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Shared visions for outside school hours care
Shared visions for outside
school hours care
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
Shared visions
for outside school
hours care
Anne Kennedy
Anne Stonehouse
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
Acknowledgements
This resource was funded by the Department of Human Services and produced by
Community Child Care Association.
© Copyright Department of Human Services, 2004
This publication also contains material about quality assurance principles that is
subject to copyright by the Australian Government. Material in this publication
is made available on the understanding that it is not for commercial purposes and
is for training and general information purposes only. Views and recommendations
of third parties, which may be included in this publication, do not necessarily
reflect the views of the Australian Government. To the extent permitted by law,
the Australian Government does not accept responsibility or liability for any
representation in this publication. You rely on the information in this publication at
your own risk. Requests for further authorisation of use of the quality assurance
principles contained in this publication should be directed to the Chief Executive
Officer, National Childcare Accreditation Council Inc. Level 3, 418A Elizabeth Street,
Sydney, 2010. Australia.
Authorised by the Victorian Government, 555 Collins Street, Melbourne
Printed by Newtone Press, Nunawading
Also published on www.dhs.vic.gov.au
Shared Visions for School Aged Child Care was first published in October 1997.
This new 2004 edition, with its updated title, forms part of a resource kit produced
by Community Child Care Association, and updated by the original authors
Dr Anne Kennedy and Anne Stonehouse. The authors bring their combined
experience as early childhood educators, researchers, authors, consultants and
conference speakers to benefit the outside school hours care sector.
Funded by the Department of Human Services, the publication draws on the
expertise of the Victorian organisation Community Child Care (CCC) to provide
the outside school hours care sector with a resource to assist programming.
Community Child Care promotes the provision of high quality, accessible outside
school hour’s services as essential for the care and wellbeing of school-aged
children.
The assistance that has been provided by staff in outside school hours care,
who welcomed CCC and the authors into their service to share their thoughts
and perspectives is greatly appreciated.
CCC would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the project reference group:
Anne Stonehouse Author
Anne Kennedy
Author
Leanne Parini
Community Child Care Association
Olga Bursian
Victorian Co-operative on Children’s Services for Ethnic Groups
Sima Wakhlu
Department of Family and Community Services
Callan Slater
FKA Children’s Services
Margaret Edwards Keilor Primary School
Sharyn Veale
Wheelers Hill Primary School
Jan Webb
Brimbank Council
Sheryl Le Good
City of Yarra
Thank you also to Wheelers Hill Primary School OSHC and Aberfeldie Primary
School OSHC for allowing Community Child Care Association to take photographs
and video footage for this resource kit. Photographs were taken in August.
Thank you to all the children who provided drawings that have been included
in this publication.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
Shared visions for outside school hours
care is part of a resource kit made up
of several components:
• Shared visions for outside school
hours care
• 15 fact sheets
• communication poster for outside
school hours care
• CD-ROM – which includes all the
above materials, plus templates that
can be customised by services.
Contents 1
Contents
1 Introduction
Who is this publication for?
How to use the publication
How the publication is organised
Common terms
The contexts for OSHC services
Questions and reflections
3
5
5
6
7
8
12
2 A vision and way of thinking
About children and learning
About childhood
About OSHC
Contexts
Aims for children
The role of family, school and OSHC
The place of OSHC
The common ground – arenas for
childhood
Inclusion
A way of thinking about outside
school hours care
Beliefs and values
Image of the child
Questions and reflections
13
15
15
15
16
17
18
19
3 What does it mean to be
a professional?
Introduction
Leadership
Achieving and sustaining excellence
in OSHC services
Mentoring and networks
Teamwork
Professional partnerships
Professional challenges
Advocacy
Professional ethics
Questions and reflections
20
21
21
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
38
39
39
40
4 A profile of children five to twelve
Introduction
Five to seven-year-olds
Seven to nine-year-olds
Nine to twelve-year-olds
Moral development
Children with additional needs
The age spread – implications
for staff
Childhood in the 2000s
Questions and reflections
54
55
56
5 Relationships
Staff–child relationships
Links with families
Questions and reflections
57
58
67
72
6 Planning and evaluating OSHC
programs
Introduction
Why plan?
Philosophy and policies
Observations
Goals and objectives
What to plan for
Routines
Group meetings or conferences
Organisation of time
Planned experiences
A word about excursions and
in-house activities
The challenge of popular culture
How to plan
Areas of interest
Types of planning
Program evaluation
Making learning visible
Documentation strategies
Unique features
Summary of the key points
Questions and reflections
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
41
42
45
47
49
51
52
73
74
74
75
76
79
79
81
83
83
84
85
86
87
87
89
90
91
91
92
92
94
7 The environment
Spaces
Resources
The outdoor environment
Questions and reflections
8 Putting it all together –
a look at a program
Reflections about this ‘day’
Comments about planning notes
After School Program – A-One
Primary School
Questions and reflections
9 Conclusion
95
97
100
101
104
105
110
111
112
114
115
Appendix A
Selected recommended resources
118
Appendix B
Program planning format –
blank copy
122
References used in the
publication
124
1 |Introduction
In this chapter Who is this publication for? | How to use the publication | How the publication is
organised | Common terms | The contexts for OSHC services | Questions and reflections
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
4 Shared visions for outside school hours care
OSHC quality
assurance principles
8.1 Management ensures the
service operates within
relevant legislation
National Childcare Accreditation Council Inc.,
OSHCQA Quality Practices Guide, 1st edn, 2003, p. 5
1 | Introduction 5
Shared visions for outside school hours
care gives readers a way of thinking
about outside school hours care
(hereafter referred to as OSHC).
It gives some answers to the complex
questions of what children should be
doing in OSHC and more importantly
why – why programs should be
organised in particular ways and why
particular experiences, opportunities
and activities should be offered. It aims
to set out a clear vision of excellence
that can serve as a basis for common
understandings and provide a goal
towards which all of us can work.
At the same time the approach
acknowledges that each service will be
unique; therefore readers will need to
take the general information provided
in these pages, reflect on it, and take
responsibility for its application to their
particular service. There is also
acknowledgement that in some ways
the contents of the publication are how
things could be rather than how things
are in many OSHC services. Many
services operate with considerable
challenges and obstacles, some of
which are discussed in the pages that
follow. It is not easy to achieve
excellence, but it is important to have a
vision of what it is in order to move
towards it.
Although much of the content of the
original version of Shared Visions,
published in 1997, was relevant, the
sector had moved on, and through a
process of consultation some needed
changes and improvements were
identified for the second version. Some
of these were structural, while others
were shifts in emphases in content.
Some of the changes include the
following:
• Inclusion of information on and
references to the National Standards
for Outside School Hours Care and the
quality assurance system for OSHC
• Greater attention to single staff models
of before and after school care and to
vacation care
• Increased content about inclusion of
children with additional needs
• More information on setting up
effective indoor and outdoor
environments
• Increased emphasis on supporting
child-initiated experiences
• Information about evaluation
• Inclusion of up-to-date references
• Updated resources information
• A more transparent structure, making it
easier for readers to find information
on particular topics
Who is this
publication for?
How to use the
publication
This publication has been written to
support staff in outside school hours
care services as they plan, carry out
and evaluate programs for school-aged
children throughout Victoria. Doing
this job well requires creativity and
commitment, a wide range of skills and
knowledge, the capacity to reflect on
what you are doing and enthusiasm for
learning from children, families and
colleagues. That means that this
publication is not a ‘how-to’ recipe
book that tells you exactly what to do.
Rather it contains some general
principles that will guide you in your
work. Excellence in practice comes
from using accepted thinking, as
documented in resources, alongside
your own professional judgment and
the wisdom of colleagues, and applying
it to the particular service and children
you work with.
Shared visions for outside school hours
care is a component of a resource kit
comprising of several components:
• Shared visions for outside school
hours care
• 15 fact sheets
• communication poster for outside
school hours care
• CD-ROM – which includes all the
above materials, plus templates that
can be customised by services.
This publication will also be of use to
sponsors and potential sponsors of
services, management committee
members, students and lecturers in
training courses, and those who
provide support, resources and
professional development activities to
staff. It is hoped that it will influence
the expectations of staff, sponsors,
school personnel, trainers, families of
children in OSHC and the broader
community, and will therefore
contribute to the provision of quality
OSHC services throughout Victoria.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
As you read the text, chapter by
chapter, try to find time to reflect, write
down your thoughts and share them
with a colleague at work or in another
service. The more you share ideas and
questions with others, the more you
will find to share and the more you will
gain. Use your regional networks and
in-service training opportunities to
explore the publication further and to
discover how it might help you to
improve your service. Although it is
written so that it can be used alone,
the publication will be more useful if its
contents are discussed with colleagues
and applied to the particular setting
and children you work with. It is written
to be interactive, to engage you in
using the general information and
applying it to your own service.
Focus on particular chapters after you
have read through the publication.
Each chapter can be used separately,
although there is overlap among the
topics and each chapter is best
understood in the context of other
chapters. Questions and issues to
think about and discuss are suggested
at the end of each chapter. You will
think of additional questions and
issues. These will be more interesting
and helpful if you use them with
others. The style of writing is purposely
informal and conversational, to
encourage you to engage with the
material presented.
A box at the beginning of each
chapter highlights the relevant
quality assurance principle that the
chapter relates to. (See section on
standards and quality assurance.)
6 Shared visions for outside school hours care
1 | Introduction 7
How the publication
is organised
Common terms
• Chapter 7 focuses on setting up a rich
and inviting environment for children to
engage with.
There are a number of ways that the
information in these pages could be
categorised, so there is some overlap
among the contents of the chapters.
A brief description of each chapter
follows.
• Chapter 8 provides a picture of one
OSHC program, and the planning
process that led to it.
• Chapter 1 contains the introduction
and some information about the
contexts for OSHC services.
“”
The more you share ideas and
questions with others, the more you
will find to share and the more you
will gain.
• Chapter 9 offers brief concluding
comments.
• Chapter 2 contains the vision or
overarching principles that underpin
the approach to OSHC taken in this
publication.
• Chapter 3 focuses on you, the
professional worker in OSHC, and what
it means to work as a professional.
• Chapter 4 focuses on the children who
are served by OSHC services and
explores their developmental
characteristics, how and what they
learn, the impact of cultural and family
diversity and notions of individuality
and additional needs.
• Chapter 5 highlights the nature of the
relationship between the child and
OSHC staff – the heart of what
determines the quality of the experience
for each child and the quality of the
service overall. In addition,
relationships and communication with
parents and family are discussed, as an
important means to support each
child’s learning and wellbeing.
• Chapter 6 deals with the content of the
program for children, with a major
focus on planning and the
documentation and information
collection that informs that planning.
You can see from the brief descriptions
of the chapters that there are some
important issues for OSHC that are not
covered in this publication. Such
important issues as policies affecting
OSHC, funding, financial assistance
available to families, access to and
more particularly requirements for
training and formal qualifications for
staff, industrial conditions,
management, and best ways to
participate in the quality assurance
process, for example, are not
addressed directly. In addition, while
examples of activities and experiences
appear throughout the publication and
recommended resources on activities
are provided, detailed information
about planned activities as such are
not a main feature, as they are wellcovered in other resources. Issues
related to health, hygiene, safety and
nutrition are alluded to, but are not
treated as discrete topics. There is an
increasing variety of resources on
various topics related directly to OSHC
in Australia. Some of these are listed
for your information in Appendix A.
Some terms that are being used in
particular ways in this publication are
described below.
OSHC
Outside school hours care (OSHC)
services provide care mainly for
primary school children (5–12-yearolds), before school, after school and
during school holidays. These are
referred to as the components of care.
In some services, care is also provided
on pupil-free days during the school
term. Where the distinction is not made
in the pages that follow and the term
OSHC used, what is written applies
equally to all three service types, and
most of the information in this
publication fits that category.
The differences among the three
components of care have to do with,
among other things, when the three
experiences take place, the amount of
time in a ‘session’, and consequently
the other experiences the child is
having at the time; that is, how the
OSHC experience fits with the rest of
the day. Further discussion about the
differences among the three service
components is in the section that
follows.
Another factor that distinguishes OSHC
services is that there are a number of
services that operate as single staff
models. Single staff model services
operate with one staff person either for
the full session or part of the session.
Single staff model services, where they
are Australian Government approved
services, must seek approval from the
Australian Government, Department of
Family and Community Services to
operate in this way. The Department
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
does not advocate the operation of
single staff model services but
recognises there are some unique
situations that may necessitate this.
There are specific health and safety
issues that a service has to address
before they can be approved to
operate as a single staff model.
Throughout the discussions that follow
this reality has been taken into
account, and where a particular
discussion does not apply to or work
with single staff services, this will be
noted and alternatives discussed.
Service
This term is used when the overall
operation is referred to, including
management, sponsors, policies and
other areas.
Program
This term is used to refer to the
collection of experiences offered to
children in a service.
