EYLF PROGRAMMING AND PLANNING DOCUMENTATION

[hwalsh]

Hi Leah, thank you for the quick response. I am the educator at my service, so my work is of a high standard, it is trying to get others to have the same motivation as myself. So i am putting together a little "expectation" or "standard" that is required for the documentation of files and programming. So your page is food for thought for sure. The above questions are the same old questions i get from my peers, so i was interested in others opinions. Leah why arent you a director. I have been a director but took a step back in order to get more of a hands on approach with the EYLF. so far i think i have made the right decision, now to find that dream director position.

thank you for the play documents, i am trying to make a resource for the assistant and i guess the group leaders about the different styles of play and how they can identify children that need assistance etc, however you would think being qualified carer for 5-10yrs some of them would understand this, however i think this CHANGE is impacting in more ways then just EYLF.

[Lorina]

Hi Heather,

Just to clarify is this response for Leah or me (L.A)?

Cheers ,
L.A

[Cath27]

Hi everyone
I am wriitng to this post to inform you on a training nite we had the other week on the EYLF and what we are required to do to recieve high quality.............
I would love your feeddback as i am now confused even more and even when i pointed out the educators guide the trainer said the assessors will be looking for more..............so here goes

Firstly......
A group learning story everyday that includes Analysis of learning,the educators roles,linking to practices and principles and theorists then whats next and this activity is to be done the following week.....

Secondly
A project wall saying why you are doing it linking to the outcomes and centres philosophy,what the children said and any learning stories all to be displayed.

Thirdly
A learning story on everychild atleast once a month.....

This is the basics she \told us we need to be doing but now i am confused as I thought we could document many ways not just learning story................I work in a nursery and I am finding it very difficult to link to uotcomes as babies are more limited in their skills.........I owuld love direction and thoughts!
The paper work is overwhelming and many of my colleagues are struggling with the amount we need to do.....we are having a staff meeting soon I would love to share anyones ideas they use already......

Thankyou so much for any help I look forward to helping others where I can too Cath

[Lea]

Good Morning,

Really struggling with all of Early Years Learning Framework - does any one have a sample copy of a weekly programming incorporating all aspects of the framework?

Thanks,
Lea

[Lorina]

Hey Everyone,

How are you all going? I'm sorry for responding late I've been a little sick lately ... and the weather here in Sydney isn't helping...LOL.. Not a fan of WINTER!!

Hi Heather: I take it from your last post that it was directed to me (L.A)...I completely understand when you say “trying to get others to have the same motivation as myself”. I was kinda the same way at the beginning. You know, I put in so much detail (such as writing conversations of children etc.) when writing obs, learning stories, making sure curriculum plan is linked with the EYLF but I’ve learnt to accept that not everyone is as detailed as I am. Yes, it can be frustrating at times when it’s not exactly done the way you want it but everyone has their own way of doing things and all we can do is support each other…

why arent you a director

In the past I did have an opportunity to take on a director’s role. Yes at the beginning it was exciting running a team; however I kinda lost interest in it after a while. As a director I spent most of my time doing administrative duties, handling parent concerns and dealing with staffing issues…I hardly spent any time on the floor with the children. I realized that it wasn’t what I wanted to do, sure the pay is great but it’s not me. My passion has always been about “developing children’s learning”. Just to see their smiles when you walk into the room or watch them grow and learn in front of your eyes…it’s amazing! I simply adore working with a group of children and if that means being a group leader then so be it…I can honestly say that I really enjoy what I do!!!

thank you for the play documents

I’m glad I could help you out! Yes, if your carer’s have that much experience like you mentioned then you would think that they would have a pretty good understanding when it comes to identifying children’s needs… it’s things like this that make me cringe!

however i think this CHANGE is impacting in more ways then just EYLF

In my opinion I think that some “childcare professionals” are so caught up with what they are used to and now adding the changes with the EYLF many of them have a negative attitude towards it. It’s kinda like “I’m giving up, this is wrong”. I agree I think you’re right, this change is impacting others in more ways!!!

Hi Clarie911:How are you? Sorry to keep you up all night! Haha… I think it’s kinda like reading a book…once you start you can hardly put it down! I’m happy to hear that you’re finding my EYLF samples and documentations helpful …I really appreciate your comments and “Thank You” for your feedback !

