Early Childhood Professional Issue: Managing Transitions and Reducing Incidents in a Toddler Room

Early Childhood Professional Issue: Managing Transitions and Reducing Incidents in a Toddler Room

Introduction and Rationale: Addressing safety and transition challenges in Early Childhood Setting

The professional issue as working in an early childhood setting in toddlers room 30 children and 1:5 staff-to-child ratio, I have faced few challenges regarding children health and safety. The issue I am here to discuss is about significant challenges in managing transitions and ensuring safety, leading to frequent incidents and parental concerns (ACECQA, 2020;ACECQA, 2022).This issue highlights about necessity to work on the room management, routine and approaches in term to provide children safe learning environment in alignment with Early Years Learning Framework(EYLF) principles providing engaging and exploratory learning experiences for every child (ACECQA, 2022).According to Bronfenbrenners ecological systems theory(Bronfenbrenner, 1979)

and Deweys emphasis on positive learning experiences (Dewey, 1938), we know that supportive and safe learning environment is crucial for the development of the children at this young age. In this paper I will explore various strategies that focus on these challenges we are facing by working on the transition management and safety measures using the guidance from EYLF principles and NQS standards to cater the safety and enriching learning environment for the children in toddlers room.

Insights from Professional interviews: strategies for enhancing room management and safety

In my early childhood setting I address the challenges within our toddlers room, where I engaged in meaningful conversation within my colleagues and management team seeking advise from them and for strategies to over come these challenges we are facing. The discussion with my team members was about the importance of the smooth transition, were we recognised the implementing a proper classroom routine is very crucial for the smooth transition, aligning with Bronfenbrenners (1979) ecological systems theory, which also signifies how stable environment is essential for the child development Bronfenbrenner, 1979).

Moreover, we discussed about effective supervision strategies with the high number of children, drawing from the principles of the national quality standard (NQS) specially the Quality area 2, which states about the childrens health and safety (ACECQA,2020). We also discussed strategies to enhance our supervision capacity, ensuring that each child is monitored and supported within our care. Limited resources to cater the large group of children came up as a critical challenge during the discussion, we then explored into various ideas and approaches to manage of the distribution of the resources effectively, ensuring every child in the toddlers room has access to the learning materials. This also link with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) principles, advocating for environment that supports the learning and exploration through play(ACECQA,2022).

Through these interviews, I gained valuable understanding and insights into implementing structured transition, improving supervision strategies, allocating the resources wisely and fostering open collaborative communication(Australian Childrens Education and Care Quality Authority [ACECQA], 2019).These strategies also underpin the alignment with EYLF, NQS and guide us to enhance the learning environment, ensuring the safety of the children, more engaging and equitable settings for the toddlers.

Understanding the Issue: reflecting on supervision and resources challenges

As an educator in a toddlers room, I have personally observed the challenges that all the educators face from frequent incidents, managing resources to cater all the children and parental concerns. The high number of incidents within our settings is due to supervision challenges the educators facing, were we look into the gap in our ability of effective supervision and guide the children overall activities which also reflects on Bronfenbrenners ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) the impact of the immediate environment on childs development and safety also this theory suggests that the children to explore their environment must be conducive to their well-being highlighting the critical role of effective supervision.

Furthermore, limited resources have been a critical issue, affecting our children's opportunities for learning and exploration which has hampers their developmental progress which we are not been able to meet the standard of Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), for creating learning environments that are rich in resources and opportunities for exploration(ACECQA, 2022). Vygotskys concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) also suggests that children learnt the best when provided with experiences that challenge them just beyond their current abilities which we as educators are not been able to facilitate children with these types of experience and resources (Vygotsky & Cole, 1978).

Families concerns,trust issue between the service and the family,as families been distress about their child safety which is destructive to the collaboration partnership.(ACECQA,2020). childrens safety is a fundamental aspect of Quality Area 2, which states that children are protected from harm and hazards (ACECQA, 2020). Reflection on these professional issues and addressing them is crucial for fostering an environment to support our children within our care for their holistic development and well-being.