Professional
A worker in OSHC who approaches
work with commitment, the desire to
learn more, to do the best they can,
and to be reflective is working as a
professional. Chapter 3 contains a
detailed discussion of what it means to
work as a professional. The term staff
is also used in the publication.
Parent
The term parent is used in the
publication to refer to the adult or
adults who take main responsibility for
the child. The term refers to guardians
and natural, adoptive or foster parents.
Family
Family are those people whom the
child is closest to, with whom the child
lives or has close relationships and
contact with. For some children family
consists of a number of people, for
others family is one person. Family
may be nuclear or extended.
8 Shared visions for outside school hours care
1 | Introduction 9
The contexts for
OSHC services
OSHC services throughout Victoria
operate in diverse circumstances and
conditions. Consequently there are a
number of ways in which they differ
from each other. Some of these
differences have a direct impact on
the service. These different contexts
will be briefly discussed according to
the following categories:
• Service components
• Management and sponsorship
“”
A warm welcoming atmosphere helps
the child settle and gives a good start
to the day.
• Access to professional development
and support
• Organisation and enrolments
• Standards and quality assurance
• Client diversity
• Venues and resources
Service components
OSHC services range from very small
to very large, and include single and
multiple staff models. Service
components are before school, after
school and vacation care.
Before school care
Before school care represents an
important time of the day and the
experience can set the tone for the
rest of the child’s day. Children may
arrive sleepy, hungry and having been
rushed. A warm welcoming
atmosphere helps the child settle and
gives a good start to the day. Because
these services are often smaller than
after school and vacation care, it may
be easier to establish a cosy
atmosphere and one that takes
account of the various moods and
styles with which children start the
day. It needs to be a gentle, nurturing,
serene experience for all.
In a number of services a healthy and
tasty breakfast, with choices, is a
major feature. Children help with the
preparation and cleaning up. The
format in many before school services
is to offer an array of ‘gentle’
opportunities, and consequently some
children are eating, some are finishing
off homework (this requires a quiet
spot), some are talking with friends,
others are playing games or doing
simple art or craft activities, while
others are playing board games.
Parents are likely to be in a hurry, but
may have time for a brief chat. The
availability of coffee and tea would be
welcomed by parents on those days
when they may have a few spare
minutes to stay.
After school care
After school care comes after a busy
school day where children have been
in a group most or all of the time and
have been working hard. For some
children this may be stressful or tiring.
Their day has been structured and is
likely to have been demanding
physically, intellectually and
emotionally. Before and after school
care precedes and follows a busy
school day and so needs to provide
the option of just relaxing. Also as it is
likely that the child will attend over the
year, long-term projects can be
incorporated.
Because after school care is the
most common and frequently used
component of care, it has traditionally
been the main focus of resources and
professional development. The other
two components have received
relatively less attention.
Vacation care
Vacation care needs to have a slightly
different focus to before and after
school care in that, by its very nature,
the fact that it occurs in holiday time,
the expectations of children and some
parents is that it will offer a series of
exciting and somewhat novel
experiences, lots of excursions and the
opportunity to do the kinds of activities
children do with their families when
they are on holidays. In other words,
the pace of vacation care is perhaps
faster. Vacation care can appropriately
place relatively more emphasis on
entertainment and excursions, ‘exotic’
experiences, during a shorter, more
intense period of time.
The group, or at least some members
of the group in many services, may be
together only for that school holiday,
and so it may not be possible to put so
much emphasis on forging a sense of
community, a group feeling.
It may be more difficult in vacation
care to be flexible and responsive to
children’s interests due to several
factors. Emphasis on excursions
requires that plans and bookings be
made well in advance. Parents and
school age children want to see the
program well ahead of time, in part so
that older children can pick the days
that they will attend. Staff have
reported that parents and children get
annoyed if the program alters from
what has been sent out ahead of time,
even if there are good reasons, such as
the weather requiring cancellation or
postponement of a picnic outing. In
addition, the children may be unknown
to the staff before participation, and
their time of participation may be only
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
two weeks or less. Children may be
drawn from different areas, and
therefore it is challenging for staff to
get to know them well. This problem
can be overcome somewhat by
including a place for information to be
provided on the enrolment form about
the child’s interests, likes and dislikes.
Children may be unknown to each
other as well. This requires staff to give
some priority in the first few days into
getting to know children and helping
them get to know each other. If the
vacation care program is a stand alone
one – that is, one that is not attached
to a before and after school care
service – not only are the children not
familiar with each other but the staff
may begin their employment only
shortly before the children begin. There
may be little time for planning and for
staff to get to know one another. This
puts an additional major responsibility
on the coordinator. An additional
challenge is that vacation care services
may have children who do not attend
regularly, which means that continuity
in planning is difficult.
While more of an emphasis on exciting
activities is appropriate for vacation
care, it is important to build in:
• chances to withdraw and be quiet
for a time
• choices
• familiar comfortable activities and
experiences.
The day is long, the ages and levels
of stamina varied, and attention still
needs to be paid to having choices for
children. Children do not always need
or want to be structured and ‘on the
go’ continuously during their holidays.
Relaxation and ‘time to do your own
thing’ are important for children on
holidays too.
10 Shared visions for outside school hours care
1 | Introduction 11
The contexts for
OSHC services
continued
and an in-service training provider
funded to provide support and training
to staff in Australian Government
approved child care services.
(See Appendix A.)
Management and
sponsorship
“”
OSHCQA encourages continuous
improvement in the quality of service
provision. The aim of OSHCQA is to
ensure children in care have positive
experiences that foster all aspects of
their development.
The majority of sponsors of OSHC are
school councils and local government.
The rest are sponsored primarily by
community organisations, churches,
private operators and incorporated
bodies, some of which could be a
licensed children’s service. (In Victoria
a licensed children’s service primarily
caters for children under the age of six
years, however may provide a service
for children aged six years or more, as
long as the number does not exceed
30 per cent of the total number of
places for children at the service.)
Some sponsoring bodies embrace the
OSHC services enthusiastically and
offer tremendous support, while others
needs to be encouraged to extend
their vision for their service and how
they might be able to provide support
to increase the quality.
Organisation and
enrolments
Access to professional
development and support
The proportion of full-time, part-time
and casual bookings affects program
planning. The greater the number of
children attending part-time and
casually the less continuity there is
and the more attention there needs
to be to group dynamics to ensure a
sense of stability and to forge a sense
of group. Enrolment patterns may vary
from day to day with little or no notice.
Part of this daily enrolment variation
may be due to casual enrolments,
for example, when a parent has an
appointment and cannot collect the
child at the normal school finishing
time. These types of enrolment
patterns present an additional planning
challenge.
Staff in some OSHC services have
access to professional support and
in-service training together with links
to other OSHC services and related
community agencies. This dimension
is related closely but not directly to
geographical location and budget
constraints, in that proximity to other
services and organisations and
adequate funding are likely to make it
easier to organise and participate in
professional development experiences.
Geographical location affects the
relative feelings of professional
isolation of staff and the support and
resources available. There are also
various resource and advisory agencies
Some services have an even age
spread distribution, while others have
only a few children in the older age
group. This has a direct impact on
planning for children’s experiences,
as the interests and needs of 5–8year-olds, in general, differ from those
of 9–12-year-olds. Most services
operate with 5–12-year-olds all in
together, while others separate them
all or part of the time into age groups.
The multi-age contexts of many OSHC
services reflect the ways in which
children are socialised within families,
neighbourhoods and some school
classrooms. Another feature of
enrolments in OSHC services is that
some children can spend a
considerable length of time in a
service over their years at primary
school. Many children participate in
OSHC at the school they attend.
There are daily or weekly variations
within the organisation of OSHC
services. For example, some services
are organised around different clubs or
interest groups for the children, such
as a chess club or musical instrument
tuition groups. Other services are
organised according to planned
experiences which are available every
day or on a regular weekly basis.
Standards and quality
assurance
In June 1995, State, Territory and
Commonwealth ministers responsible
for child care endorsed National
Standards for Outside School Hours
Care. These Nationals Standards were
the first step towards achieving
consistency throughout Australia in the
provision of outside school hours care.
They represent baseline standards for
the provision of child care for primary
school age children across all states
and territories.
The more recent decision by the
Australian Government to develop the
National Outside School Hours Care
Quality Assurance (OSHCQA) system is
a significant new phase in the
professionalisation of OSHC services.
OSHCQA was developed in
consultation with sector representatives
and commenced on 1 July 2003.
OSHCQA encourages continuous
improvement in the quality of service
provision. The aim of OSHCQA is to
ensure children in care have positive
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
experiences that foster all aspects of
their development. The Australian
Government has set up the National
Childcare Accreditation Council
(NCAC) to administer the quality
assurance systems. Registration with
the NCAC and participation in the
quality assurance systems is
mandatory for child care services
wishing to administer Child Care
Benefit (CCB). Registration and the
payment of applicable registration fees
form part of the eligibility requirements
for CCB (Australian Government, Child
Care Service Handbook 2004–2005).
Client diversity
OSHC services operate in a variety of
settings and circumstances – for
example rural, metropolitan and
suburban areas, communities that are
strongly multicultural or where a
particular cultural group is in the
majority, and across a range of
socioeconomic circumstances. Some
services include children with physical,
intellectual, emotional, or languagerelated additional needs of varying
types, while others are reluctant, or do
not have the resources to do so. Client
diversity is also evident in the fact that
OSHC services may cater for some
children from a number of different
schools. This is the case in many
vacation care services.
Within OSHC services there will be
diversity related to family lifestyles,
structures and work patterns.
Understanding and responding to this
diversity among the clients in OSHC
services requires considerable staff
commitment and professionalism.
Venues and resources
Services vary in the quality and size of
the physical environment in which they
operate and the range of facilities to
which they have access. A few
services have permanent dedicated
space, but most do not. Staff have to
set up and pack away, often within
considerable time constraints, each
day. This has enormous impact on
program planning and on the capacity
of staff to plan and establish a suitable
environment. Some services are able
to operate a program where children
have the choice of being indoors or
outdoors most of the time, while others
do not have easy access to the
outdoors, and the whole group has to
be either inside or outside. In some
services, the group has to move from
one space to another within the
session, or the entire session has to be
held in another space on particular
days. Some have appropriately wellequipped and attractive outdoor
environments, while others do not.
Access to more than one room and to
specialised equipment such as
computers, library, and kitchen
facilities, for example, ranges from little
or none to all of these. The comfort
level of the spaces in terms of
temperature, ventilation, lighting and
floor covering also varies.
All of the above contexts must be
taken into account as staff work to
offer relevant and responsive programs
that are appropriate for children as well
as meet the expectations of the
sponsoring body, families and the
community.
12 Shared visions for outside school hours care
2 |A vision and way of thinking
In this chapter About children and learning | About childhood | About OSHC | Contexts | Aims for
children | The role of family, school and OSHC | The place of OSHC | The common ground – arenas
for childhood | Inclusion | A way of thinking about outside school hours care | Beliefs and values |
Image of the child | Questions and Reflections
Questions and reflections
1. What do you see as the major factors that contribute to or interfere with the quality of the
program you offer?
?
2. Discuss with others the major strengths of the physical environment that you operate in.
What are its limitations? How can you overcome some of the limitations?
3. What written resources do you rely on in your work? What more would you like?
4. What areas or topics would you like to know more about in order to do your job better or
make your work more interesting? How can you access information about these topics?
5. If you are familiar with the three components of care covered in this publication (before and
after school care and vacation care), what do you think are the main differences among them
in terms of the program of experiences offered to the children? What are the main obstacles
to quality in each?
6. Spend some time reflecting on your vision for an excellent OSHC service. Make some notes.
As you use this publication, see how that vision matches up with what is highlighted in these
pages.
7. If you operate a single staff model are there any additional issues you may need to address
or alternative ways of addressing points raised in this chapter?
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14 Shared visions for outside school hours care
2 | A vision and way of thinking 15
About children and
learning
OSHC quality
assurance principles
3.3 The service is responsive to
diverse community needs
4.1 Programs reflect a clear
statement of service
philosophy and a related
set of service goals
National Childcare Accreditation Council Inc.,
OSHCQA Quality Practices Guide, 1st edn, 2003, p. 4.
Some people are uncomfortable with a
description of an OSHC service as a
learning environment. This may be
partly because they associate learning
with school, structure, a set curriculum,
and academics. Their image of a
learning environment may also be
incompatible with their idea of OSHC as
a place to play, socialise with friends,
have fun, and relax. OSHC at its best is
all of these things and a rich learning
environment as well, a place for learning
about yourself, others, and the world –
in other words, learning about living and
learning through living. This view of
learning is one that places great
importance on relationships, developing
and strengthening talents and interests,
and a view of children as contributing
members of the community.
Relationships and interactions are the
most important component of an
OSHC service. These include
relationships between:
• staff and children
• staff and sponsor
• staff and other staff
• staff and families
• children and other children
• staff and relevant community agencies
and organisations
• staff and their professional support and
development networks
• staff and the personnel in the school
or schools the children in the OSHC
service attend
• children and the broader community.
