Policies & Procedures

The National Quality Framework has been designed to encourage continuous improvement of education and care services across Australia. One of its important features is that it sets out a series of National Quality Standards (NQS) against which all early childhood education and care services will be assessed and given a rating.

The seven quality areas are:

1. Educational program and practice
2. Children’s health and safety
3. The physical environment
4. Staffing arrangements
5. Relationships with children
6. Collaborative partnerships with families and communities
7. Governance & Leadership

Our policies and procedures are built on these key seven areas. You can find more information about the NQF and NQS at http://acecqa.gov.au.

All Early Childhood Education and Care Services are required to have policies and related documents in relation to certain matters under Regulation 168 of the Education and Care Services National Regulations. These are available at reception, please ask your classroom Directress if you would like a copy.

 

NQS1 - Educational Program and Practice

Our programs are informed by Montessori pedagogy, conversations among educators, children, their families and the broader community, which supports teaching, play and collaborative interactions. We value and respect children’s evolving capabilities, experiences, points of view and concerns. Our educators listen to children and use a variety of documentation to record children’s significant experiences and their responses to the early learning environment. To view our  NQS1 - Educational Program and Practice Policy click here.

Key policies in this area cover the following topics:

Supporting Participation

Our commitment to supporting participation contributes to children having a strong sense of identity and wellbeing; being a confident learner; and being an effective communicator. By listening to children,  educators support children’s active participation and it is incorporated into all daily routines and learning opportunities.

Early Learning Program Development

Our guidelines assist our educators to think deeply about the way they implement the approved learning framework in our centres and also help them to adopt holistic practices, be responsive to children, and to plan and implement learning through play.

NQS2 - Children’s Health and Safety

All children have the right to experience high quality education and care, in a learning environment that provides for their protection through appropriate supervision, safe experiences and environments, and emergency preparedness. We are committed to ensuring that each child’s health and safety needs are met. This includes meeting individual health and comfort requirements, implementing effective hygiene practices and effectively managing injuries and illnesses. To view our NQS2 - Children’s Health and Safety Policy click here.

Key policies in this area cover the following topics:

Administering Medication to Children

Medical Conditions Management (including allergies, Anaphylaxis, Asthma, Diabetes and Epilepsy)

Child Protection

Child Safe Environment

Excursions

Food and Nutrition

Incident Management

Infectious Disease Control and Unwell Children

Sun Safety and Heat Stress

Visitors

NQS4 - Staffing Arrangements

We ensure legislated staffing ratios and qualification requirements are met at all times. We are also committed to ensuring our workforce is appropriately motivated and experienced for its critical role in enhancing children’s learning and development. They achieve this by developing warm, respectful relationships with children, by creating safe environments for children, and by encouraging children’s active engagement in their learning programs. To view our NQS4 - Staffing Arrangements Policy click here.

Key policies in this area include the following topic:

Rostering Staff

Centre Directors ensure that centre staff rosters are prepared in accordance with, the National Law, National Regulations, and the Enterprise Agreement (EA). When preparing the centre staff roster consideration is given to the staffing levels and qualifications required to open and close a centre, the requirements if an early childhood teacher (ECT) is absent because of short-term illness or leave, Responsible Person requirements, First Aid qualification requirements, licenced capacity of the centre, room configurations, educator to child ratio requirements, positions and qualifications required, time allocated for programming, staff learning program induction and professional development, trainee and apprentice study, the number of children booked daily per room throughout the week, group sizes, educator breaks, non contact hours for contact Directors.

NQS5 - Relationships with Children

Children are central to everything we do. The relationships our educators develop with children are critical in helping children feel valued, competent, capable, safe and secure. Our educators sensitively engage and guide children’s interactions with others, as they explore their own identity and develop more complex social skills and relationships. Our educators also positively guide and support children to develop skills in regulating their own behaviour. To view our NQS5 - Relationships with Children Policy click here.

Key policies in this area include the following topic:

Behaviour Guidance

Our children are provided with support, guidance and opportunities to regulate their own behaviour. Where challenging behaviours exist or develop, we promote proactive partnerships with families to positively support children’s behaviour. Behaviour guidance strategies will not under any circumstances involve the use of any physical punishment, isolation, humiliation, intimidation or negative labelling by staff.

 

NQS6 - Collaborative Partnerships with Families and Communities

Every child belongs within their family, their cultural group, neighbourhood and wider community. In the work we undertake, families are our primary partners and we are committed to genuine collaborative relationships between families and early childhood professionals; relationships where we can value each other’s knowledge of our children, communicate respectfully and freely with each other, share insights and engage in shared decision-making. We encourage families to be involved in the centre, to provide input into learning programs, to spend time with our educators and to contribute their skills and resources to the centre to enhance children’s well-being, learning and development. To view our NQS6 - Collaborative Partnerships with Families and Communities Policy click here.

