Assessing the quality of services
It’s important to choose an early childhood service that suits you and your child.
Before making a decision about where to enrol your child, you should:
- visit and assess the early childhood service first
- make an appointment to talk to someone who can answer your questions
- search for local service ratings— many kindergarten, long day care, outside school hours care and family day care services have been assessed and rated against the National Quality Standard.
Find out how services are assessed according to national standards.
What to look for when visiting a service
Consider the following when visiting a service:
Atmosphere
Take notice of the atmosphere and the attitudes of the people who work there.
The service should offer:
- a safe and comfortable environment
- fun and challenging activities.
Observing the children who are being cared for can help you get a feel for the service.
Ask yourself:
- Do the children look happy and content?
- Do they interact well with each other and the staff?
- Do they show a willingness to participate in group activities?
Space
Even if your child is in care for a couple of hours, they need a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces to interest and challenge them.
When looking at the play space your child will be using, check that:
- the indoor and outdoor areas and equipment are clean and well-maintained
- your child will have a choice of activities that will encourage them to try new things and still be safe
- equipment can be moved and changed to give your child variety in their day
- there is space for your child to talk and play with other children, space for running and being noisy, as well as spaces for quiet play
- pictures and photos are displayed at your child’s eye level.
Educator relationships with children
When educators are with children, observe whether they:
- relate to children at their eye level
- use each child’s name, ask questions and respond to each child warmly and positively
- encourage children to ask questions, make choices and solve their own problems
- help children to learn about themselves, other people and the world around them
- provide opportunities for children to participate in activities where they can explore everyday life (e.g. help to prepare meals or tidy up)
- allow children to make decisions about what they would like to do
- ensure regular times for children’s meals, rest and relaxation are available
- use a positive approach to guide children’s behaviour.
The educators
The educators’ training, attitudes and manner are important considerations in your choice of service. A small group of children for each educator is best. Read about educator-to-child ratios in Queensland services.
It is also preferable for children to be in a group with a qualified teacher, particularly in the year before starting school (e.g. kindergarten-aged).
When you talk to educators, you should consider whether they:
- make you feel welcome and answer your questions willingly
- try to find out how best to care for your child
- seem keen to help you to get to know them and the activities and experiences offered
- discuss ways that you can be involved in the service and help plan your child’s day.
The service must also display:
- a notice detailing the maximum number of children and age range for the group
- the number of educators and their work hours for each day, including rest periods
- each educator’s name, qualification and position.
The educational program
Ask for information about:
- the activities and experiences offered to children
- goals for developing knowledge and skills
- the service’s policy on learning and child development, and how it will be achieved
- how you will be kept informed about your child’s progress
- how your child’s learning will be documented
- the Early Years Learning Framework—which guides children’s learning from birth to 5 years and through the transition to school.