Several key principles underpin the
way of thinking about OSHC in this
publication. They have been grouped
according to their focus:
About childhood
• Two fundamental needs of children, in
fact of all human beings, are the need
to feel safe and secure and to feel
valued and respected as individuals.
• The four major arenas in which the
childhoods of most children in OSHC
take place are family, school,
community, and OSHC.
• Play is a powerful medium for
children’s learning and should be
supported and encouraged. Children
have a right to play. (The child’s right to
play is part of the UN Convention on
the Rights of the Child [1989]).
• Childhood is a crucial formative period
for developing attitudes towards
difference related to culture, gender
and abilities.
• The child is an active, powerful learner.
• The most effective learning for children
takes place through meaningful
interactions with adults and other
children.
• Learning and development are
nurtured by exposure to a variety of
experiences and interactions.
• Childhood is a time for being,
developing interests, and exploring
possibilities, as well as a time for
becoming, that is, for laying the
foundations for later skills, attitudes
and understandings.
• Childhood carries with it the right to
play.
• Children learn tolerance through
encountering diversity in people, when
these encounters are mediated by
sensitive and sensible others.
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About OSHC
• The OSHC experience should
complement the child’s school, family
and community experiences, as
childhood and learning are best
supported when there is continuity and
when various experiences and settings
complement one another.
• The OSHC service itself can be seen
as a community of people, where
numerous excellent opportunities exist
for children to learn about themselves
and others in a positive way,
experience a sense of belonging, and
expand their horizons.
• The OSHC service has tremendous
potential for supporting the
development of positive attitudes
towards diversity.
16 Shared visions for outside school hours care
2 | A vision and way of thinking 17
Contexts
“”
Connections are about belonging.
Connections are also about learning,
making links between the familiar and
the new, the past and the present.
Aims for children
The significance of contexts is an
over-arching theme for this publication.
The service, the program, the family,
and the child should be viewed in
terms of where they are situated, not
just literally, but in every way. This
means that there are few absolutes
that apply universally. Each child must
be looked at in the context of their
unique family, culture and community.
While there are general principles and
guidelines that apply to all OSHC
services, the application of those, that
is, the ways they translate into daily
practice, are influenced by particular
characteristics and dynamics of each
setting. Each service should fit its
children, its families and its
neighbourhood. That is why staff in
OSHC have to be thoughtful, reflective,
and skilled. This means that the
answers to most questions about what
is best or right is ‘It depends on the
specifics, the context.’
rights and responsibilities to others.
Children in the early 21st century are
citizens of the global community as
well as their local community, with the
power to affect and the potential to be
affected by people, places and events
that are geographically very distant.
The service is a part of the
geographical community in which it
resides, the community of children’s
and family support services, and the
professional OSHC community. The
links with the communities need to be
strong and constructive.
Competence
and parents, between the service and
its sponsoring body, between school
staff and OSHC staff, and among
services working to support children
and families in the community.
Excellence in OSHC comes from
attention to everyone involved – staff,
families, and children. The central
purpose is to offer the best
experiences and outcomes possible for
children. Deciding on the aims you
have for children in your OSHC service
will help you identify what you want to
achieve. Staff are encouraged to
initiate discussions involving all staff,
interested parents, and children about
individual and community aims. These
discussions will hopefully lead to
shared views.
Connections
The most vital component in an OSHC
service is the relationship or
connection between staff and children.
If the quality of the relationship is good,
everything else tends to fall into place.
Connections are about belonging.
Connections are also about learning,
making links between the familiar and
the new, the past and the present. Staff
need to connect with families and the
cultures they are part of in order to
provide a meaningful experience for
children. The experiences children have
at OSHC need to connect with their
lives outside. The service itself must
connect with other services and with
the broader community.
An example of a statement of aims
follows, not for you to adopt for your
service, but to help you think about
your own aims.
In addition to the concept of contexts,
there are five major themes or
concepts that will appear repeatedly in
this resource, which apply to children,
staff, parents, and the OSHC service
as a whole. For convenience, these five
themes can be labelled the five Cs.
They are listed below with some brief
statements about their application in
this publication:
Another word for competence, in the
context of this publication, is
empowerment. To work well, OSHC
services must first of all view children
as competent, and strive to support
and enhance children’s competence,
strengths and capabilities. Similarly, it
is crucial to focus on the talents and
strengths of parents and staff as well.
This does not mean overlooking
problems, concerns, or shortcomings
or accepting undesirable behaviour, but
rather going beyond these to focus on
strengths. It is a bit like the half
full–half empty phenomenon, a choice
of focusing on the negative and what’s
missing, or on the positive and what’s
there to build on.
Community
Collaboration
• optimism, hope for the future
The service can be thought of as a
community itself, a collection of
diverse people coming together for a
common purpose. OSHC is also a
place where children can learn to be
constructive members of the larger
community. They can learn about their
Working together, partnership, and
sharing are other ways of thinking
about collaboration. They all suggest
coming together to achieve a common
purpose. They apply to relationships
between staff and children, among
children, among staff, between staff
• love of learning
Co-learners
Both staff and children are teachers
and learners. Children teach and learn
from each other. Staff learn from the
children and from each other. There is
openness to change and new ideas,
and creative energy in its many forms.
We hope that being in our service will
help children to develop
• self-esteem, liking for themselves
• comfort with and appreciation of
differences among people
• self-confidence, courage and
resilience
• a sense of belonging to the group and
to the local community
• compassion and caring for others
• conviction that they can change
things, have an impact, make a
difference
• openness, a critical questioning
approach
• willingness to persevere
• a sense of humour
• the ability to have fun and laugh
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• respect and caring for other people
and for the physical environment
• skills of negotiation
• the ability to function effectively as a
member of a group.
The aims stated above are immediate,
and they can provide direct guidance
about what is given priority and
considered important in OSHC
services.
18 Shared visions for outside school hours care
2 | A vision and way of thinking 19
The role of family,
school and OSHC
“”
Along with home, family, and school,
OSHC contributes in a significant way
to the childhoods of children who
attend them.
The place of OSHC
Along with home, family, and school,
OSHC contributes in a significant way
to the childhoods of children who
attend them. At school, within the
family and in the OSHC service people
take a personal interest in and develop
a detailed knowledge of the individual
child, and are likely to have a
significant impact on the child over a
substantial period of time.
• be successful at school
Of course, the community contributes
as well, especially as children get older.
The local community in which they live,
as well as the global community they
are given access to through technology
and the media, assume greater
importance, are of great interest to
them and exercise considerable
influence on them.
• develop their strengths and talents and
pursue their interests
In spite of the differences between
home, school and OSHC, and the vast
diversity within each type of setting,
there would ideally be general
agreement among teachers, families
and OSHC staff about what they are
working towards for the child in the
long term. Most people who live or
work with children would say that they
want them to:
• have a sense of belonging
• eventually find a job that they find
rewarding and that provides them with
the financial means to have what they
need
• have meaningful relationships with
other people
• adopt a healthy lifestyle
• make the most of their life chances.
These are general longer-term aims,
in contrast to the previous list.
When differences in views exist among
families, teachers and other adults
involved in the lives of children, they
usually revolve around ideas about how
best to go about achieving these shared
aims for children. For example, some
people believe that the best results are
achieved by being very strict,
demanding and authoritarian with
children, while others believe that a
more democratic approach is best.
Another example is that some people
(and institutions, such as schools)
believe that a focus on strictly
academic areas is the best way to
contribute to the achievement of these
aims, while others have a much
broader notion of what should be
included in school education.
In addition, among families, schools
and OSHC services there may be
different views about the role and
functions that each has in the child’s
life. This makes it challenging to
generalise about distinct roles of
school, family and OSHC, and
everyone would agree that there is
considerable overlap. However, there
would be general agreement on some
key roles for each:
• The family provides the child with longterm strong relationships, relationships
that will last a lifetime. Ideally the
family provides intense (some would
say passionate) subjective unqualified
caring and lifelong advocacy for the
child. The family is an arena for
learning fundamental values, attitudes
and for developing identity.
• The school is a place where formal
learning takes place and where
children acquire skills, knowledge and
attitudes that have been agreed upon
professionally as necessary and
appropriate for children at a particular
age and level. The school also provides
an important socialising experience
through which children learn about
friendships and other relationships.
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So where does OSHC fit? What can
be said about its role in a child’s life?
A child in OSHC may spend around
1,000 hours per year or 7,000 hours
total in the years between starting
school and turning 12 years of age in
an OSHC service. This is a substantial
part of a child’s childhood. Therefore
OSHC plays an important role in the
lives of many children.
Many staff and families have formed
a strongly held view that the major
characteristics of good OSHC services
are that they are relaxed, nonstructured, oriented to leisure,
and recreational. There is a fear that
planning (or programming, a term used
commonly) will result in a regimented,
high powered experience where
children are put under considerable
pressure to participate, perform and
achieve. A distinction is sometimes
made by people that education
happens in school and in structured
activities (such as music or swimming
lessons), while the role and function of
so called care programs is just that:
care, safe keeping and maintenance.
Following on from this, there are those
who say about OSHC that it need be
no more than a place for children to
hang around, be safe, relax, kick or
throw a ball, play a game, do some
craft, have a snack, and be with friends
in short, a kind of ‘child minding’
situation. These people may see a
thoughtfully planned environment and
experiences as placing inappropriate
pressure on children and therefore as
unnecessary and misguided. They may
see careful attention to interactions
and the preparation of environments
as ‘overkill’ by professionals.
The view in this publication is that
children are curious, interested, and
eager to experiment, explore, learn new
skills and use old ones in areas that
interest them. Careful planning and
preparation actually support rather
than interfere with genuine
responsiveness to children’s interests.
Similarly, careful planning can ensure
a relaxed atmosphere where children
choose what to do, including ‘chilling
out’. Thinking carefully and creatively
about the experiences and
opportunities being offered to children
does not necessarily lead to
demanding that they participate, and
does not mean that they cannot
occasionally ‘hang around and do
nothing’.
High-quality OSHC offers a welcoming,
relaxed, inviting situation where
children:
• have the opportunity to learn a range
of life skills through play and
interaction with others
• feel ‘at home’
• have access to a variety of interesting
opportunities
• are supported in the development of
new interests and extension of old
ones
• are respected as human beings who
should have a considerable amount of
say in how they spend their non-school
time
• are known, respected, and secure in
the knowledge that staff are there for
them.
20 Shared visions for outside school hours care
2 | A vision and way of thinking 21
The common ground –
arenas for childhood
“”
In other words, inclusion is about
acknowledging the uniqueness of
each human being and endeavouring
to provide enriching and responsive
experiences.
The informal standard that is often
used for both child care and OSHC is
an idealised version of what it would be
like if children were at home with
parents and other family members.
The first point to make is that a parent
at home during working hours is simply
not possible for many children.
Secondly, the picture of being at home
is often romanticised and idealised
rather than being a realistic one that
includes both the positives and
negatives. While it makes sense to
borrow some principles for OSHC from
a good home experience, there are big
differences between being at home
and in OSHC. Having said that,
however, a good OSHC service does
have some qualities in common with a
good home. It should be a place where
you can be yourself, have something to
eat and drink, choose among a variety
of places to be and things to do,
unwind after school, play, sometimes
do nothing or just rest, and pursue new
or familiar interests.
People working in children’s services,
because they spend so much time with
children, can fall into the trap of seeing
themselves as substituting for parents
and the OSHC experience substituting
for family life. OSHC is not a substitute
or replacement for family, but rather a
supplement or complement.
Children feel more secure and
generally have a more positive
experience when there are links
among their experiences at home,
in school and in OSHC, when the
experiences they have complement
and balance each other. This means
that there needs to be communication
A way of thinking
about outside school
hours care
Inclusion
between OSHC staff, other
professionals, the child’s school and
the child’s family. This communication
is essential in providing an experience
of high quality in OSHC. In fact, the
links and relationship should go
beyond communication to a situation
where school, family and OSHC are
working in partnership on behalf of the
child. This is spelled out in more detail
in Chapter 5.
OSHC services have the advantage of
not having a prescribed curriculum.
They have the freedom to explore new
things, broaden children’s horizons,
and introduce them to experiences
and interests that they may not
otherwise be exposed to. They can
offer contrasts to experiences in other
settings. For example, when asked
what she liked best about her before
school care program, a seven year old
announced without hesitation, ‘Making
a mess! At home I’m not allowed to
and here the girls don’t yell if I slurp my
milk! I can clean up my own mess.’
A critically important dimension of all
OSHC services of high quality is that
inclusion characterises practice at all
levels. The term inclusion is being used
in this publication to mean embracing
in practice the diversity that exists
within our communities, whether it is
the result of differences in ability,
culture, language, religion, or other
differences. In other words, inclusion is
about acknowledging the uniqueness
of each human being and
endeavouring to provide enriching and
responsive experiences.
