May 2024
In the embrace of Mother Earth lies the essence of our being. To care for her is to honour the roots from which we spring and the legacy we leave for generations yet to come. Teach our children that each footstep upon her soil carries the weight of responsibility; let it tread lightly, mindful of the delicate balance we are entrusted to uphold. Our connection to land is not merely physical, but spiritual. Let us teach our children to nurture, protect, and preserve our Earth, for in her sustenance we find our own.
Welcome
We would like to extend a very warm welcome to Hollie Gilmore who has opened her Family Day Care in Denmark. We are very excited to be working with Hollie and can’t wait to share in all the wonderful adventures that you and the children embark on.
Assessment & Rating Outcome
While it’s well known that we received a preliminary response indicating that we were meeting the National Quality Standards, the final rating remained unchanged despite our efforts to challenge it. This was undoubtedly disappointing, especially considering the exceptional dedication our Educators and staff exhibited throughout the assessment. Upon review, it’s evident that documented critical reflections played a significant role in the assessment, an area where we acknowledge there’s room for improvement, particularly with the recent emphasis on this aspect in the new Learning Framework introduced in February 2024. Despite this setback, we remain immensely proud of our Educators and the outstanding work they do with the children. Our unwavering focus has always been and will continue to be on the well-being and development of the children in our care. Moving forward, we’re committed to finding ways to streamline the process of recording critical reflections, ensuring minimal additional administrative burden on our Educators, while maintaining the exceptional standards of service we’re known for. We firmly believe in the excellence of our service and Educators, and we’re dedicated to continuing to provide the exemplary care and education our community deserves.
Visitors & Residents over 18 Years of Age
We have had a few families ask us questions about clearances required for Educator’s family members and visitors to the service while their children are in care. This is something that we will be addressing in the Parent Newsletter too. It is considered good practice if Educators have the discussion with families upon enrolment so that they can minimise any confusion after enrolment. To reiterate, all adults over 18 years of age residing at a Family Day Care residence are required to obtain a National Polic Clearance and Working With Children card every 3 years. If your child is turning 18, please ensure that they have clearances in place soon after their 18th birthday. Similarly, adults visiting on a temporary basis (Visits more than twice a week and stays for more than two hours at a time while children are in care; or Stays overnight at the Educator’s home or on the Educator’s property more than twice a month on an ongoing basis; or Stays in the Educator’s home or on the Educator’s property for any longer than two consecutive 24-hour periods whilst the service is in operation) will require the same clearances. In addition, you must ensure that a Risk Assessment and Parent Acknowledgement form has been completed and submitted within 7 days or prior to the visitor’s arrival. As always, all adults that visit the premises while children are in care must sign in the Visitor’s book.
Incursions
Did you know that a risk assessment is required if you conduct an incursion at your service? You may wonder what an incursion is, it is any event that is organized at your service that involves other people attending for a planned event. Examples could include having another Educator over for a play group, inviting an animal farm, bubble lady or bug man for a specific programmed activity and it could also include hosting a Mother’s Day tea with all your Day care Mums. We acknowledge that this is yet another piece of documentation, but it is an important one as it is not unusual for something to occur when there is a lot of activity going on. The template that needs to be used is the normal Risk Assessment template. If you need any support creating this risk assessment please reach out to your ESO.
Be You Children’s Book
Thank you to April for sharing this wonderful resource! “Be You” by Peter H. Reynolds is a children’s book that celebrates individuality and self-expression. Through simple yet reflective illustrations and text, it encourages readers to embrace their unique qualities, follow their passions, and be confident in who they are. The book emphasizes the importance of staying true to oneself, even in the face of challenges or societal expectations. It inspires readers to celebrate their differences and recognize the beauty in being authentic. Overall, “Be You” encourages children to embrace their identity and live life with courage and authenticity. For an interactive read aloud book for children click here or for a reading of the book click here. For more fantastic ideas on children’s books have a look at MaiStoryBookLibrary on Instagram!
