How to find a good kindergarten? This is one of the top priorities for many parents. Going to kindergarten is an important stage for children to go out of the house and go to a wider world to play, receive education and explore.
A good start is very important to children. Studies have shown that early education and care for high-quality children are beneficial to their future health, education and employment.
According to (ACECQA) of the Australian Child Education and Care quality Administration, several steps are introduced in the hope of better helping parents choose kindergartens.
Many families are looking for quality early education and care services for their children. It is best to consider options for you and your children ahead of time. Among the issues that need to be considered are: when you want your child to start taking care of you, what options you have, how you can contact the service, and what you expect from your child`s parents.
(Starting Blocks), the official website of government, Australia, provides Australian families with information on early childhood education and care. Parents can visit. Www.startingblocks.gov.au
First, when will the child be in good care?
Although there is no ideal start time, parents start to prepare as early as possible.
Recent studies have shown that the quality of early childhood education and care is more important than the age at which children begin and the duration of their care.
Most child care services have waiting lists, so it`s best for parents to sign up at their favorite child care centre to increase access to a satisfactory child care facility.
Parents should also remember to remove their children`s names from other waiting lists once they have found an ideal childcare facility to ensure that other families can see the latest waiting lists.
Second, what are the child care institutions in Australia?
There are different education and care services in Australia.
1) All-day care, which is suitable for parents who work all day and need to be taken care of by others during the working hours, is usually available from Monday to Friday for at least eight hours a day for children aged 0 to 5.
2) Family day care, which is suitable for parents who want their children to study and play with several other children in the family environment. Children between the ages of 0 and 12 are enrolled in family day care at the home of the registered caregiver.
(3) Temporary childcare, providing temporary short-term care for children aged 0 to 5. Suitable for families wishing or requiring temporary care.
Pre - school service for children aged 3-5 is suitable for families who are about to enter primary school.
5) Mobile services, which go deep into the community, provide temporary, preschool or all-day day care services in rural, urban and remote areas. Mobile services generally recruit B-ultrasound children, which are most suitable for families living in areas far from early education and care services.
(5) Out-of-school care, which provides services before, after and/or during the holidays for parents of school-age children in need of outside-school care.
6) Other Child Care Options
There are also many other child-care options, including family, friends, babysitters and babysitters. These services are flexible and are based on family needs.
Third, find suitable ways to provide childcare
For approved early childhood education and care services in Australia, please visit www.startingblocks.gov.au/ findchildcare.
Friends and family may also be a good source of information through word-of-mouth and recommendation search. It is useful to learn from others that they are looking at rite for the child care service they use.
Other ways to find services include: a local corporate directory or telephone directory, a list of local city parliament, classified ads, bulletin boards for schools and shopping malls, recommendations from colleagues/students, employers or educational institutions.
IV. Understanding the service rating of child care centres
Australia`s government agencies rate child-care centres to improve service quality by establishing high standards.
Let parents know about the quality of facilities, services and education.
The assessment of the quality of care provided by the All-Australia Child Care Centre began in August 2012, with new standards for the quality of care provided by child-care centres such as day-care centres, family day-care centres, preschools, kindergartens and outside-school-time childcare services.
The rating is based on the national standards for the quality of education set by Australia and includes seven major areas of service quality:
- Education Programme and Practice - Supporting Children to Play and Learn
- Child Health and Safety - Prevention of Disease and Hidden Dangers
- Actual environment - allowing children to play in a properly maintained and safe environment
- Employee arrangements-there are enough qualified employees to provide their children with the attention they need
- Relationship with Children-make Children feel friendly and popula
- Relationship, a collaborative partner with families and communities-enlist the support of local communities and respect and embrace beliefs and values
- Management and leadership-take care of children in a proactive and well-managed environment
According to the national service quality standard assessment, the education and service of the kindergarten center will be evaluated as five grades, the highest rating is the excellent service. Then in turn, it surpasses the national standard service (after obtaining the national service quality standard, we can apply for excellent service, which is the highest level in the evaluation of the national child care service standard), meet the national service quality standard, strive to meet the national service quality standard and need to make great improvement.
In New South Wales, a new star rating system will be implemented from January 1, 2020. Child care centres will receive one of the star ratings, including whether they exceed national service standards, whether they meet national service standards, whether they are working towards compliance, or whether significant improvements are needed. The state-wide nursery will be required to post information near the entrance indicating the star rating received by the nursery when it is inspected in accordance with national standards.
V. Registration and access to the new environment
After determining which service is selected, parents will receive the registry or request the following information:
- Family contact information and related information.
- Authorized contact information and authorization to obtain personal information about the child. This will help the service understand who has the right to pick up the child from the service and authorized contacts that can be contacted in emergency situations where parents cannot be contacted.
- Specific information about children, including diet and sleeping habits, interests and evils, diseases, allergies, medical status, and contact information for health professionals.
- A record of immunization for children. Parents can provide a copy of the child`s health file, or from the Ministry of Civil Affairs website (www.) Humanservices.gov.au) gets a list of immunization records in the Australian Child Immunization Registration Book.
- The birth certificate of the child.
The services that can be provided by high-quality child care providers:
- Work with parents to ensure children are safe, happy and properly protected
- To provide a good learning environment for children to become more competent, independent and able to learn valuable life skills through the careful guidance and exemplary role of staff and kindergarten teachers.
- Staff and teachers respond positively to their children`s emotions and interests, and can comfort and help them make friends, actively participate in various activities and gain a variety of experiences.
Implement effective policies and procedures to reduce the risk of cross-infection, promote immunization and, if necessary, have child care services for sick children.
（Yu Kuai）