School-aged children today grow up in
a diverse society and many spend their
childhood in communities
characterised by diversity. If they do
not at present, they certainly will later
on in their lives. Addressing diversity
among children, families and staff
within the service, in the local
community or in the larger Australian
community should be seen as an
important challenge to be met.
There are two overlapping but
somewhat distinct aspects of the
staff’s role when it comes to diversity.
One is demonstrating respect for the
customs, child rearing practices,
beliefs, and values of families the
children come from and incorporating
those in the program where possible.
Whether the child’s culture is one that
the staff are not very familiar with or
the child has an additional need, the
same principle applies. The desired
practice in both situations is to use the
family’s knowledge, acknowledge the
family’s concerns and priorities for
their child and try wherever possible to
cater for each child in the context of
their family.
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The second role for staff with regard to
diversity is making sure that all aspects
of the operation of the service reflect
and embody respect for diversity, and
that every effort is made to support
children both to develop strong values
and to be tolerant. Staff may need to
look beyond the cultural mix that is in
the OSHC service and embrace the
diversity that is in the local community.
Support and resources can be
provided to services through the FKA
Children’s Services to help them work
with families from culturally and
linguistically diverse backgrounds and
through Playworks to support children
with additional needs as a result of a
disability.
OSHC, in its best forms, offers children
the chance to have substantial
experience in a community of people
not unlike those in the larger
community in which they live currently
or will live as adults. It offers the
opportunity to help children feel
comfortable with diversity of many
kinds and to adopt attitudes of
tolerance and respect. It affords
children the opportunity to identify
with and feel comfortable about their
own identity.
This section explores a way of thinking
that provides OSHC staff with a
theoretical framework that is not
abstract or difficult to understand, is
dynamic, and reflects the nature of the
service itself. OSHC is about adults
and children coming together in a
particular context. It is an exciting and
challenging field: each day is alive with
possibilities and no two days are ever
the same.
The social construction of learning
theory is a broad theoretical
framework which has developed from
the work of many researchers and
experts interested in socio-cultural
theories. These experts include
Vygotsky (1978), Bruner (1986),
Rogoff (1997, 2003), Malaguzzi
(1998).This framework helps us to
understand why the quality and nature
of relationships and interactions is so
important in an OSHC service.
Social construction of
learning theory
A framework based on the social
construction of learning theory
provides OSHC staff with the
appropriate ‘hooks’ on which to base a
program which will be responsive to
the unique needs, interests and
backgrounds of those involved. This
theory does not involve complicated
details about cognitive development or
teaching strategies which require an
encyclopaedic knowledge of teaching
and learning. Instead, what this theory
provides is recognition of the unique
context of OSHC and the diversity of
its client group by stressing the
importance of relationships,
interactions, responsiveness and the
22 Shared visions for outside school hours care
2 | A vision and way of thinking 23
A way of thinking
about outside school
hours care continued
nature of learning in collaboration with
others. OSHC has the potential to
acknowledge the importance of these
and, in doing so, to provide a highquality learning environment for
everyone involved.
“”
Every learning experience in OSHC is
a dynamic process as the people
involved (children and adults) bring
their own knowledge and skills to the
experience and then work together to
find new and often shared
understandings.
The following questions might help
staff to think more deeply about this
example:
• Why would the different groups share
some of their designs?
Every learning experience in OSHC is a
dynamic process as the people
involved (children and adults) bring
their own knowledge and skills to the
experience and then work together to
find new and often shared
understandings. This means that an
experience which is available today will
be experienced differently if it is
offered tomorrow, next week, or next
year as the human dynamics and the
contexts for the experience never
remain static or fixed. The following
example illustrates this.
In one OSHC service, small groups of
children aged 5–10 years were busy
decorating cardboard photo frames in
the art room. While each of the
children had access to the same
materials, none of the groups or
individuals made identical frames
although it was clear that each group
was sharing ideas and there were
similarities in the designs in each of
the small groups. For example, one
group used lots of foam animal
shapes, another group had plastic bits
and shells for their frames, and as well
there were individual children ‘doing
their own thing’.
• Why might some children work on their
own even though they were sitting with
a group?
• Would the learning outcomes be the
same for all the children? Why or why
not?
In the following pages similar questions
will be explored using the social
construction of learning theory.
Key points
• Learning occurs in social contexts.
Children learn from infancy through
their interactions with supportive,
interested, enthusiastic adults and
peers. Children construct and coconstruct with others their own
understandings and view of the world
through these social interactions. As
Vygotsky (1978) wrote, children learn
first at the interpersonal level within
their communities and then that
learning is internalised and becomes
part of each child’s development.
Example: A mixed age group is at the
craft table. Paul (age 10) says, ‘Jason
is excited because he gets inducted at
Cubs tonight’. David (age 6) says,
‘What’s Cubs?’ Jason replies, ‘It’s when
you wear blue and you do things with
the pack.’ David asks, ‘What’s a pack?’
Paul says, ‘It’s when you get to be a
member of the pack, like a club.’
‘Yeah,’ says Jason, ‘It’s good.’
In this example the social interactions
between these boys is a potential
learning situation, especially for David,
who is uninformed about Cubs. Of
course, he does not learn a great deal
from this exchange, but if an adult was
listening to this he or she could extend
the boys’ interest and knowledge by
suggesting something like, ‘Jason,
perhaps you and Paul could wear your
Cub uniform to after school care and tell
us more about what you do at Cubs.’
Even without an adult’s further
extension, the next time David hears
about Cubs, he is no longer totally
ignorant. He knows it is good, they wear
blue and there are things to do there.
David has constructed these ideas
through social interaction with peers.
• Adult (and peer) responsiveness to
children is more important for learning
than the stimulation of a richly
resourced environment where the child
plays or explores alone. The resources
are very important, but as the NSW
Curriculum Framework for Children’s
Services reminds us, ‘The setting
provides opportunities and possibilities,
but it is certainly not a case of the more
the better. A constant barrage of colour,
noise and activity interferes with
making meaning.’ (2002: 26)
down onto the floor where the children
are playing and, after observing and
listening, started to talk with the
children about their building, then it is
likely the children would extend their
learning: ‘How would the man get to
the top of your building?’ or ‘Why did
you put the door there?’These types of
questions take the child from
exploration to problem solving and
learning. Bruner (1985) says this is
‘scaffolding’, or helping the children
move their learning from one level to a
higher level. In other words, if we left
Sahid and Mai to play together at their
resource-rich Lego activity, they might
learn something, but it could be
limited. An older child or adult, through
getting involved and responding to the
children’s play, can provide the bridge
or support through questions,
modelling, explanations or prompts to
increase the children’s learning.
• In any place where adults and children
work or play together there is the
potential for teaching and learning by
both parties.
Example: Sahid (5 years) and Mai
(6 years) are playing together with the
Lego. They have been making tall
buildings and using Lego people to
extend their play. What are they
learning? It is difficult to say. Perhaps
they are practising social skills of
sharing equipment or their physical
skills of coordination between hand
and eye. However, if an adult moved
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Example: In a vacation care service
the children have just collected their
lunches and have begun to eat in
small groups around the room.
The staff have joined the groups and
provide role models on how to avoid
talking with your mouth full or give
gentle reminders about not rushing.
In one of the groups, Karli says,
‘At my place you don’t start to eat
until everyone is served.’ This leads to
a lively discussion about family rules
and eating habits. The children in the
group are learning about each other
and are actively teaching each other
about the diversity within families.
While the adult may keep the
discussion going and make sure
everyone has a turn to speak, he or
she is also learning about the families
and the different social customs that
they see as appropriate. This learning
(knowledge) may help the adult
understand why certain children act
in particular ways. Solutions to
problems with children can be found
more easily when we know why a
child does this or that. Sometimes
when we know why, the solution may
be to recognise the difference and
accept it rather than trying to change
the behaviour. Understanding the
reason why Karli does not start eating
immediately means staff would not
say things like, ‘Karli, haven’t you
started eating yet!’
• There is not one way to be intelligent or
clever that is superior to other ways;
rather, there are numerous kinds of
intelligences that require responsive
adults in order for these to fully
develop. As Whitaker (2002) explains,
the theory of Multiple Intelligences
developed by Howard Gardner (1993)
extends the traditional idea that there
is one kind of intelligence to
recognising that children have a range
of culturally valued abilities and ways
of solving problems that use many
different types of intelligence.
Example: A group of older children
has been organising an ‘After School
Recipe Book.’ They have been busy
reading the recipe books, collecting
ideas from home and surveying the
24 Shared visions for outside school hours care
2 | A vision and way of thinking 25
A way of thinking
about outside school
hours care continued
“”
Recognition that children learn in
social contexts with adults and peers
(both older and younger, more and
less competent, the same or opposite
gender) provides support for the idea
that multi-age settings which reflect
the real world of family and
neighbourhoods are the most
appropriate for children who are
developing and learning.
other children about their favourite
snacks. Much reading, writing, talking
and listening has been involved.
A staff member noticed that another
older child seemed interested in this
project but was hesitant to join in,
probably because her reading and
writing skills were not so advanced.
However, the staff member knew that
Helena was very creative in her art
work and so she suggested to the
group that perhaps Helena could be
in charge of designing the cover for
the book. Helena is not less intelligent
than the others, rather she has
particular talents (and intelligence) in
an area of literacy (graphic literacy)
which need to be fostered and
admired. As Helena gains confidence
and self-esteem through having her
particular intelligence recognised, she
is more likely to improve in the areas
where she is not so advanced.
• Children have many more ideas than
we ‘teach’ them! Think of the words
they create and the imaginative ideas
they express in play. Adults need to
listen, observe and talk with the
children in order to understand their
ideas and then use them for planning
authentic programs.
Example: At the regular group
discussion held as the children sit
eating their snack, one child told the
group that his sister had a penfriend
in America. This created a lot of
interest as the children asked
questions of the child and the adults.
The staff hadn’t considered
penfriends as a program possibility,
but decided to foster this interest by
finding out how to get penfriends for
interested children. They realised that
penfriends didn’t have to come from
places far away, and initiated a
scheme with children in OSHC from a
neighbouring school. This unexpected
development led to a long interest
and involvement by several children
in regular communication with
penfriends.
• Using and listening to language are of
critical importance in learning both
about the world and how to live in
harmony with others in the world.
‘Language, or talk, cannot be divorced
from social practices and social
interaction’ (Danby, 2002: 56).
OSHC – social contexts
Each of these key points and examples
reflects the importance of the social
contexts in every learning experience
that is possible in an OSHC program.
This ‘way of thinking’ can help you to
see the potential in the programs you
plan. Indeed, what might have been
considered problems or constraints to
programming can be considered in
more positive ways, as the following
examples show.
• OSHC generally caters for primary
aged children, 5–12 years. The multiage nature of the services has been
noted as one of its unique features,
and one that provides a challenge for
staff. Recognition that children learn in
social contexts with adults and peers
(both older and younger, more and less
competent, the same or opposite
gender) provides support for the idea
that multi-age settings which reflect
the real world of family and
neighbourhoods are the most
appropriate for children who are
developing and learning. Some schools
in Victoria are changing from
chronologically based grade structures
to flexible, non-graded or multi-age
classes because they believe these
have considerable advantage. OSHC
has been doing it this way for years!
Having children in mixed age groups
does not mean that the older children
have to work or play continually with
the younger children (or vice versa).
A balance needs to be found where
the various age groups have the
opportunity to work and mix together
as well as having time for grouping
together according to age, interests,
gender and other appropriate ways.
• Another feature of OSHC is the
considerable length of time a child may
spend in the service from prep through
to grade 6. Again the notion of socially
constructed learning recognises this
feature as a strength. When OSHC staff
have the opportunity to interact with a
child and family over a long period of
time it is more likely that there will be
greater understanding of the particular
contexts for that family, and hence
more meaningful relationships can
develop. These mutually supportive
relationships provide the staff and child
with the basis from which learning
together can occur.
• OSHC, as this publication has clearly
stated, is not school, with its formal
requirements for teaching and learning.
OSHC has the freedom to determine its
own program to match the unique
community, family and service contexts.
OSHC communities can collaborate
with each other, learn from each other
and recognise the expertise each has
as they work together. The theory of
socially constructed learning would see
this program collaboration as the one
most likely to succeed, because the
experiences provided are likely to be
real and relevant to the children’s lives.
• The opportunity for children to have
extended periods of time over one
session or over several days or weeks
to pursue or explore materials or ideas
which are personally interesting is
possible in OSHC services.
Additionally, because of the
unstructured nature of the program,
staff are likely to have the time to keep
in contact with and respond to children
as they engage in these pursuits. The
social construction of learning theory
regards this interest and support of
others as critical to effective learning.
The notion that an OSHC service is a
community of learners means there is
so much explicit and implicit learning
going on. Learning is explicit in the
activities and experiences planned, but
it is implicit in how things are decided
about the programming, that is:
• the extent to which program planning
is collaborative with children
• who sets the rules, limits and guidelines
• how the above are enforced and by
whom
• attention to aesthetics in the physical
environment
• attention to organisation of the
physical environment
• the extent to which constructive
communication and interaction skills
are modelled by adults and older
children
• the degree of kindness and caring
shown
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• attitudes towards diversity (cultural,
children or staff with special needs)
• nutrition and food choices
• the concern for environment and
conservation
• learning about older and younger
children.
