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Question Synopsis 

The assessment comprises a reflection on the concept of children agency and its application in an early childhood education centre. It also involves factors that can be used for the formulation of strategies, which will enable the toddlers to have better and healthier eating habits than they have at the moment, bearing in mind the ethnic diversity of the families and the community. Last of all, the assessment proposes strategies to address trust issues and the stress that newly enrolled children undergo during separation, especially during drop-off at the childcare center relevant to the National Quality Standards and the Early Years Learning Framework.

Synopsis

Answer Synopsis 

The solution offered a clear elaboration of the necessity to value children’s rights to have their choice considered, backed up with references to the National Quality Standards and the Early Years Learning Framework. These included training as well as developing a choice rich environment so that the toddlers can be empowered. The solution for the healthier eating program included weekly food plan, child’s engagement activities, and field trip to try out different foods. This revealed the aspect of compliance to the corresponding Quality Areas as well as principles of the frameworks. As a solution to overcome separation anxiety during the drop off, the solution suggested establishing trusting relationships, familiarization with objects, staff stability and caregiving style. The solution discussed information sharing with families and the pleasant initiative of partnership with parents in order to encourage and facilitate child’s development and education.

ASSESSMENT 1: Critical Review

Scenario 1

Response: -

In this scenario, the children's agency refers to the ability of toddlers to make decisions of their own choice and allow them to complete the task independently. So, they can act with full awareness in the job. However, in the toddler room, the staff doubts the toddler's capacity to exercise their decision-making and choices. So, this is the way I would update my team about the importance of children's agency to the room staff:

"Good morning, staff members. I have seen the issue regarding the capability of toddlers to make choices and follow routines independently. I want to discuss this concern and justify to you why we respect the agency of our toddlers.

  • National Quality Standard Area 1: - As mentioned in these areas, the main aim of this standard is to check the educational program and practice procedure for the progress of children's learning that enhances children's active involvement in tasks and education (Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority [ACECQA],2020). Permitting toddlers to make decisions and finish tasks all alone is predictable, as it advances participation in daily tasks, and it leads to their mental, physical, and cognitive development.
  • Early Years Learning Framework principle (Australian Government Department of Education [AGDE], 2022): - First, the situation aligned with the EYLF principle of "Partnerships." Partnership is based on respecting each other's points of view, gaining trust in each other, and discussing information safely with each other. When the team staff works in partnership with toddlers, families, and communities, then learning outcomes are probably going to be accomplished. Working in a partnership with unique strengths and abilities allows toddlers to gain "collaboration" skills and a more personalized learning experience.
  • Early Years Learning Framework Practice (AGDE,2022): Thirdly, it is congruent with the practice in the Early Years Learning Framework as Holistic, integrated, and interconnected approaches. With the holistic approach, toddlers can make choices that allow them to gain a powerful sense of identity and well-being. These help develop confidence and self-esteem in childhood, which are beneficial for the future.

For the concern of the children's agency, we will provide training and sources based on the Early Years Learning Framework Practice and NQS. I encourage ongoing team meetings to help our team understand how it will benefit toddlers. Secondly, by making a choice-rich environment, the room staff can have more agency. This should be possible by providing the toddlers with numerous opportunities and creating the moments to complete their tasks under supervision. For example

  • During lunch, the staff can organize the self-collecting counter for meal snacks, cereals, fruits, and vegetables. So, the toddlers will choose the variety of food by themselves.
  • During cleaning, the room staff can give some duties to toddlers, like cleaning and wiping their toys. It encourages the toddlers to develop a sense of responsibility and independence and understand the value of cleanliness.
  • During play, give him a choice to play with their favourite toy. It increases their engagement and enthusiasm during play and fosters a sense of independence.
  • A holistic approach benefits to child in the form of physical, emotional, and cognitive development. It helps the toddlers to feel the independence that contributes to their health and social life.

