Reference no: EM132232052

Assessment Program for Cluster 1 Families

This cluster looks at partnerships with families, providing information and supporting parents in their parenting roles in a childcare setting.

Students will need to show an understanding and demonstrate the knowledge and skills required to work with children from diverse backgrounds showing respect and valuing each child and families' identities and their contributions in the education and care service.

This includes-
• Positive communication strategies
• Providing a supportive environment for clients and co-workers
• Understanding families culture
• Relationship building with children & families
• Supporting cultural identity of children & families
• Reaching agreements with families
• Meeting information needs
• Distributing information strategies
• Experiences promoting cultural awareness/acceptance
• Identifying information requirements
• Addressing information requirements
• Evaluate and maintain quality information

Training - Study Program for Cluster 1 Families

Before starting to answer the questions you must complete the background readings. The readings have been suggested to ensure you are up to date with the relevant National Quality Standards and regulations and their implementation. Detailed understanding of this information will be essential in answering the questions.

This qualification requires students to be implementing the standards and regulations including the use of an approved learning framework. "Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework" is required in early childhood regulated services.

1. Directed Study - you should allocate at least 2 hours a week to reading from the following lists.

There is a lot to read when you are studying this way remember the reading, note taking and discussions you have here are replacing attendance at classes. So instead of driving to a dark building after work you can stay at home and study. This works if you complete all the reading and study tasks provided to you. So take your time read carefully, make notes as you go, highlight interesting bits - note questions you would/could ask your trainer.

2. Workplace documents - you should allocate at least 2 hours a week to reading Workplace policies and procedures relevant to working with families and distributing information to families and communities.

This section is where you MUST ensure you are familiar with and understand the relevant policies and procedures in your workplace.

You should discuss this with your Director so you ensure you are reading the correct information. You should already be familiar with them and may only require a brief update.

3. Directed Activities - you should allocate at least 3 hours a week to practice activities

This section relates to the previous work documents and best practice in a Regulated Service.

You will cover key areas around health, safety, WHS, child protection etc. There are many daily work practices that are linked to the topics in this Cluster and it is important that you understand your role and practice this as you WILL be assessed against this in the Performance Evidence. Remember you must demonstrate skills acceptable in a regulated Service.

In this Cluster you are expected to practice the following activities/ work practices;

We have separated these into two Sections so you can focus attention in a meaningful way.

It is important that you start work on these activities immediately. While some may be very familiar others maybe an extension of what you currently do.
You will need time to practice to ensure you reach the required skill level before you submit your evidence for marking.

Work activity you must learn and prove sufficient skill in:
Create a welcoming environment
Respond to families' questions, concerns and requests in a prompt and courteous way
Encourage families to share knowledge, skills, expertise and aspects of their family life and culture
Demonstrate an understanding of each child and their family context
Make information about the service available to families
Provide information to families
Identify information needs
Trial strategies for information sharing
Provide meaningful information to families
Evaluate and maintain quality information

4. Professional conversations - you should allocate at least 5 hours a week

This is where you have the opportunity to learn from the other educators you work with. You are very fortunate to be studying in a workplace as this provides an opportunity that classroom based students often miss out on

5. Trainer support - Training sessions can be determined by you. We recommend you call every time you have study time. Your trainer will call at least monthly if you do not organise more regular sessions.

Trainers will have one on one or small group training sessions with each student based on their individual program and needs. These sessions can be over the phone or internet or face to face during training days at the workplace or night training sessions.
The students Learning Diary must be available and the Cluster will form the basis of training.

Topics available here include;

• Positive communication strategies
• Providing a supportive environment for clients and co-workers
• Understanding families culture
• Relationship building with children & families
• Supporting cultural identity of children & families
• Reaching agreements with families
• Meeting information needs
• Distributing information strategies
• Experiences promoting cultural awareness/acceptance
• Identifying information requirements
• Addressing information requirements
• Evaluate and maintain quality information

Part One Assessment - Provide responses for the following questions and tasks.

Make sure you respond to each question under the topic areas and give details. If you would like to send workplace photos and documented samples, include these with your assessment answers this is your opportunity to provide evidence of what you know and understand.
Section1:

Relationships:
Relationships are an important part of your role as an educator in the service. Positive warm communications are a key part of building trust and mutual respect between you the children, families and co-workers.

Children:
A core principle of Belonging, Being and Becoming is the respect for diversity. Respecting diversity means that within the curriculum valuing and reflecting the practices, values and beliefs of families. If children feel supported and respected in their learning environment they will thrive developmentally and feel secure in their relationships with children, staff, families and the community.

