“It’s our polite nudge in the ribs to help you and your team stay organised and on task.”
This week’s subject is Child-centred.
Element 1.1.2: Each child’s current knowledge, strengths, ideas, culture, abilities and interests are the foundation of the program.
With the start of a new year, it’s always an opportune time to look at the ways in which we do and can collect a variety of information in a range of ways to ensure the development and implementation of the program is unique to each child’s knowledge, needs, strengths, cultures and abilities.
With many new children and families starting at the Service and existing children’s (and their family’s) needs evolving, it’s important to continually collect information that forms the foundation of the program, ensuring that the educational program is child-centred, placing children at the core of decision making, allowing them the opportunity to initiate and direct their own learning.
A child-centred curriculum:
-
- focuses on children’s individual needs and interests to plan play based learning experiences that encourage engagement and foster meaningful learning
- encourages children to be active and involved participants in their own, individual and collaborative learning
- prioritises play based learning and its role in fostering creativity, problem-solving, social skills, and cognitive development
- considers and values the social and cultural backgrounds of children and their families
- is focused on all areas of development—cognitive, physical, emotional, and social, ensuring a holistic approach to children’s learning
- is developed collaboratively, recognising families and communities as crucial contributors to the reciprocal partnerships that support children’s learning
- respects autonomy, viewing children as capable and competent learners by providing children with the choice, flexibility and opportunities to explore and learn their own way and at their own pace
- is flexible, emergent and ever evolving, based off children’s current needs and interests
- is shared with children and families in a variety of ways based off individual preferences for how information is received.
Strategies to support implementation of a child-centred approach:
-
- Adopting and maintaining a flexible and responsive approach that supports children to explore, experiment, make mistakes and take safe risks
- Educators demonstrating flexibility within the program and routines to incorporate children’s emerging requests, ideas, cultures and interests
- Educators use their knowledge of children’s current interests to plan interest based long term projects that spark curiosity and meaningful learning
- Educators are responsive in their teaching strategies. They foster inquiry-based learning by asking open ended questions to challenge children’s thinking and scaffold their learning
- Educators consistently observing and listening to children to keep informed about their individual interests, needs, strengths and development
- Collaborating with families on a regular basis, both formally and informally to receive new information about children’s interests and development as well as providing feedback to families on their child’s wellbeing and development
- Providing a range of open-ended resources and equipment to support opportunities for children’s choice and directing their own play, whilst fostering creativity, independence and problem-solving skills
- Continuously reflecting on the effectiveness of the program and how it meets the individual needs of children and enhances their development and making adjustments where required
- Evaluating the program and individual learning experiences, including children’s voice and feedback from families to drive continual improvement.
Resources:
Supporting Agency: Involving Children in Decision Making
ACECQA- Child-centred Curriculum Planning (Birth-5 years)
The Sector- Looking beyond children’s interests for child-centred curricula
Within System7 go to Quality Area 1/ Module 2 to submit self-assessment notes and if required, open a QIP issue if you identify any areas of improvement.
The Childcare Centre Desktop has a range of resources to assist services with educational program and practice. These include Educational Program Policy, Educational Program and Practice Procedure, All About Me- Child Introduction form, Critical Reflection Template, Assessment and Planning Cycle Audit and much more.
Resources, NQS Element, Regulation and System7 links:
Childcare Centre Desktop – Childcare Centre Desktop
National Quality Standard – QA 1/ 1.1.2- Child-centred
National Regulations – 73, 74, 155, 156, 168
System7 Module – QA1/ Module 2
If you have any questions, send us a note via the Contact page here!