The above is justification for taking a
broad approach to planning. This broad
approach means that staff are
concerned about the child’s total
experience. They acknowledge that
some of the most powerful lessons the
child is learning are not in planned
activities but ‘around the edges’ as
they watch, listen and engage with
other children and the adults.
26 Shared visions for outside school hours care
2 | A vision and way of thinking 27
Beliefs and values
Image of the child
OSHC staff and the children and
families they work with are individuals.
Even if staff were matched according
to age, gender, experience and
qualifications, there would be individual
teaching styles, personalities and
personal belief systems that would
influence the way these staff work and
consequently the way individual
children respond to them.
“”
Each person, whether child or adult,
brings a personal history to the
encounters they have with others.
Workers in a service profession must
appreciate the diversity in order to
respond appropriately.
OSHC staff bring a personal belief
system to their work, which provides
them with a frame of reference in the
daily decisions they make. These
beliefs are developed through
encounters and engagement first with
family, then with the wider
communities such as child care,
school or OSHC and eventually the
world of work and adult relationships.
Beliefs may be consolidated, affirmed
or challenged in any of these
encounters.
OSHC staff bring these diverse
personal beliefs to their work, but there
are also shared beliefs held by a
particular work group about their role
and the particulars of their job. Some
of the shared beliefs mentioned by
OSHC staff in questionnaires, training
sessions and network meetings, are
these:
• OSHC is a valuable service to support
children and families and the
community.
• OSHC is not the same as school
education.
• OSHC is a unique service in the
range of children’s services offered
in Victoria.
These shared beliefs hopefully bind
services together, but are sometimes
overridden by the personal belief
systems which cause staff to see
OSHC in very different ways. For
example, some staff can be critical
about working parents. Other staff,
because they are working parents
themselves, have empathy with the
parents. Some staff feel sorry for the
younger children: others believe the
older children could be at home.
All these personal beliefs need to be
confronted and reflected on if the
staff are to provide sensitive and
appropriate responses to each child
and family. This is not an easy task!
To critically appraise your own belief
system is difficult and requires
considerable maturity and support
from others.
• One in five Australians is from
overseas.
• Twenty per cent of children live in oneparent families.
• Nearly half a million Australian children
live in poverty.
• Grandparents provide a significant
amount of informal child care
The children and families in OSHC
services also have their beliefs, values
and individual backgrounds which may
be similar to or different from those
held by the staff working in the
programs. Each person, whether child
or adult, brings a personal history to
the encounters they have with others.
Workers in a service profession must
appreciate the diversity in order to
respond appropriately.
Edgar (2000) reminds us of the
diversity within Australian families:
• More than 50 per cent of married
women with children work.
• Permanent and adequate employment
is difficult to gain for a significant
number of people with family
responsibilities.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
The way any experience in OSHC
services is conducted and received by
children and adults is determined by
the personal beliefs, background, and
current circumstances of the people
involved.
Family lifestyles and backgrounds
influence the way staff and parents
think about each other. The image
each has of the other needs to be
understood in order for the service to
meet the needs of its particular
community. For example, when parents
see the OSHC service as a practical
support that enables them to work or
study without worrying about the
safety of their child, then their image
of OSHC is positive although limited.
This image might not include a view of
OSHC staff as professionals who plan
and provide far more than safe places
for children. It could also be true that
some OSHC staff might view their role
as providing a safe place for children,
and this too is positive but limits the
potential for the service. Thinking about
the way the service is perceived by
staff, parents and the school is
therefore an important step in
achieving recognition for the potential
in OSHC services.
One of the most significant beliefs that
every OSHC staff member holds is
their particular image of the child.
When staff are asked to identify their
images, their responses are likely to
reflect different belief systems. For
some people, the image is about
children as vulnerable or in need of
protection, for others the child is
strong and rich in potential. Holding a
particular image will influence the kind
of decisions staff make for the
children. If the child is seen as being
in need of protection then staff will
minimise behaviour that involves taking
risks, but if the child is seen as strong
and rich in potential then the
experiences provided will support this
potentiality. It is not the case that one
image is wrong and another right, but
rather that staff need to recognise the
images they hold and reflect on how
they influence planning decisions. They
need also to be open to new images
that other staff or parents might hold.
Children with additional needs have
strengths, talents and capabilities just
as do all children, and it is crucial that
adults who work with them
acknowledge the additional need, take
it into account, and go beyond it to
focus on the person who has the
additional need. OSHC services can
play an important role in shaping
children’s attitudes towards people
with additional needs and supporting
them to be comfortable and positive
in their relationships.
28 Shared visions for outside school hours care
3 |What does it mean to be
a professional?
In this chapter Introduction | Leadership | Achieving and sustaining excellence in OSHC services
| Mentoring and networks | Teamwork | Professional partnerships | Professional challenges |
Advocacy | Professional ethics | Questions and reflections
Questions and reflections
1. Do you and your colleagues have a shared vision of how you would like your service to be?
If so, what are its major characteristics?
?
2. What vision do you think families have of OSHC? Have you considered trying to find out what
the parents in your service think?
3. Does your service have a list of goals for children? Even if the are not written down, your
practices probably reflect implicitly goals or aims for children. What would you say these are?
What do you think the children would say are the goals? What are the advantages of having a
written statement of goals?
4. In your service what links exist with the other three other arenas of childhood: school,
community and family? Are these adequate?
5. What are the social contexts that are unique to your OSHC service? How do they affect the
service philosophy, policies and practices?
6. How would you describe your own personal belief system? What were the major influences
on it? How does this influence the way you work in the OSHC service and the program
decisions you make? For example, how does your personal belief system influence the
decisions you make about the use or non-use of television in the service? Would parents
have a different belief system about television?
7. If you operate a single staff model are there any additional issues you may need to address
or alternative ways of addressing points raised in this chapter?
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
30 Shared visions for outside school hours care
3 | What does it mean to be a professional? 31
Introduction
OSHC quality
assurance principles
2.1 Staff communicate
effectively with each other
and display professionalism,
teamwork and mutual
respect
3.2 The service actively seeks
to build links with the
community
7.1 The service has effective
policies and procedures on
protective care
8.2 Management and staff
support each other and
communicate effectively
8.3 Management has effective
strategies for communicating
with families
8.4 Management has effective
recruitment, orientation
and induction processes
for staff
8.5 Management provides and
facilitates professional
development opportunities
for staff
8.6 Management ensures that
grievance and complaints
procedures are adhered to
National Childcare Accreditation Council Inc.,
OSHCQA Quality Practices Guide, 1st edn, 2003, pp. 4–5.
The terms, ‘profession’ and
‘professional’, are now used beyond
traditional areas such as the fields of
medicine or the law. Their widespread
use seems to be based on the idea
that these terms invest an authority
and expertise on the field and the
person they are describing. The
hallmarks or signs of a profession have
been well-documented and generally
include the following features:
• Professions provide a service to the
public
• Professions have specialised
knowledge gained through study and
experience
• The clients of the profession are
vulnerable or dependent in their
relationship with the profession
• Professions have a high level of
autonomy in their work
• Professions require members to
commit to a code of ethics
Leadership
If these features are applied to OSHC
then it could be argued that OSHC
staff are indeed members of a
profession and are therefore
professionals. OSHC services do
provide a service for the children and
their families; many staff have formal
qualifications and years of experience;
the age of the children in OSHC means
that they are vulnerable to influence
and dependent on the staff for their
overall safety and wellbeing. There is
autonomy for staff in OSHC in that they
have flexibility in their planning
decisions and overall organisation of
the daily program within the National
Standards for Outside School Hours
Care (June 1995).
Being accepted as a professional in
OSHC brings with it responsibilities
that require commitment, knowledge
and skills. In the following sections of
this chapter, several key issues
concerned with professionalism in
OSHC will be discussed.
One of the key roles within OSHC is
that of leadership both within multiple
staff models and single staff models. In
both models, the coordinator will have
responsibility for gaining support from
the sponsoring body and local
community, and for the overall planning
of the program. In the multiple staff
model, coordinators will also have
responsibility for other staff and all the
duties that brings as well as
experiencing the benefits of having a
team to work with. While the fact that
the coordinator in a single staff model
has the freedom to make his or her
own decisions could be regarded as a
positive condition, in another way, their
role is more onerous in that they don’t
have the support of a team and the
benefits that a team approach can
present. In single staff models, the
coordinator’s ‘team’ might be people
not directly involved in delivery of the
service such as members of the school
staff, school council, a subcommittee
or another OSHC coordinator who
could provide feedback or support. In
rural OSHC services, local community
service groups can be approached for
support.
To think about leadership in OSHC
some questions will help to provide the
basis for the discussion:
• What are the features of a good leader
in OSHC?
• Why are these features important?
Typical answers to the first question
are that leaders are good
communicators, flexible, respectful,
honest, able to make decisions and
visionary. These features are important
because when they are evident in
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
leaders then the team members feel
supported, respected, listened to, and
energised or motivated.
The saying that ‘leaders are born and
not made’ may have some truth, but
leadership skills can be developed
through reflection, undertaking further
study or courses, reading, and other
professional development activities.
Good leaders never think they know it
all, or that they couldn’t improve their
skills or knowledge and they also feel
confident enough to seek feedback
about their role from other people.
In OSHC, as in any human service,
the leadership role is significant in
maintaining staff morale, client
satisfaction and wellbeing and
effective management. Some of these
roles will be examined in the next
section. It is important also to
remember that leadership roles can be
shared even in a small team and that it
is not always the OSHC coordinator
who has to take responsibility for all
these roles. A good leader also knows
how to delegate appropriately.
Delegation requires balancing the
requirement for staff members to have
some professional autonomy and to be
trusted with specific management
roles and the coordinator’s need to
take overall responsibility for the
service (Hayden, 1999).
32 Shared visions for outside school hours care
3 | What does it mean to be a professional? 33
Achieving and
sustaining excellence
in OSHC services
Mentoring and
networks
While issues related to quality and
excellence have been the focus for
attention in most OSHC services, the
discussions on National Standards and
the introduction of Outside School
Hours Care Quality Assurance
(OSHCQA) have placed quality matters
firmly on the agenda for all services.
Quality cannot be achieved once and
for all, quickly, or through cosmetictype changes. Quality takes time and
effort and is always an ongoing
concern that usually involves a real
struggle. In some services, the
challenge will be greater to achieve
basic standards and in others it will be
about enhancing levels of quality that
are already good, but in no service is it
ever finished business. There is always
the need to look again at practices and
policies and to seek ways to
continually improve.
As noted above, one of the hallmarks of
a professional is a commitment to
lifelong learning. Staff in OSHC require
access to regular professional
development or learning opportunities,
as a team or as individuals, that relate
to issues about the quality of practices,
including OSHCQA processes.
Undertaking formal study is another
strategy that can help staff to address
issues relating to quality in their service.
Quality matters are also the concern of
“”
Quality takes time and effort and is
always an ongoing concern that
usually involves a real struggle.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
families, children and the sponsoring
body. Finding ways to involve all the
interested parties in the ongoing
project of improving the service will
help the process. Strategies such as
questionnaires, surveys, quality
subcommittees, and having a ‘critical
friend’ observe the service, are some
ideas that have been used by OSHC
and other children’s services as helpful
ways to seek feedback and support in
the process of continual improvement.
OSHC professionals require support in
order to maintain a commitment to
their work because while the work is
rewarding, enjoyable and stimulating,
it can also be challenging, demanding
and stressful at times. There are
practical ideas that can help OSHC
staff manage these more difficult
times. One of the best ways is to find a
mentor who is able to listen, support
and sometimes give advice and critical
feedback about the work you are
34 Shared visions for outside school hours care
3 | What does it mean to be a professional? 35
Mentoring and
networks continued
“”
Productive teams are groups of
people who respect each other’s
experiences, values and talents.
Professional
partnerships
Teamwork
engaged in. A mentor might be another
OSHC coordinator that you have
worked with and admire, or it might be
someone connected with children’s
services in local government, for
example. Coordinators who work in
long day child care or family day care
generally have extensive experience in
children’s services and would therefore
make ideal mentors as they often have
practical expertise and deal with
similar challenges to those faced by
OSHC coordinators. Mentors are
generally not people directly related to
your workplace, as that connection
might make it difficult for you to be
completely honest with each other.
A further professional support strategy
is to be active in your local OSHC
network. These networks afford OSHC
staff the opportunity to gain practical
advice, explore challenges and
successes, and invite guest speakers.
They also can provide a time where
serious professional issues can be
discussed. Network meeting agendas
need to consider both these aspects of
professional support – the practical
information and opportunities to reflect
and take action on more complex
issues. Developing links or networks
between different types of services for
children and families in a local region
can be an excellent way to foster
community awareness of the range
and benefits of such services.
