POLICY CONTENT

Family participation is an important part of making the School a true part of the community. We believe in creating an environment that is welcoming and inclusive and supports a sense of belonging for children, families, and educators. 

‘Children thrive when families and educators work together in partnership to support young children’s learning.’
(Early Years Learning Framework, p.9)  

NATIONAL QUALITY STANDARD (NQS)

6.1	Supportive relationships with families	Respectful relationships with families are developed and maintained and families are supported in their parenting role.
6.1.1	Engagement with the service	Families are supported from enrolment to be involved in their service and contribute to service decisions.
6.1.2	Parent views are respected	The expertise, culture, values and beliefs of families are respected, and families share in decision-making about their child’s learning and wellbeing.
6.1.3	Families are supported	Current information is available to families about the service and relevant community services and resources to support parenting and family wellbeing.
6.2	Collaborative partnerships	Collaborative partnerships enhance children’s inclusion, learning and wellbeing.
6.2.1	Transitions	Continuity of learning and transitions for each child are supported by sharing information and clarifying responsibilities.
6.2.2	Access and participation	Effective partnerships support children's access, inclusion and participation in the program.
6.2.3	Community and engagement	The service builds relationships and engages with its community.

PURPOSE

We encourage family participation and open communication within our School. Families are invited to attend parent information meetings and assist with projects in keeping with our open-door policy.   

We aim to ensure open communication through the enrolment and orientation process, policy and statement of philosophy review, feedback forms, daily program, documentation, formal and informal meetings, emails, and conversations.  

SCOPE 

This policy applies to children, families, staff, management, and visitors of the School. 

IMPLEMENTATION 

We acknowledge the primary and critical influence families have in their children’s lives and understand that effective relationships between educators and families are fundamental to achieving quality outcomes for children. Community partnerships that focus on active communication, consultation, and collaboration also contribute to children’s learning and wellbeing. Positive relationships with families help to build collaborative partnerships, as together we share a common objective and responsibility for reaching quality outcomes and goals for children.  

The School will provide regular information about the School and ongoing opportunities for families to contribute in our curriculum. All staff will communicate with families in a positive and supportive manner that encourages respectful and trusting relationships. 

We encourage our parents and families to volunteer and participate in our School programs as this can allow for our educational philosophy to continue when the child leaves the classroom (ie we can then better collaborate about the home expectations and needs and those that are supported and encouraged here at The Akidamy). We want to know our families better, their traditions, their routines, their talents, their expectations and we want them to know us too!
We understand that not all parents and families can participate as actively as they might like to, so we have developed mechanisms to allow our parents to participate in the planning and evaluation process. We do this via various platforms including:

• Face to face conversations regarding the child and his/her needs and current levels of participation. This should occur every day the child attends and can occur more formally with previous arrangement (we can set up one on one meetings if needed/requested).
• A great way for families to get involved in their child’s program is through EarlyWorks.
• We invite speakers to address our families on current issues and trends relating to child rearing/parenting (eg nutrition, understanding children’s behaviour)
• Newsletters are produced monthly and sent electronically.
• When there are major changes that are industry related, we will go above and beyond to ensure that our families are aware of these changes, their (potential) impact on our School and how they can provide input to adopting these changes to best meet our learning community needs 

FeedbackParents/carers/children with a complaint, question or suggestion regarding the service are asked to contact the director either in person, by phone or by email.
Family members/parents/carers who wish to discuss any concern regarding their child/ren in the School must make an appointment with the director. This is to ensure that the director has adequate time and/or team member/s are available for the supervision of the children attending the School.
As a school, we have a focus on ‘continuous improvement’, so we welcome any and all feedback that could lead to us improving our service to our families and their children.
Families will also be regularly asked for their feedback via multiple mechanisms including; family surveys, direct emails (for example with parent feedback forms throughout the year) and via posters etc in our environment.
The leadership of the School commits to ensuring that any team members who are given positive or negative feedback will receive this feedback in an appropriate fashion. For example, this may be via a short conversation letting a team member know that they are having ‘communication issues’ with a family or it could be via a specific mention at a team member highlighting a team member’s exceptional performance.
Feedback can take many forms and will be received and treated seriously by the centre leadership. Formal complaints or grievances will be subject to the Grievance Procedure.