Scenario 2

Response: -

  1. A healthier eating environment with diverse family groups of children significantly impacts toddlers’ lifelong habits. Many ways can help the children in the healthier eating program as follows: -

Healthy Food Exploration

  • Schedule a food plan: - First, create a weekly plan based on healthier cuisines such as Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Mexican, Thai, and Indo-Chinese. Make sure the cuisines are linked with diverse children’s groups in the room. So, they can know each other cultures and their food and give respect to their culture and diverse background. This plan also ensures that the program respects the dietary food preference (vegan). Also, use the charts to create visual displays in the room that show healthy, unhealthy, and highly nutritious food. These charts educate the children.
  • Child engagement: - Organise an activity that mainly focuses on the benefits of nutritious food. Give him activities to explore, and taste, and ask him to give feedback. Use the feedback to plan future healthier eating programs.
  • Field Tour: - Make a field trip where children carry different cuisines linked to their culture and share their food with their friends. At last, ask him what they like and what they are not. Give him a task to tell the benefits of their food. These tasks help in changing the food preferences in mind.

NQS Quality Area (ACECQA, 2020): - The scenario matched with Quality Area 6 (Collaborative Partnerships with Families and Communities). These Areas aim to ensure that education services work collaboratively with families and communities for high-quality education of children.

EYLF Principle (AGDE, 2022): - The scenario aligned with the EYLF principle of partnerships. This principle explains the importance of partnerships with children, families, and communities.

EYLF Practice (AGDE,2022): - The scenario aligned with the EYLF practice of Play-based learning. Children make relationships when they play with each other and build a better understanding. Brain connections are simulated when kids participate entirely in activities as they develop plans and ideas.

It is started from infancy until school age, the EYLF outlines the values, procedures, and results that are necessary to promote and improve the learning of young children. To provide children under their care with an educational program, Early childhood programs, and agencies must make use of some of this outline for better growth of children. The National Quality Standard's Quality Area 5 is all about educators building connections with kids and teens who are warm, caring, trustworthy, and respectful to support their welfare, sense of security, and perception of self.

b)

NQS Quality Area: - Quality Area 6

EYLF Principle: - “Partnerships”

EYLF Practice: - Holistic Approach

Family roles are very crucial in a child's growth. It is said that “Charity begins at home”. So if the parents along with family members frequently interact with children in their daily routine, most probably the child will habituated to the minimum functionalities in their routine life. They should be put in a chair when family members doing dinner/lunch. They should ask for salad and colourful fruits and try to interact with them verbally more.

The community is another brunch of booster for child growth. An infant is always a central attraction for a locality. If they are playing in a park, walking in a garden seems pleasant where people can interact with them. If they are put in an extra-curricular activity they can talk, draw movements, and learn lots of things verbally and non-verbally.

The way that I will use to involve families and communities in developing healthier programs is as follows:

Weekly Nutrition classes

  • Organize nutritional classes in which families and community members actively participate in making healthy foods depending on their culture and tradition. Families and communities are working together with early childhood services for positive outcomes and establishing a partnership where skills and knowledge are shared.
  • Hire a nutritionist for nutrition classes to tell the benefits of nutritious food and balanced diets to families and communities for a healthier life. This broader community partnership builds up the holistic approach by getting expertise skills.
  • Make sure that nutrition classes consider diverse preferences and dietary restrictions such as vegan (Arthur et al., 2021). This holistic approach gives respect to families and communities who belong to diverse backgrounds and cultures.

