Autumn 2015

Autumn 2015
FEAST ON
CULTURE
“Tell me what you eat, and
I’ll tell you who you are.”
JEAN ANTHELME
BRILLAT-SAVARIN
TELLING
OUR STORIES
Documentation and
belonging
DEVELOPING A
PROFESSIONAL
LEARNING
PLAN FOR
YOUR SERVICE
A FRESH
APPROACH
TO PROBLEM
SOLVING
SUPPORTING
EFFECTIVE
TRANSITIONS
IN OSHC

CONTENTS
04
07 08
10
12
Developing a
Professional Learning
Plan for your Service
Educational Program
and Practice Workshop
Opportunity
A Fresh Approach to
Problem Solving Using
Appreciative Inquiry
Feast on Culture
IPSP
Specialist Equipment
14
18
20 22 24
Telling Our Stories -
Documentation and
Belonging
Supporting Effective
Transition in OSHC
Setting the Foundation
for Quality Practice in
Family Day Care
Professional
Educators Resource
Library
Learning Through
Sharing
Register Your Interest!
Copyright © 2015 Health and Community Services Workforce Council Inc
ISSN 2201-8344
Published by
Health and Community Services Workforce Council Inc
Ground Floor, 303 Adelaide Street, Brisbane Q 4000
www.workforce.org.au | (07) 3234 0190 | info@workforce.org.au
Health and Community Services Workforce Council
IPSP Professional Support Coordinator, QLD
The Workforce Council acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander peoples as the original inhabitants of Australia and
recognises these unique cultures as part of the cultural heritage of all
Australians. We respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians
of the land on which we do our work across Queensland.
We recognise the important role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples have within community and country. We pay our respect to
the Elders of this land past, present and future.
In the LOOP is produced for Queensland’s Early Childhood Education
and Care sector by the Health and Community Services Workforce
Council (Workforce Council) as part of its role as an IPSP Professional
Support Coordinator (PSC).
ADVICE AND SUPPORT LINE
PHONE 1800 112 585
ECEC@workforce.org.au
www.workforce.org.au
www.facebook.com/ECECworkforce
The Inclusion and Professional Support
Program is funded by the Australian
Government Department of Social Services.
Proudly funded and
supported by the
Queensland Government
2
IN THE LOOP

IN THIS ISSUE
On reflection, there has been significant early childhood
education and care policy change that has introduced
new ways of thinking about early childhood education and
care. Firstly, ‘Belonging Being and Becoming’ in 2009 left
us grappling with how these concepts are enacted in our
day to day settings and specifically within curriculums or
programs. In the early childhood setting curriculum means
‘all the interactions, experiences, activities, routines and
events, planned and unplanned, that occur in an environment
designed to foster children’s learning and development’.
[adapted from Te Whariki] EYLF 2009:9
MY TIME, OUR PLACE. Framework for School Aged Care was
introduced in 2011, the term ‘program’ is used to describe
all the interactions, experiences, activities, routines and
events, planned and unplanned, that occur in an environment
designed to foster children’s wellbeing, development and
learning’. MY TIME, OUR PLACE 2011:6
Within the School Aged Care context, Kylie Brannerly outlines
many ways in ‘supporting effective transitions in OSHC’.
Underpinning these is guided reflection, a strategy which
can facilitate rich, exploratory dialogue around matters of
importance to the service. One important matter is supporting
the child’s individual needs within the service so they have a
strong sense of identity and wellbeing.
Stephen Gallen also describes a rich and multifaceted reality
through storytelling, a story about Belonging Being and
Becoming. ‘Belonging is central to being and becoming in
that it shapes who children are and who they can become’.
How do Educators observe and document the true story to
reflect the lived experiences of the child and identity within the
environment? Capturing these strengths from the story is also
an approach from Appreciative Inquiry. Stories shape, identify
and expand imagination. What is the story we are telling?
Appreciative Inquiry is a methodology that allows us to shift
from a traditional deficit-based thinking to a strengths based
paradigm that exposes new opportunities when faced with a
dilemma or problem. These workshops are highly interactive
and give participants a chance to apply this to their world.
Appreciative Inquiry asks us to be deliberate in how we
decide what we are going to focus on. Being deliberate
requires conversation and reflection with others, this being an
integral principle within the Learning Frameworks.
Engaging in shared problem solving is also a core adult
learning principle. In the article by Cathy Cahill from Family
Day Care Association Queensland, setting the foundation
for quality practice is highlighted as an effective recruitment
and induction process. This sets up a partnership between
coordinators and educators recognising strengths they both
bring to the relationship and new dimensions of learning.
This reflection on learning in the foundational phase of
recruitment fits well within the framework or learning plan
considered by Lynn Turner from Community Child Care
Association, Victoria. Working with staff to deliberately
identify and prioritise learning needs based on strengths
and challenges, can ascertain similarities and differences in
learning goals. It also aligns needs to quality professional
development providers.
This is one way of exploring difference through learning needs
and planning. Building strong teams and a sense of belonging
relies on a clear understanding of cultural difference;
acknowledging and supporting difference is integral to
inclusive practice. Consider ‘Feast on culture’ as Anaik Doyle
describes incorporating food as a strategy to raise cultural
awareness as one aspect of embedding inclusion. She
presents food to entice interactions with families and building
cultural knowledge within the team.
Another service that supports inclusive practice in your
service is Noahs Ark. It continues to operate the IPSP
Specialist Equipment and offers PERL’s of wisdom through the
Professional Educators Resource Library with an affordable
subscription.
There are additional development and support
opportunities available through the IPSP to inform
your practice.
Use your LDCPLP funds to pay for any of the professional
development charted on the website and ask one of our
knowledgeable consultants about adding mentoring to shorter
workshops to deepen your learning and critical reflection.
The IPSP Online Library can also enhance your knowledge in
different areas and scaffold on your learning. This collection
is intended for educators, educational leaders, students and
anyone working under the National Quality Framework in
Australia. Within this collection you will find resources such
as templates, forms, digitized booklets, vignettes, and other
sources of information and inspiration for those working for
and with, children and families. This collection has a focus on
working with children aged birth to twelve.
Tara Lee Franks
Health and Community Services Workforce Council
REFERENCES:
Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace relations for the Council of Australian Government (DEEWR, 2009) Belonging, Being,
Becoming: The Early years Learning Framework. www.communities.qld.gov.au
WORKFORCE.ORG.AU 3

COMMUNITY CHILD CARE ASSOCIATION
Developing
A PROFESSIONAL
LEARNING PLAN
FOR YOUR SERVICE
HOW TO PLAN AND PURCHASE
MEANINGFUL PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
By Lynn Turner
4
IN THE LOOP