Responsible Adult Forms
Please ensure that if you have a responsible adult caring for your own children during day care hours, it is essential that the Responsible Adult form is set to the office along with your timesheets. This will save the team a lot of time when auditing the number of children in care because we will have the evidence that your own children should not be counted in your numbers.
Goals for Children
Using the Goals for Children form is a valuable strategy that Educators can use to engage families to provide input into their child’s learning. By inviting families to complete the form, you are fostering a collaborative partnership that recognizes and respects the vital role that a parent plays in their child’s life. It empowers families to share their goals and expectations for their child’s development. By integrating family perspectives you can better support children in achieving their individual goals, promoting a sense of belonging and agency within your service.
Mandatory Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse
On 1 November 2024, mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse in Western Australia will be expanded to early childhood workers. The Department of Communities is offering face-to-face/webinar training for early childhood workers, to be held across a range of locations and times (including evenings). To register for a session, please scan the QR code or visit https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/mandatory-reporting-early-childhood-workers3278049. Please note that it compulsory that all Educators complete this course and evidence that it has been completed must be sent to the office.
Great Resource
A great resource was shared with us this month! It’s called Ozzie, and it’s a website full of Educational Videos for Children. We hope you find some value in this and that you and the children enjoy it!
Helping Families Access Care
Did you know that families can now get at least 36 hours of Child Care Subsidy (CCS) per fortnight for each Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander child in their care? This is regardless of the family’s activity level. If you have families that this may apply to you can find more information and resources to share with your families at Activity test for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children – Department of Education, Australian Government
Enrolling Children
We always suggest that families register with Centrelink for CCS BEFORE enrolling in care. This will make the whole process so much smoother (and cheaper). We also recommend allowing at least a week for enrolments to be processed. Often, they require updated information and the Holding Fee and Enrolment fee to be paid prior to care beginning. There is much confusion around what a Holding fee is! The government requires the parent portion of fees to be paid to be eligible for CCS, however as we invoice in arrears we use the holding fee to show that our parent gap is paid. Without the holding fee families are not eligible for CCS legally.
Escalation and De-Escalation Process: The use of Validating Language
Validating language is a powerful tool in acknowledging and respecting others’ feelings and experiences, and it plays a crucial role in fostering emotional growth and resilience. To give you a closer look at this approach, Kelly who is a child development and behaviour specialist has kindly provided a short video that outlines practical applications of this strategy.
Policies being Updated
The following Policies are in the process of being updated. This is your opportunity to have your say and suggest any changes or updates. Please forward any feedback to Info and it will be discussed during our staff meeting.
• Policy 3.1 – Incident, Injury, Trauma and Illness
• Policy 23 – Record of Visitors to the FDC Residence or Venue.
• Policy 25 – Keeping a Register of Service Staff, Educators Assistants, Students & Volunteers
• Policy 27 – Provision of Information, Support & Professional Development to FDC Educators & Assistants.
• Policy 30 Engagement of FDC Educators
• Policy 32 Social Media
Word of the Day
Temporal environment – Refers to the timing, sequence and pace of routines and activities that take place throughout the day!
Office Hours Our office hours are 8.30am to 4.30pm. If you have a query outside of these hours, please phone and leave a message. If you need to speak with someone in an emergency, please ring Jo Georgiou and if your call is not answered immediately, leave a message and your call will be returned.
Phone Numbers
Sandra / Mandy: 0431 449 567 (Mon – Fri); Joy: 0429 030 362 (Mon, Tues, Wed & Fri); Jo C: 0477 029 531 (Mon – Fri); Jo G: 0477 029 132 (Mon – Thurs); Lea: 0477 029 228 (Mon, Tue, Thurs & Fri).
To ensure that we respond to your emails promptly please send your queries to: info@naturealliancefdc.com.au
“”Life’s greatest joy is found in the moments where we let go of worries and embrace the simple pleasure of laughter and play.”” – ChatGPT 3.5