate ways of teaching to support those interests and design the program
around those.
The EYLF aims to achieve the highest expectations for all children. These expectations are
categorised under the:
• 5 Learning Outcomes
• 5 Principles
• 8 Practices
The Outcomes are used to assist our understanding of why we do what we do, and how the
learning outcomes are facilitated by the experiences the children are having throughout each
day and by the teaching we provide.
The Principles outlined in the EYLF are the representative of the current theories of children’s
learning and the educator’s professional practice. Educators are aware of these, but are now
encouraged to incorporate them as part of the language used when planning programs.
The eight aspects of practice outlined in the EYLF are underpinned by the principles, and are the
basis of promoting children’s learning. It is essential for educators to be aware of these when
supporting the learning of young children.
For more information click on the link below:
https://www.coag.gov.au/sites/default/files/early_years_learning_framework.pdf
THE PROGRAM GUIDE
There are four interlinking aspects to the program.
• Mind map
• Power point (reflective journals)
• Children’s journals/ Celebration of achievement Checklist
• Educator room Diaries
The program will continue to evolve as living documents. They
are ever changing in appearance and function and are
determined by the interests of the children and their families.
Some of the influences on the program such as intentional
teaching, child and Parent input, might trigger very large
learning projects that run over a month or more. The reflection
process (power point& Achievement checklist) will help you
keep track of the experiences and the overall program.
THE PROGRAM IN ACTION
Mind map
• Parents, Children, & Educators contribute to the learning process daily and can be extended on for long periods of time.
• All educators are to be involved in each of the rooms mind mapping (each room will have their own colour blue, red or
yellow to indicate what room they are from).
• At the end of every day a photo of the mind map must be taken as evidence, this will be filed in each room’s program folder
for future reference.
Power point (Reflective journal)
• The power point presentation expands from the mind map giving the reader an in-depth understanding of the learning
carried out in each of the rooms.
• The Power point display is designed for families and educators, so that it becomes a reflection journal
• Photos, child observations (group & individual) & videos are taken on a daily basis relating to the experiences of the day.
Children’s Journals
A learning story is a brief account or snap shot of learning, written from a positive perspective of a child or group of children. This
will be visible to parents on the daily power point and then filed in the children’s journals to be viewed at any time and taken
home at the end of the year.
Each journal includes:
• Individual or group observations
• Paintings or any other creations made by the children
• Special yearly events
• Photos
Diaries (educators only)
Writing a personal reflection journal helps educators to remember some of the details of the program we have run for the day/
week. It helps to outline all the things that emerged in the program and design some ideas to support the ongoing learning for
the children. It also helps educators to note down what did not work and why.
The diary includes the following:
• Critical reflections- Educators
• Group dynamics
• Any other additional information
OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE
PROGRAM
Centre philosophy
The Centre philosophy needs to be clearly identified on
the program. It outlines the beliefs and theories of
teaching that all educators, families and wider community
at the service follow. The philosophy can be found
displayed in each room and front entrance and will be
linked to the programs’ power point display.
Children’s Celebration of Achievement Charts
The purpose of this document is to keep educators and
families up to date with what each child is achieving
during their time at the centre. It is to be cited regularly by
educators with dates the child has achieved each
outcome. It is filed in each child’s journal to encourage
families to view and discuss their child’s progress with
educators.
BUILDING SECURE AND RESPECTFUL
PARTNERSHIPS WITH FAMILIES
Relationships between educators, families and wider community is imperative, in order to
receive and respond to important and relevant information about each child.
Today the opportunity to influence program planning is shared among all colleagues,
children and families attending the service.
One of the goals of the framework is ‘to encourage families and educators to work together
to create learning programs that respond to ‘children’s ideas, interests, strengths and
abilities and recognise that children learn through play’ (DEEWR 2009b).
In February 2014 we sent out a survey to our families to gain a better understanding of what
‘best’ communication method(s) would be beneficial.
The purpose of this, was so that we could start the year with a clear understanding of how
we were going to better our communication skills to form secure and respectful partnerships
with families.
The two most poplar types of communication was email and verbal. From this, we have now
a parent communication book (displayed in each room). Verbal communication is
documented, to ensure each request, suggestion and input is considered in the program
and email is still being used for newsletters and any additional information.