Hello Cath27: Welcome to the forum ! Sometimes when attending workshops they can do more harm than good… I mean it can be very confusing to exactly understand what is required… I’m all for going to workshops because I think they are great at developing our knowledge however when it comes down to the EYLF each “company” has their own insights/ways of implementing EYLF. When you are implementing the EYLF within your service there is no exact way of doing it, so when you go to a training workshop about it, the “company” that is conducting the training will train you on how they do it… This ends up being very confusing like you said…

A group learning story everyday that includes Analysis of learning,the educators roles,linking to practices and principles and theorists then whats next and this activity is to be done the following week.....

In my opinion I don’t think it is necessary to do a group learning story every day…it’s simply not practical on top of everything else we have to do! I normally do learning stories on spontaneous experiences, children’s interests or special events. This could be once a week or twice a week depending on what experiences occur in the room. Yes when doing your learning story you do need to include the Analysis of Learning, Educators Roles, Linking with EYLF Learning Outcomes and adding a What’s next… I know it may seem like a lot of work but it’s really simple once you get the hang of it…My advice to you would be to use your Educators Guide which has all the Principles, Practices and Learning Outcomes. This should help you when writing up these components.

A project wall saying why you are doing it linking to the outcomes and centres philosophy,what the children said and any learning stories all to be displayed.

Never thought of having a project wall… I normally just add up my learning stories around the room on big displays… Sounds like a good idea though… I may still that idea. Hehehe… Everything you basically do with experiences/activities within the room has to be linked with the EYLF Learning Outcomes, principles and Practices. It’s also important to add “children’s conversations” to it…

A learning story on every child at least once a month.....

When working in the nursery it’s important to get a lot of your ideas from the parents itself as family input. Just say one of your babies went to the zoo on the weekend, use this info to add onto your program and then link it to the EYLF Learning Outcomes, Principles and Practices. Even when you are doing an art experience with your babies write a brief summary on what the children did for that particular activity, any comments the children made (I know their babies but you could even write down the sounds they made like “gagaga” while they were painting etc.) and add the EYLF Learning Outcomes, Principles and Practices to it…

At the moment the centre I’m working at is reading through the NQF (National Quality Framework) which is the newer version of Accreditation… It is definitely a lot harder to receive high quality standard… Check out the DEEWR site for more info…

Don’t worry I know it seems scary but we are all trying to learn the best way of implementing the EYLF at our own centre…

Morning Lea: I do have a sample copy of a weekly curriculum plan that I can share with you (which I designed based on what I understand on the EYLF and I’m currently working on)… This isn’t available live on this site yet however I attached the documentation below. I’ve also added “Explanations of the Changes made” which explains how to use the Weekly Curriculum Plan… Have a look at it and see if it helps you… Over the next few weeks when I get some time, I will look into it and write up an article on how to incorporate a Weekly Curriculum Plan within an early childhood setting… This should get you started for now! (Note: You must be logged in to download the attachment and you need MS word Office 2007 or 2010 to open this ".docx" file)

[attachment=0]weekly_programming_template_final (1).docx[/attachment]

Explanation Of The Changes Made:

• I changed the headings to each of the Learning Outcomes, which I think will be a lot easier for you to plan your activities under the Learning Outcomes. So when you are writing up your weekly plan add each activity under the learning outcome that you want your group of children to achieve. Try and have a couple of activities under each of the headings. Don’t worry too much if at the beginning of the week your curriculum plan is a little empty. You should be adding the changes onto your curriculum plan throughout the week if you added anything or changed resources or equipment.

• In each of the boxes under the heading there are two columns L/O (learning outcome) and I (input key). When you write up each of the activities you need to specify which sub learning outcome and the input key (which tell you and others where the activity came from). Place an activity under each corresponding heading. For e.g. “Dolls and Dress Ups” under the Heading “Learning Outcome 1”. In the L/O box write 1.4 and then in the I column add the input code selected from the input key box I added.

• With the Input keys I’ve added both image icons and colours. When adding the input keys to each of the activities you could either draw the little icons in the box or you could simply use the matching colour and colour in a circle in the input column instead.

I think you should find this a lot easier and practical way of implementing the EYLF into your centre. If you have any questions please let me know and I’ll be happy to help you out further.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend!!