Are you finding your inbox and post box cluttered with a plethora of professional development
promotional material? With many early education and care services receiving significant funds
through the Long Day Care Professional Development Programme (LDCPDP) there has been a
surge in the professional development options and products being marketed to services.
Here are some simple ideas to help you make sense of
the piles of pamphlets, decide the best way to spend your
professional development budget, and make sure you get the
best possible outcomes for individual staff and for the service
has a whole.
A good start is to check out the Professional Support
Coordinator Alliance Self-assessment Tool - Professional
Learning Plan which provides a step by step process to identify
and plan professional learning needs and a template to record
priorities and action plans.It can be accessed at
www.workforce.org.au or by emailing ECEC@workforce.org.au.
Remember planning for professional learning is an ongoing
cycle and any plan will need to be revisited and adapted
to meet emerging needs or to take advantage of new
opportunities. Don’t feel that you need to create the perfect
planning document before getting started on professional
learning for the year – it is not another form to fill in but a
resource for you to use or adapt.
IDENTIFY PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GOALS
1 Consider your workforce needs
Do you have enough qualified educators to meet regulatory
requirements now and into the future? Have you considered
retention and succession planning for current staff? Supporting
staff to gain qualifications is a wise use of your professional
development budget. If you are in receipt of LDCPD funding
you have a fantastic opportunity to address and proactively
plan ahead to meet your service workforce needs. This level
of funding may never come again, so consider using some
of the money to support educators to gain or upgrade their
qualifications.
2
Gather and assess the information you already have
about the professional learning needs and priorities for
the service.
There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Review and utilise
documentation and planning that the service has already
worked on. This can include:
• Individual staff performance appraisals and professional
development plans,
• The service Quality Improvement Plan (QIP),
• Service Support Plans that have been developed in the
process of accessing Bilingual Support Programs or
Inclusion Support Services,
• The service strategic plan,
• Any relevant notes or minutes from staff or management
meetings.
If some of these processes have stalled or documents are out
of date, now is the time to get them going again. Use ideas
that flow from ongoing cycles of individual performance
reviews and planning and the updating of the service QIP, to
keep professional learning fresh and inspiring for the team.
3
Build on your service strengths and vision
Too often professional learning plans take a deficit approach
focusing only on areas that are identified as a weakness for
individual staff or the service as a whole. Make sure that you
consider the strengths, passions and areas of expertise or
interest of staff, the service, and your extended community
as well. Is there an opportunity for a project that will build
on existing knowledge and create leadership opportunities?
Consider a whole of staff discussion exploring common
interest areas and imagining ways to take service curriculum
and partnerships to new places.
PLANNING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
OPPORTUNITIES
Along with researching upcoming conferences and learning
opportunities that match service and individual staff learning
goals what else is important as you plan for individual
educators and the whole service?
1 Think outside the square
Like the children we teach, we learn in different ways and most
effectively when we are interested and engaged. Professional
development needs to link to our existing knowledge base
and scaffold our learning and skill development. Sometimes a
workshop environment cannot provide this. As well as paying
for conference and workshop attendance, your professional
development budget can be used to backfill staff so that they
can have time to read, research or visit other services or
organisations. In addition to professional development sessions
and accredited training, the PSC Alliance Self-assessment
Tool - Professional Learning Plan lists the following possible
approaches to meeting learning needs:
• Professional readings
• eLearning and online learning modules
• Team meeting packages
• Customised sessions for whole staff teams
• Professional conversations and networking
• Mentoring and coaching
• Peer observation
• Practitioner inquiry and action research
• Service visits.
WORKFORCE.ORG.AU 5

2 Choose your professional support provider carefully 2
How can you make sure that the provider you are booking is
able to deliver the professional learning that you need? A little
bit of research goes a long way. The following list of questions
will help you pick a reputable provider that can best meet your
learning goals.
• What professional learning work has the provider done in
recent times?
• Has anyone on your staff team or in your professional
networks had experience working with them?
• Have they delivered professional learning for one of the
Professional Support Coordinators or any other reputable
early and middle childhood organisations?
• Can they provide you with a referee who has experienced
working with them?
• What qualifications does the person delivering the
professional learning hold? Do they have appropriate
early or middle childhood qualifications and experience
or qualifications and experience relevant to the topic? Do
they also have a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment?
• Have they worked with education and care services
before?
• Are they trying to use the professional development
opportunity to sell you products or a subscription for
ongoing online resources or support? If so, proceed with
caution and carefully evaluate the appropriateness of these
products.
• Do they have a working knowledge of the Early Years
Learning Framework and Framework for School Aged
Care and the National Quality Standards?
• Are they willing to customise their delivery to match your
learning needs?
• Do they want to know about your context? Are they asking
you lots of questions about how they can tailor their
session to the participants from your service?
• Can they offer ongoing learning opportunities?
Involve the team in decision making and follow-up
Learning only happens when the learner is engaged and
open. Make sure that any decisions about individual or whole
of service professional learning options are made with the
staff who will be participating. Providing staff with time and
resources to share and implement any new ideas is also an
important element of planning professional learning. Consider
factoring non-contact time for staff to put their professional
learning into practice into professional development budgets.
Although educators are often required to report back to a
staff meeting about the professional development they have
attended, if this is just a thumbnail sketch of the day, it can be
of limited value. Consider a more targeted approach; ask staff
to identify and share the following:
• A current practice they feel inspired to continue with
• A new practice they would like the team to consider
implementing
• A current practice they feel needs to stop or change
• A new resource (article, website, community organisation)
for the service to utilise.
Depending on the topic, these ideas can form the basis of
a professional conversation between the participant and
the Educational Leader or Coordinator of the service, or a
professional conversation with a small group of educators,
families or children or the whole staff team.
DIG DEEPLY
Don’t rely only on workshop window shopping approaches to
spending professional learning funds. Explore opportunities
for professional learning that involve ongoing cycles of
researching, reflecting, planning, and acting. Learners take
time to absorb and contextualise new ideas and information.
While there is a need and place for one-off professional
learning sessions, investing in some ongoing professional
learning experiences that include a process of follow-up and
reflection is money well spent!
HOW TO MAKE SURE THE SERVICE GETS THE MOST
FROM PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
No matter how great professional learning opportunities
are, they can easily be a waste of money if educators are
not engaged or do not have opportunities to reflect on and
apply their new knowledge. Use the following principles to
help maximise the benefits of the time and money your service
invests in professional learning.
1
Two is more than company and three is not a crowd
Workforce Council can help you work through how
any of these approaches can be best used in your
setting. Please call 1800 112 585 to find out more
about this or email ECEC@workforce.org.au
Whenever possible, organise for educators to participate
in professional learning together. Even when they are
participating in external professional learning opportunities
find a way for as many interested educators to attend as
possible. The conversations between educators about the
ideas they heard together and how they can be applied at
their own services will support deeper understanding and will
increase the likelihood of the learning triggering changes in
practice.
REFERENCES:
PSC Alliance (2014?) Self-assessment Tool - Professional Learning Plan
6
IN THE LOOP

Workshop Opportunity
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
AND PRACTICE.
Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority, in
partnership with the Queensland Department of Education and
Training and the Health & Community Services Workforce Council,
is running a series of free workshops focusing on Quality Area 1:
Educational program and practice.
Led by ACECQA’s National Education Leader, Rhonda
Livingstone, the workshops will be practical, hands-on sessions
supported by the Professional Support Coordinator in Queensland
and the state regulatory authority staff.
The workshops are open to all educators and providers, but are
particularly targeted at services that have received a rating of
Working towards National Quality Standard or have not yet
been rated.
Book on ACECQA’s events page www.acecqa.gov.au/events.
You are encouraged to register early as registrations will close
once the workshop has reached capacity.
THE SESSIONS ARE PLANNED
FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
CAIRNS
Monday 27 July 6.30pm – 9pm
Pacific Hotel, Cairns
TOWNSVILLE
Tuesday 28 July 10am – 1pm
and 6.30pm - 9pm
The Mecure Townsville
MACKAY
Wednesday 29 July 6.30pm – 9pm
Mackay Grande Suites
BRISBANE (NORTHSIDE)
Thursday 30 July 6.30pm – 9pm
Aspley Memorial Bowls Club
BRISBANE
Friday 31 July 10am - 1pm
The Brisbane Convention &
Exhibition Centre
ROCKHAMPTON
Monday 3 August 6.30pm – 9pm
The Leichhardt Hotel
TOOWOOMBA
Tuesday 4 August 6.30pm – 9pm
Burke and Wills Hotel
SUNSHINE COAST
Monday 10 August 10am – 1pm
and 6.30pm – 9pm
Maroochy RSL
MARYBOROUGH
Tuesday 11 August 6.30pm – 9pm
Maryborough Neighbourhood Centre
GOLD COAST
Monday 17 August 10am – 1pm
and 6.30pm – 9pm
Quality Hotel Mermaid Waters
REGISTER NOW
WORKFORCE.ORG.AU 7