OSHC services are required to
establish and maintain professional
partnerships with a range of different
groups. These include partnerships
between:
Working as part of a professional team
is a rewarding experience provided
that the key elements for successful
teamwork are understood and fostered
by all members and especially by the
team leader. You might like to make
your own list of the important aspects
of your team’s productive working
relationships as a way of beginning to
think about teamwork in OSHC.
Productive teams are groups of people
who respect each other’s experiences,
values and talents. This is not to say
they are all the best of buddies, or that
they all think alike, but they are loyal to
the team and all their communication
with each other is respectful even
when that is difficult. Teamwork
requires commitment and hard work
and cannot be achieved instantly when
a group comes together. It will need
readjustment when someone new joins
the team. This is an ongoing challenge
for some OSHC services where new
staff join the team on a regular basis
and where staff only come together
when the service starts operation. This
may happen in some vacation care
services which are not attached to a
before or after school service, for
example, in a university-sponsored
vacation care service. The
coordinator’s role in team building in
this example is difficult and may
require the sponsoring body to budget
for some paid time for staff
development prior to the program’s
start. Having written guidelines,
policies and other resource materials
such as the fact sheets in the Shared
visions resource kit for outside school
hours care, available to give all new
• OSHC staff and the parents and
children (see Chapter 5 Relationships)
• staff and staff (see Teamwork section
above)
• OSHC staff and the sponsoring body
• OSHC staff and the children’s services
professional community (see also
Advocacy section later in this chapter)
staff or for vacation care staff teams
who only meet when the program is
operational would be helpful for team
building.
One of the challenges to teams that
have worked productively together over
a period of time is to avoid moving into
what could be called the ‘comfort
zone’. In this zone, the team no longer
examines its practices and uses
phrases like, ‘We always do it like this’
or ‘We don’t have to think about it any
more’. Established teams have to think
about their practices and to keep
asking questions like: ‘how can we do
it better?’; ‘Why do we always do it this
way?’; ‘What have we stopped seeing
because we no longer look?’
Sometimes, rather than blaming
individual team members when there is
a problem, staff teams need to look
critically at the workplace practices
and attitudes that may contribute to
the problem. Every OSHC work
environment has a group attitude or a
workplace culture which can either
stifle feedback or serious examination
of work practices and blame others,
on the one hand, or be open, honest
and constructive in addressing team
issues on the other.
Some of the strategies to help build
productive teams include:
• time spent as part of regular
professional development on team
building exercises
• social events to celebrate collective
and individual members’ personal
achievements
• job descriptions that include team
responsibilities and delegated tasks
• induction processes for new staff
which might include a team buddy
• shared decision-making where
appropriate on planning OSHC
programs or policies
• well-defined conflict resolution policies
and processes
• a regular agenda item on teamwork in
staff meetings
• opportunities for suggestions to be
made and discussed by the team
• sharing and discussing professional
reading on teamwork and related topics.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
• OSHC staff and local community
groups
Partnerships with the sponsoring
body are important for OSHC
because they provide the foundation
for understanding the roles and
responsibilities of each of the partners.
The partners need to have a clear
understanding of different expectations
in order to be able to appreciate each
other’s constraints, possibilities, and
challenges.
OSHC services have identified many
practical examples of how they have
built partnerships with their sponsoring
body which in many cases is the
primary school where the service is
located. Strategies such as weekly or
regular meetings between the OSHC
coordinator and a school or sponsoring
body representative to discuss
relevant issues, or having an OSHC
subcommittee of the school council
or an OSHC management committee
are helpful ways to build positive
relationships with the school or the
sponsoring body. In some schools,
the OSHC staff attend professional
36 Shared visions for outside school hours care
3 | What does it mean to be a professional? 37
Professional
partnerships continued
“”
In addition to partnerships,
a professional OSHC service will
have strong links with other services
that support children and families
within their local community.
development sessions with the school
staff and are invited to social events
organised by the school staff.
Displaying the photographs of the
OSHC staff alongside the school staff
photos is another indicator that
respectful professional relationships
between the two groups have been
established. If these links have not
been established then the OSHC
coordinator could take the initiative to
begin a regular meeting with a key
person in the school or sponsoring
body organisation.
The following example demonstrates
how one school and an OSHC service
supported each other’s work for the
benefit of an individual child and his
family.
A prep child with autism found it
difficult to leave the classroom each
afternoon which caused the parent
considerable difficulty. The child was
not enrolled in the after school
program, but after consultation with
the OSHC coordinator, it was
suggested to the parent that the child
might find the transition from school
to home easier if he went to the
OSHC service after school. This
arrangement worked very well for the
parent and the child as the OSHC
service provided him with a happy
and relaxed bridging time between
the end of the school day and going
home.
Over the time of the project that led to
this publication, it became increasingly
obvious that one of the major factors
affecting the professionalism of staff
and indeed the quality of the program
based in schools was the strength of
the connection between the school
and the OSHC service. This seemed to
be determined in most cases by the
value placed by the principal and
senior staff on the OSHC service.
Principals in general seem to
appreciate the need to have an OSHC
service. It is critical that their
appreciation extends to understanding
the components of quality and the
resource requirements necessary to
bring about OSHC of high quality.
To highlight the value of close
collaboration and partnership between
OSHC services and schools, some
examples follow that were collected
during the project. Some are simple,
symbolic indicators of partnership
while others are more substantial.
• One coordinator spoke of keeping a
detailed diary of the unpaid time
she spends preparing for the OSHC
service. She showed this diary to the
principal, who was surprised and
impressed at the extent of it. He
consequently allocated her additional
paid preparation time.
• In at least one school visited, the
classroom teachers were given
responsibility to notify the coordinator
of the after school care service if
children enrolled in after school care
were absent. This had the beneficial
side effect of ensuring that teachers
were aware of which children in their
class attended after school care and
raised their general awareness of and
interest in the after school care service.
• Some OSHC coordinators have access
to the children’s files and are expected
to contribute information to the files.
• OSHC staff are involved in
consultations about children who are
having difficulties and where there are
problems within a family. This latter
involvement acknowledges that in
many cases OSHC staff are likely to
have more regular contact with parents
than the teacher does.
• Prep teachers come to the before
school care service to collect the prep
children and take them to the
classroom. They bring them to the after
school care service at the end of the
school day.
• The before and after school care
service has its own regular column in
the school newsletter.
• OSHC staff participate in planning the
annual school fete.
• The OSHC coordinator gives a
presentation at the information session
for parents of children entering prep in
the following year.
• Although it is not the norm, some
schools have allocated (in at least one
case built) dedicated space for the
OSHC service.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
In addition to partnerships, a
professional OSHC service will have
strong links with other services that
support children and families within
their local community. These might
include a community health service,
public library, a long day child care
centre or an early intervention service.
These links strengthen the service
offered to families and children and
enhance the professional profile of the
OSHC staff.
38 Shared visions for outside school hours care
3 | What does it mean to be a professional? 39
Professional
challenges
There are many challenges in the
professional life of OSHC staff, both for
coordinators and the team members.
Some of these challenges have been
discussed and some will be addressed
in other sections of this publication. In
addition, there are professional issues
such as recruitment difficulties which
this document cannot address. The
major professional challenges which
services have identified in discussions
include:
“”
. . . sometimes professional advocacy
is about seeking ways to improve
conditions beyond OSHC services for
children and families in local, state,
national and global contexts.
• recruitment of appropriate staff
• the lack of continuity of staff,
especially when university or TAFE
students are employed as they often
resign after graduation
• the lack of time for paid planning
• overall resource constraints
• lack of support from sponsors
• less-than-ideal environments
• age ranges of children and enrolment
patterns
• planning for children who have
additional needs or who have
challenging behaviours
• single staff models
• diversity in the client group
• dealing with change such as new
requirements in policies or standards
• conflict in the team
• relationships between staff, staff and
school, staff and families
• management of stress
• timely distribution of information and
mail to OSHC staff.
OSHC networks and professional
development seminars are two places
where these types of challenges can
be addressed in a more formal way.
For example, an OSHC service might
arrange a session for the staff on how
to manage stress. For economic
reasons, it can be sensible to have
these types of seminars in conjunction
with another children’s service or with
the school staff. Reading and
discussing a section of this publication
at regular staff meetings would be a
further way to consider solutions to
some of the identified challenges.
Advocacy
Professional ethics
Some of the challenges mentioned
above may require advocacy by the
entire profession or the OSHC sector
and by individual OSHC services. In
addition, as professionals, OSHC staff
can be powerful advocates for children
and families in a broad sense.
Advocacy means being willing to speak
out on behalf of an individual or a
group, such as a profession, a family,
or a child. Advocacy can take many
different forms and be concerned with
different issues, as the following
examples highlight:
One of the features of a profession
mentioned previously is that
professions generally have a code of
ethics which the members commit to
in their service within the profession.
Codes of ethics can play an important
role in professional life.
• an article written by the OSHC team
for the local newspaper that describes
the ways in which the service supports
families and children
• attendance at networks or forums
focused on professional issues on
behalf of the OSHC service
• organising staff, families and children
from the OSHC service to attend an
event in the local community
• speaking on behalf of the OSHC
service at a local or regional service
club
• an OSHC staff team supporting a relief
agency that works for children and
families in the developing world.
These examples show how advocacy
can be about the celebration and
promotion of what OSHC services do
well at a local ‘grass roots’ level.
They also reveal that sometimes
professional advocacy is about seeking
ways to improve conditions beyond
OSHC services for children and
families in local, state, national and
global contexts.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
A code of ethics can provide
professions with the ethical principles
on which to base their practice as
well as acting as a guide and focus
for decision-making. The principles in
such codes may also contribute to
raising the awareness of the wider
community to the ethical nature of
our work. (Kennedy, 2003)
OSHC staff in Victoria do not have their
own code of ethics, but there are
codes of ethics that could apply to
their work with children and families.
For example, Early Childhood Australia
(formerly AECA) has a Code of Ethics
(1990) which would be a suitable code
for OSHC staff to consider adopting. In
some primary schools there are codes
of ethics or conduct codes for staff and
children that could also be appropriate
for OSHC services. Perhaps in the
future the OSHC sector will develop a
code of ethics based on its own unique
contexts for professional life.
While the OSHC profession does not
have its own code of ethics, there are
ethical responsibilities that the sector
ought to be aware of and committed
to. For example, staff working in OSHC
are required to respect the confidential
nature of client information as
identified in the Federal Privacy Act or
be aware of possible state
requirements under the Information
Privacy Act 2000. Respect for
confidentiality comes also through
being committed to ethical practice.
Confidentiality requirements are also
applicable to information held about
the staff who work in the service.
Keeping all records in a locked filing
cabinet, only releasing information to
authorised persons, and not discussing
personal details related to children,
families and staff beyond the OSHC
service or in other professional
contexts are further examples of
ethical practices concerned with
maintaining confidentiality.
OSHC staff are not mandated to report
suspected cases of child abuse, but
they do have an ethical responsibility
to respond to any suspected cases in a
professional manner. A good beginning
for dealing with these ethically
sensitive matters is to have a child
abuse policy that has been developed
in consultation with the school or
sponsoring body. It is recommended
that any policy include information
about recording staff observations or
other details, and the contact
information for the child protection unit
within the state. For example, in
Victoria, suspected cases of child
abuse and neglect should be reported
to the local office of the Department of
Human Services, or after hours by
contact to the Child Protection Crisis
Line on 131 279. Information about
child abuse and neglect, and the Child
Protection Intake Contact List are
located at the DHS web site:
www.dhs.vic.gov.au/childprotection.
40 Shared visions for outside school hours care
4 |A profile of children five
to twelve
In this chapter Introduction | Five to seven-year-olds | Seven to nine-year-olds | Nine to twelveyear-olds | Moral development | Children with additional needs | The age spread – implications for
staff | Childhood in the 2000s | Questions and reflections
Questions and reflections
1. In your OSHC service, what are the matters that have been delegated to members of the
team? Are there any further suggestions from the team?
?
2. As a coordinator in a single staff model, can you identify a small number of people in your
community who might act as mentors or critical friends for you? How would you approach
them?
3. Brainstorm the possibilities for advocating on behalf of your service in the local or wider
community? Plan some action as a follow-up activity.
4. Reflect as a team or an individual on one aspect of quality in your service. Try to think about
practices that you may not be ‘seeing’ anymore because they are always ‘done that way’.
Can you identify some practical ways to review and perhaps renew these practices?
Who or what might help you in this process?
5. List the professional challenges that you face in your vacation care service. What ideas have
been suggested in this chapter which might help you to deal with these challenges?
6. Identify all the services in your community that support children and families. What links do
you have with these services? What are some additional professional links that you could
make with these services?
7. If you operate a single staff model are there any additional issues you may need to address
or alternative ways of addressing points raised in this chapter?