Cheers ,
L.A

[Sonja]

Hi Leah,
All is going well so far! We are taking one step at a time and trying not to get too overwhelmed by all the requirements of the EYLF as we initially did! We are only human and can only do so much with the time constraints that we work within! We are using a lot of trial and error to work out what works for us and what suits our centre and our families. Each week we make small changes based on what works and doesn't and hopefully we will come up with a system that suits all involved. There is still a lot of work involved but hopefully in the end it will pay off for us. Like the children themselves, the girls are learning at their own pace, depending on their indivual experience and knowledge of the EYLF.
We seem to have a handle on the Daily Reflections and The Curriculum Plan and this term we hope to refine our observation methods in order to ensure the content is more meaningful and clearly links to the EYLF. Like I said, approaching things one step at a time helps take a bit of the pressure off ourselves. Having said that, we still take work home but we hope to eventually find a happy medium with all the observations and porfolios that will will reduce, if not eliminate the amount of work we take home.
We all need to give ourselves a pat on the back for the great job we do with the children and families in our care. Our job is one of the hardest jobs anyone can do and it is often unappreciated and underpaid!
Thank you again for your continual feedback and updates. I visit the site regularly for the latest updates to pass on to the girls at work. I have given them all the details of the site as many are keen to join.
Cheers, Sonja

[darmodina]

Hi LA,
Good day, i'd just only noticed the editable version of planning & documnetation- EYLF.
as i said before, i am using your templates as i found easy and understandable. I only changed the heading from time to time according to the evidences that i gathered to put in the curriculum. I really want to use the edited version, but i found difficulty in adding the name of our school with the curriculum plan heading. please help me to edit the sample format of the "our curriculum" as this is what may look like- e.g. " Our Curriculum- The School- LDC ( Darwin). i really don't know how to create like this title.
is there any possibility to create and edit the new version curriculum to be personalised to our own school??
i like all your resources and very happy of my work as far as EYLF is concerned which a learned from you.
i would appreciate if you can tell me what should i do to personalise the tiltle with the school name, as what my director would like to be.
many thanks and regards,
Daisy

[hwalsh]

Does n e one have anything on the different TEACHING STRATEGIES - wanting to use for a document I am putting together. I will share for those people who assist and of course n e one else as well please email to {Email Address Deleted by Moderator}

[Lorina]

Hey Everyone,

How are your weekends going? Well enjoy it while it lasts because it’s back to work tomorrow… Already!!
There must have been some mix up or something because I am being referred to as Leah a lot lately…I don’t know why..its funny….LOL… I thought this would be a great chance to formally introduce myself. My name is Lorina… (aka L.A)  “Hi Everyone” !

Hi Sonja & The Team: Great to hear from you again! Every time I read your post it puts a smile on my face because I feel like I am on this EYLF journey with you and the girls at your centre… I really appreciate you sharing your experiences on the EYLF and I’m sure many of members feel the same way. A lot of the points you mentioned are still being raised as each of us try and work out ways on how to make the EYLF work at each of our centers. It kinda makes it a little tough because there is “no right or wrong way” in how to go about it or a set format to follow so sometimes we second guess ourselves. It’s all a learning process! I completely understand how difficult it can be to ensure all the documentation we need to provide needs to link to the EYLF and the content needs to obviously be meaningful but like you mentioned “we can only do some much with the time constraints we work in”. I feel at times that now because we need to focus a lot of our time on learning stories, daily reflections, portfolios etc. it can all be a bit too much! Like you, most of our members have also mentioned that they have to take work home to complete… which I find rather ridiculous but unfortunately it has to be done in order to keep up with the work! I believe there is a simpler way and I’m still trying to figure it out!! I do question the need for Child Portfolios (which I know takes up a lot of time). Yes, it is used to accumulate evidence of a child’s learning etc. but with the Learning Stories, Daily Reflections and Observations I think this would provide more meaning than a Portfolio… like I said I’m still trying to figure it all out…LOL…

“We all need to give ourselves a pat on the back for the great job we do with the children and families in our care. Our job is one of the hardest jobs anyone can do and it is often unappreciated and underpaid!”