WORKFORCE COUNCIL
A FRESH APPROACH TO
PROBLEM-SOLVING
USING APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY
APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY IS A STRATEGY FOR INTENTIONAL CHANGE THAT
IDENTIFIES THE BEST OF ‘WHAT IS’ TO PURSUE DREAMS AND POSSIBILITIES OF
‘WHAT COULD BE’. IT IS A COOPERATIVE SEARCH FOR STRENGTHS, PASSIONS AND
LIFE-GIVING FORCES THAT ARE FOUND WITHIN EVERY SYSTEM AND THAT HOLD
POTENTIAL FOR INSPIRED, POSITIVE CHANGE. 1
While traditional problem-solving paradigms are effective in
leading our response to critical and regular issues arising, for
some challenges we face, the problem-solving paradigm does
not generate effective or sustainable change. When an issue
such as team dysfunction or intense behavioural management
demands arise and our normal ways of addressing them stop
working, we experience that “stuck” feeling. The circumstances
do not change and things do not feel better. This can lead us
to continue to repeat the same recipe for problem-solving over
and over again with increasing frustration.
If left too long the issue that has us feeling “stuck” can become
part of team or organisational culture entrenched, unspoken
and there to be implicitly passed on to new staff, children
and our families as “just the way we do things around here”.
Appreciative Inquiry is an approach that allows us to shift
from traditional deficit-based thinking to a strengths-based
paradigm that exposes new opportunities. Author and
practitioner Bliss Browne 2 outlines the four cornerstones of the
Appreciative Inquiry approach as being:
1
2
3
4
The questions we ask determine what we will find: The
simple act of asking questions influences a system or
community. Therefore the questions we ask are ‘fateful’.
Words create worlds: Words have the power to create
or destroy, inspire or discourage. Negative words
and images weaken us on every level, positive words,
images and conversations strengthen us and what we
are able to accomplish.
Stories shape identify and expand imagination: Humans
hold their knowledge in story form. Their internal mental
maps or stories help to create their view of reality and
shape that reality.
Every voice is important: Within any system, engaging
the full ecology and diversity of the system is the best
way to create new possibilities that are richer and
stronger than what any one group could create alone.
An Appreciative Inquiry approach exposes the dynamic
leadership qualities needed to generate effective and
sustainable improvement. It gives permission to set aside the
things that do not work and to focus on that which is working
well and build on those strengths to expose new, creative and
brave choices that have perhaps been hidden up until this
point.
Appreciative Inquiry asks us to be very deliberate in how we
decide what we are going to focus on. For instance, which
statement feels more constructive: “Addressing team conflict”
or “Growing a vibrant, resilient and dynamic team”? Which
of these activities would you rather put your time, energy and
power into?
Redirecting to this new way of engaging with challenges is
most commonly facilitated through the use of the 5D model
which comprises: Define, Discover, Dream, Design and
Destiny/Deliver.
At the ‘Discover’ stage lots of time is spent crafting and
exploring great questions that from the very outset draw out
the stories people carry which reflect opportunities, strengths
and meaningful connections with themselves and others. What
is the best of what is here? Where is the story we like telling?
At the ‘Dream’ stage participants draw on those good stories
to envisage a bold desirable future. Green fields and blank
canvases–it is the chance to grow ideas previously dismissed
as ‘silly’ or not even visible before.
While a visionary and positivity driven approach, the appeal
of Appreciative Inquiry is that it does not leave lofty ideas
floating aimlessly but has the two key stages that enable you
to ‘Design’ ways to successfully implement and action required
change that will help you advance towards your ‘Destiny/
deliver’.
The approach is practical and energising and is a great way
to illuminate opportunities for growth when things have turned
lacklustre. Appreciative Inquiry is useful when a different
perspective is needed, or when we wish to begin a new
process from a fresh, positive vantage point. Appreciative
Inquiry can be used with individuals, partners, small groups or
large organisations.
8
IN THE LOOP

DEFINE
Affirmative
Topic
DISCOVER
Ask about the best
of what is
DELIVER
Create what
will be
AFFIRMATIVE
TOPIC
DREAM
Imagine what
could be
DESIGN
Plan what will be
Workforce Council conducts workshops,
introducing participants to the theory and
concepts of Appreciative Inquiry and through a
highly interactive process gives you the chance
to explore what it would feel like to apply this
approach in your working world.
Cooperrider, D. L., Whitney, D., & Stavros, J. M.
(2008). Appreciative Inquiry Handbook For Leaders
of Change (2nd ed.). Brunswick, USA: Crown
Custom Publishing.
https://sustainingcommunity.wordpress.
com/2013/11/21/what-is-appreciative-inquiry/
Visit our www.workforce.org.au to search
our upcoming events or contact us on
1800 112 585 to discuss running a workshop
for your service.
REFERENCES:
1. Cooperrider & Srivastva, 1987. Cooperrider, D.L. & Srivastva, S. (1987) Appreciative inquiry in organizational life. In Woodman, R. W. & Pasmore,
W.A. (eds) Research In Organizational Change And Development, Vol. 1 (129-169). Stamford, CT: JAI Press.
2. From the work of Bliss Browne, Imagine Chicago/ Mary-Alice Arthur, SOAR, PO Box 10-868, Wellington, email: miracleworker@compuserve.com.
WORKFORCE.ORG.AU 9

MULTICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION
FEAST ON
CULTURE
By Anaik Doyle
10
IN THE LOOP

