Exceeding NQS in Quality Area 1: Information for families (Element 1.3.3)

Practical Steps Towards an Exceeding NQS Rating in Quality Area 1: Element 1.3.3

Here’s an exhaustive list of practical steps to achieve an Exceeding NQS rating in the National Quality Standard 1.3, specifically for Element 1.3.3: Information for Families:

Element 1.3.3: Information for Families

Families are informed about the program and their child’s progress. The aim is to engage with families to provide information about the wellbeing, learning, and development of their child.

Practical Steps for Theme 1: Embedded in service operations

1. Consistent Communication: Ensure that all educators consistently inform families about the program and their child’s progress.
2. Accessible Information: Display the educational program in a manner that is easily accessible, understandable, and meaningful for families.
3. Documentation: Provide documentation that showcases children’s participation, their progress against the approved framework’s learning outcomes, and how educators have supported them.
4. Confidentiality: Ensure that all information shared respects the child and family’s right to confidentiality.

Practical Steps for Theme 2: Informed by critical reflection

1. Regular Analysis: Engage in deep, regular, and ongoing analysis of how information is shared with families.
2. Feedback Loop: Seek feedback from families about how they access documentation about their child and assess if it’s useful, understandable, and meaningful to them.
3. Reflect on Communication Methods: Reflect on the various ways educators share information with families, such as through conversations, emails, phone calls, communication books, and meetings.
4. Assess Continuity: Reflect on how educators support continuity of learning and transitions for each child.

Practical Steps for Theme 3: Shaped by meaningful engagement with families and/or the community

1. Seek Input: Actively seek input from families about their preferences for how they receive information about their child’s progress.
2. Engage in Decision Making: Encourage families to participate in decision-making about their child’s further learning, development, and wellbeing.
3. Collaborative Communication Plan: Develop a communication plan in consultation with families to ensure that information for families is accessible, meaningful, and useful.
4. Engage with Schools: For school-age children, work with families and the school to support a consistent learning approach for children and young people.

Additional Points from the Element Details

• Ensure that educators verbally inform families of their child’s participation and progress whenever possible.
• Share documentation about children’s learning and development in ways that are accessible, understandable, and meaningful for families.
• Engage families in the assessment process by seeking their input and feedback.
• Familiarize with the updated national approved learning frameworks, especially Version 2 of Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia and My Time, Our Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia.

By following these steps and ensuring that they align with the three Exceeding themes, your service can work towards achieving an Exceeding NQS rating for Element 1.3.3. Remember, continuous reflection, engagement with families, and consistency in operations are key.

An Example Monthly Schedule

Ready to implement these practical steps in your service? Using the constraints of 4 hours per week to work on improvements, we’ve created an example schedule below.

Given the limited time of 4 hours per week, it’s essential to prioritize tasks and break them down into manageable chunks. Here’s an example monthly schedule for an educator to work on improving their service based on the practical steps for Element 1.3.3:

Week 1: Assessment and Planning

• Hour 1: Self-assessment. Review the current state of communication and engagement with families. Identify areas of strength and areas that need improvement.
• Hour 2: Research. Familiarize with the updated national approved learning frameworks, especially Version 2 of Belonging, Being and Becoming and My Time, Our Place.
• Hour 3: Planning. Draft a communication plan outline, focusing on making information accessible, meaningful, and useful for families.
• Hour 4: Feedback Gathering. Create a short survey or feedback form for families to understand their current satisfaction levels and areas they’d like to see improved.

Week 2: Theme 1 – Embedded in Service Operations

• Hour 1: Training. Attend a workshop or webinar on effective communication and confidentiality in educational settings.
• Hour 2: Documentation. Begin organizing and updating documentation that showcases children’s participation and progress.
• Hour 3: Display Strategy. Plan how to display the educational program in an accessible and meaningful manner for families.
• Hour 4: Confidentiality Protocols. Review and update protocols to ensure child and family information is kept confidential.

Week 3: Theme 2 – Informed by Critical Reflection

• Hour 1: Reflection Session. Dedicate time to deep reflection on current practices, especially how information is shared with families.
• Hour 2: Engage with Feedback. Review the feedback gathered from families in Week 1 and identify key areas to address.
• Hour 3: Update Communication Methods. Based on feedback and reflection, update or introduce new methods of communication, such as emails, phone calls, or communication books.
• Hour 4: Plan for Continuity. Reflect on and draft strategies to support continuity of learning and transitions for each child.

Week 4: Theme 3 – Meaningful Engagement with Families/Community

• Hour 1: Community Engagement. Plan a virtual or in-person meeting with families to discuss their preferences and needs.
• Hour 2: Decision-making Collaboration. Develop strategies to involve families more in decision-making processes about their child’s learning and wellbeing.
• Hour 3: School Engagement. For those with school-aged children, initiate communication with schools to discuss consistent learning approaches.
• Hour 4: Finalize Communication Plan. Based on feedback and engagement over the month, finalize the communication plan and share it with families.

Remember, this is just a sample schedule. The actual tasks and time allocation might vary based on the specific needs and circumstances of the educator and the service. The key is to stay consistent, seek feedback, and continuously reflect on and improve practices.

Reflective Questions

Reflective questions are essential tools to guide critical thinking and continuous improvement. Here’s an exhaustive list of reflective questions tailored for Element 1.3.3: Information for Families:

Understanding and Communication

1. How effectively do I currently communicate with families about the program and their child’s progress?
2. What feedback have I received from families about the clarity and usefulness of the information provided?
3. Are there any barriers to effective communication with families? If so, what are they and how can they be addressed?
4. How do I ensure that the information shared respects the child and family’s right to confidentiality?