Consequences of unaddressed issue: the Risk of Inaction

The consequences we might face if the issue is not reflected and managed about all the challenges within the toddlers room could lead to serious matter. Firstly, theres a increased risk of frequent accidents which is a concern that directly links with National quality standards focusing on childrens health and safety (ACECQA,2020). Insufficient resources to cater all the children could significantly hinder learning experiences, failing to meet the EYLFS objectives of providing children with various opportunities to learn and explore in engaging environment ACECQA,2022). Additionally, the neglect of the childrens safety might lead families to change the services due to loss of trust with our service, lead to decreased enrolment and reputatinal damage and failing to collaborative relationships between educators and families mentioned by the EYLF, emphasising the importance of secure, respectful, and reciprocal relationships (ACECQA,2022)

Vision for a Safer, Engaging Learning Environment: Strategies for improvement

In envisioning the future of our toddlers room, I am committed in creating a safe and engaging environment for the children aligning my vision with the principles of the Early learning Framework (EYLF) and National Quality Standards (NQS) to support learning through exploration and play in the children in toddlers room by implementing various strategies significantly lowering the incident rates:

Establishing routine activities to facilitate smoother transitions, supported by Dewey's emphasis on structure and predictability in effective learning environments (Dewey, 1938).

Dividing the children into smaller, more manageable groups for effective attention and supervision, aligning with NQS safety guidelines (ACECQA, 2020).

Indoor and outdoor activities to maintain engagement and provide access to a variety of learning experiences, as recommended by the EYLF ((ACECQA, 2022).

Providing flexible play options to empower children in making choices about their play area, fostering independence and decision-making skills.

Aiming to create a more dynamic, safe, and inclusive learning environment that meets the diverse needs of every child under our care, reflecting a holistic approach to improvement.

my aim is to fosters a holistic learning environment where every child has the opportunity to explore and learn in a space where safety and learning exist harmoniously and ensuring that the developmental journey of individual child is supported by a nurturing and stimulating environment.

How the strategies will transform the toddlers room

Our pathway to improvement involves several strategies put in action aiming to enhance the quality of care and education in our toddlers room. Organising and following the routine in the room will facilitate smoother transition throughout the day. As per the strategies plan, I will explain how the changes looks like below:

Enhanced Safety and Engagement: The toddler room could become a safer environment with fewer incidents, reflecting the successful implementation of structured activities and supervision strategies as advocated by (ACECQA, 2022)and the NQS guidelines (ACECQA, 2020).

Structured and Flexible Routine: Smooth transitions throughout the day, facilitated by a mix of routine activities and flexible play options, support childrens need and autonomy, aligning with principles from Dewey (1938) and the EYLF's emphasis on child-led learning (ACECQA, 2022)

Effective supervision: Smaller, more manageable groups allow for individualised attention and support, enhancing learning and development outcomes for each child, in line with NQS safety and wellbeing objectives (ACECQA, 2020).

Diverse Learning Opportunities: A balance of indoor and outdoor activities ensures children have access to a broad range of experiences, fostering holistic development as recommended by the EYLF (ACECQA, 2022)Empowered Decision-Making: Children empowered to make choices about their play areas, cultivating independence and decision-making skills, linking with the EYLFs goal of fostering confident and involved learners (ACECQA, 2022)

Inclusive and Dynamic Environment: The toddler room evolves into a more inclusive, dynamic space that caters to the diverse needs and interests of every child, underpinned by the holistic approach to improvement and the values of the EYLF (ACECQA, 2022)

Leadership approach

In order to work on these issues, I adopted a transformational leadership approach, by the guidance provided in the (Australian Childrens Education and Care Quality Authority [ACECQA], 2019) educational leader resource. This approach inspires and motivate staff through effective communication and empowerment which is also discussed in the communicative leadership models by (Nivala & Hujala, 2002)and the OECDS insights on leadership for quality in early childhood education (Douglass, 2019)This models and approaches provided me a framework for the strategy underscoring the critical role of leadership in fostering an environment of improvement and collaboration. My leadership role are grounded in these insights, focus and communication of any changes and activity encouraging colleague to contribute ideas. Collaborative process is also very essential to ensure that the implementation of the strategies is effective and sustainable, reflecting the principles of the communicative leadership mentioned by (Australian Childrens Education and Care Quality Authority [ACECQA], 2019) Evaluating the progress and adapting the approaches is necessary and should be done continuously for the improvement, guided by the core values of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and National Quality Standards (NQS) (ACECQA, 2022; ACECQA, 2020)

Through adopting these strategies and guiding principles, I aim to transform our toddlers room into a safe, nurturing environment to cater all the children and families needs, ensuring the safety and effective supervision of our children.

