• How do we think about families, and how broad is our thinking given the diversity of children at the service?
• How do we help all families to feel comfortable and welcome at the service? • How do we facilitate communication with families who have specific or diverse
communication needs?
• How can we find out if our communication strategies are reaching all families?
• What strategies are in place for information sharing between families, educators and co- ordinators, during orientation, settling in and on an ongoing basis?
Q A
6
Standard 6.1
www.acecqa.gov.au
• What role do families play in the service?
• How do we encourage families to contribute to service activities and to their child’s experiences in ways that are meaningful for them?
• How do we share decision making with our families? What are we willing/unwilling to share decisions about?
Additional questions for services with babies and toddlers
How do we support and reassure families with babies and toddlers using an education and care service for the first time?
Additional questions for family day care services
How do the nominated supervisor and co-ordinators establish and maintain a partnership with families? How can they become more accessible?
Q A
6
Standard 6.1
Element 6.1.1
www.acecqa.gov.auElement 6.1.1
There is an effective enrolment and orientation process for families.
What we aim to achieve with element 6.1.1
The practices of educators and the relationships they form with children and families have a significant effect on children’s involvement and success in learning. Children thrive when families, educators and the wider community (especially schools) work together in partnership to support children’s wellbeing and learning (Early Years Learning Framework, page 9;
Framework for School Age Care, page 7).
Assessment guide for element 6.1.1
Guidance for children of all ages and all service types
Assessors may observe: • enrolling families being:
• invited and encouraged to visit and become familiar with the service before their child starts
• encouraged to talk with the nominated supervisor, educators and co-ordinators about the values and expectations they hold in relation to their child’s learning
• encouraged to share information about other child-related services accessed by the family • encouraged to share their understanding of their child’s strengths, interests, abilities and needs • families being encouraged to:
• stay with their child for as long as needed during the settling-in period • contact their child’s primary educator during the day if they wish
• educators assisting families to develop and maintain a routine for saying goodbye to their child • children who are distressed at separating from their family being held and comforted, or
being closely observed and offered reassurance when they want this type of interaction • educators and co-ordinators sharing information with families about how their child is
settling in to the service.
Guidance for children of all ages and all service types
Assessors may discuss:
• how the nominated supervisor, educators and co-ordinators identify the individual education and care requirements of each child and their family
Q A
6
Standard 6.1
Element 6.1.1
www.acecqa.gov.au
• how the settling-in process is tailored to meet the needs of individual children and families • how information is gathered from families to support continuity of care between home and the
service.
Additional guidance for services with school age children
Assessors may discuss how currently enrolled children are involved in the orientation of new children and their families.
Additional guidance for family day care services
Assessors may discuss:
• how the nominated supervisor and co-ordinators determine the best placement for a new child and how families are involved in the selection of an educator best able to meet their child’s needs
• how co-ordinators work with educators and families to settle new children into the service • the educator’s approach to interviewing new families and settling their child into the service.
Guidance for children of all ages and all service types
Assessors may sight:
• the service’s enrolment and orientation procedures • evidence that:
• families seeking a place at the service are provided with easy-to-read information about how the service operates and what it can provide
• the service has made preparation to communicate with families for whom literacy is an issue or for whom English is not a first language, even if this not currently required • families are able to share their understanding of their child’s strengths, interests,
abilities and needs
• families have easy access to the service’s policies and procedures.
Additional guidance for family day care services
Assessors may sight documented information provided:
• to new families about the role of the co-ordination unit, including how co-ordinators: • monitor each child’s placement
• provide ongoing support for educators, families and children
• assist families in finding an alternative placement when the child’s educator is unavailable • by the educator to new families about themselves and their family, and their philosophy,
Q A
6
www.acecqa.gov.auStandard 6.1
Element 6.1.2
Element 6.1.2
Families have opportunities to be involved in the service and contribute to service decisions.
What we aim to achieve with element 6.1.2
In genuine partnerships families and educators value each other’s knowledge and roles, communicate freely and respectfully and engage in shared decision making (Early Years Learning Framework, page 12; Framework for School Age Care, page 11).