Engagement and Collaboration

1. How often do I actively seek input from families about their preferences for receiving information?
2. In what ways do I encourage families to participate in decision-making about their child’s learning and wellbeing?
3. How do I ensure that the educational program is displayed in a manner that is accessible and meaningful for all families?
4. How can I further involve families in the assessment process and seek their input and feedback?

Documentation and Accessibility

1. How do I document children’s participation and their progress against the approved framework’s learning outcomes?
2. In what ways do I support and guide children in their learning journey, and how is this communicated to families?
3. How accessible and understandable is the documentation I provide to families?
4. Are there any improvements I can make in the way I document and share children’s learning and development?

Continuous Improvement

1. How do I stay updated with the national approved learning frameworks and ensure that I’m aligning with the latest guidelines?
2. What strategies have I implemented based on feedback from families to improve communication and engagement?
3. How do I ensure that all information, including sensitive data, is shared with families in a respectful and appropriate manner?
4. How do I support continuity of learning and transitions for each child, and how is this communicated to families?

Diversity and Inclusivity

1. How do I tailor my communication to cater to families with diverse needs and backgrounds?
2. In what ways do I ensure that the information provided is inclusive and respects the cultural and linguistic diversity of families?
3. How do I address potential barriers to involve families in their child or young person’s learning, especially for those from diverse backgrounds?

Feedback and Evaluation

1. How often do I seek feedback from families about the effectiveness of my communication methods?
2. What mechanisms are in place for families to provide feedback or raise concerns?
3. How do I evaluate the effectiveness of the communication plan in place, and how often is this evaluation conducted?
4. How do I ensure that feedback from families is acted upon and integrated into continuous improvement efforts?

Professional Development and Growth

1. What professional development opportunities can I seek to improve my communication and engagement skills with families?
2. How do I stay updated with best practices and research in the area of family engagement and communication in educational settings?

Using these reflective questions, educators can critically analyze their practices, identify areas of improvement, and develop strategies to enhance communication and engagement with families in line with Element 1.3.3.

Learning from ACEQA case studies

Let’s break down the practical steps taken by the services in both case studies to achieve Exceeding NQS standards in Element 1.3.3, along with the reasons, tips, and estimated time for implementation:

Case Study 1

At this inner city before and after school care program, educators wanted to improve their educational program planning process to ensure it reflected children’s strengths, interests and abilities. As a starting point they set up a working group, which included children and educators, to review the service’s enrolment form. This was to ensure it captured key information from children and families, to strengthen knowledge of and relationships with children and to inform their program decision-making.

1. Setting Up a Working Group with Children and Educators:
   • Reason: To review the service’s enrolment form and ensure it captures key information from children and families.
   • Tips: Engage a diverse group of educators and children, ensuring representation from various age groups and backgrounds.
   • Estimated Time: 2-3 weeks for initial setup and review.
2. Modifying the Enrolment Form:
   • Reason: To introduce a new section for children to complete, ensuring child-centric data collection.
   • Tips: Use feedback from the working group to design this section, ensuring it’s age-appropriate.
   • Estimated Time: 1-2 weeks for design, testing, and implementation.
3. Collaboration with Schools:
   • Reason: To support children as they transition between school and the service.
   • Tips: Regularly meet with school leaders to discuss collaboration opportunities and share resources.
   • Estimated Time: 2-4 weeks for initial discussions and setting up collaboration mechanisms.
4. Documentation of the Working Group’s Efforts:
   • Reason: To keep other educators informed and provide them with opportunities to give input.
   • Tips: Use visual aids, charts, and summaries to make the documentation engaging and easy to understand.
   • Estimated Time: 1 week for documentation and sharing.
5. Setting Up Continuous Feedback Mechanisms:
   • Reason: To ensure ongoing input into the program from children.
   • Tips: Implement an ‘ideas’ book and wall in the foyer for children and families to share suggestions.
   • Estimated Time: 1-2 weeks for setup and promotion.

Case Study 2

This family day care service is situated in a coastal city. The service’s philosophy prioritises building strong and respectful relationships as the foundation for getting to know each child and their family. The service team believe that getting to know the children and families well, right from the start, is the key to developing and implementing educational programs for all children.

1. Comprehensive Enrolment and Orientation Process:
   • Reason: To gather detailed information from families about their child’s knowledge, strengths, culture, abilities, and interests.
   • Tips: Use a structured interview format and ensure a welcoming environment for families to share information.
   • Estimated Time: 2-3 weeks for refining the process and training educators.
2. Regular Communication with Families:
   • Reason: To share and exchange information about the children’s learning and development.
   • Tips: Utilize digital communication apps, emails, and regular face-to-face interactions.
   • Estimated Time: Ongoing, with initial setup taking 1 week.
3. Support for Educator’s Ongoing Learning and Development:
   • Reason: To ensure continuous quality improvement and adherence to the service’s vision.
   • Tips: Organize regular training sessions, workshops, and peer discussions.
   • Estimated Time: Ongoing, with monthly or quarterly training sessions.
4. Critical Reflection on Planning Cycle:
   • Reason: To ensure each step of the cycle is visible and completed effectively.
   • Tips: Use reflective questions to guide discussions and encourage sharing of individual approaches.
   • Estimated Time: 2-3 weeks for initial discussions and setting up a reflection routine.
5. Engaging Children in Analyzing Learning:
   • Reason: To make learning more relevant and authentic.
   • Tips: Provide children with tools and opportunities to document and reflect on their experiences.
   • Estimated Time: 2-4 weeks for introducing and integrating this approach into the program.

These steps, when implemented with dedication and consistency, can significantly enhance a service’s chances of achieving an Exceeding NQS rating in Element 1.3.3.