“Tell me what you eat, and I’ll tell you who you are,”
JEAN ANTHELME BRILLAT-SAVARIN
Most of us now live in quite multicultural communities and
understanding culture is an important requirement for our
professional practice.
At a time when immigration and border protection are huge
political and social conversation points, we are perhaps more
aware of our differences than ever. The heavy social meanings
attached to these differences make it a sensitive topic to broach.
Even those of us with a heartfelt commitment to cultural inclusion
are not always sure about the right way to ask about cultural
differences.
Acknowledging and supporting difference is fundamental
to inclusive practice. As stated in the Early Years Learning
Framework:
‘Educators honour the histories, cultures, languages,
traditions, child rearing practices and lifestyle
choices of families.’ (1)
However there is an Australian tendency to attempt to show
people that they are equals by treating them as ’same’. This is
a generously intentioned cultural behaviour but unfortunately,
ignoring difference can actually make it even harder for us to
get talking about it. So how do we open up conversation about
culture and difference in a way that we feel comfortable? How
do we get people to tell us about their differences in a way that
is relaxed, non-judgmental and shows our supportive attitude?
Food is an element of our culture but it is also a medium or
an access point to it. When we talk to families about their
food, we gain an insight into their homes, their worldview and
the myriad of cultural practices attached to the preparation
and consumption of it. We learn about a family’s rituals and
celebrations, religion or faith, health practices and beliefs, roles
and concept of family and how they nurture their loved ones.
Uncovering culture’s food beliefs may lead us to seemingly
quirky insights, but dig a little deeper and they will provide you
with important indicators of values, social life and parenting
approach. For example (4) :
• Indian and Sri Lankan families will often request foods be
served warmed (including milk). This is based on Ayurvedic
influences and the belief that warm foods are good for the
immune system and digestion.
• Rice is not only a staple food but is sacred in many cultures
(e.g. Japan, Vietnam) and wastage is considered quite
shocking!
the child’s health. Countries that have a strong culture of
breastfeeding beyond infancy include: Vietnam, China, Sri
Lanka, Japan, Argentina, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, many
Arab and Eastern and Southern African countries (5) . Many
Muslims breastfeed for two years as part of their religious
practice.
• In Japan, babies should never eat alone and typically share
family foods, this is for them to experience the pleasure of
feeling like part of a family (3) .
• In India, eating with your hands is considered to give you a
connection to the food that feeds the body, mind and spirit.
Food is also a passionate subject for people of many cultural
groups. When we think about childhood comforts, the smells
and tastes of home cooking are evocative memories. These
tastes and smells help to create a welcoming and comfortable
environment. It is also frequently how we show hospitality. In
this way, the preparation and consumption of food provides a
natural opportunity for people to gather and for relationships to
start and grow. In our work as early childhood professionals it
also provides an easy conversation opener!
“Food and language are the cultural habits humans
learn first and the ones they change with the
greatest reluctance.” DR DONNA GABACCIA (2)
Stacie Tannock is the Director of Goodstart Early Learning in
Nundah. She has a knack for making cultural inclusion natural
and fun. Some of her successful strategies include a strong focus
on food.
“We have a quite diverse staff; about 30% of our educators
speak English as their second (or fourth!) language. Our
families are similarly diverse; approximately 40% are from a
culturally and linguistically diverse background,” Stacie said.
“I know how scary it can be in another country, with different
foods, smells and systems of work. One of my priorities is
always to establish rapport and make families feel welcome,”
she said.
“We really rely on Cultural Support Workers (from the Bicultural
Support Service) to help us develop an understanding of the
families. A few words of greeting in home language can make
all the difference in putting someone at ease and showing that
we respect and are interested in their culture.”
• In Arab culture showing hospitality with food is very
important. Leaving food on your plate shows that hospitality
has been generous. However in some other cultures leaving
food on your plate is considered wasteful, even ungrateful
(e.g. Japan, India)
• In Judaism and Islam, animal products can only be
consumed if the animal has been slaughtered according to
religious guidelines.
• Breast feeding for two or more years is common in many
cultures and considered an important part of mothering and
WORKFORCE.ORG.AU 11

STACIE’S STRATEGIES FOR ACCESSING CULTURE VIA FOOD
BRING DIVERSITY TO YOUR
VEGGIE PATCH
1 4
CONSULT WITH YOUR COMMUNITY TO
DEVELOP A MULTICULTURAL MENU
“Our garden has a number of vegetables and herbs from around
the world that are starting to produce well. We have sugar cane,
basil, Thai mint, Vietnamese mint and many more. Encourage
families and staff to share cuttings of herbs or vegetables that
they use in traditional foods. Garden to table works great in
our centre! The children will pick the required herbs for our chef
which brings authentic flavour to the day’s meals.”
2
CONSULT WITH FAMILIES ABOUT THEIR
CHILDREN’S FAVOURITE MEALS
“I always ask about children’s dietary requirements. Ask
families to share recipes and incorporate them where
possible,” advises Stacie. She says this provides a
wonderful insight into their family life, culture, and gives you
opportunities to be sincerely inclusive, and give all children
in the service an opportunity to experience another culture.
Stacie said it works even better if you can get the family
to visit the service and teach/share the preparation with
everyone. “One Mum, who is originally from China, came to
our centre to help us with Chinese New Year celebrations. We
enjoyed dumplings and made themed bookmarks. The Mum
told us that they haven’t been able to celebrate their new year
in the 3 years that they have been in Australia. She thanked us
for making her feel welcome and for supporting their culture.”
3
ASK ABOUT FOOD PREFERENCES
AT ENROLMENT
Stacie recommends sharing your existing menu and finding
ways to incorporate the family’s culture. Some of the questions
that you might like to incorporate are;
What foods do your family like to eat?
What are your child’s favourite foods?
What foods do you encourage for your child’s health?
Are there any foods you like to avoid?
What time of day does your child typically eat meals?
How/where do you feed your child? Does your child feed
him/herself?
What eating utensils does your child typically use?
Who usually eats meals with your child?
Which foods do you eat on holidays or special
occasions?
Do you have any recipes that you would like to share for
our menu?
We have a community vegetable garden. Would you like
to suggest any herbs or vegetables that we could grow
together?
Stacie shares an inspiring example: “About 6 months ago we
realised that we had a lot of vegetarian families. This led us
to explore the food practices of families much more deeply.
We emailed all families to advise that we were changing our
menu and asked if they could share with us any traditional
meals that their children loved at home. From this survey, we
picked and tested about 50 different recipes. For 6 weeks the
children ate a different meal each day! The menu we have
today is very multicultural and offers a vegetarian option
every day. We also love that it is based on the recipes that the
children picked, therefore the ones they liked best!”
5
USE THE CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE IN
YOUR TEAM
Stacie believes that this is essential. “What makes this work
possible is that I have a team of educators and a chef who
really support it. They are very on board and share their own
culture. I find learning about different cultures fascinating and
a lot of our discussion about culture comes from talking about
food. It’s an easy way to break down those barriers. My team
will bring and share different cultural foods like dumplings or
jellyfish salad. Some of them we instantly love and some of
them take a bit longer. I always ask them for recipes for my
own home cooking. I hope it shows my interest and support for
them to include their culture and family life in our centre”. The
end result of this is educators who feel empowered to offer their
cultural knowledge to better support children in the service.
5
SHOW YOU SINCERELY CARE
“My team are genuinely interested in learning about and
supporting families’ culture. Our families are closer and want
to share their stories because we have shown them that we will
act on the information they share. It also has given us some
great insights into children’s behaviour. One of the interesting
things that we learned is that many of the children are used to
and prefer eating spicy food. We actually had to find ways that
children could make their food spicier to encourage them to eat!”
Would you like support in designing a more culturally
inclusive approach to food in your service? The Bicultural
Support Service at MDA work with ECEC services to help
meet the specific needs of children and families from
culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.
We provide mentoring, role modelling, cultural
conversations and practical support, enabling educators
to gain skills, knowledge and confidence to successfully
include children and families from CALD backgrounds.
The information and advice service can be contacted on
ph 3337 5427 or email bsa@mdaltd.org.au
For more resources on food and cultural inclusion visit us
on Pinterest www.pinterest.com/BSSMDA/ or Facebook
www.facebook.com/BiculturalSupportServiceMDA
1. EYLF pg 13.
2. Dr Donna Gabaccia, We are what we eat: Ethnic food and the making of Americans. Harvard University Press; 1998.
3. Christine Gross-Loh, Parenting Without Borders. Penguin Books, 2013.
4. Source – MDA, CSW Fact Sheets. Various CSWs.
5. UNICEF global databases, 2014, based on MICS, DHS, and other nationally representative surveys, 2009.
12
IN THE LOOP