Management will ensure:  

• all families are welcomed and respected at our School 
• information communicated with families is reliable and accurate, especially if it involves the health and safety of children, employees and visitors to the School eg: Department of Health, Public Health Units. 
• families are aware of our open-door policy, unless such entry would pose a risk to the safety of children/educators or breach court orders regarding access to children 
• families are provided with a Family Handbook during the enrolment and orientation process 
• the enrolment and orientation process provide families with information about the statement of philosophy, policies, and practices of the School 
• educators provide information to families regarding the content and operation of the educational program in relation to their child, and that a copy of the educational program is available for viewing at the education and care service 
• families have access to their child’s developmental records outlining developmental progress against the approved learning framework, as well as their strengths, developmental needs, and interests 
• a weekly menu, which accurately describes the food provided each day, is displayed in a place accessible to parents. 
• families are notified of any incident, injury, trauma, or illness that affects their child whilst at the School either immediately after the incident or when they collect their child, depending on the severity of the incident. Notification must be made within 24 hours of the occurrence. 
• the early childhood environment has an administrative space that is adequate for the purpose of consulting with parents and for conducting private conversations and meetings 
• respect, confidentiality and sensitivity are key elements of effective communication with families 
• processes can be put in place to communicate with families for whom literacy is an issue, or for whom English is not a first language, depending on individual needs 
• fact sheets and brochures can be printed in required languages where required for families to access 
• an interpreter service can be available to ensure communication with parents and families are not hindered due to language barriers 
• families are notified of changes to School Policies at least 14 days before making changes to a policy or procedure that may have a significant impact on 
  • the School’s provision of education and care to any child enrolled in the school or 
  • the family’s ability to utilise the School 
  • changes to the way fees are charged and collected 
• families are notified of any changes to the National Regulations 
• the current Education and Care Services National Regulations are available for parents to access  
• families are encouraged to complete surveys to contribute and share ideas about their child, provide suggestions about the program or give feedback 

 The Nominated Supervisor and Educators will:

• develop collaborative partnerships with families that involve respectful communication about all aspects of a child’s learning 
• inform families about the processes for providing feedback and making complaints. 
• be available for families on arrival and pick up to communicate about their child’s day through informal discussions 
• encourage families to be involved in the curriculum, providing feedback, visiting the School, bringing in items from the home environment, and giving feedback on children’s emerging interests and developmental concerns 
• encourage ongoing open and direct two-way communication with families to develop trust and a collaborative relationship 
• encourage families to contribute to the continuous quality improvement progression within the School through their involvement in the self-assessment and QIP review 
• provide families with a range of communication methods which may include the use of online platforms, emails, verbal communication, daily learning post through EarlyWorks app, notice boards and notes sent home. Newsletters are published monthly to keep families informed of upcoming events, changes in policies and recent happenings. Educators will communicate with parents daily, sharing information about special happenings during the child’s day, and other relevant details regarding napping changes, sleeping patterns, food intake and general behaviour. This will happen both verbally and in written form via our EarlyWorks app. 
• the School Website or Mailchimp Newsletter (Pensieri ) is updated regularly with upcoming events, staff changes etc., to ensure all information is relevant and up to date.  Newsletters are published monthly to keep families informed of upcoming events, changes in policies and recent happenings. 
• the School’s social media pages (Facebook, LinkedIn, Google and Instagram etc.) are monitored and updated regularly to engage families and keep them informed of what is happening at the School at all times.   

Families will:

• if any person who is not a primary care giver (regardless of if they are on the pickup authorisation list) is collecting the child, this needs to be documented in writing either on the EarlyWorks App or via email or Pensieri
• provide accurate information during the enrolment process about their child including related medical and health information 
• notify educators when any information related to the education and care of their child changes (Medical Management Plans, Court orders-parental orders, authorised nominee) 
• participate in informal and formal interactions with educators to discuss their child’s learning and develop learning goals 
• be encouraged to contribute to the learning program and share their culture, language and beliefs with others in the School 
• be invited to contribute to the quality improvement process within the School 
• be encouraged to attend children’s excursions to help meet required ratios and support their children’s knowledge of and engagement in their community 
• be invited to events held periodically to help families network and develop friendships in the local community 
• be invited to review the school’s policies and routines. 

SOURCE

Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority. (2014).  
Australian Government. Department of Education, Skills and Employment. Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. (2009).  
Early Childhood Australia Code of Ethics. (2016). 
Education and Care Services National Regulations. (2011).      
Guide to the Education and Care Services National Law and the Education and Care Services National Regulations. (2017) 
Guide to the National Quality Framework (2017). (Amended 2020). 
Raising Children Network Australia. (2006-2019). Effective communication with parents: professionals raisingchildren.net.au/for-professionals/working-wit... 
Revised National Quality Standard. (2018). 
Yorganop Indigenous Professional Support Unit A Welcoming Yarn Engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and their Families in Education and Care Settings. (2017). childaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/A-...