Other than us involved in the childcare industry I don’t think the community understands how hard it can be to work with children, especially children between the ages of 0- 5 years old. Unfortunately our job is unappreciated and underpaid but for me this is my passion so I just learnt to deal with it… Hold your head up high! We all know what we do, so who cares what others think!! Thanks so much for your ongoing support !

Hey Daisy: How’s it going? The reason why we added the editable versions is to help out members who are following my EYLF format to be able to easily type up their curriculum in the editable fields. When doing this, we only allowed a small amount of editable changes to be made so that’s why the headings and sub-headings are not changeable. However if you want to change the headings etc. of the sample format to suite your needs, then I would be more than happy to provide you with an editable version for you where you can customize more, etc… Can you tell me if you are using my “Daily Curriculum Plan” or “the Weekly Curriculum Plan” so I can give you the unlocked editable versions for that format?… I am happy to hear that all is going well with how you’re implementing the EYLF at your centre! If you think of any other changes that could be made to the EYLF Samples let me know!

Also if anyone would like to share their programming styles or has any comments or ideas on the EYLF Curriculum you’re more than welcome to share them!!

Hope you all have a great week at work,

Cheers ,
L.A

[Lorina]

Hey All,

I understand that for some of you, as you continue implementing the EYLF at your centre, the paperwork can be a little overwhelming... especially if you don't get sufficient time to do it during the week... I do have a couple of points that I would like to share with you this week:

1) One of our members posted an assignment question wanting to find if there is a regulation stating how much programming and planning time a week we can have... Well we found it in the Children's Services Award 2010... According to the Children's Services Award 2010 it states that an employee responsible for the implementation & preparation of the program needs to have a minimum of 2 hrs/week non-contact time... So for those of you who don't get sufficient weekly non contact time should bring this to the attention of your employers because it is owed to us!! Check out the link to view the discussion: http://www.aussiechildcarenetwork.com/v ... f=26&t=297

2) I've been thinking about the necessity of all the extra paperwork we all seem to be doing in regards to the EYLF. Well one of the documents that we all seem to be stuck on is Child Portfolios... I feel that we are putting so much time adding all these extra details that we need to collect in order to complete individual portfolios... However according to the EYLF we should be writing detailed Learning Stories and detailed Daily reflections, it's easier to photocopy these and add them to the Child's Portfolios... because this can also be used as evidence to documents a child's learning and this will cut down the paperwork!! I am not sure if we are able to do this or if its valid...

Do you do individual child portfolios? What documentation do you have to add?

Just wanted to share my thoughts so far, please let me know your thoughts...

Cheers ,
L.A

[darmodina]

Hi LA,
I'm using the Weekly Curriculum and reflected daily. using your template for Daily reflections. I felt comforatable of what i started of EYLF of your samples. This made me confident that i am in the right direction. I have Fridays meeting with 2 Preschool teachers and the Assitant Director of our another centre regarding the EYLF that links to NCAC. I will still continue using your templates in documentation & programming.
I really like the new version, more detailled.
It would be appreciated if you can help me this.
Thank You
Daisy

[Myles29]

Hi Daisy,
I searched this site for weekly curriculum but didn't see any, perhaps i have overlooked it. could you please help me find it on this site. Also I am having problem with my observation/documentation. Do I have to implement a Focus Group so that I can keep track of who to observe during the week, like the previous programming method? Is that allowed?
Thank you,
Myles29

[Lorina]

Hey Daisy: I'll make the editable version of the Weekly Curriculum Plan available over the next couple of days. I understand that you were one of the very first members to support my EYLF Documentation and actually put it into practice at your centre.... I really appreciate your continued support... if you can think of anything else that needs to be modified or added please let me know! Thanks again for your support!!

Hey Myles: Welcome to the forum ! From your post I gather you are trying to find a Weekly Curriculum Plan sample... It isn't available in our Resources section as yet, however you can view a draft copy in this forum topic itself on page 5.... the post is in pink by me (L.A) on Friday 15 July... You can download and view the Weekly Curriculum Plan attachment from the post mentioned above. Click on the link to view: http://www.aussiechildcarenetwork.com/v ... 4&start=46

Do I have to implement a Focus Group so that I can keep track of who to observe during the week, like the previous programming method? Is that allowed?