IPSP Specialist Equipment
FREE
SERVICE
HIGH ONGOING NEEDS EQUIPMENT
Services enrolling children with high ongoing physical needs can access our large range of equipment to support their inclusion
under the Inclusion and Professional Support Program, funded by the Australian Government.
This is a FREE service for Early Education and Care Services in Queensland.
Some examples of the equipment available to hire includes:
RIFTON ACTIVITY CHAIR
The Rifton Activity Chair is designed with two bases and a
large range of optimal accessories and provides excellent
postural support. It can be configured as a basic chair with
arm supports (castors are optional) or as a Hi/Lo chair
(for easy transfer and ease of access to activities at a lower
height) with full postural supports.
STANDARD BASIC CHAIR
HI/LO CHAIR
The chair is versatile, adaptable and adjustments can be made while the child is seated, without using tools.
As our equipment is aimed at supporting inclusion, the chair can be used for meal times and active learning. If your service has a
child who is low functioning and has a tendency to rock, the backrest spring (an optional accessory) allows for calming through
self-generated motion safely. The spring column can be locked when not in use. Talk to our Occupational Therapist to discuss
individual high ongoing needs of the children in your care.
JENX PRONE STANDER
ELECTRIC CHANGE TABLE
An adjustable, mobile prone
standing frame with gas strut
assisted adjustments. It can be
used for children with moderate to
high support needs. The standing
frame provides front body support
and stability enabling the child to
have an easy view of activities,
surroundings and social interaction.
Our solid electric change tables
come in a range of lengths from
900mm, 1200mm and 1500mm
with folding side rails and castors
to fit small bathroom areas. Heights
range from 500mm to 960mm. The
use of electric change tables lowers
the risk of back injuries for educators
and allow the child independent
transfer where possible.
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT UPON
When accessing the use of high needs equipment
there are a few things to remember. Ask yourself:
Will it fit into the service’s space?
You need to check floor space and storage
when not in use.
How will this piece of equipment support the
educator in the inclusion process?
Has the child’s therapist used the
measurement chart from the Noah’s Ark
website to ensure the equipment will meet the
child’s needs in sizing?
The measurement chart can be downloaded on the
Noah’s Ark website at www.noahsark.net.au
Contact Noah’s Ark to discuss your high ongoing equipment needs:
Tina Millar Operations Manager Noah’s Ark
1300 497 437 www. Noahsark.net.au
WORKFORCE.ORG.AU 13

TELLING
By Stephen Gallen
OUR STORIES
Documentation and Belonging
ALL CULTURES HAVE THEIR OWN STORIES, AND TELL THEIR OWN STORIES IN ONE
FORM OR ANOTHER. IT’S A FUNDAMENTAL PART OF BEING A HUMAN BEING, AND
OF BELONGING. THROUGH SHARING AND TELLING OUR STORIES WE MAKE SENSE
OF OUR EXPERIENCE, WE EXPLORE AND COMMUNICATE OUR VALUES, WE SHARE
OUR HISTORY - WE CREATE A CULTURE.
14
IN THE LOOP

In this article I would like to share two stories.
STORY 1
William
The first involves a child called William. William was four
years old when I met him in 2013. I was visiting the centre
that he attended in an outback Queensland town. It was early
afternoon, many children were still sleeping, and I sat with a
small group of children who had woken. Together with their
educators they sat around a table for half an hour or so, with
pens, crayons and paper, companionably drawing pictures
and having a yarn about life while they waited for the rest of
the group to wake up.
I was really struck by the warm, relaxed and friendly
atmosphere at the table. The conversation meandered around
from subject to subject (as conversations often do when friends
come together to have a yarn). Sometimes it was inspired
by what one of the children or educators happened to be
drawing, at other times, it worked the other way around,
where a conversation about ghosts led to everyone trying to
draw one.
At one point, one of the other children had drawn a snake.
An educator commented on it, asking about the drawing.
Another child immediately pointed out that it needed some
fangs. All of the children started volunteering their knowledge
about snakes: “They’ve got sharp fangs,” “They hiss,”
“They will bite you!”, “They live outside!”
Stories began to be swapped. Very quickly I realised two
things about William: he was a born storyteller; and he
loved to hold court. He told us the story of the day his dad
found a brown snake in the yard (“it was THIS BIG!”), killed
it, and brought the body inside. He then recounted the (very
amusing) story of what his mother had to say about having a
dead snake in the house. He had us all chuckling and really
relished his role as entertainer at the table. The story sounded
based in fact, but wildly and entertainingly exaggerated for
the sake of the story - after all, as with most stories, it’s all in
the telling. I could see how close the group was, how relaxed
and comfortable William and the others were. They shared a
history together, a history not just in the centre, but within the
town, where everyone knew everyone else, and understood
how things are. William’s story led on to another (as stories
do) this time about going pig shooting with his father. It got
increasingly bloodthirsty, vivid and outlandish.
appreciate, after my previous encounter with William that this
‘inappropriate’ behaviour and storytelling was actually his
way of trying to ‘fit in’. After all, when we share our stories,
we are sharing who we are, where we come from – it’s how
we can build relatedness. And his stories had always been so
popular and well received before...
It’s understandable that as a four year old, William lacked the
cultural competence to realise that he might need to modify
his approach in this very different environment. After all,
outback rural ways of being are culturally very different than
urban lifestyles and values. It’s also understandable - though
disappointing - that the educators at his new centre lacked
the competence and awareness to see that this was indeed a
cultural issue rather than a behaviourial one.
Although he tried, William wasn’t able to effectively share his
stories in a way that let his new community understand who he
was, where he came from, and how he might begin to belong
to somewhere else. The educators from his previous centre felt
sad for him. On reflecting, they realised that the rich stories,
images and moments that they had carefully documented
over time about William’s learning and participation in their
program, could have helped his new educators to gain an
insight into who William was and to see his behaviour in a
new light. In future, they determined (with parents’ consent)
to send their documentation of a child’s time at the service
along with them to a new service - as a kind of calling card,
or introduction: this is the story of this child, who they are and
where they have come from.
This idea of documentation as a piece of history, as a story
of a life, and as something which can have a significant
and positive impact on a child’s life, on the continuity of
their experience and in fact on their sense of identity and
of belonging is a powerful one, but it’s one that is very
different from the way many of us still perceive curriculum
documentation.
Some months later, I visited the centre again. When I asked
after William I was told that his family had moved to a large
urban city. He was attending a long day care centre there,
and he was having some challenges. The centre had recently
spoken to his family about their concerns around William’s
inappropriate behaviour (pretending to go on pig hunt) and
inappropriate stories (often bloodthirsty, vivid and outlandish),
and in general about his difficulty in ‘fitting in’. I could
WORKFORCE.ORG.AU 15