Key policies in this area cover the following topics:

Family Rights and Responsibilities

Our educators ensure practices in the centre respect families’ rights and responsibilities. Equally, our centres our families have a responsibility to conduct themselves in a lawful, safe and responsible manner, respect the rights of others, and use appropriate language. Poor behaviour towards any other person is unacceptable, including: all forms of bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, actions that put another person at risk of harm, or threats of any kind. Upon enrolling, families agree to the Code of Conduct policy. Should families fail to comply with these responsibilities we may exclude them from the Centre, although their children may not be excluded.

Collection of Children

Only parents/guardians and authorised nominees are permitted to collect your child from our early learning program, and we encourage all families to ensure these contact details and arrangements are kept up-to-date. So we can ensure the safety of your child at all times, photo identification will be requested from any authorised nominee who is unknown to our early learning staff. If your child has not been collected from the centre by closing time and we are unable to contact you, we will contact the authorised nominees listed on your child’s enrolment form. This is why it is important that your contact details and those of your authorised nominees are kept up-to-date at all times.

Enrolment and Orientation

We aim to establish mutually respectful and supportive relationships with families throughout the enrolment and orientation process to promote positive outcomes for your child, and to ensure legislative requirements are met. Throughout the process, families are invited to take a tour of the centre and are encouraged to raise any concerns or questions about the operations of the centre.

Priority of access

The Australian Government’s Priority of Access Guidelines sets out three levels of priority, which we must follow when filling vacant places when the demand for childcare exceeds supply:

• Priority one - a child at risk of serious abuse or neglect.
• Priority two - a child of a single parent who satisfies, or of parents who both satisfy, the work/training/study test under section 14 of the New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999.
• Priority three - any other child.

Within these main categories, priority should also be given to the following children:

• Children from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
• Children from families that include a disabled person.
• Children from families that include an individual whose adjusted taxable income does not exceed the lower income threshold or whose partner is on income support.
• Children from families with a non–English–speaking background.
• Children from socially isolated families
• Children of single parents.

Under the Priority of Access Guidelines, if there are no vacant places and we are providing care for a child who is a priority 3, the service may require that child to vacate the place in order to provide a place for a child in priority one or two.

Family Feedback

We actively encourage families to provide feedback about their experiences with the centre at any time. It is our policy that any problem, issues or disputes are managed fairly and promptly, and are resolved as close as possible to the source of the problem. Families can raise concerns with staff, and someone will be assigned to be responsible for dealing with the issue. Families can also be assured that all staff respect the privacy of the family when addressing any concern or grievance.

NQS7 - Leadership & Governance

Effective centre leadership is vital. It promotes a positive organisational culture, builds a professional learning environment and commits to continuous improvement. To view our NQS7 - Leadership & Governance click here.

Key policies in this area cover the following topics:

Responsible Person

We are legally required to have a Responsible Person (being a Nominated or Certified Supervisor  or Person in day-to-day charge ) physically present at all times. The name and position of the Responsible Person in charge of the service at any given time will be displayed so that it is easily visible to anyone from the main entrance of the service.

Page Confidentiality, Privacy and Digital Information Security

We collect personal information of parents, guardians and children for the primary purposes of providing early childhood education and care services and advocating for the well-being, protection and development of children. We will only use your personal information for the purpose it was collected or a reasonably expected or related secondary purpose. Personal information will generally be collected from you directly through the use of our standard forms, over the internet via our website, via email communication with you, or through a telephone conversation with you. Personal information collected by us will be stored securely in paper form or electronically. We may store, process or back-up your personal information on computer servers that are located overseas, including through third party service providers who assist us in operating our business. We will take all reasonable steps to protect any personal information that we hold from unauthorised use or disclosure.

Students and Volunteers

We encourages work experience in our Centres, in particular for students studying towards an early childhood or Montessori qualification. During work experience students gain practical experience through interactions with our educators and children. We also welcome Volunteers, recognising the enhancement Volunteers  can bring to our programs and valuable contribution they make to our Centres. In keeping with our commitment to ensure the health, safety and well-being of children in our centres, students and Volunteers are required to adhere to all State-based screening requirements and hold relevant working with children clearances.
If you would like a copy of any Policy or Procedures, please see the policy folders in the reception area or contact us

Business Management Policies and Procedures

In addition to our policies, we have seven critical business- management related areas that outline guidelines, procedures and requirements for the management of support services, including: