1. Serendipity Early Learning Centre Policy Recommendations By Marnie Govorko

2. Philosophy At Serendipity we value the child as a competent and capable learner. We encourage children to make decisions about and have input into all aspects of their learning. We trust that children know their personal capabilities and with support, can make responsible decisions. We surround the child with natural beauty and embrace the use of natural and improvised materials to provide rich sensory experiences and foster creative thinking skills. At Serendipity we aim to support a deep connection with the natural world through the learning environment and relationships with others. These connections we believe will underpin their future interactions with each other and their world and encourage more sustainable living practices. We believe that positive and trusting relationships lie at the core of a quality educational setting. We value family as a child’s first and most influential teacher. We are guided by socio-cultural approaches to teaching and learning. Our pedagogical decisions and practices are constructed through rich discussions and collaboration with children families and the wider community. We value our diverse community and believe children are strong in culture. We recognise Australia’s First Peoples and are committed to Reconciliation.

3. Policy  Clarity and direction  Daily practice  Collaboration  Accessibility  Unique  Compliance

4. Considerations  Is the policy consistent with the philosophy, mission and goals of the service?  Does the policy apply to the service type and management structure?  Does the policy take into account the legislative and regulatory mandates that specifically apply to the service?  Does the policy conform to the format used for other policies?  Does the policy include some form of introduction, goals, strategies and information and does this apply to the background of the service?  Are there particular community needs, conditions or funding that must be considered and differ markedly from the sample policy?  Has the policy been introduced to the service community and the process of development explained?

5. Goal Evaluating practices and identifying areas for improvement, meeting quality standards is every professionals responsibility The goal of Serendipity ELC is not reflective of the philosophy The philosophy discusses valuing the child as a capable competent learner will be achieved by giving children opportunities to investigate and explore materials and ideas through play and interactions with people.

6. Suggestions for change “The Outdoor Policy” Current Strategies  Enough Resources and ensure they are safe  Embracing natural beauty  rich sensory experiences  deep connection with the natural world Recommendation Quality Area 3  by providing materials and resources from the natural surrounds and having natural and flexible material available like, leaves, sand water.  Fostering care for the natural environment.  Use natural resources like wooden shelves to enhance the use of nature  Encourage children's care for the environment by growing seeds and nurturing them  Sensory garden and local plants of the area

7. Suggested changes Strategy  Having adequate space Recommendation Quality area 3  Regulation 108 adequate space requirements are Child care centres must have at least 7 square metres of useable outdoor play space per child that is exclusively for the use of children

8. Suggested changes strategy  Adequate shade Recommendation Quality area 3  Sun smart policy Regulation 114  Staff must ensure sunscreen is applied long sleeves and hats and ensuring children are not in the sun in the middle of the day. Organise outdoor activities to avoid peak sun exposure times between 11am- 3pm during daylight saving time (late October to late March), and between 10am- 2pm the rest of the year and organise outdoor activities in shaded areas wherever possible.  conduct an annual shade audit,  Plant appropriate shade trees and/or erect shade structures

9. Suggested changes Strategy  Fencing and safety Recommendation Quality area 3.1.3  All perimeter fences and gates to outdoor learning areas shall prevent the egress of children.  Fences are to be non-scalable and a standard height of 1200mm. Higher fences may be required if a site specific risk assessment has indicated high risk circumstances (ie. river, swimming pool or main road).  Equipment, plantings or structures are not to be installed within 1m of the perimeter fence as this can reduce the effective height

10. Suggested changes Strategy  Involvement of families and community Recommendation Quality area 6  A community based centre requires the input of the community, volunteers and families  Promote provisions for family engagement  Invite families to participate in activities  Complementing indoor/outdoors  Collaborative areas

11. Suggested changes Strategies  Recommendations from Authorities Recommendations Quality area 6 and 7  Collaborate  with other centres  Families  Staff  communities

12. Suggested changes Strategy  Uniqueness not compromise Recommendations Quality area 6  Reflect the individual needs of children and their families by involving them in the process, use newsletters and surveys

13. Summary Policies are vital to services they may also be developed as a result of a philosophy and/or particular needs of a setting. "It is a statement on how the centre will run and the way that decisions will be made" (Gibbs, 2008, p.13). legislative requirements change regularly, this core knowledge and skills base will enhance a leader’s capacity to actively engage with legislation (Waniganayake et al., 2012) Good policy's can be used as a tool for conflict management-promoting objective, fully informed resolution. Confusion and conflict may arise if it is not clear (Ebbeck and Waniganayake, 2003)

14. References  Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). (2014). National Quality Framework and The National Quality standard. Retreived from http://www.acecqa.gov.au/national-quality-framework  The Building Code of Australia (BCA, 2014) n.d Retrieved from http://deta.qld.gov.au/earlychildhood/office/national/framework/regulations/building-requirements.html  Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations for the Council of Australian Governments [DEEWR]. (2009). Belonging, being and becoming: The early years learning framework for Australia. Retrieved from http://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_aus tralia.pdf  Ebbeck, M. and Waniganayake, M. (2003) Early Childhood Professionals. Leading Today  and Tomorrow, Sydney: Maclennan and Petty.

15. References  Farmer, S. (1995). Policy Development in Early Childhood Services, Marrickville, NSW; Community Child Care Co operative Ltd  Gibbs, L. (2008). Policy development in early childhood settings: From idea to evaluation. Pademelon Press, NSW.  Munoz, S. A. 2009. Children in the outdoors. Sustainable Development Research Centre. Horizon Scotland.  McFarlane, J., & Rowell, P. (2008). Keeping up to date with current practice. Putting Children First, 26, 18 - 20.NACA 2009  Rowell, P. (2006). Developing policies – Putting practice to paper. Putting Children First, 20, 12 – 15