Children are not things to be moulded but are people to be unfolded.Jess Lair
This comprehensive module captures essential information about how to provide quality care for young children in early childhood education and care settings. In this module, we will explore a wide range of topics related to understanding children's development, ensuring safe spaces, nurturing positive interactions, promoting health and wellbeing, and supporting family relationships.
By the end of this module, you will have a solid understanding of:
- children's healthy development
- how to create and maintain safe spaces for children 0-5
- positive interactions with children
- how to support children’s learning, development, and wellbeing
- how to support children to learn personal health and hygiene
- the importance of physical activities
- how to create nutritious meal plans and positive mealtime experiences for babies, toddlers and children
- how to respond to signs of illness and injury and how to support children with long-term medical conditions
- the importance of building positive and trustful relationship with families while providing care for children 0-5.
Learning begins from the minute a child is born. In fact, they learn more during their first five years than at any other time in life. That’s why it’s important that children have opportunities to learn and develop every day. Having a safe and stimulating environment, at home or at a regulated childcare service, plus good nutrition and health, will help the brain develop and positively influence the child’s physical, social, emotional, cognitive and language skills.
Remember, all children develop at different rates.
FACTS:
- Scientists have found children's brains go through a period of rapid growth during their first years, as they are learning more than they will at any other time in their life.
- The way brain development occurs in a child's first years is like a game of tennis - children serve and adults return. Back-and-forth interaction is the essence of the brain development.
- Research shows quality education and care early in life leads to better health outcomes and education and employment opportunities later in life.
Early childhood education and care holds a key place in the wellbeing of families and their local communities. They:
- provide key opportunities for children's development and social engagement
- ease the transition to full-time school
- assist parents with their caring responsibilities
- support the economic and social participation of parents
- enable families to engage fully in the labour market, each of which is important in contributing to stronger families.1
The National Quality Framework (NQF), including the National Law, National Regulations and National Quality Standards (NQS) was introduced to ensure a quality standard to improve education and care across long day care, family day care, preschool/kindergarten, and outside school hours care services. Education and care services, including the educators working in the sector, must comply with the requirements of NQF; therefore, early childhood educators must have the sufficient knowledge and skills to provide care for children aged 0-5. This module gives you a comprehensive outlook of these requirements and information about how to comply with the requirements.
The Guide to the National Quality Framework (NQF) is designed to help education and care providers, educators, and authorised officers understand and apply the requirements of the NQF; therefore, it is a good idea to bookmark the Guide and access when interpreting the requirements. The Guide also provides a comprehensive explanation for each Quality Area, Standard and Element, identifying the relevant National Law and Regulation and giving practical suggestions of how the outcomes can be met. To ensure you have the most up-to-date information, always view the online version.
Watch
The following 5-minute video explains eight (8) benefits of quality early learning and care:
Check your understanding
Read the following statement and decide whether it is true or false.
