“It’s our polite nudge in the ribs to help you and your team stay organised and on task.”
This week’s subject: Information for families
Element 1.3.3: Information for families
Families are informed about the program and their child’s progress
Does your service use a range of methods to share information with families about the educational program and each child’s progress, making it accessible whilst ensuring the methods of communication used meet the needs of all families represented at your service?
Quality education and care services engage with families to provide information about the wellbeing, learning and development of their child. Educational leaders support educators to recognise the benefits of quality education and care to both families and the service and to understand that learning outcomes are best achieved when educators work in partnerships with families. Services develop a communication plan in consultation with families to ensure that information for families is accessible, meaningful and useful. Guide to the NQF. P.138
Encourage your families to access, ask questions and add to the educational program through a variety of methods, for example; directly on the written program, parent communication book, daily diary, through a parent portal or a digital platform, Facebook group or graffiti wall.
When planning communication with families about the educational program:
- Consider the varying needs of the families at your service and their preferred methods of communication
- Consider any barriers to consistent communication, including language barriers or access to information online
- Obtain feedback from families about their preferred methods of communication and how they would like to receive updates about their child’s progress
- Ensure families are aware of the methods of communication used and how they can provide feedback. Promote these in your parent handbook, regular posts via your online platforms & in your service Newsletter
Ensure educators are providing consistent feedback to families through informal, organic, face to face interactions on a daily basis. Educators use their interactions with families each day to provide them with information about their child’s participation in the program, their progress, share their achievements and documentation about their child’s learning.
Sharing information about the educational program via your online information sharing app can be a valuable way for many families to receive detailed information about their child’s participation and progress. Including information about the program, linking each experience to the learning outcomes and children’s participation through annotation and photos is often an easy way for families to be updated about their child’s learning and participation. Including questions in these posts is a great way to encourage feedback, making use of the “comment” feature of the app.
Resources:
Digital documentation for families- Quality or quantity?
Within System7 go to Quality Area 1/Modules 9, 13, 14 & 15 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 programming and documentation including a program template and observation records.
Resources, NQS Element, Regulation and System7 links
Childcare Centre Desktop – Childcare forms
National Quality Standard – QA 1/ 1.3.3- Information for families
National Regulations – 74, 75, 76 & 155
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