Including Aboriginal Australians in your service

Available for download in PDF format from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/eylfplp/ or see the download link below:

PDF download:
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/eylfplp/pdf/including_aboriginal_australia.pdf

Sign up for the EYLF PLP e-Newsletter

Previous Issues are also available for download in PDF format from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/eylfplp/ or see the download links below. 

An EYLF PLP e-Newsletter
(available to all care and education settings and educators)

A regular EYLF e-Newsletter will give momentum to the work of implementing the EYLF by providing case studies and other information about how educators are engaging with the EYLF across a range of settings. Researched and written by an ECEC expert with the support of other ECEC experts, it will respond to content in the online forums; questions and issues raised at the workshops; information from case studies of services; and requests from services about particular issues they are facing.
EYLF PLP e-Newsletter Issue 1: Talking about 'Play'
EYLF PLP e-Newsletter Issue 2: Intentional teaching
EYLF PLP e-Newsletter Issue 3: Thinking about play
EYLF PLP e-Newsletter Issue 4: Thinking about intentions
EYLF PLP e-Newsletter Issue 5: Voices from the field
EYLF PLP e-Newsletter Issue 6: Learning outcomes
EYLF PLP e-Newsletter Issue 7: Understanding cultural competence
EYLF PLP e-Newsletter Issue 8: Planning for learning
EYLF PLP e-Newsletter Issue 9: Documenting learning
EYLF PLP e-Newsletter Issue 10: Documenting learning 2

Child Care Services Handbook 2010-2011

Check out the DEEWR, Early Childhood website for the...

Child Care Service Handbook 2010-11

You are here: Early Childhood > Programs > Child Care for Services > Operating a Child Care Service > Child Care Service Handbook 

http://www.deewr.gov.au/earlychildhood/programs/childcareforservices/operation/pages/ccservicehandbook.aspx

DEEWR, Early Childhood, Resources

Visit http://www.deewr.gov.au/Earlychildhood/Resources/Pages/home.aspx to find resources on the following Child Care Access Hotline, Child Care Census, Child Care Fact Sheets, Child Care News, Child Care Provider Survey, Child Care Service Handbook, Child Care Rebate,... etc. 

Resources

You are here: Early Childhood > Resources

Child Care News

• Child Care News Issue 25, May 2010
  ( PDF 2.4MB | RTF 123KB)
• Child Care News Issue 24, December 2009
  ( PDF 1.7MB | RTF 229KB)
• Child Care News Issue 23, August 2009
  ( PDF 1.5MB | RTF 225KB)
• Child Care News Issue 22, April 2009
  ( PDF 122KB | RTF 16KB) 

Early Learning Resources

• Early Childhood Education Resources 

What had changed?

- Child Care Services Handbook

For all approved child care services operating under the Child Care Management System (CCMS)...

...What has changed?

(Following text is from Child Care Services Handbook at http://www.deewr.gov.au/Earlychildhood/Resources/Handbook/Pages/Whathaschanged.aspx )

Note: this list includes changes made in the April 2010 online update of the Child Care Services Handbook 2009-10

How does the Quality Improvement system work?

Phew, learning this was my hardest unit of study last year (2010)!

7.2 How child care services participate in the Quality Improvement

"There are five steps in QIAS, FDCQA and OSHCQA:

1. Registration
2. Self-study and continuous improvement
3. Validation
4. Moderation
5. Accreditation decision.

After completing these five steps, a service starts the cycle again at step two by preparing and submitting a self-study report at a pre-determined date — currently two and a half years after submitting its previous self-study report..."

Retrieved from:
http://www.deewr.gov.au/Earlychildhood/Resources/Handbook/Part1/Pages/7_2.aspx 

DEEWR, Early Childhood website, update what's current!

Visit DEEWR, Early Childhood at
http://www.deewr.gov.au/Earlychildhood/Pages/default.aspx

FDCQA

FDCQA - 6 Quality Areas and 30 Principles                                                                           http://www.ncac.gov.au/child_care_professionals/fdcqa_quality_areas.asp

Page Contents:

1. Interactions
2. Physical Environment
3. Children's Experiences, Learning and Development
4. Health, Hygiene, Nutrition, Safety and Wellbeing
5. Carers and Coordination Unit Staff
6. Management and Administration

Click here to download FDCQA Publications in English and various other languages.

FDCQA: Family Day Care Quality Assurance

OSHCQA

OSHCQA - 8 Quality Areas and 30 Principles                                                                     http://www.ncac.gov.au/child_care_professionals/oshcqa_quality_areas.asp

The 8 Quality Areas are:

1. Respect for Children
2. Staff Interactions and Relationships with Children
3. Partnerships with Families and Community Links
4. Programming and Evaluation
5. Play and Development
6. Health, Nutrition and Wellbeing
7. Protective Care and Safety
8. Managing to Support Quality

Click here to download the OSHCQA Publications in English and various other languages.


OSHCQA: Outside School Hours Care Quality Assurance

QIAS

QIAS - 7 Quality Areas and 33 Principles
http://www.ncac.gov.au/child_care_professionals/qias_quality_areas.asp 

The Quality Areas are:

1. Staff Relationships with Children and Peers
2. Partnerships with Families
3. Programming and Evaluation
4. Children's Experiences and Learning
5. Protective Care and Safety
6. Health, Nutrition and Wellbeing
7. Managing to Support Quality

Click here to download the QIAS Publications in English and various other languages.

QIAS: Quality Improvement and Accreditation System

Crises management for children

Hi Jessica and T

I thought you would be interested in these articles. Although they are specifically related to child care, they can be applied to all children.