STORY 2
This leads us to my second story - not of a child this time, but the history of a sector...
Once upon a time in the land of “child minding” it was very
very simple. Our job was to keep children safe, well and
happily occupied while their parents and guardians were
busy doing other things. It made sense to have a schedule to
organise the day: routines to ensure that caregiving (feeding,
toileting, resting) happened consistently and reliably; fun
activities to keep children ‘busy’ (we had to fill the long
hours somehow); and a range of other routines and rituals
to manage the group. ‘Planning’ was usually just a matter of
deciding what activities we would provide for the week, what
stories we would read, what songs we would sing, along with
the need to organise and have ready the necessary resources
and materials. Documenting this program was simply like
writing up a schedule, and the term ‘program’ really sums up
how this was perceived and understood - more as a program
of events (such as you would find at a sports carnival, or music
festival) than a curriculum. It was thought that this approach
should take care of children’s needs in the present (supporting
their BEING in the immediate here and now.)
Gradually though, it became clear that this
approach failed to fully take into account the need
to support children’s BECOMING - as they grew
and developed.
And so we moved from the land of child minding to the land
of ‘childcare and development’, and we began to see that
a ‘program’ needed something more to it. Promoting and
supporting each child’s individual development became
important. This meant we needed to start linking our program
to individual developmental goals, and we needed to start
evaluating how well our program was meeting these goals.
In addition, these goals themselves needed to be documented,
and justified. Which meant in turn that we needed to
document our observations of children in order to be able to
identify these goals and objectives, and to be able to evaluate
and assess children’s progress towards these. Things became
quite complicated (which is not quite the same thing as
complex). We needed to link and code and cross-check.
And do a lot more writing.
Despite these changes, the underlying approach remained the
same. Though now based on goals, evidence and a reflective
cycle, the program was still considered to be very much a
planned program of events, activities and experiences and
routines. The only difference was that now we needed to
consider and document the goals for the program, how we
had developed them, and whether they were being met.
Eventually the realisation dawned that maybe the pendulum
had swung too far. Programs driven by a narrow focus on
children’s development (Becoming) risked ignoring the value of
a rich, carefree childhood here and now (Being). As we asked
ourselves, what is at the basis of a good childhood in the here
and now, the idea of BELONGING begins to emerge.
So in recent years we have moved to another land again,
the land of Early Childhood and School Aged Education and
Care. Ideally this new ‘world’ is meant to be an improvement
over our previous lands. This time - crucially - we are not
just focussing on one aspect of childhood Belonging, Being
or Becoming - but all three together - Belonging, Being and
Becoming. And so we all lived happily ever after....
All of the above is a Story of course - a ‘True Story’ maybe,
but still a Story. Meaning that it is only one way to describe a
very rich, multifaceted reality. There are others. But the point of
a story is to make some sense, and give a shape to reality, to
step back and reflect, in order to know where might be, and
where we might like to go. It’s wise to appreciate the truth or
meaning of a story, and at the same time appreciate that it still
is a Story. It’s also wise to be suspicious of happy-ever-after
endings.
While many services report reduced paperwork and
workloads, less stress, and educator engagement in rich,
meaningful, documentation that inspires and excites,
that makes them better educators, the reality for many
other educators in the current climate is that curriculum
documentation is a source of worry, stress, frustration,
confusion and anxiety. Many services report increased levels
of paperwork and workload. Why is this? Is it the ‘fault’ of the
National Quality Standards? And is there anything we can do
about it?
To return to the ‘Story’ above - it might be that the ‘problem’ is
that many of us have moved to a new land, but have brought
all of our old ways of working and thinking with us. A little like
the early Europeans in Australia in three piece suits and floor
length dress and petticoat, sweating and suffering during a
hot Australian Christmas as they ate roast turkey, a lot of our
challenges and stresses around documentation might come
down to the simple fact that we are trying to live in a new
country but keep our old ways.
In terms of planning and documenting this might
mean that all we have done is to change some
names and formats, but keep our old processes
and understandings.
So developmental goals become learning outcomes, and
observations become learning stories, and we still tie these
into planned ‘activities’. And our program carries on much
as before, but with a lot more work, because to demonstrate
that complex learning outcomes (such as a “strong sense
of wellbeing”, or “understanding the reciprocal rights and
responsibilities of belonging to a community”) are being met
requires richer evidence than a more simplistic developmental
outcome (such as “pincer grip”, “turn taking” or “colour
recognition”).
This is a shame, and a missed opportunity, because the land of
the National Quality Framework is no longer about providing
a ‘program’ of planned activities and experiences for children.
Instead, it is about a curriculum. As the Frameworks define
it, a curriculum means “all the interactions, experiences,
activities, routines and events, planned and unplanned, that
occur in an environment designed to foster children’s learning
and development” (EYLF, p 9). In other words, it is every
16
IN THE LOOP

aspect of our daily lives together - the relationships, the history,
the little daily moments, the stories and dramas, the conflicts
and joys, as much as the provocations and planned extensions
and activities. Appreciating that a sense of Belonging is as
crucial to children as Being and Becoming, means we stop
seeing our curriculum as the activities we plan, and more as
something that arises out of the everyday of living our lives
together as a small community.
Within this, of course there is a place for planning and
organisation, and a place for planned activities and
experiences. It’s just that there is also so much more. When
we truly appreciate that curriculum is everything that happens
within our designed environments, we can start to let go of
the idea that our documentation can and should ‘cover’ all
aspects of our day.
Instead curriculum documentation becomes much more about
telling our Stories - trying to capture and portray something
of the essence and flavour of our lives together - our history
individually and as a community. Like the Story of William and
who he was, that could have made such a difference to the
way he began life in a new community.
Maybe it would help to think of the ways that authentic
communities document their lives together - whether we are
talking about a family at home, a club or association, or
maybe a town or city. Much of the documentation is incidental
– it’s generated just by living our lives.
For instance in our homes we might have our photo albums,
our letters (or emails), our diaries, our keepsakes and
mementoes. We have our more formal records (maybe
accounts and receipts, certificates, journals and more) and
our more informal (drawings stuck on the fridge, a scribbled
shopping list, birthday and Christmas cards, scrapbooks and
more). If a visitor was to view this collection of documentation,
they would gain a rich, authentic sense of our lives together.
Yes, it would be partial, incomplete, and subjective. But it
would also be rich, meaningful and authentic.
Obviously our settings are professional spaces, not domestic
ones. We have some accountability requirements, and some
organisational issues when dealing with larger numbers of
children. But these are really just simple practical matters.
Keeping a diary or planner can work in terms of knowing
what our intentions for tomorrow are, and the preparations
we need to make. As rich documentation is consistently
generated we also do need to have some way of archiving
and organising it - for instance so we can easily access
documentation on how we support children’s agency, or
embed Indigenous cultures and perspectives. We especially
need to have a way of easily seeing which documentation
relates to an individual child. A scrapbook for each child, or a
folder (digital or cardboard) are obvious and simple ways.
I like the idea of a shoebox - where we can collect
traces and samples of the child’s life and learning
with us - their journey and their history.
When we, or the child and their parents rifle through
the shoebox they are encountering not just “records” but
memories, stories, fragments of history, lives lived, and
relationships shared with others. You can picture them lifting
one out of the shoebox and holding it up to the light, and
savouring the associations and emotions that come flooding
back. A true sense of a person and their history as part of
a community (imagine how this might have helped young
William).
As professional educators of course there is a need for us to
do more than simply collect this rich documentation. We use
this collection of raw ‘data’ to look for patterns..for threads
and themes...for meaning. We revisit, we wonder, we reflect.
We can construct the sense of progress, of a journey. And so
we weave these pieces of documentation together to tell a
Story. A story informed by our professional knowledge and
wisdom, by a range of perspectives and voices, hopefully a
True Story, but still a Story.
Gunilla Dahlberg and Peter Moss (Dahlberg, Moss & Pence,
1999) talk about Foucault’s concept of the care of self as a
way of thinking about pedagogical documentation. Carefully
and intentionally constructing and piecing together stories that
not just reflect on our and the child’s experience, but that also
shape and make sense of this experience - and feed back into
it in a reciprocal way.
Documentation can be a means of creating, telling and
sharing a history of our lives together as a community. When
we see ourselves in stories, when we can view our histories
and stories and share them with each other, then we foster
and create a shared culture, a shared memory and a shared
experience.
We create a sense of
Belonging
REFERENCES:
Australian Government, (2009). Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Canberra, ACT: Australian Government.
Australian Government, (2010). Educators Belonging, Being and Becoming: Educators’ Guide to the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Canberra, ACT: Australian
Government.
Dahlberg, G., Moss, P & Pence, A. (1999). Beyond Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care - Postmodern Perspectives London: Routledge Reggio
Project Zero & Reggio Children (2001). Making Learning Visible - Children as Individual and Group Learners. Reggio Emilia, Italy: Reggio Children.
WORKFORCE.ORG.AU 17

