Practice Principles

FAMILY–CENTRED PRACTICE

Professionals engage in family-centred practice by respecting the pivotal role of families in children’s lives

·         Use families’ understanding of their children to support shared decision-making about each child’s learning & development

·         Create a welcoming and culturally inclusive environment where all families are encouraged to participate in and contribute to children’s learning & development experiences

·         Actively engage families and children in planning children’s learning & development

·         Provide feedback to families on their children’s learning & information about how families can further advance learning & development at home and in the community.

PARTNERSHIPS WITH PROFESSIONALS

Professionals use multidisciplinary approaches to provide better support to families and draw on the skills and expertise of their peers

·         Work collaboratively to share information and plan to ensure holistic approaches to children’s learning & development

·         Understand each other’s practice, skills and expertise, and make referrals when appropriate

·         Acknowledge the significance of transitions within and across early childhood services and schools, and ensure that children understand the process and have an active role in preparing for these transitions

·         Build on children’s prior learning and experiences to build continuity for their learning & development from birth to eight years of age

HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR EVERY CHILD

Every child has the ability to learn & develop

·         Commit to high expectations for all children’s learning & development

·         Ensure that every child experiences success in their learning & development

·         Recognise that every child can learn, but some children require different opportunities and supports to do this

·         Work with families to support children’s learning & development at home and in the community

EQUITY & DIVERSITY

Children’s personal, family and cultural histories shape their learning & development

·         Support children’s evolving capacities to learn from birth

·         Ensure that the interests, abilities and culture of every child and their family are understood, valued and respected

·         Maximise opportunities for every child

·         Identify areas where focussed support or intervention is required to improve each child’s learning & development

·         Recognise bi- and multi-lingualism as an asset and support these children to maintain their first language and learn English as a second language

·         Promote cultural awareness in all children, including greater understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing and being

·         Support children to develop a sense of place, identity and a connection to the land

·         Encourage children to as active participants for sustainability, influencing the quality of life now, and for future generations

RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS & RESPONSIVE ENGAGEMENT

From birth, secure attachments formed through warm and respectful relationships with familiar adults are fundamental to children’s learning & development

·         Initiate warm, trusting and reciprocal relationships with children

·         Provide safe and stimulating environments for children

·         Develop learning programs that are responsible in each child and build on their culture, strengths, interests and knowledge to take their learning & development forward

·         Understand, communicate and interact across cultures by being aware of their own world view

·         Respect the views and feelings of the child

INTERGRATED TEACHING & LEARNING APPROACHES

Guided play & learning / Adult led learning / Child-directed play & learning

·         Encourage children to explore, solve problems, communicate,  think, create and construct

·         Use their judgement to support children’s learning & development through a combination of child-led and adult-led play-based learning, as well as active teacher-led learning

·         Create physical environments  that support a range of opportunities for learning & physical activity, both indoors & outdoors

·         Build on children’s interests, abilities, cultures and previous learning experiences to extend their thinking, learning & development

·         Use child-centred approaches to explicitly teach particular knowledge and skills

·         Recognise the connections between aspects of children’s learning & development

ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT

Assessment is designed to discover what children know and understand, based on what they make, write, draw, say and do

·         Inform their practice

·         Include children’s views of their own learning

·         Are authentic and responsive to how children demonstrate their learning & development

·         Draw on families’ perspectives, knowledge, experiences and expectations

·         Consider children in the context of their families and provide support to families when necessary

·         Value the culturally specific knowledge embedded within communities about children’s learning & development

·         Are transparent and objective, and provide families with information about their children’s learning & development, and about what they can do to further  support their children

·         Gather and analyse information from a wide range of sources to help them assess and plan effectively

·         Provide the best possible advice and guidance to children and their families

REFLECTIVE PRACTICE

Professionals become more effective through critical reflection and a strong culture of professional enquiry

·         Gather information that supports, informs, assesses and enriches decision-making about appropriate professional practices

·         Continually develop their professional knowledge and skills to enable them to provide the best possible learning & development opportunities for all children

·         Promote practices that have been shown to be successful in supporting children’s learning & development

·         Use evidence to inform planning for early childhood experiences and practice

·         Challenge and change some practices