References

ACECQA. (2020).National quality standards. ACECQA. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/national-quality-standard

ACECQA. (2022).Belonging, Being & Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. ACECQA. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-02/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf

Australian Childrens Education and Care Quality Authority [ACECQA]. (2019).THE EDUCATIONAL LEADER RESOURCE. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-03/TheEducationalLeaderResource.pdf

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design. InGoogle Books. Harvard University Press. https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=OCmbzWka6xUC&oi=fnd&pg=PA3&dq=Bronfenbrenner

Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and Education.The Educational Forum,50(3), 241252. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131728609335764

Douglass, A. L. (2019). Leadership for quality early childhood education and care.OECD Education Working Papers,211. https://doi.org/10.1787/6e563bae-en

Nivala, V., & Hujala, E. (2002, October 11).Leadership in early childhood education : cross-cultural perspectives. Jultika.oulu.fi. https://oulurepo.oulu.fi/handle/10024/37372

Vygotsky, L. S., & Cole, M. (1978). Mind in Society: Development of Higher Psychological Processes. InGoogle Books. Harvard University Press. https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=RxjjUefze_oC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=Vygotsky

Critical Reflection on Early Learning Framework (EYLF) Planning cycle

The EYLF planning cycle has five stages, and each step is equally essential in shaping young childrens learning and helps us to track their learning journey. By implementing learning approaches, Ive aimed to enrich my practice's learning environments and be inclusive, engaging and effective (Ailwood, 2020).

Stage 1

The initial stage of the EYLF planning cycle is observation, and it plays an important role in the childrens learning developmental journey. Educators rely on diverse information sources, including direct observations, conversations with families, and professionals. This ensures we grasp the full spectrum of every child's context, fostering an inclusive environment that respects and reflects the diverse backgrounds and abilities within our care (Ailwood, 2020). Working in a childcare setting, I have considered inclusivity a key element that also interrelate with the cultural-historical approach. As educators, being inclusive and understanding childrens diverse needs, acknowledging and providing support are our goals so the children and families can feel safe and belong. By applying the Cultural-historical approach (Maher & Buxton, 2015), educators can recognise the impact of social interactions and cultural context on childrens cognitive development (Bullard, 2019). Reflecting on my experiences, integrating these elements in the initial stage enriches our practice, enabling us to provide more inclusive, responsive and culturally sensitive learning environmet.

Stage 2

Stage 2 of the EYLF planning cycle focuses on assessment, where educators analyse the data collected from the observations to identify individual childrens strengths and interests. As educators, it is essential to use our professional knowledge and early childhood theories, which give us an overall understanding of how children develop as they age and provide the required learning experiences for further learning development (Australian Government Department of Education, 2022). According to the research (Saracho, 2021), childrens development is significantly shaped by their interactions with people and the cultural tools available in their community, emphasising social interactions and cultural context in learning, which is particularly influential in this stage. Therefore, educators consider the broader social and cultural influences on the childs development along with their immediate learning needs. This compressive approach enables educators to cater both meaningful and supportive learning experiences for further childrens learning journey, leveraging insights from a range of stakeholders, including families and community members.

Stage 3

Stage 3 of the planning cycle involves intentional planning by the educators to cater to various learning experiences that are responsive to each childs assessed needs, interests and strengths. Being intentional means educators purposely selected the experiences to achieve specific outcomes using their professional observation and understanding of the child. According to (Cohrssen, 2023), Relational pedagogy focuses on building an understanding of relationships within the learning community into the curriculum, making the learning relevant and engaging. It also highlights the importance of creating a learning experience that consider both socially and environmentally to provide children to connect with their immediate community and surroundings in a meaningfully ways (Ailwood, 2020). Our planning is also profoundly influenced by the integration of renowned educational approaches that contribute uniquely to our planning stage. The High Scope approach, which emphasises active participatory learning, guides us to create environments where children are encouraged to take charge of their learning (Kelemen, 2017), exploring their interests in a structured and flexible manner (Bullard, 2019). This approach aligns with our intentionality, ensuring activities are purposefully selected to support children's engagement and autonomy.

