Family participation and open communication in the service are an important part of making the service a true p Introduction art of the community and creating an environment that is welcoming and inclusive and supports a sense of belonging for children, families and educators.

Goals – What are we going to do?

Girrinbai preschool welcomes and facilitates family participation and open communication by encouraging families to engage with their children’s education and care. Families are invited to attend Parent meetings, assist with projects and attend social gatherings. The service has an open door policy for families and values the input of families, educators and the wider community to help create a service that meets the needs of every child.

We encourage open communication through the enrolment and orientation process, policy review, feedback forms, parent meetings, the daily program, documentation, formal and informal meetings, emails and conversations.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Approved Provider will:

•Ensure families have access to documents regarding the assessment of their child’s developmental needs, interests, experiences and participation in the educational program and assessment of the child’s progress against the outcomes of the educational program.

•Ensure families are notified of any incident, injury, trauma or illness that occurs for their child while at the service.

•Ensure administrative spaces are adequate for the purpose of consulting with families and for conducting private conversations.

•Ensure families are notified of changes to policies or fees and given adequate notice as per the Education and Care Services National Regulations.

•Ensure a copy of the Education and Care Services Na tional Regulations 2011 is available for families to access.

•Ensure the enrolment and orientation process provides families with information about the philosophy, policies and practices of the service prior to children first attending the service.

The Nominated Supervisor will:

•Develop systems for families to provide feedback regarding the enrolment and orientation process and when reviewing policies and procedures to improve processes and practice.

•Ensure families may enter the education and care services at any time unless such entry would pose a risk to the safety of children/educators or breach court orders regarding access to children.

1. •Inform families about the processes for providing feedback and making complaints.
   

2. •Develop an enrolment and orientation procedures to ensure families are provided with information about the philosophy, policies and practices of the service prior to their child’s first day at the service.
   

Educators will

•Inform families about the processes for providing feedback and making complaints.

•Be available for families at pick up and drop off times to pass on important messages and information about their child’s participation in the education and care program.

•Encourage families to be involved in the service and the program through feedback, visiting the service, bringing in items from the home environment and giving feedback on children’s emerging interests and needs.

•Promote continuous open and honest two-way communication with families to assist them to feel connected with their children’s experiences in the service and to develop families’ trust and confidence.

•Value families as the first and most important educator in their child’s life, seeking to share the parent’s understandings, knowledge and preferences for their child and seeking to balance individual needs with practice in the service.

•Recognise that because families, and parents in particular, are often busy with many competing priorities, they will need to consider a range of strategies to build and maintain relationships with each family.

•Make documentation available to families and prepare documentation in a way that is readily understandable to the parents of the child and to other educators.

Families will:

•Provide accurate information on enrolment and medical information forms during the enrolment process and notify educators when any information changes.

•Be invited to contribute to the quality improvement process within the service.

•Be encouraged to attend children’s excursions to help meet required ratios and to support their children’s knowledge of and engagement in their community.

•Be invited to assist with working bees in the service. These will be arranged from time to time to help maintain equipment and the environment and will be a family event where children can also participate.

•Be invited to family events to be held periodically to help families network and develop friendships in the local community. Educators will be encouraged to attend these events.

Evaluation

Families feel valued and welcomed as the first and most important educator in their child’s life. Continuous improvement in the service is occurring because collaboration, clear communication, reflection, constructive feedback and positive relationships are fostered between all participants.

Statutory Legislation & Considerations

•Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011

•Early Years Learning Framework for Australia: Belonging, Being and Becoming (DEEWR, 2009)

Sources

•Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) – www.acecqa.gov.au 

4Links to National Quality Standards: Quality Areas 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7.

4Links to Interactions with Children, Excursions, Guidelines and Agreements for Enrolment, Illness and Grievance policies.