CHC30113 Early Childhood Education and Care

30738/01 Written assessment

Part A – Case studies

Student instructions

·      Read the following case studies and then answer the questions that follow.  

·      To answer questions accurately you may refer to applicable legislation including the National Quality Standard and Educationand Care Services National Regulations, along with the Early Childhood Australia Code of Ethics, policies and procedures common to early childhood education and care services, position descriptions detailing an educator’s duty of care responsibilities, and/or other sources such as professional readings along with the course textbook and identified key resources.

·      Ensure you acknowledge and cite your sources accordingly. This is important whether you use your own words or quote the author’s words. For more information on referencing and plagiarism, refer to the ‘Academic reference guide’ in the Student Handbook.

·      When referring to workplace policies and procedures or position descriptions please submit with your assessment to support your answer.

Case studies

Case Study 1

Rebecca is a four-year-old child who is about to enrol in the pre-school room. She has a physical condition known as an ‘imperforate anus’. Imperforate anus is when there is no opening at the end of the digestive track where the anus normally is. This condition affects about 1 in every 5000 babies, and is a defect that occurs during the fifth to seventh weeks of fetal development. As a consequence, Rebecca experiences trouble with bowel control and continuously leaks fluid from her anus that can be quite strong smelling.

She has attended the service twice with her parents as part of the service’s orientation process and has spent time in the room with the other children. She has had bowel accidents on both occasions, which has been noticed and commented on by the other children. With one child saying ‘Does the smelly girl have to be in our room?’ This was asked in front of both Rebecca and her parents.

Complete the following:

1.    Identify two strategies you would use with the children to promote understanding and acceptance of Rebecca and her medical condition? 

2.    Briefly describe three actions educators can take to help Rebecca manage her toileting needs in a way that both promotes her independence and also protects her self-esteem?

3.    State how the Early Childhood Australia Code of Ethics relate and can be used to guide your interactions with this child?

4.    Identify the policies and procedures, under the National Quality Framework, an education and care service must have in place that will help guide your actions in this situation.

5.    Briefly explain how involving Rebecca’s parents in the management of her condition at the service will reduce their anxiety about leaving her in the mornings?

Case Study 2 A family with two children attending the service send their children each day without a hat on an ongoing basis. The parents have advised the service that they cannot get their children to wear them so cannot see the point in sending one. On most days both children also attend in singlet tops with small spaghetti straps.

Complete the following:

1.    Write a short script detailing how you would address the issue presented with the family to ensure children are dressed in a way that protects them from the sun, and respects the parent’s views.

2.    Identify which sections of the Regulations and National Quality Standard could be referred to when explaining your responsibilities to children with regards to sun safety.

3.    Identify three strategies you could use to encourage the children’s cooperation with the service’s sun safe policy?

4.    Identify four information resources that you could make available to all families at your service regarding sun safety. In your answer, include the full title of each information resource, and/or website including the web address to clearly identify the resources you would direct the parent to.

Case Study 3 You have recently commenced work in the two to three-year-old room at an early childhood education and care service. This service provides progressive meal times so that children can choose to eat when they are hungry, rather than according to a timetable. As part of this mealtime procedure, educators simply place food on a table and move away from the area. Children approach the table at their own leisure when they notice the snack or meal has been served. However you notice at times, not all children eat throughout the day, and they are not encouraged to eat by the educators.  You also notice during mealtimes educators stand to one side discussing personal matters until the children have finished eating. Yesterday, a two-year-old choked on a piece of meat and you were the only educator in the room who noticed.

Complete the following:

1.    Which part of the Regulations is being breached?

2.    Who should you consult in regards to the breaches in Regulations, and the lack of supervision provided by educators when children are eating and drinking at the service?

3.    Give two examples of how children could be transitioned from their activities to meal times.

4.    Outline two ways that you could include the children in the creation of a new transition within their daily routine.

Case Study 4 Ahmed is a three-year-old boy who has attended the education and care service where you work since he was 18 months old. He recently moved into the pre-school room on his birthday. The last two times his mother has dropped him off at the service in the mornings he has become inconsolable; grabbing at his mother, sobbing and pleading with her to not leave him.

Complete the following:

1.    Identify two possible reasons for Ahmed’s recent change in behaviour.

2.    Describe three strategies that should have been put in place prior to Ahmed’s transition to the pre-school room to reduce his anxiety.