Love Mom/Joy ( "Tarry Home" )

NCAC ( http://www.ncac.gov.au/ ) has the following articles (in pdf) on crises management.

Caring for the inner child - minimising stress in child care settings by Ann Stonehouse

http://www.ncac.gov.au/pcf/CaringforInnerChildDec2010.pdf

Let's talk! Having meaningful conversations with children by Dr Ann Kennedy

http://www.ncac.gov.au/pcf/Meaningful_conversations_Dec09.pdf

Supporting children through loss and grief by Sonja Tansey

http://www.ncac.gov.au/pcf/Supporting_children_through_grief_and_loss_Sep08.pdf

Helping Children to Cope with Media Coverage of Traumatic Events by Sonja Tansey

http://www.ncac.gov.au/pcf/Helping_Chn_Cope_Media_Coverage_Mar07.pdf

(Please note the NCAC website will not be up for much longer with the new frameworks coming in.)

Working in Children’s Services Series, 2nd Edition

Working in Children’s Services Series, 2nd Edition


For the Diploma in Children's Services I am currently using the following books written by Karen Kearns:









 and

Others in the series that I have are for the Certificate III in Children's Services, also by Karen Kearns, are:

      



Links to buy the books:


(free shipping in Australia, has pack discounts)
http://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/Nonfiction/Social_Sciences/Human_Services/9781442514270/

Co-op bookshop (discount university and TAFE online bookstore):
http://www.coop-bookshop.com.au/bookshop/

University Bookshop.com.au (discount university bookstore):
http://www.universitybookshop.com.au/books/home.do




Working in Children’s Services Series, 2nd Edition
Relevant competencies from CHC08:


PDF:
http://www.pearson.com.au/MC_LinkedFiles/FREE/9781442511415/Kearns%202nd%20Edition%20mapping%20grid.pdf
Description HTML:
http://sydneyinstituteonline.net/teacherresources/2009/09/16/working-in-children%E2%80%99s-services-series/


Download the NEW 2010 Children’s Services eCatalogue
PDF:
http://www.pearson.com.au/marketingimages/VET/eCatalogues/Childcare.pdf

EYLF Professional Knowledge and Support

Sign up for EYLF support and training:

Early Years Learning Framework Professional Learning Program (EYLF PLP) 
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/eylfplp/

EYLF PLP forum

http://forums.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/forum.php

Capture a Child's Curiosity for Life!

Never get tired of answering the ceaseless "why?", "what 'dat'?", "how come?" and "what if.." questions every child has.

If you don't know the answer to their questions be prepared to say  "I don't know I'll have to google it." or "Lets look it up in an encyclopedia, shall we?". The best answer to encourage their continued active exploration is "Well what do you think?" instead of giving them an instant anwer. Remember children will know if they are fobbed off with a lame answer because you don't know the real one.

Show an active interest in their converstations. Children will very quickly pick up if you are bored by their talk or only passively listen. If you have this attitude of fostering children's wonder for their world and environment you are well on your way to capturing a child's curiosity for lifelong learning!

For more information you may be interested in reading the following article:

Let's talk! Having meaningful conversations with children by Dr Ann Kennedy

http://www.ncac.gov.au/pcf/Meaningful_conversations_Dec09.pdf

(Image copyright and permissions from Tarry Home blog.)

For further clarification (emphasis added) note that ...

The Code of Ethics (Early Childhood Australia) states on page three that:

I. In relation to children, I will:
4. Work with children to help them understand that they are
global citizens with shared responsibilities to the environment
and humanity.
8. Acknowledge the uniqueness and potential of all children,
in recognition that enjoying their childhood without undue
pressure is important.
9. Acknowledge the holistic nature of children’s learning and the
significance of children’s cultural and linguistic identities.
11. Acknowledge children as competent learners, and build active
communities of engagement and inquiry.
12. Honour children’s right to play, as both a process and context
for learning.

And Belonging Being and Becoming says regarding...
...Responsiveness to children
"Educators are responsive to all children’s strengths, abilities and interests. They value and build on children’s strengths, skills and knowledge to ensure their motivation and engagement in learning..."
p.14  Belonging Being and Becoming (Early Years Learning Framework for Australia)

...Intentional teaching
"Intentional teaching is deliberate, purposeful and thoughtful. Educators who engage in intentional teaching recognise that learning occurs in social contexts and that interactions and conversations are vitally important for learning. They actively promote children’s learning through worthwhile and challenging experiences and interactions that foster high-level thinking skills. They use strategies such as modelling and demonstrating, open questioning, speculating, explaining, engaging in shared thinking and problem solving to extend children’s thinking and learning. Educators move fl exibly in and out of different roles and draw on different strategies as
the context changes. They plan opportunities for intentional teaching and knowledge-building. They document and monitor children’s learning."
p. 15 Belonging Being and Becoming (Early Years Learning Framework for Australia)

Website links
 The Code of Ethics (Early Childhood Australia)
Online:
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/code_of_ethics/early_childhood_australias_code_of_ethics.html
PDF:
http://earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/pdf/code_of_ethics/code_of_ethics_web.pdf

Early Years Learning Framework (National Quality Framework, DEEWR website)
Online:
http://www.deewr.gov.au/earlychildhood/policy_agenda/quality/pages/earlyyearslearningframework.aspx#key%20documents  


Belonging Being and Becoming (Early Years Learning Framework for Australia)
Pdf download:
http://www.deewr.gov.au/Earlychildhood/Policy_Agenda/Quality/Documents/Final%20EYLF%20Framework%20Report%20-%20WEB.pdf