Scenario 3

Response : -

a)

It’s common to see every time in a child education center: parents leave their child and say goodbye, and then say hello at a meetup in the afternoon (Balaban & Nancy, 2006). The effective way to build trust in new children during drop-off is by making a relationship with children [NQS QA5] (ACECQA, 2020). Staff must begin each day with greetings for individualized child and their parent. This process creates a positive, secure relationship between educators and children and eases a child’s anxiety. During some initial days, ask parents to stay with their children briefly. With this, a child becomes more comfortable and relaxed and quickly bonds with the educator. This approach helps build up the child's confidence in the new setting. Secondly, allow parents to keep children at childcare for a short duration so that they make their own space in the unique environment and feel safe and secure (Principle 1) (AGDE,2022). A strong bond between parents and children promotes resilience, self-regulation, and a positive sense of self (Balaban & Nancy, 2006).

Furthermore, ask a parent to carry an object or thing they bring from home to childcare, such as a family photo, a toy, a blanket, etc. These objects work as familiar when the child's parent is not there, providing comfort during the separation. However, at the stress time, if the thing is not there, the child's behaviour will change, and he will be upset, directly impacting his well-being. The following strategy is consistency in staff, ensuring that the same caregivers stay outside every morning. Similar faces lead to the child’s sense of security and trust and build familiarity. The last strategy is responsive caregiving, in which the caregivers closely observe the activities of toddlers and respond positively every time. This strategy aligns with the EYLF practice of responsiveness to children (AGDE, 2022) and supports the child emotionally.

Children naturally engage in play, which allows them to experience the pure joy of being. However, even the fully engaged activity of play integrates several ways in which the child perceives and investigates their environment. Instructors must consider the medium of play(maybe some rides, tools; paper ball, seizure, sketch pen) is safe and secure (Balaban, 2006). The other hand takes an amazing look that they can share their toys- tiffins and build obedient characteristics among children.

  • Instructor can organize a range of creative activities that let kids express themselves and convey ideas via the use of paints, pastels, colours, textiles, prints, clay, and other materials.
  • Provide chances for pretend play, where children may role-play various roles and locations using drama, storytelling, dance, song, and rhymes. These can be imagined or connected to the actual world, such as a doctor's office or a floating carpet.

b)

It is essential to communicate with new families about the problem because children are upset, but there is limited information that childcare can share. First, inform the parents that during drop-off, it is normal to react. It’s a part of social and emotional development. It refers to QA 5 emphasizing the importance of children's relationship with their carer and the EYLF principle of secure, respectful, and reciprocal relationship with their child. Secondly, advise the parents to keep a smile on their faces during drop off and reassure their child that he will be back soon. Explain to the parents about the anxiety that is a part of development at the age of 0-2 years and encourage the families to communicate openly with educators about the toddler’s preferences, child routines, and the environment. Justify the families about the benefit of giving independence to children in activities such as allowing them to choose toys during play. These have positive impacts on the sense of control and security (Boyd et al., 2021). By sharing all information, it promotes collaborative and supportive partnerships among the families and child educators, leading to positive child well-being and learning.

References

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2021). Chapter 2: Children in the context of their families and communities . Programming and planning in early childhood settings (8th ed.) . Cengage Learning Australia. https://content.talisaspire.com/scu/bundles/6407bc21cc7b83042d770a64

Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority [ACECQA] (2020). National Quality Standards . https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/national-quality-standard

Australian Government Department of Education [AGDE] (2022). Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (V2.0). Australian Government Department of Education for the Ministerial Council. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf

Balaban, Nancy (2006). Easing the Separation Process for Infants, Toddlers and Families. YC young children, 61 (6), pg. 14-20. https://www.proquest.com/docview/197686512?accountid=16926&parentSessionId=X9lgwuQaFQhm8l23k%2BEfie0J3RxSsxH1plfiG%2FD4jnI%3D&pq-origsite=primo

Boyd, W., Green, N. & Jovanovic, J. (2021). Chapter 7: Fostering meaningful and respectful relationships with children. Learning and Teaching in early childhood: Pedagogies of inquiry and relationships. Cambridge University Press. https://content.talisaspire.com/scu/bundles/6407bbbbcc7b830422770a64

The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia [EYLF] (2022). Belonging, Being and Becoming . https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf

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