Once your child has settled into an early childhood education and care service, you can continue to support their development by:
Maintaining a good relationship with the service’s staff and the director (if there is one) to continue the two-way communication
Talking to staff about your child’s interests to see how they can be included in their day
Letting the service know if your child won’t be attending on a particular day because they are sick or you’re on holiday
Asking about your child’s progress against developmental milestones and working with staff to strengthen learning and developmental opportunities both at the service and at home
Reading newsletters and other information provided by the service
Talking to staff about your child’s transition to different rooms at a centre as they develop. This can sometimes cause children to become anxious as they have a new educator or new friends
Taking an interest in the service’s activities and volunteering to participate, if you can. It might be for a fete, a working bee or an excursion. You are part of the service’s community, not just your child
If you have particular family or cultural values, let your service know how you would like these to be included and respected
Getting to know your child’s friends and their parents and arranging play dates or other activities with them outside of the service
Letting staff know about things that have happened at home that might have unsettled your child, e.g. the arrival of a new baby, your child had a late night, they are excited because their cousin is staying with you on holiday, there’s been a change in living arrangements etc.
Staff at your child’s service will support their development by:
Documenting your child’s learning and development and identifying your child’s strengths and areas where they might need help or encouragement
Investing time in your child’s interests and challenging them with new and exciting activities to extend their development
Encouraging your child to explore and learn through play
Developing a tailored program for your child based on learning outcomes from a framework like the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), which is a guide for all early childhood educators who work with children from birth to 5 years old
Letting you know if your child is sick or has an accident at their service
Ensuring your child is safe and happy
Identifying if your child might benefit from specialist support e.g. speech therapy