Education

LiL acknowledges the important role of parents as their
child’s first and often most influential teacher and seeks
to work in partnership with them to ensure a positive
transition for their child into Kindergarten.
Children are born ready to learn and engage in the world
around them and their early experiences are critical in
their ongoing development. A child’s early experiences can
either provide a solid or fragile foundation and influence
the extent to which they can reach their full potential.
Providing support and intervention for children prior to
commencement of school is more likely to be effective
than interventions later in life.
LiL provides opportunities for teachers, parents and
children to play and learn together in a variety of ways
such as music sessions, water awareness programs,
baby massage, out and about in their local community,
Parents and Children Together playgroups and physical
activities such as baby and toddler ‘gym’.
LiL continues to strengthen partnerships with other
agencies as schools seek to meet the needs of families in
their local community. Partnerships continue to be built
between schools, child and family centres, Child Health
and Parenting Services, Housing Tasmania, Child and
Adolescent Mental Health Services and Centrelink.
Launching into Learning good practice example
Partnerships at
Ravenswood
Heights
Primary
School and
Ravenswood
Child and
Family Centre
The Ravenswood Child and Family Centre and
Ravenswood Heights Primary School have strengthened
their ties through a new initiative in 2012 called
Parents and Children Together (PACT).
Early years staff from the school and the centre
participated in the Parents as Active Companions in
Children’s Learning (PaAC) training. The training course
was developed by the state Early Years team following
their involvement in professional learning supported by
the Tasmanian Early Years Foundation (delivered by staff
from The Pen Green Centre in the UK in 2012). PaAC
provides a framework for working in partnership with
parents to deepen understandings about young children’s
learning and development. It is a way of working which
involves respecting the knowledge of parents about their
own children and working with parents in a ‘knowledge
sharing approach’. It is designed to promote a culture of
parents and staff working together as co-educators and
strongly connects with Belonging, Being and Becoming:
the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia.
In particular, it connects with the principles of secure,
respectful and reciprocal relationships; and partnerships.
At the Ravenswood Child and Family Centre the
Launching into Learning teacher, assistant principal,
centre leader, teacher assistant, parents and children
come together at a weekly playgroup called PACT.
At PACT individual children are videoed by one of the
staff while they are playing and interacting with others
and the learning environment. The following week the
footage is viewed with the parents. The staff member
and parent/s talk together about what they notice in
the video focusing on the child’s level of involvement
or wellbeing; the relationship between the parent and
child and/or learning resources. The parent/s then
select some photos from the video and record their
thoughts from the conversation. This is subsequently
developed into a portfolio which the parents
take home.
Working this way has strengthened relationships
between staff and parents. The PACT group is growing
and seems particularly effective in engaging families
who are not so involved in other groups in the centre.
The conversations about children’s learning are deeper
and more focused with a common language and
understanding developing about children’s wellbeing,
involvement and relationships. This two-way sharing
allows for more individualised planning for children.
This includes talking with parents about what the child
is like at home and how they can be supported in
providing other play experiences both at home and
during playgroup.
Whilst PACT is a new initiative, the enjoyment of
talking about young children and their learning is
spreading to other parts of the school and child and
family centre communities in Ravenswood.
Pre-Compulsory and Compulsory Education » Early Years
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