Curriculum and educational practices.

Curriculum and Educational Practices

It is our aim that the programs which are developed reflect our Centre Philosophy and goals and are based on our beliefs about individual children in the context of their family, their community, their relationships with others and the environment around them. It is based on children’s individual interests, background needs and developmental level.

We use the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) V2.0 2022 outcomes as a guideline which has been developed as a resource when developing a curriculum for the children in our care. The EYLF and our curriculum are based on the belief that care and education are interwoven and cannot be separated.

We believe that “Learning in early childhood happens when children use their senses, are actively engaged with other people and with their physical world, when they explore, experiment, combine things, take things apart, reflect, imagine, question, and consider possibilities”. Our programs promote a play-based curriculum that allows the children to grow and develop in a nurturing, caring and safe play environment that encompasses the concept of Belonging, Being and Becoming (EYLF).

Educators aim to create positive learning environments and guide experiences for each child in conjunction with their family. Educators will observe children and facilitate their learning to provide each child with an individualised e-portfolio by documenting their learning throughout the year. Children and their families will be encouraged to participate in the ongoing process to promote engaged learning.

Our service is committed to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF)

“While educators may plan or assess with a focus on a particular outcome or component of learning, they see children’s learning as integrated and interconnected. They recognise the connections between children, families and communities and the importance of reciprocal relationships and partnerships for learning. They see learning as a social activity and value collaborative learning and community participation.” Early Years Learning Framework

EYLF Learning Outcomes

The Learning Outcomes recognise the importance of literacy, numeracy, and social and emotional development.

1. Children have a strong sense of identity.

2. Children are connected with and contribute to the world.

3. Children have a strong sense of wellbeing.

4. Children are confident and involved learners.

5. Children are effective communicators.

Educators will

• Plan a Curriculum based on children’s interests, culture, language, ideas, play and everyday lives i.e., connections between children, families, and communities.

• Work in partnerships with families to achieve Learning Outcomes and encourage families to contribute to the Curriculum by sharing information about their child or completing activities with children.

• Build connections between the service, schools, and the local community.

• Include children in decision making, including decisions about indoor and outdoor spaces, programming, routines and documenting their achievements, and give them appropriate levels of responsibility.

• Make use of spontaneous ‘teachable moments’ to scaffold children’s learning.

• Engage in sustained shared conversations with children to extend their thinking.

• Support children’s learning by participating in child led play.

• Provide a balance between child led, child initiated, and educator supported learning by creating learning environments and activities that stimulate children’s imagination, creativity and curiosity and encourage children to investigate, experiment, explore, solve problems, create, and construct.

• Use strategies like demonstrating, dramatic play, role play, open questioning, speculating, explaining, shared thinking and problem solving to promote and extend children’s learning.

• Use resources (e.g., man-made and natural loose parts) and implement activities (e.g., dramatic play, visual arts, role play, games) to promote learning across all Learning Outcomes.

• Create outdoor learning spaces which invite open-ended interactions, spontaneity, risk-taking, exploration, discovery, and connection with nature.

• Create both indoor and outdoor spaces that stimulate children’s imagination, creativity and curiosity and encourage children to investigate, experiment and solve problems.

• Regularly provide opportunities for children to learn individually and as part of a group.

• Regularly assess what each child knows, can do, and understands through an ongoing cycle of planning, documenting, and evaluating, and then implement activities to help each child achieve all Learning Outcomes. Assessments will take into account the period of time each child spends at the service.

• Regularly add to a learning e-portfolio for each child which includes written assessments of the child’s learning.

• Plan the curriculum with each child and the learning outcomes in mind and remember that learning is not always predictable and linear.

• Celebrate the achievements and learning of each child.

• With parents’ consent, liaise with external agencies and professionals to support children with additional needs.

• Regularly evaluate their practices and reflect on how well the Curriculum is helping each child progress towards and achieve the Learning Outcomes.

• Display the daily curriculum in children’s rooms or through the Centre’s App and encourage families to contribute, make suggestions or ask questions about children’s learning at any time.

• Provide the following information to parents/carers whenever requested:

• The content and operation of the educational program

• Information about the child’s participation in the program

• Assessment of the child’s developmental needs, interests, experiences, and progress against the Learning Outcomes.

