How can One Child assist your centre in meeting the Australian National Quality Standards – Quality Areas?
The following tables lists the relevant quality areas and how One Child could be used to document evidence in the relevant assessment areas.
Quality Area 1 – Educational program and practice
QA 1.1 – An approved learning framework informs the development of a curriculum that enhances each childs learing and development.
QA | Met | Description | Application |
1.1.1 | Curriculum decision making contributes to each child’s learning and development outcomes in relation to their identity connection with community, wellbeing, confidence as learners and effectiveness as communicator. | Communicate learning outcomes with children and parents with observations. Allow curriculum to be guided by a child’s development within the outcome areas. Document learning milestones as they occur and tailor a program to enhance individual and group learning within the centre. | |
1.1.2 | Each child’s current knowledge, ideas, culture, abilities and interests are the foundation of the program. | Record all relevant information about a child at enrolment in an individual note. Notes can be added when needed and they become part of the child’s profile. Share the information with all educators via the messaging system. | |
1.1.3 | The program, including routines, is organised in ways that maximise opportunities for each child’s learning. | Engage children in your programs by targeting outcomes relevant to the child’s development by planning individual goals which are shared with parents. | |
1.1.4 | The documentation about each child’s program and progress is available to families. | Parents are notified via an automated email, when observations are added to a child’s portfolio. The parent portal informs the parent of achievements in regard to outcomes and individual goals. | |
1.1.5 | Every child is supported to participate in the program. | An overview of which children are having documentation completed for them and those that are not is provided. This enables educators to target children who may need further support in program participation. | |
1.1.6 | Each child’s agency is promoted, enabling them to make choices and decisions and influence events and their world. | Educators can describe children’s capabilities and personalities withing the system. Document a child’s learning with goals and observations depicting a children’s skills and abilities. Share strategies between educators being implemented with the children. |
QA 1.2 – Educators and co-ordinators are focused, active and reflective in designing and delivering the program for each child.
QA | Met | Description | Application |
1.2.1 | Each child’s learning and development is assessed as part of an ongoing cycle of planning, documentation and evaluation. | Use the a child’s individual profile to assess and develop learning and achievement of outcomes. All documentation about a child builds a detailed profile for each child and shows a cycle of planning, observation and reflection which is interactive and directs the programming. | |
1.2.2 | Educators respond to children’s ideas and play and use intentional teaching to scaffold and extend each child’s learning. | Set up individual goals for children based on their own ideas, likes and interests. Plan activities with specific learning outcomes identified to enhance learning experience. Planning can show that the activity is child requested and that a program is part of intentional teaching. | |
1.2.3 | Critical reflection on children’s learning and development, both as individuals and in groups, is regularly used to implement the program. | Use reflections for planning and linked observations. Overview all achieved NQF outcomes for the child and the centre and tailor programs to areas where deficiencies exist. |
Quality Area 3: Physical Environment
QA 3.3 The servie takes an active role in caring for its environment and contributes to a sustainable future.
QA | Met | Description | Application |
3.3.1 | Sustainable practices are embedded in service operations. | No need to waste paper on creating paper based portfolios. All documentation is recorded online and is shared between staff and families without the need to create, file and maintain a physical portfolio. | |
3.3.2 | Children are supported to become environmentally responsible and show respect for the environment. | Record planned activities and observations of children participating in sustainable practices like gardening, recycling paper and food scraps, worm farms or water conservation to highlight the service operations and commitment to being environmentally responsible. |
Quality Area 4 – Staffing Arrangements
QA 4.2 – Educators, co-ordinators adn staff members are respectful and ethical.
QA | Met | Description | Application |
4.2.2 | Educators, co-ordinators and staff members work collaboratively and affirm, challenge, support and learn from each other to further develop their skills, to improve practice and relationships. | All documentation is easily accessed by educators and co-ordinators to view and discuss at staff meeting. Reflections on planning and observations encourages self improvement through self assessment. Staff messages can be sent to any or all relevant team members to highlight any aspect for development or conversation. Assign team meetings to evaluate and develop each others capacity in planning and reflection. | |
4.2.3 | Interactions convey mutual respect, equity and recognition of each others strengths and skills. | Monitor electronic interactions between staff and parents via the messaging service included in oneChild. Show documented evidence of collaboration and professional interactions between team members. |
Quality Area 5 – Relationships with children
5.1 Respectful and equitable relationships are developed and maintained with each child.
QA | Met | Description | Application |
5.1.1 | Interactions with each child are warm, responsive and build trusting relationships. | Showing a genuine interest in children is easy to record and document. As documentation is produced, an overall picture of the interactions with educators and children becomes evident. Further interaction with parents through observation comments builds a report between the educator and the children’s family. | |
5.1.2 | Every child is able to engage with educators in meaningful, open interactions that support the acquisition of skills for life and learning. | Observations and documentation gathered provides evidence that all children are consistently encouraged and supported to engage in meaningful, open interactions that enhance the development of skills for life and learning. | |
5.1.3 | Each child is supported to feel secure, confident and included. | Document observations of activities showing how children are engaging positively with their environment and those around them. A sense of agency can be detailed with documentation showing confidence building interactions over time. |
QA 5.2 Each child is supported to build and maintain sensitive and responsive relationships with other children and adults.
QA | Met | Description | Application |
5.2.1 | Each child is supported to work with, learn from and help others through collaborative learning opportunities. | Spontaneous and planned actives can be documented to support children with collaborative learning opportunities. |
Quality Area 6 – Collaborative partnerships with families and communities
QA 6.1 Respectful supportive relationships with families are developed and maintained.
QA | Met | Description | Application |
6.1.2 | Families have opportunities to be involved in the service and contribute to service decisions. | Collect evidence through documentation where parents have provided feedback about experiences planned for their child via online communication. Families are kept up to date with service specific announcements via their online portal. | |
6.1.3 | Current information about the service is available to families. | Families are informed about the a centres participation in the National Quality Framework (NQF) and how it relates to their children and the programs that are run during their care. A child’s progress is easily tracked with the break down of NQF outcomes in their private portal. |
Quality Area 7 Leadership and service management.
QA 7.2 There is commitment to continuous improvement.
QA | Met | Description | Application |
7.2.2 | The performance of educators, co-ordinators and staff member’s is evaluated and individual development plans are in place to support performance improvement. | Track an educators work output via the educator review area, which compiles all the documentation the educator has created. Use data to set performance goals and to support documentation practices and development plans. | |
7.2.3 | An effective self assessment and quality improvement process in place. | oneChild allows educators to track their own documentation output as well as to visually identify their output compared to other educators via various charts and graphs. Reflections allow for further self assessment and self improvement. |
QA 7.3 Administrative systems enable the effecctive management of a quality service.
QA | Met | Description | Application |
7.3.1 | Records and information are stored appropriately to ensure confidentiality, are available from the service and are maintained in accordance with legislative requirements. | All documentation on One Child is secured by 256 bit security certificate encryption. Only authorised personnel are able to access records. One Child also operates within a strict privacy policy which protects personal information. |