FDC Aims and Objectives

For Children

Social / Emotional | Cognitive | Language / Creativity | Physical

The goals of YMCA Family Day Care as expressed in our Philosophy include the following Aims and Objectives in relation to the knowledge and skills children will develop as participants in our service.

Social Emotional
These areas of development will assist babies and older children to develop self - esteem and self confidence.

Encourage children to interact positively with peers and adults. e.g. Through sharing, turn taking, listening to each other, resolving conflict.
Provide opportunities for children to be assured of sense of accomplishment and feelings of satisfaction. e.g. through praise, encouragement, displaying art work, dramatic play (dressing up).
Encourage children to respect others ideas, feelings, culture and property. e.g. through listening – discussions about experiences , feelings and differences.
Provide opportunities for children to develop self help skills and independence. e.g. through dressing, setting tables, packing away toys.
To help children gain self control and take responsibility for personal behaviour e.g. setting boundaries and limits. Using time out strategies. Follow up with discussion. Reinforce with positive behaviour management.
Recognise and allow that children need time to spend by themselves. e.g. Offer quiet areas / space and time

Cognitive
To assist intellectual development, problem - solving, decision making and reasoning in children of all ages.

For children to make decisions. e.g. offer choices of activities, choices of food etc.
For children to think for themselves and learn to solve problems. e.g. matching games, puzzles, sorting, counting, measuring, cooking experiences.
For children to learn about the world around them.. e.g. exploring the garden, looking at books of other countries, going for walks, developing concepts of time, numbers, and colours.

Language / Creativity
To assist children to develop communication skills and have the opportunity to express themselves through music and art.

For children to have the freedom to express themselves through art experiences, finger play, music and dance, by listening and responding to their needs - asking questions.
For children to have ample opportunities to learn new words through reading books, extending on interests, role modelling, describing objects, events and feelings, discussing photographs and posters.
For children to respect each child’s home language by asking parents to provide songs and key words eg greetings, music/instruments from other cultures etc

Physical - Fine and Gross motor skills
Fine motor development will assist in small muscle control, hand/eye co-ordination, develop pre-writing skills.
Gross motor development will enhance large muscle body control and spatial awareness.

Fine motor - For children to develop small muscle control through practice and repetition of the following experiences - scribbling , cutting with scissors, grasping, buttoning, puzzles, painting and tying shoes.
Gross motor - for children of all ages to develop large muscle control through practice and repetition of the following experiences – running, crawling, climbing, ball games, dancing, jumping and balancing.

For The Community[back to top]

Communication | Information | Participation | Confidentiality

Communication
The participants in Family Day Care are expected to follow the process of communication set down in the policies and procedures adopted by this scheme. The Management Committee of this scheme will ensure that all parties involved, including parents and carers, have the opportunity to communicate their ideas, feelings and concerns in full in an atmosphere of proper consultation and consideration.

Information
Parents, carers and staff will be provided with written information outlining scheme policies so that the participants fully understand their rights and responsibilities and the rights and responsibilities of the other parties involved. Additional regulatory and work-based information will be provided to carers and staff at induction or commencement with the scheme and whenever policies change.

Parents, staff and carers are expected to provide the scheme with all the relevant personal information in written form needed for the effective operation of the scheme.

Copies of the Child Care Regulation 2003, YMCA Family Day Care Policy Manual and National Childcare Accreditation Council Quality Practices Guide, are available for perusal at the scheme office, from Family Day Care Carers and relevant web sites. Copy of the Child Care Act 2002 is available at the scheme office.

Participation
This scheme recognises that everyone involved in Family Day Care, by the very nature of the service, is a participant and that to share and take part is fundamental in the development and application of policies and procedures, enabling all participants to contribute to the goals and objectives of the scheme.

All the participants in this scheme are encouraged, by means of appropriate democratic processes, to participate as fully as possible in the management and development of the scheme.

Confidentiality
Confidentiality will be exercised as a standard approach when implementing any adopted policies or procedures. While promoting the principles of effective communication and full information to participants, the scheme will treat details of a personal nature as strictly confidential.

Written information concerning the child or the child’s family, and the carer or the carer’s family will be kept separately and should be accessible only to the parent or carer to whom the records relate, the co-ordination unit, nominated officers of the Management Committee and, where necessary, the appropriate office of the Department of Families and relevant Commonwealth Government departments. As well as access to their own records of a personal nature, parents are entitled to view the general records in relation to excursions, copies of qualifications of staff members and facilities and equipment used in the operation of the scheme.

Verbal information in relation to all stakeholders will be discreetly handled and all records thoroughly destroyed after elapse of the mandatory period of retention.