QUEENSLAND CHILDREN’S ACTIVITY NETWORK
SUPPORTING EFFECTIVE
TRANSITIONS IN OSHC
By Kylie Brannelly
18
IN THE LOOP

THERE ARE MANY TRANSITIONS THAT OCCUR IN A CHILD’S DAY WHEN IT INCLUDES
OUTSIDE SCHOOL HOURS CARE (OSHC). SOME OF THESE TRANSITIONS ARE QUITE
SIGNIFICANT SUCH AS THE TRANSITION TO SCHOOL FROM THE SERVICE AND VICE
VERSA AS WELL AS THE TRANSITIONS BETWEEN THE SERVICE AND THE CHILD’S HOME.
Other transitions, such as those between different program
activities and events are often considered less significant but
in fact require a great amount of thoughtful planning to ensure
these times run smoothly and can be drawn upon as learning
opportunities.
YOUNG CHILDREN AND TRANSITIONS
Our youngest children in OSHC are faced with some of their
greatest life changes when they transition from kindergarten to
school. For those children who haven’t attended an education
and care service before, a school day that includes OSHC will
be a big step.
For many children, this will require that they learn to navigate
a new environment, establish new relationships with significant
adults such as teachers and educators and develop new
friendships. In the OSHC setting, relationships with children are
not restricted to peers and young children will likely have the
opportunity to interact ‘socially’ with older children.
SUPPORTING TRANSITIONS IN THE SERVICE
There are many things that the service can do to support young
children with their transition to OSHC. This includes working
closely with children, families, teachers, support staff and the
wider community to identify how the child’s individual needs
may be best met by the service.
Educators will be thoughtful in helping individual children
understand the OSHC routines, activities and events to enable
them to cope confidently and comfortably with change and
movement between settings. This includes formally introducing,
welcoming and orienting new children and their families. Rules
and boundaries need to be explained clearly to children in
relevant, meaningful and helpful ways.
Building relationships is a powerful way to nurture children’s
sense of security and trust. This can be done by engaging in
conversations with each child about their interests, concerns
and experiences at home, school and in the community. It is
essential that educators show empathy by affirming feelings,
providing emotional support, and generally being responsive to
each child’s individual needs.
Capitalising on the opportunity for peer support is also another
strategy that services often consider through the implementation
of leadership programs whereby older children are encouraged
to role model, guide and mentor younger children. These
strategies require purposeful planning to ensure they enhance
children’s transition experiences. Sibling support and buddy
allocation are often considered useful strategies but should be
mindfully implemented giving consideration to the amount of
responsibility placed on the support person when they too are
a child.
Above all, it is important for each child to be welcomed openly
and valued for their uniqueness and individuality making sure
that the program has something to offer every child regardless
of their diverse interests. This also means making space and
time to accommodate children’s need for rest, relaxation and to
experience stillness.
REFLECTION ON PRACTICE
Guided reflection is a useful strategy which can facilitate rich,
exploratory dialogue around matters of importance in the
service. The process is also very helpful when used to inform
the service’s Quality Improvement Plan. Educators may take
some time together and consider the ways in which children’s
transitions are supported in the service, by asking questions
like:
What information is sought from the family about the child’s
needs, interests and abilities, and about any cultural aspects/
home routines that need to be considered? How is this
information used to inform the program?
What information is shared reciprocally with the family about
the child’s experiences at OSHC? What happens with this
information?
How does the service go about building reciprocal and
collaborative partnerships with school leaders and teachers
to establish safe and supportive arrival and departure
arrangements when delivering/collecting young children from
classrooms? Does this result in sharing conversations with
teachers about the child’s experiences and needs?
What else can the service do to enhance transitions for children
during OSHC?
‘Educator practices and the relationships they form
with children and families have a significant effect
on children’s sense of identity and wellbeing which
impacts 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
learning and wellbeing.’
(MY TIME, OUR PLACE P. 7)
REFERENCES:
Australian Government, (2009). Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Canberra, ACT: Australian Government.
Australian Government, (2010). Educators Belonging, Being and Becoming: Educators’ Guide to the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Canberra, ACT: Australian
Government.
Dahlberg, G., Moss, P & Pence, A. (1999). Beyond Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care - Postmodern Perspectives London: Routledge Reggio
Project Zero & Reggio Children (2001). Making Learning Visible - Children as Individual and Group Learners. Reggio Emilia, Italy: Reggio Children.
WORKFORCE.ORG.AU 19

FAMILY DAY CARE ASSOCIATION QUEENSLAND
SETTING THE FOUNDATION FOR
QUALITY PRACTICE
IN FAMILY DAY CARE
Quality practice starts with an effective
educator recruitment and induction process.
By Cathy Cahill
20
IN THE LOOP