Yes, we still need to document and write observations for each individual child within our care... When doing observations, like you mentioned you can split all your children up into groups so you know who to observe each day throughout the week...

Let me know if I can help you out any further,

Hope you both enjoy the rest of your weekend,

Cheers ,
L.A

[ECTrainer]

Thank you so much for sharing your EYLF documentation.

I have been in early intervention and now adult education while it has been developing and have missed out on the opportunities to be involved with much of the EYLF in a center that is implementing it.

As there are very few 'teaching tools' on the EYLF due to its individuality attached to each service it has been difficult to teach to the new students coming through, many centers who are implementing it are not ready to share.

Your work allows the students and me to see how things could be done in a service - and your clear explanation will hopefully make it a little clearer.

Thank you again, for your kind nature and ability to share your work - it is a rare occurrence amongst many Australian teachers - to share with the wider community.

[darmodina]

Hi LA,
So far, i'm happy of the EYLF format that you produced, but i would like the new version, with 2 adds on the L/O. please unlocked the editable version for the format, so i can make changes that suit my need, especially the sub-heading.
Many thanks

[darmodina]

Hi Myles29,
Nice to hear from you.
I used all the formats that LA provided. About the "Daily curriculum" i changed into "Weekly Curriculum". You are the one who will make changes that suit to your needs. The "Directed Observation", i used for my focus children, i group my children into 4 groups, so i would not missed anyone to put in their files. You can do anecdotal obs when you see there's learning takes place, eventhough it is not your focus child of the week. My assistant, level 4, she writes anecdotal and takes photos and pass it to me before end of the week, so i can plan experiences for next week curriculum. Just do as an old way of observing and documenting as long you are linking it to EYLF ( practice, principle & outcomes). You are right to continue your focus children to keep on track and one of the NQS quality areas (Educational program and practice)
Good luck!
Daisy

[Lorina]

Hey ECTrainer: I really appreciate your comments! Thank you so much… That’s such a nice comment…I always wanted to give something back to others and I guess in a way this is my ability to do so! I just want to share what I learn with all of you because I believe that early childhood is an important part of a child’s life. If you ever require further documentation or any information that you can use, just let me know and I'll see what I can do...

Hi Daisy: How are you? I just wanted to let you know, that I am attaching both the editable versions of the “Daily Curriculum Plan” and the “Weekly Curriculum Plan”. This version will allow you to make the changes you have requested. BTW – How did the meeting go?

Daily Curriculum Plan ---> [attachment=1]Our_Daily_Curriculum_Plan_editable.docx[/attachment]
Weekly Curriculum Plan ---> [attachment=0]weekly_programming_template_editable.docx[/attachment]
Hope you both have a great weekend!

Cheers ,
L.A

[darmodina]

Hi LA,
Thank you very much. Our Preschool Coordinator sent me an " EYLF New Program Cycle" that i will hang on the Bulletin Board, together with our Centre Philosophy and links to mine too. I missed the meeting today because i am terribly sick, nasty cough with temperature, so the ELU Assistant Principal advised me to go home, take medicine and rest. Hope i'll be alright by Monday.
Again, thak you for your endless support and i'll pass it to other group leaders in our sister centre.

Regards,
Daisy

[Lorina]

Hi Daisy,

I'm sorry to hear that you're sick... I hope you get better soon ...

No worries, I'm happy that I could help you implement the EYLF at your centre... I hope I made it alot simpler for you to understand.

Please feel free to let me know if you require any further help and I'll try to help you out!

Daisy, I appreciate your ongoing support... Thank you ...

Get Well,

Cheers ,
Lorina

[Alisona]

Hi,

I'm new to this site and have found the articles and documentation ideas really interesting and helpful. I have one question which may seem obvious to others, however, I thought I would ask it anyway. In using the EYLF we are supposed to provide child initiated activities as well as teacher and parent initiated activities. What exactly is a child initiated activity? For example, last week I put out the Lego letter blocks and waited to see what the children would do with them. When they noticed them, they immediately began to look for the letters in their names and the names of their friends. Although I provided the equipment, I did so because the children have been very interested in the letters in their names, and the use of the equipment was child initiated. However, is it teacher initiated because I decided to put out that particular equipment? I'm confused. Hope someone can clarify this for me,

alia