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
42 Shared visions for outside school hours care
4 | A profile of children five to twelve 43
Introduction
OSHC quality
assurance principles
4.2 Programming caters for
the needs, interests and
abilities of all children
5.1 Programs encourage
children to initiate and
participate in play and
recreational experiences
5.2 Programs support physical
development
5.3 Programs support the
development of life skills
5.4 Programs support creative
and aesthetic development
6.1 Balanced and healthy eating
is promoted by the service
6.4 The service plans to meet
the individual health
requirements of children
National Childcare Accreditation Council Inc.,
OSHCQA Quality Practices Guide, 1st edn, 2003, pp. 4–5.
Out of school hours care services
generally cater for children aged from
5–12 years. (It must also be recognised
that there may be prep children in
OSHC who could be younger than five
years and some children older than
12 years). An OSHC program therefore
addresses a broad range of ages and
development, which should be looked
at holistically and within the contexts
(arenas) of home, family, community
and school, as well as the OSHC
service. Children’s development always
takes place within these different
contexts and this means that while we
may be able to identify broad stages
and the general predictability of those
stages, there will be considerable
diversity in development that is the
result of particular cultural, community,
or social practices and experiences.
For example, a child’s ability, to
socialise with other children will be
largely determined by the child’s own
disposition, the opportunities the child
has had to socialise within and beyond
his or her home environment and the
different ways in which those
socialisation experiences were
supported.
When you work with children across
the age range from 5–12 years you are
struck by the variation in the
development across this range and by
the variation within individual children
in different areas of development. What
determines these ‘normal’ variations?
Traditionally, we have said that there
are two key factors involved which will
determine an individual child’s
development. The first factor is the
child’s genetic background, or nature
as it is sometimes referred to. Genetics
will affect a child’s development across
all the areas of development. The less
obvious and yet just as important
influence is the child’s experiences in
his or her environment. More recent
studies in child development have
found the process of development far
more dynamic and complex than
previous studies have suggested. In
summary, the process of human
development is not just about being
passively influenced by nature and
nurture, but rather, that individuals are
active participants in the entire
development process. All children are
active participants and contributors in
the dynamic processes that have
shaped who they are. (Rogoff, 2003)
This means that when the question
arises, ‘What is typical six-year-old
behaviour?’ our answer should be,
‘It all depends’. It depends on which
six-year-old, where they live, the type
of and contexts for their life
experiences, their own agency in those
experiences, and their biological
heritage.
While it is important to remember the
broad determinants and contexts for
each child’s development, some
understanding of the stages or
characteristics that have been
identified in child development studies
is helpful. That knowledge can be used
to support OSHC staff observations of
the child within the group setting as
well as those of the parents when we
are planning for individual children. This
publication considers some of the key
characteristics of development and
these are grouped together for ease of
explanation. The groupings are 5–7year-olds, 7–9-year-olds and 9–12year-olds. These groupings have been
selected because they seem to
connect with significant changes which
occur at certain points in a child’s
development. They are not intended to
suggest a way to group children within
a program. It is also important to
mention that this developmental
overview is meant as a guide, not a
prescription. Children demonstrate
enormous individual developmental
variation that is quite normal.
There is obviously overlap in the age
groupings because the move from one
stage of development to the next is not
a precise one as the contexts for that
development varies for each individual.
It can be difficult to identify behaviour
that we can say is ‘typical’ for a
particular age group. An example may
highlight this point. In a rural OSHC
service, there might be children whose
active participation in farm life means
that they have physical skills beyond
what we might think are ‘typical’ for a
certain age group. The knowledge and
skills gained through the children’s
active participation in the daily life of
a farm would mean they have different
or more advanced skills than some
children of the same age and from the
same community who don’t live on a
farm.
Programs that cater for developmental
and social-cultural variation in the
children must provide for the individual
nature of the children in the group and
also focus on the elements of
development which are the most vital
for a particular group. For this reason
an understanding of the nature of
children’s development is important for
staff working in OSHC services.
• opportunities for physical activity
including vigorous, large muscle
activity and controlled muscle tasks
Children’s development is generally
understood to occur across the
physical, social, emotional, cognitive,
creative and moral areas. Separating
development into these areas is useful
for assisting those who work with
children to understand an individual
child’s strengths, interests and needs
and then to find appropriate ways to
address these. Any given child is likely
to be more advanced in one area and
less in another. For example, a child
who has advanced coordination or
balance skills (physical development)
may be less competent in their ability
to stay on task (cognitive
development). This same child may
have similar ability to a same age friend
in social skills, but there could be very
different levels of cognitive ability in
the two children.
• type and level of independence
allowed and encouraged
Some of the key life experiences or
contexts which have been noted as
significant in a child’s development
include:
• style of parenting received
• child’s own disposition and actions
• opportunities for stimulation,
enrichment and pursuing interests
• language role models available
• socialisation experiences within the
home, community and other settings,
for example, child care
• number, gender and ages of siblings
• birth order
• diet and nutrition
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
• responsiveness of significant others in
the child’s life
• warmth or coldness of the interactions
with significant adults
• nature of the mother’s pregnancy and
childbirth experience
• stability and cohesiveness within the
family
Additionally, there are other social and
cultural factors such as parents’ level
of education, their socioeconomic
status, employment status, and cultural
or religious background which will
influence the way they raise the child
and hence a child’s development.
Some of the key genetic inheritance
factors which have been noted as
influential on a child’s development
include:
• physical size, body shape, height and
rate of maturation
• ability or talent in particular areas,
for example, sport, music, language
• temperament
• learning style
• certain disabilities
Comparing the two lists, it is obvious
that it is difficult to separate how one
or the other begins to influence
development and how the child is an
active agent in his or her development
as the following example illustrates.
44 Shared visions for outside school hours care
4 | A profile of children five to twelve 45
Introduction continued
“”
. . . the process of human
development is not just about being
passively influenced by nature and
nurture, but rather, that individuals are
active participants in the entire
development process. All children are
active participants and contributors in
the dynamic processes that have
shaped who they are. (Rogoff, 2003)
Five to seven-year-olds
A child may inherit a tendency to
be overweight, but its effect will
obviously be influenced or
transformed by his or her daily diet or
nutrition intake and physical activity.
The child’s daily diet and nutrition
intake will be influenced by the
family’s knowledge about these
matters, their cultural or religious
beliefs about diet and nutrition, or
their ability financially or practically to
provide the most appropriate diet and
physical activity. In addition, the child
will be active in making decisions
about his or her food intake and
participation in physical activity.
This is a good example of the dynamic
and complex processes involved in
human development. In this example,
a further context might include the
child as an active participant in OSHC
where food or snack preparation and
dietary and nutrition considerations
are integral to the child’s daily
experience in the service.
all different and will therefore
individualise child development. Also,
development is not continuous and
even, and all children experience
spurts or bursts, when a number of
advances occur, and plateaux as well,
when development seems static.
The remaining section of this chapter
will provide an overview of some of the
characteristics of children in the age
groups 5–7, 7–9 and 9–12 which have
been identified particularly for children
in Western cultures. This means that
when we are working with culturally
diverse groups of children, there would
need to be recognition that these
characteristics or expectations should
be interpreted carefully for some
children.
Physical characteristics
The bodies of children in this age
group look to be more in proportion
than previously. The rapid growth
spurts of toddlerhood and preschool
have slowed down and this means
they are generally more coordinated.
Most would have a good sense of their
own body shape and its position in
space. They find it easier to be involved
in active vigorous play than to sit still
for extended periods of time. However,
the demands of a long school day will
tire them physically (and mentally).
Younger children in this grouping
(5–6-year-olds) may be far-sighted
because their eye development is not
This overview focuses on those
characteristics that are most relevant
to children within OSHC services. The
implications for planning that flow from
these developmental characteristics
are identified.
Both the genetic inheritance and the
child’s experiences as an active
participant in different groups or
communities combine together and
determine or transform both the type
of development which will occur and
the level of competence which will be
achieved in each area at any
chronological age. Generally, within
any particular culture, there are
developmental milestones and typical
achievements that can be expected at
particular ages, although variation in
the rate and pattern of achievement is
normal. Family lifestyles, childhood
experiences and family background are
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
fully matured and their hearing is also
not as acute as it will be as they move
into middle childhood. This age group
needs frequent small intakes of food
and drink in order to sustain their high
activity levels.
Implications for planning
Vigorous, active play is very important.
However, some children will require
relaxation and rest on arrival at the
service after school because of the
demands of the school day. Beanbags
in a quiet, cosy corner with stories to
read or someone to read to them (staff
or older children) would be appropriate.
Supervision, especially when outdoors,
needs to be more intense because of
the variation in coordination and gross
motor ability. Ideally, food and drink
should be made available for this age
group to select and have as they need
it. Water must be available at all times
for all children, and staff may need to
remind this age group to drink plenty of
water particularly in hot weather.
Furniture to match the typical size and
weight of this age group is necessary
to protect the children from injury and
ensure that they are comfortable when
working.
Because many children in this age
group are far-sighted, close work such
as writing or drawing may be more
tiring than vigorous play. Staff should
check that children in this age group
have understood verbal instructions
especially when there is considerable
background noise. This is essential for
safety reasons, particularly when
children are on excursions.
Social–emotional
characteristics
Friendships are important, but in this
age group these may change regularly
and it is not uncommon to be ‘best
friends’ one day (or even minute) and
‘worst enemies’ the next. Friendships
may be bartered for: ‘I’ll be your best
friend if you let me use the bucket’,
or threatened, ‘If you knock over my
castle, I’ll never be your friend’. Two
children may play well together, but
three may be a crowd. However, some
children will maintain close, consistent
friendships over this period.
There may be mood swings with adults
and peers, with children being loving
and cooperative one day and angry
and uncooperative the next. This age
46 Shared visions for outside school hours care
4 | A profile of children five to twelve 47
Five to seven-year-olds
continued
“”
Language ability is generally good,
and the children are able to initiate
and maintain conversations with
adults and peers. Jokes are
remembered, told, and laughed over
(even when they are not particularly
funny to adults!).
group generally is anxious to please
and will seek adult approval, praise and
reassurance because they are not fully
capable of estimating their own ability.
Frustration will occur if they feel they
have ‘failed’ something. Winning is
important and they may sulk if they
lose. The younger children may be
anxious about a parent or caregiver’s
return to pick them up, particularly if
they have had little non-parental care
or the care arrangements have been
varied. Routine is very reassuring for
this age group. This group finds sharing
possessions easier than the
preschoolers because they enjoy
social play, however, there will still be
lapses, particularly with items that are
important to them. Children’s
perception of their self-esteem and
identity is already fairly well developed.
Constant misbehaviour may indicate a
discouraged child with low self-esteem
or sense of identity.
Implications for planning
Staff can monitor friendships and
provide support when these are
threatened. Some children may require
adults to model how to join a group,
ask for a turn, or offer to help. Adult
responsiveness for this age group
needs to be frequent, immediate and
often more physical than when they
are older. Experiences set up for pairs
or individual children would be
appropriate; for example, simple card
games, a doll’s house and dolls,
puppets, or small cars and trucks on a
traffic mat. Giving responsibility for
tasks and encouraging a child’s effort
(rather than outcomes) will support this
age group to feel good about
Seven to nine-year-olds
themselves and help to build social
competence. Cooperative rather than
competitive games should be
emphasised in order to foster their
enjoyment of working with and
helping others.
Cognitive and creative
characteristics
Attention levels vary in this age group,
with some children finding it difficult to
stay on task without considerable adult
or peer support. Motivation is closely
linked to attention, in that when they
are interested in an activity then they
can persist for longer. Language ability
is generally good, and the children are
able to initiate and maintain
conversations with adults and peers.
Jokes are remembered, told, and
laughed over (even when they are not
particularly funny to adults!). At this
age, doing is very important and they
generally have strong creative urges to
make things. They may not as yet have
learned the phrases ‘I can’t do it’,
‘I can’t draw’, and the like. Rules and
directions will be understood if they are
not too complex and if the children
have helped to determine them. The
children may require verbal, written
and modelled cues in order to
understand directions. Some will have
formal literacy and numeracy skills
such as reading or counting, and
others will demonstrate emerging
literacy or numeracy ability. A child for
whom English is not a first language
may still be considered an early
English language learner. Receptive
language skills, that is, listening and
understanding, may be more advanced
than expressive language skills, that is,
talking or speaking. Drummond and
Hurst (2003) provide an excellent
range of practical ideas for supporting
language development (oral literacy) in
OSHC. Concepts are expanding as
children broaden their experiences at
school and in OSHC services. Children
in this age group are still learning
through play. Play for this age group
has been described as their ‘work’, and
is an important part of their daily
experience.
Implications for planning
Experiences for this age group need to
be open-ended in order for the child to
experience success and to foster
creativity. Painting, clay, play dough,
three dimensional constructions and
creative dancing are examples of
experiences which allow this age group
to express their desire to ‘make’ and
‘do’ without adult restrictions.