Over the last year the family day care industry has
experienced a great deal of uncertainty and change. This
has led us to challenge our old thinking around what a
coordination unit should look like. We have found there to
be a strong correlation and connection between family day
care educators being highly skilled and having constant and
effective support from their coordination unit. This support
can be in many forms but it has to start with a comprehensive
educator recruitment and induction process. This gives
educators the best possible foundations which lead to the best
outcomes for children.
As an organisation the Family Day Care Association
Queensland has recently researched and created a recruitment
and induction process to assist coordination units in the
process of acquiring and maintaining high quality educators.
We feel it’s more effective to focus on the importance of
recruitment and induction processes to attract high quality
educators, as opposed to the redundant thinking based on
arbitrary educator numbers, in order to establish the future of
family day care as a force in the education and care sector.
Coordination units should start to focus on understanding adult
learning principles in their role of ensuring quality outcomes
to children in an educator’s home environment. By using
these principles each coordination unit will gain a deeper
understanding of best practice to help develop mentoring
and support processes, which enables the learner to develop
dispositions for learning. These dispositions for learning are
developed when coordinators work with an educator as equal
partners and each party recognises the skills, attributes and
competencies they bring to any learning experience.
PRINCIPLES FOR WORKING WITH ADULT LEARNERS
Knowles work on ‘andragogy’ highlights 5 key learning
principles for consideration when working with adult learners:
1. Self-concept: As a person matures their self-concept moves
from one of being a dependent personality toward one of
being a self-directed human being.
2. Experience: As a person matures they accumulate a
growing reservoir of experience that becomes an increasing
resource for learning.
3. Readiness to learn: As a person matures their readiness
to learn becomes oriented increasingly to the developmental
tasks of their social roles with families, children and
coordinators.
4. Orientation to learning: As a person matures their time
perspective changes from one of postponed application of
knowledge to immediacy of application, and accordingly
their orientation towards learning shifts from one of subjectcenteredness
to one of problem centeredness – hence the
precedency toward on-the-job learning.
5. Motivation to learn: As a person matures their motivation
to learn increases to an internal process – driven by their own
motivation to learn (Knowles 1984: 12 in Smith, M 2002).
These principles align well with that of the more well-known
child learning principles. The role of the coordinator, once a
person is deemed appropriate for the role of the educator, is
not a ‘teaching role’ but rather a mentoring and support role.
Coordinators need to walk alongside educators, supporting
their capacity to build competency through professional
development planning, resourcing and engaging in problemsolving
processes. This happens through a range of strategies,
while face-to-face home visits are a key component of building
an understanding of the educator’s practices. This cannot be
seen as the only or ‘best’ way to undertake this mentoring and
support role.
SO, WHAT ARE SOME WAYS SERVICES CAN AND DO
SUPPORT EDUCATORS?
Using an in-depth recruitment and induction process ensures
the coordination unit is selecting educators that support
the ethos and philosophy of the service, have the suitable
attributes, skills and qualifications. This process builds
an educator profile which contains knowledge about the
educator, her/his family, the education and care environment
and whether the educators may need further professional
development.
The development of a professional improvement plan
requires a collaborative process where both the educator and
coordinator identify the current strengths and areas of support
needed.
Family day care educators are responsible for the all the day
to day management of their home-based service. This includes:
• making decisions about the learning environment
provided,
• managing wellbeing and safety,
• implementing service policy and procedures, and
• enrolment of families in the educator’s environment.
They are also required to hold or be studying towards a
Certificate III qualification.
The significant responsibilities listed above demonstrate the
importance of a focus on quality recruitment and induction
processes to attract applicants with the best skills and
attributes. Educators also need to be supported in a system
with coordinators who are skilled and qualified in andragogy.
Every educator will play a significant role in the lives of the
children in their care; this is why we need to get it right from
the start.
Family Day Care provides an environment for skilful, selfmanaged
adults to demonstrate quality outcomes for children.
This alone demonstrates the impact of a strong intentional
recruitment and andragogy approach by coordination unit
staff in supporting and recruiting educators.
REFERENCES:
Smith, M. K. (2002) ‘Malcolm Knowles, informal adult education, self-direction and anadragogy’.
WORKFORCE.ORG.AU 21

Noahs Ark Resource Centre Q ld Inc.
Professional Educators
Resource Library (PERL)
50
FANTASTIC IDEAS
Explore the series
22
IN THE LOOP

NOAH’S ARK SUBSCRIPTION-BASED RESOURCE LIBRARY FOR EDUCATORS IN EARLY
EDUCATION AND CARE SETTINGS HAS SOME EXCITING NEW RESOURCES IN THE LIBRARY
TO INSPIRE EDUCATORS IN PROVIDING ACTIVITIES FOR ALL THE CHILDREN IN THEIR CARE.
THE 50 FANTASTIC IDEAS SERIES
This series of professional resource books covers a wide range
of activities including:
• Exploring emotions,
• Maths Outdoors,
• Imaginative thinking,
• And much, much more.
BOOKS THAT BROACH DIFFERENCE
Talking about gender diversity and other differences while
meeting children’s needs can be a challenge for educators. It
is important to talk to children about difference, to reflect the
diversity of the children and families attending early childhood
education and care, and school aged care. The library has a
new range of children’s books about different families. These
are just two examples:
The ideas in these books draw on existing activities such as
songs, stories and movement. Each activity includes guidance
on: what you need, what to do, taking it forward, what’s in it
for children and a suggested children book. Activities can be
presented to children in small groups or larger groups.
EXAMPLE RESOURCES
WHEN KAYLA WAS KYLE
Amy Fabrikant Avid Readers Publishing Group 2013
This is a picture book for children of all ages that addresses
the increasingly emerging ideas around gender diversity.
50 FANTASTIC IDEAS FOR
EXPLORING EMOTIONS
Sally and Phill Featherstone, Featherstone Education 2013
This resource includes interesting ideas to support, guide
and model children’s emotional development, which assists
children’s understanding of their own emotions and those of
others through discussion, songs, stories and movement.
50 FANTASTIC IDEAS FOR
IMAGINATIVE THINKING
Marianne Sargent, Featherstone Education 2013
This resource is based on the Early Years Learning Framework
recommendations for Educators to plan opportunities for
active exploration and play that lead to the use of creative
and critical thinking skills. It is packed with ideas to inspire
children’s imaginations, presenting all kinds of possibilities for
exciting and stimulating learning.
50 FANTASTIC IDEAS FOR
MATHS OUTDOORS
Kirstine Beeley Featherstone Education 2013
This is an excellent resource to assist educators in supporting
early numeracy development by using nature and outdoor
elements. It includes practical ideas for exciting outdoor
learning.
MY PRINCESS BOY
Cheryl Kilodavis Alladdin 2010.
This non-fiction picture book is about acceptance. It talks about
a boy whose mother feared he would be teased or bullied for
wearing a dress to school. Speaking to his teacher a plan was
put in place to support him and others who express themselves
differently.
Our resources range from children’s books, professional books
for educators, CDs, DVDs, posters, resource kits, and online
fact sheets that you can download yourself and reflect the
outcomes of the EYLF and MTOP. We can also create a fact
sheet that is customised to your particular service need.
NOAH’S ARK ALSO HAS ONLINE
BORROWING FOR SUBSCRIBERS
A PERL subscription allows you access to Noah’s Ark
Resource Library at our Rocklea site as well as the Educational
Resources and Toy Library at our East Brisbane site, an
advisory service and discounted professional development
opportunities.
TO FIND OUT MORE OR ENQUIRE ABOUT A SUBSCRIPTION, CALL 1300 497 437.
WORKFORCE.ORG.AU 23

Health and Community Services Workforce Council ISPS Professional Support Coordinator, QLD
Children’s Services
LEARNING
THROUGH SHARING
WORKFORCE
DEVELOPMENT
Our Learning through Sharing strategy offers practical support to assist children’s services
professionals across the state to meet new people, gain fresh ideas and inspiration and
build professional networks.
WHAT ARE WE OFFERING?
SERVICE SHARING VISITS
We can support you to spend a few
days in another service to explore a
different environment and engage in
conversations about areas of interest
to you, for example educational
programs, documentation, leadership,
learning environments or inclusion.
Become a participant today!
For more information on the Learning Through Sharing
Program and other Early Childhood Education and Care
support available through the Workforce Council, contact us on
FREECALL: 1800 112 585
email: ECEC@workforce.org.au
or visit: www.workforce.org.au
*fees apply for LDC services
CONFERENCE PARTICIPATION
SUPPORT
We offer support to allow you to
participate in Queensland based
conferences outside your local
area to be exposed to learning
opportunities and to network with
other professionals.
MENTORING OR COACHING
We can assist you to build your skills
and confidence by linking you with a
mentor or coach for a series of one
on one sessions.
TO REGISTER
YOUR INTEREST IN ONE
OF THESE OFFERINGS
PLEASE COMPLETE THE
EXPRESSION OF
INTEREST FORM.
The Inclusion and Professional Support
Program is funded by the Australian
Government Department of Social Services.
Proudly funded and
supported by the
Queensland Government