3.    Describe how you would react to Ahmed’s change in behaviour to reduce his distress?

4.    Outline two strategies you could use to support Ahmed’s mother during this time of transition.

Case Study 5

Josh is four and a half years old and lives in an apartment. You have noticed that Josh does not actively involve himself in ball games that his peers are playing during outdoor play. During discussions with Josh’s mother, she tells you that Josh does not get to play outdoors much because both his parents work long hours and he is with an elderly grandparent during the weekend. You set up an activity with balls and hoops and encourage Josh to participate in the game. He attempts to kick the ball twice but misses both times. Josh’s peers laugh at him which causes Josh to pick up a ball and throw it at his peers. He yells at them to ‘go away’, bursts into tears and runs away. Josh’s peers yell back that ‘he is a cry baby’ and then they continue with the game.

Complete the following:

1.    List five activities that you could participate in with Josh that would help you determine what developmental level he is at with his fundamental movement skills and which physical activities interest him.

2.    Describe how you can involve Josh in setting up the outdoor learning environment.

3.    List three resources that you could make available in the outdoor play environment that might encourage Josh to participate in spontaneous physical activity.

4.    Outline how you can embed physical experiences in a daily program to improve gross motor skills of all children. Refer to the National Physical Activity Guidelines for Australians and the Get up and Grow: Healthy eating and physical activity for early childhood resources to ensure that you are meeting all the necessary requirements.

5.    List three indoor activities that you could use to teach Josh and his peers about the benefits of physical activity for their bodies.

6.    Give an example of how you can use intentional teaching to scaffold the fundamental movement skill of ‘jumping’.

7.    When setting up outdoor activities for children, what considerations need to be made in regards to weather? Identify two considerations.

8.    How would you respond to Josh’s reaction to his peers’ taunts? Explain what tools you could give him to deal with this situation differently if it occurs in the future and describe two coping strategies Josh could use.

9.    How will you begin a conversation with Josh’s peers’ to make them understand the effects of their behaviour?

10. What intentional teaching strategies could you use in the program to highlight the need to treat others with respect? Give five examples.

Case Study 6

Sparked by some comments that the children had made earlier in the year about their outdoor environment being ‘boring’ and that there was ‘nothing to do’, you had a critical look at the service’s outdoor play area and decided that the children were right. Everything was artificial and plastic. So, in consultation with the children and families, you embark on a project to improve your outdoor environment. Once finished, your play area will have a ‘fairy garden’ complete with bridge, a wooden jetty and boat, as well as a dry river bed for the children to play in. A week after your environment ‘makeover’ is finished, a few families (who gave no input in the planning phase), approach you to express concern about how dangerous they feel the new features are, and that they would like you to remove them before a serious accident occurs.

Complete the following:

1.    What would be the most constructive way to respond to these families’ concerns? 

2.    Identify five information resources that relate to risk taking, natural environments and active physical play that you could share with families within the service to justify the changes you have made. In your answer, include the full title of each information resource, and/or website including the web address to clearly identify the resources you would direct the parent to.  

3.    Which clause in the Regulations relates to the provision of natural environments?

4.    Outline three ways you can engage young children in constructing their own play environments.

Part B – Design Project

Student instructions

You have been asked to provide an architect with a description of the requirements that apply to indoor and outdoor space for children aged 0-2 years so that they can design new premises for an education and care service.

Consult the Education and Care Services Regulations 2011 as well as the Guide to the National Quality Standard to see what legal requirements there are in relation to facilities for children. Pay particular attention to Quality Areas 2 and 3 of the Guide to the National Quality Standard. Your description must include information that relates to the following:

• Unencumbered floor space indoors (requirements per age group).
• Unencumbered floor space outdoors (requirements per age group).
• Softfall.
• Lighting both natural and artificial.
• Shading.
• Fencing.
• Access to toilet facilities.
• Laundry and Hygiene facilities.
•  Ventilation.
•  Administrative space.
• Nappy Change facilities.
• Premises design to facilitate supervision.

Sleeping facilities for children under two years old.

In your own words, summarise the requirements for each of the above components and present the information in a report for the architect. You may either set your report out in an essay format, or in a table. The report should be approximately 500 words in total.