1. Serendipity Early Learning Centre Policy Review

2. Agenda Welcome to our Annual General Meeting! Today we will be reviewing the outdoor environment policy of our centre to see if there are any changes or improvements that can be made. To achieve a high quality of care policies and procedures need to be reviewed and updated at regular intervals. Quality improvement Plan- Review of current policies and procedures.

3. What are policies and why do we need them?  Policies are a plan of action or framework used by an individual or group when working towards a goal or outcome ( Gibbs, 2008). Why do we need them:  A framework for people to follow that supports the centre’s philosophy.  Assist’s in the day to day running of a centre.  Helps staff to complete their job to a high standard by providing a guide.  Solve issues as they arise rather than discussing certain issue every time they arise.  Decision making is less complicated and more consistent.  Having policies in place means that legal and regulatory requirements can be met to ensure that the service is operating within the law (Gibbs, 2008).

4. Outdoor Environment Policy Our outdoor environment policy states that: The Educators will:  control the use of water for water play Currently this is our policy for water usage in the outdoor environment. This policy could be updated to be more specific, including what is involved in water play and the requirements for water play with children. Guiding principals of our centre’s philosophy allow children to explore and manipulate the natural environment.

5. Centre Philosophy As part of our Quality Improvement plan we are trying to update our current outdoor environment plan to match the guiding principles of our philosophy. Currently our philosophy states that:  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 As a result we could improve our policies as to achieve the philosophy of embracing natural beauty and materials to provide sensory experiences and creative thinking.

6. Reasons to encourage water play  Children need to have opportunities to explore and learn through water play.  Children are able to become more hands on learners in their outside environment whilst working on their skills.  Water play provides opportunities for children to experiment and fosters learning in all development areas (Crosser, 1994; Hendrick, 1996).  Can enhance language skills, physical skills, maths and science concepts along with emotional skills (Crosser, 1994; Hendrick, 1996).

7. Inclusion of water play  Water trough + water toys  Pipes and connectors to make a water funnel  Water and activity wall (see picture)  Under the sea creations  Volume activities  Object sensory Activities  Baby bathing station  Laundry/ washing clothes play (25 Water Play Ideas, 2014).

8. Rain water tank  Rain water tank – Children will be able to access water for play when they want.  The tank and water usage would be supervised by the educators and on days that water is not appropriate be able to be turned off so that children cannot access it.  Ideally the tank would be located close to the sand pit to allow children to use it with the sandpit  With proper supervision water play can be incorporated into the play ground more frequently and enhance children’s learning experiences.  Environmentally friendly and sustainable, teaching children how to use the natural resources around us.

9. Educators and staff will:  Guarantee that water troughs and containers are filled to a safe level.  All water activities will be supervised at all times  Left over water emptied into the garden.  Teach children about water safety.  Make sure buckets used for cleaning are emptied immediately after use and not left accessible to children.  Ensure that children are discouraged from drinking the play water.

10. Legislative Requirements for water Children (Education and Care Services National Law Application) Act 2010 Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011 (Water Safety Policy, 2012). 168 Policy and procedure in relation to 2 (a) (iii) water safety, including safety during any water-based activities (Water Safety Policy, 2012). The National Quality Standard 2011 states that: 2.3.1 Children are adequately supervised at all times (Water Safety Policy, 2012). 2.3.2 Every reasonable precaution is taken to protect children from harm and any hazard likely to cause injury (Water Safety Policy, 2012). 7.3.5 Service practices are based on effectively documented policies and procedures that are available at the service and reviewed regularly (Water Safety Policy, 2012).

11. Improvements to Policy  It is important to apprise and improve centre policies on a regular basis to keep them up to date and develop stronger polices.  Improvements and changes to the policy will be completed following the Policy writing framework from the Department of Early Childhood Development (DEECD, 2014).  This framework is put in place to help guide new policies, making sure that the laws and requirements for policies are met.  Gibbs (2008) states that meeting regulatory and legislative requirements is important when writing policies and well written policy acts as a guide for practice.

12. Procedure to create a new policy Following the policy writing framework (DEECD, 2014).  Rationale or Purpose - explains “why” the policy is being written and the details leading to the development of the policy.  Policy Statement - a brief statement of “what” the policy is aiming to achieve.  Implementation – explains “how” the policy statement will be reached.  Monitoring, evaluation and review – A timeline of when this policy will be reviewed.  Definitions – Clarification on the meaning of certain terms. Policies should be accurate and easy to understand.  References – Any references used whilst creating the policy.

13. References  Community Child Care Co-operative Ltd. NSW (CCCNSW). (n.d.). Sample policies. Retrieved from http://ccccnsw.org.au/resources/nqf/sample-policies  Crosser, S. (1994). Making the most of water play.Young Children (July): 28-32.  Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD). (2014). Policy development and review. Retrieved from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/management/Pages/schoolcouncilpolicy.aspx  Dorrell, A. (2008, January 1). Water Play: Wet and Wonderful. Retrieved January 26, 2015, from http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=374  Gibbs, L. (2008). Policy development in early childhood settings: From idea to evaluation. Pademelon Press, NSW.  Hendrick, J (1996).The whole child: Developmental education for the early years.Columbus, OH: Prentice-Hall, Inc.  25 Water Play Ideas - Happy Hooligans. (2014, August 24). Retrieved January 23, 2015, from http://happyhooligans.ca/25-water-play-ideas-backyard/