Stage 4

Stage four of the EYLF planning cycle is the implementation, where we implement the planning. During this stage, children engage in various experiences to foster their development across the EYLFs learning outcome. The learning experiences planned range from structured play to exploratory learning to cater to childrens interests and developmental stages. The implementation stage is one of the crucial stages of the planning cycle for educators as it is practical based on the planning and assessment stages. This stage also provides educators with various opportunities to observe the effectiveness of our strategies, allowing us to assess their efficacy and make necessary adjustments (Australian Government Department of Education , 2022).

Meanwhile, the Montessori method informs our creation of prepared environments that encourage self-directed learning and exploration (Holmes, 2016), respecting each child's pace and style of learning (Bullard, 2019). Moreover, this stage is invaluable for fostering direct engagement with the children, observing their interactions, guiding their inquiries, and facilitating a rich learning experience. This hands-on involvement is crucial for cultivating solid and supportive relationships and holistic development(Ailwood, 2020).

Stage 5

Stage five of the EYLF planning cycle is the evaluation stage, where the educator evaluates each stage of their planning cycle and critically reflects on it. This stage is the final and critical stage, where educators like us use our professional knowledge to evaluate and reflect on the effectiveness of the implemented learning experiences. It also allows us to analyse the impact of our teaching strategies critically and provided experiences to the childrens learning and development. In evaluating educators consider several factors such as the extent to which learning objectives were achieved, childrens engagement and responses to the experiences provided, and any observable progress in their skills and understanding (Ailwood, 2020;Bullard, 2019).According to the research(Merc Fernndez Santn & Maria Feliu Torruella, 2017)Reggio Emilia approach emphasises the child as a co-constructor of knowledge, guiding us to evaluate the responsiveness of our environment and the ways in which it has facilitated children's exploratory learning and expression (Bullard, 2019). Additionally, feedback from the families and colleagues is vital for providing a comprehensive perspective on the children's learning experiences success. These reflective practices play an essential role in continuous improvement, enabling educators to refine their approaches and make informed decisions about future planning. Ultimately, this stage ensures our educational program remains dynamic, inclusive, and nurturing each child's holistic development (Ailwood, 2020).

References

Ailwood, J. (2020). Understanding Early Childhood Education and Care in Australia: Practices and perspectives. InGoogle Books. Routledge. https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=s_3vDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1972&dq=Ailwood

Australian Government Department of Education . (2022). Belonging, being and becoming: The early years learning framework for australia (V2.0). InACECQA. Australian Government Department of Education for the Ministerial Council. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf

Bullard, J. (2019).CREATING CURRICULUM IN EARLY CHILDHOOD : Enhanced learning through backward design. ROUTLEDGE.

Cohrssen, C. (2023). The contribution of learning trajectories to enacting the Early Years Learning Framework V2.0.2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences. https://research.acer.edu.au/rc21-30/rc2023/rc2023/18/

Holmes, C. (2016). The introduction of Montessori teaching and learning practices in an early childhood classroom in a remote Indigenous school.Theses. https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses/136/

Kelemen, G. (2017). High Scope Approach to Preschool.The European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences. https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2017.05.02.43

Maher, M., & Buxton, L. (2015). Early Childhood Education at the Cultural Interface.The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education,44(1), 110. https://doi.org/10.1017/jie.2015.5

Merc Fernndez Santn, & Maria Feliu Torruella. (2017). Reggio Emilia: An Essential Tool to Develop Critical Thinking in Early Childhood.Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research (NAER Journal),6(1), 5056. https://www.learntechlib.org/p/174402/

Saracho, O. N. (2021). Theories of child development and their impact on early childhood education and care.Early Childhood Education Journal,51(1), 1530. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01271-5