1. List the current parts of your curriculum that build on diversity, children's backgrounds, cultural events and backgrounds. Include all areas of the curriculum that is routines, planned and spontaneous activities, environments.

Families:
Enrolment/orientation is the first steps to communicating and building a relationship with children and families. It allows us to find out valuable information about their backgrounds, needs and hopes for their child. It is also a time for us to provide families with valuable information about the service and care they can expect to receive.

2. Provide answers for the following scenario:

Part 1:
A mother has rung the Centre and is coming in to have a look around with the view of enrolling her two children one is twelve months old the other is four and a half years old. Sally will be returning to part time work and will require three days per week.

a. What information will you need to give Sally?
b. What information will you want to gather from Sally so you can be best prepared to support her children when they enrol?
c. How will you ensure Sally feels welcome in your service?

Part 2:
Sally tells you that her children have been at home with her up till now and as such have very erratic routines. She would like there to be more consistency with their routines. The four-year-old eats and sleeps when he likes. As he will need to join a group of 15 other four year olds he will have to adapt some of his schedule to fit in with the group as the staffing and facilities do not allow for individual programs in the preschool room.

a. How will you negotiate and support a care program for Sally's children?
b. What alternatives/compromises could both you and Sally make?
c. How will you record the final decision so everyone is clear of how you will proceed?

3. How do you make time to listen to family's needs?

4. What information do you share with families on a daily basis about their child?

Your service is a part of the local and larger community it is involved in, this community provides a wealth of meaningful information to the lives of children and their families. National Quality Standards list a range of topics that parents and families need updated information about.

5. Make a list of topics you need to resource. This list will come from your regulations and quality standards.

6. Name 5 other topics that parents and families in your Centres community could need information about. This information should come from your local community and relate to family and cultural needs.

7. How is information presented and distributed to families in the service? How could you improve the presentation? (you may like to include photos and information samples)

8. From your analysis of the information requirements of families and the information already provided to families choose one (1) topic that could be added to your resource collection.
a. Describe the topic and why you have chosen it.
b. Explain how you could best present this information to families.
c. Who else at the Service could you discuss your options with and why?

Part Two Assessment Performance Evidence

The evidence for this tool must be performed in a regulated education and care service under normal work conditions. The evidence must report typical and consistently performed evidence. All or part of the performance can be confirmed by a workplace supervisor [as a Third Party Report] or a Recognition First Assessor.

Instructions to Student:
1. This booklet must be available at your workplace at all times.
2. Start by completing the next page and ensure you write your name on the top of each page.
3. You are to complete/fill in the second column, headed "Student to describe..." when you consistently perform these tasks.
4. Read each required piece of evidence and reflect on how and when you have demonstrated / performed this.
5. Then describe an example that demonstrates your consistent performance
6. You will often be required to attach photos and /or work samples for example a form or checklist you fill in at work that helps prove and describe what you do. Ensure these are completed forms not "blanks".
7. Use the headings to break down the task DO NOT try to fill this in in one session. Have it with you and fill in as opportunities arise.
8. If you need more space add paper
9. Remember you can contact your trainer at anytime for advice or support

Instructions to Supervisor;
1. You are to fill in the third column by placing a date and initial next to the students responses.
2. You only date and initial the response when you have observed it occur and believe this is an action they consistently fufill, if you do not see it leave the section blank.
3. Remember you can contact Recognition First at anytime for advice or support in completing this booklet (02 4822 7109)

Instructions to Recognition First Assessor
1. You fill in the final two columns
2. Firstly you can confirm when you have observed a piece of evidence by acknowledging a detailed observation of an event, or a collected work sample, photo etc.
3. The final column is about sufficiency. This is when you will decide if the student has provided enough evidence or if further evidence is required. If so you will plan this program.

Performance evidence required:

Student must demonstrate how they; Student to describe an example of when they demonstrated the performance, and/or attach a photo and/or attach a work sample ( e.g. completed checklist)

1. Interact in culturally appropriate ways with:
    1. Children:

2. Families:

3. Aware of any cultural practices which must be used to ensure cultural safety and respect of children & families at their Service

4. Work collaboratively with at least three (3) different families to support education and care.
For each family describe how you;
   1. Communicate information about children and engage in discussions
   2. Develop care strategies together
Provide opportunities for families to provide feedback

5. Provide opportunities for families to be involved in the service.

6. Provide information to families in a format that suits their needs

7. Develop a collection of information resources appropriate your service. Describe your resource here - show it to your supervisor or Recognition First trainer

8. In question 8 in Part 1 you had to decide on a topic which could be added to the information resources - develop the resource and attach a copy or photo here.

This could be a poster, display of a pamphlet or a newsletter

Attachment:- Cluster - Parts.rar