Portfolios:

Each child is provided with a live, secure, login-based e-portfolio that will enable families to enjoy and view insights into their child’s learning. This e-portfolio highlights their development across the year as well as their interests and skills. Educators use a variety of observational techniques such as developmental plans, photos, work samples, art works, written observations, EYLF outcomes, learning stories and children's conversations to show development in all areas as outlined in the EYLF guidelines. All Educators contribute to these e-portfolios to ensure all children are being observed in a range of areas. Families are given the opportunity to view their child's e-portfolio as posts are uploaded through the Centre App. Families are encouraged to look at their child's e-portfolio with their child and discuss the contents with them and are asked to write a comment and suggest future learning opportunities and interests that their child may have at home.

Aim

• To ensure continuity in the record keeping of children’s development across all Centres.

• To provide children and their families with a detailed record of their child’s developmental progress and creative skills.

• To record children’s development and interests and plan objectives for future activities.

• For Educators to be working towards the EYLF outcomes throughout the child's time at the centre.

• To ensure that the centres program promotes children’s wellbeing, development, and learning.

• To encourage families to be involved in the development of the curriculum, incorporating their skills and cultural needs. Working in partnership with families allows children’s interests to be extended from the home environment and broaden their learning and development.

• To encourage the children to be effective learners developing confidence and competence.

• To continue to support, develop and encourage each child’s strengths.

• To ensure that all educators take into account the individual needs of each child, their ability, gender, religion, culture, family, and interests when developing programs.

• To provide experiences based on the children’s individual interests.

• To work with and embrace community support services to promote a diverse curriculum, developing and supporting children with additional needs and non-English speaking children.

• To assist children in the transition to other early childhood programs or to school.

• To allow children to build on past experience giving them a choice of familiar activities as well as offering them new experiences.

• To ensure that programs are evaluated on a regular basis and follow up activities are planned that extend children’s interests, learning and development.

• For each child to be equally valued and their achievements and learning will be celebrated.

• Educators will work closely with the children and families to generate ideas for the curriculum.

• Children are encouraged to express themselves creatively through a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities.

• Children's fine and gross motor skills are strengthened and developed through a wide variety of both indoor and outdoor activities including manipulative play, block play, sensory play, dramatic play, drawing and other physical activities such as running and climbing.

• Mathematics and science concepts along with exploration of natural aspects of our environment are encouraged through block play, building, cooking, water play, sensory play, collecting natural materials such as leaves and rocks and gardening.

• Language development is encouraged through educators modelling language, show and tell, story time, games, poems, and dramatic play experiences.

• Social/emotional and independence skills are strengthened through activities such as role-play, dramatic play, group games and self-help tasks.

• Road safety, hygiene, dental hygiene, and nutrition will be built into our curriculum.

• Music and movement activities encourage physical, social, and creative areas of a child's development.

These activities will be supervised and guided by educators to find out how a child responds as an individual and also as part of a group. Educators will work in conjunction with families to provide learning experiences that are relevant to each child and tailored to their specific needs. A child's home language, culture and religious practices will be accepted and included in the program.

From this, educators will assess the child's needs and plan ways to meet these needs. The program will be displayed in the room it takes place in or through our Centres’ App. We welcome any suggestions and are happy to answer questions from family members at any time.

Procedure

• Each child is to be provided with an e- portfolio.

• All educators are to contribute observations to the e-portfolio; however, children will be allocated a focus carer who will be responsible for the e-portfolio.

• A variety of observational techniques (e.g., photos, work samples, written observations, learning stories, artwork) must be used to record children’s developmental progress.

• Entries into the e-portfolio must show links to program.

• Copies of the children's developmental records are stored and archived for the timeframe prescribed by the Regulations.

• Families have up-to-date access to their child’s e-portfolio.

Our Centres utilise a live, secure, login-based e-portfolio for each child which is a part of our centres’ App (Eikoh Child Care Centre App) built in conjunction with OWNA Corp Pty Ltd. This enables families to enjoy and view insights into their child’s learning throughout the day. It also allows families to contribute to and comment on what their child is doing.

We encourage families to share information about their child and family with educators at every available opportunity. Families are also encouraged to post family activities and their child’s updates on the App to share with educators. Through our App families will be able to access their child’s documentation and learning journey throughout their time at the centre.

This policy is the property of Eikoh Seminar Australia Pty Limited and must not be reproduced without the consent of management.