Opportunities to extend and encourage
language skills need to be considered,
for example, stories, songs,
discussions, conversations, puppets
and dramatic play. Rules need to be
simple and consistently reinforced with
written and verbal reminders. Play
should be provided for every day –
simple props, dress-ups and a defined
space is a good beginning. Staff need
to find a balance between being active
in this play through modelling,
redirecting and extending play themes,
and being an observer, for example, by
noting who is leading or following and
what are the current themes and ideas
that interest the children.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
Physical characteristics
There is a significant improvement in
agility, coordination and control over
body movements in this group in
comparison with the younger children.
They are able to manage most areas of
balance and large motor movements
such as skipping or playing ball games.
Often they will practice a newly learned
skill over and over in order to perfect it.
This age group enjoys competitive
sports and games because of their
increasing confidence in their physical
competence. Stamina and strength
levels also improve during this age
period. The older children (nine-yearolds and older) may begin to have
hormonal changes which will affect
mood levels and coping ability. Girls in
particular will be likely to have a growth
spurt and this means they will be taller
and bigger in size than the boys.
Implications for planning
Because of increased stamina, this
group may be able to delay the need
for snacks and drinks and may well
need to run off excess energy. If, for
example, the final part of their school
day has involved working at desks or
tables, they may need time for some
vigorous activity at the start of the after
school program. Fostering their skills
through all types of sports and games
will be appropriate, but it is important to
keep the competition under control.
Games that focus on cooperation to
achieve success would help maintain
the balance. Be careful when allowing
them to choose teams of players as the
children consistently chosen last can
become quite disheartened and
disinterested. Allow many opportunities
for practising newly gained skills as
novelty or new activities are not always
what they want. The older girls may
need special consideration as they
begin to grow taller and show early
signs that puberty is approaching.
Social–emotional
characteristics
Peers are very important to this age
group, although the family still plays a
significant part in their social
development. Peers tend to be of the
same gender because this age group
has fixed understandings about gender
roles and identity. Their relationships
with friends are more enduring than
previously, but the friendship groups
remain quite small. The increased
confidence they have in themselves
means that they are more interested in
other people and capable of greater
independence and taking responsibility
for themselves. This age group still
needs success experiences, but they
are better at distinguishing between
effort and ability, for example, ‘If I try
harder I could improve’, rather than,
‘It’s not my fault I’m no good at that’.
Humour is part of their interactions
with peers and adults. The constant
need for reassurance and close adult
contact reduces during this period.
There is a greater interest in belonging
to groups based on common interests.
One child psychologist suggests this is
a more settled period. (Bee, 1999)
Implications for planning
The tendency to remain in gendersegregated friendship groups should be
monitored, and although it is not wise
to force these to change, you can
48 Shared visions for outside school hours care
4 | A profile of children five to twelve 49
Seven to nine-year-olds
continued
“”
Collections become a big focus
point at this age – a card has never
meant as much as it does to an
eight-year-old! This interest in
collections relates to their pursuit of
peer friendships and their increasing
ability to concentrate on things over a
much longer period of time.
consider ways to ensure the
segregation does not lead to
stereotypic views or behaviour. Projects
and games which require genders to
mix and support each other would be
useful. At this age children gain much
of their feeling of self-worth from their
peers and it is important to ensure, to
the extent possible, that everyone has a
friend at times. The isolated child needs
to be watched and strategies
developed to assist him or her to gain
acceptance from peers. These
strategies would vary according to the
reason for the isolation. A child whose
antisocial behaviour has led to isolation
from peers would need intensive adult
(and perhaps a socially competent
older peer) intervention, modelling and
support. If the isolation is due to
physical size or a physical condition, for
example, then the strategies might
include active education on tolerance
as well as adult intervention such as
pairing the child up with the most
competent social player in the program.
Nine to twelve-year-olds
Group belonging, independence and
responsibility need to be fostered. Daily
discussions using a planning board to
indicate where help might be needed
and group projects such as creating a
large mural or cooking will be enjoyed
by this age group.
Cognitive and creative
characteristics
Collections become a big focus point
at this age – a card has never meant as
much as it does to an eight-year-old!
This interest in collections relates to
their pursuit of peer friendships and
their increasing ability to concentrate
on things over a much longer period of
time. Planning skills have developed
and these children like to have input
into the planning of the program and
long- and short-term projects. Things
that are useful and real mean more
than creative activities for their own
sake. Their literacy and numeracy
abilities are becoming increasingly
sophisticated and they use written
forms of expression as well as verbal
means. With increasing word
knowledge, this age group enjoys and
can sustain longer conversations.
Implications for planning
Staff, parents and children will need to
make decisions relating to the
collection mania. While trouble may
erupt over these precious items,
perhaps they can be allowed with clear
rules which the children could devise
in consultation with the staff and
parents. There could be worthwhile
enjoyment and learning opportunities
that could be developed using this
interest in collections, for example,
starting a group stamp collection club.
Projects which require planning and
implementation over a longer period of
time may be more successful with this
group, but it is important to make them
real and useful to the children. For
example, an adult-directed art project
may not appeal as much as a project
the children have instigated, such as
organising to paint some equipment.
Providing experiences which involve
reading, writing and numeracy will
reinforce skills they have achieved and
enable them to demonstrate
competence, as well as to engage in
quiet individual or paired activities.
Again, real and relevant activities will
appeal, for example, preparing a folder
of favourite OSHC service recipes or
completing a survey in the program on
the children’s favourite snacks. Such
tasks integrate reading, writing, maths
(and social skills) into worthwhile
learning projects. Opportunities for
conversations with peers and adults
need to be planned.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
Physical characteristics
Children in this age group have highly
coordinated gross and fine motor skills
and consequently perform well in
games and sports which require
complex movements, strength and
agility. Risk-taking is often a part of
their physical pursuits. The chemical
(hormonal) changes which are
occurring during this period affect
physical appearance, stamina and
awareness of the opposite gender. This
growing sexual awareness may result
in embarrassment, guilt, curiosity and
excitement, all very normal feelings.
Girls generally grow more rapidly than
the boys and may reach puberty during
this time. Some of the children will
take on a more adult-like appearance
in body shape, height and weight.
Implications for planning
It is important to provide resources,
equipment, space and activities which
are appropriate for these physically
competent children. Their games may
not be suitable for the younger children
because of the pace and skill required.
Being alert to the hormonal changes
and the effects of these on girls and
boys is important. Female staff may be
quite comfortable with the problems
facing the girls, but not so sure about
the boys. Male staff may be hesitant in
supporting the girls. Consultation with
parents and school staff would also be
helpful in determining how to handle
the health, hygiene, and lifestyle needs
of sexually aware 9–12-year-olds. This
type of consultation is especially
important when there is cultural
diversity, as traditions and
expectations may differ across these
groups and maybe different from the
staff’s own experiences or beliefs.
Because of their increased height and
weight, adult-size furniture and
equipment is necessary. These
physical changes also mean that the
nutrition intake needs to be very high
at times, with consideration for calcium
and protein intake.
Because of the interest in their body
and the changes that are occurring,
this is a critical time to develop
positive attitudes to healthy lifestyles,
that is, a balance in diet, nutrition, rest
and recreation. OSHC services could
assist in developing these positive
attitudes through informal discussions,
guest speakers (for example, a
sportsperson or dietician), exercise
programs, reading material, and
communication and collaboration with
parents, the children and school staff
such as the physical education
specialist.
Social–emotional
characteristics
Peers become the reference point for
self-esteem and identity in this age
group. Children of this age are usually
seen in pairs or small groups and each
member of the group has his or her
unique status or position. Groups are
generally gender-specific, however,
children will be interested in the other
gender and may interact, although not
always appropriately. This group
belonging is important and most tasks
or activities are undertaken as a group.
Parents and other adults are still used
to gain social information. Home may
be spoken ill of in peer company, and
50 Shared visions for outside school hours care
4 | A profile of children five to twelve 51
Nine to twelve-year-olds
continued
yet home is the place where refuge will
be sought when the pressure of peers
and a group become too difficult.
Older children who may fight with
siblings at home will usually be very
quick to defend them when they
perceive someone outside the home is
threatening them physically or verbally.
“”
From birth, children are not only
developing across the physical,
emotional, social, cognitive and
creative areas, they are also
developing as moral persons whose
understanding of the social and
cultural (and sometimes religious)
rules, expectations and ways of
behaving are just as important as any
other learning.
A major development socially and
emotionally for this age group is their
growing need for independence and
the establishment of their separate
identity – who they are. This push for
independence may include
considerable negativism, often
expressed in such comments as:
‘That’s dumb’; ‘I’m not doing it’;
‘You can’t make me’.
Implications for planning
Staff need to provide more freedom for
this group and at the same time be
‘ready in the wings’ to assist when
things do not go too well. In order to
overcome feelings of resentment at not
being allowed to manage themselves
at home, the program will need to
provide a sense of purpose for being
there. Their opinions should be sought
and incorporated where possible.
Interest will be sustained if the
activities are made more ‘real’ for them
by linking them to their participation in
the local community. This age group
may also belong to community groups
such as the Scouts or Guides and
these interests can also be recognised
within the program.
For example, beautifying a section of
the school grounds or supporting a
Scout community project would be
appropriate. In supporting any
community-based projects, staff need
Moral development
to be aware that according to the
National Standards, any activity that
occurs away from the OSHC site is to
be managed as an excursion. Peer
friendships need to be monitored for
inclusiveness and positive behaviour.
Places where the older children can
congregate without disturbance from
the younger children are important.
Music, board games, conversations
with buddies, magazines and
computers and television might all be
offered in the older children’s ‘place’.
Opportunities for working with the
younger children also need to be
provided. The older group can gain
self-confidence and build social
competence by demonstrating their
advanced skills and knowledge and by
helping the younger ones to achieve
something. Learning to nurture others
is a worthwhile objective for older
children. Siblings may sometimes want
to be together in OSHC programs.
The rules for the program need to be
developed with the children and
reinforced consistently with clear
consequences for misbehaviour.
Cognitive and creative
characteristics
This age group is beginning to think
and reason in a more adult-like way.
Abstract, logical thinking, complex
problem solving, considering
possibilities and broadening
perspectives about themselves and a
much wider community are all
examples of their more mature
cognitive capacity. Literacy and
numeracy skills are quite sophisticated
for most of the children in this age
group. Family and school expectations
reflect this increased cognitive (and
social, emotional, physical) maturity.
Popular culture such as pop music or
films will be a strong interest for this
age group. The older children (11–12)
could be seen as in a transition phase
between childhood and adolescence.
Implications for planning
This age group is challenging for staff
because on the one hand their minds
are relatively mature, but on the other
hand their hormones and social and
emotional maturity are likely to make
them feel diffident or be difficult about
participating in the program. Knowing
this tension exists is a good beginning
for staff. Allowing for a balance
between ‘hanging about’, active, skilful
games and sport, and cognitively
challenging activities seems to be the
key to meeting this group’s needs.
Using the children’s interest and
knowledge of popular culture within
guidelines established by the children,
parents and staff would be another
planning possibility for this age group.
Some staff have found it useful to
discuss ‘compromise’ arrangements
with parents for the oldest children in
this grouping. The compromise may be
that one or two nights a week a parent
will endeavour to be home earlier
(using flexible work time), and will
either allow the child to go straight
home from school or will collect him or
her early from the program. However,
not all parents are able to make these
kinds of arrangements for the older
child and so it is important for staff to
keep thinking about ways to ensure
that these children continue to enjoy
their time in OSHC.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
In addition to the developmental
characteristics outlined in the above
section, there is additional information
that is important for the staff who work
in OSHC services to consider. From
birth, children are not only developing
across the physical, emotional, social,
cognitive and creative areas, they are
also developing as moral persons
whose understanding of the social and
cultural (and sometimes religious)
rules, expectations and ways of
behaving are just as important as any
other learning. Moral development,
takes place in families, communities
and other groups such as OSHC or the
classroom. Like other learning, the
process is dynamic and complex with
the child always active in the process.
At the heart of moral development are
value systems which commit
individuals to particular action. For
example, if a child has learned through
their life experiences and own activity
that empathy for others is valued, then
it is likely that he or she will actively
demonstrate empathy towards others.
Some of the key characteristics of
moral development that have been
identified include, the ability to show
concern for others (empathy); the
ability to recognise emotions within
self and respond to those emotions
appropriately; respect for self and
others; understanding of the impact of
one’s own actions on others and the
ability to act on commitments. These
abilities are important life skills for all
children if they are to be socially and
emotionally competent.
Implications for planning
Understanding the process of moral
development in young children means
that staff in OSHC services can plan
for this important area of development
in different ways. The service
philosophy, or aims, will identify the
core values or principles which
underpin all the program decisionmaking. These will be made
transparent to the children and families
in many ways. For example, if a core
value or principle for the service is
concerned with a commitment to
respect for others, then that value will
be practised every day in the way staff
greet families, children, (and each
other in multiple staff service models)
or in the kinds of rules for group living
that are established and how they are
maintained. These core values can also
be reinforced within the planned
experiences. For example, if a core
value for the service is a commitment
to fostering creativity in children then
open-ended and child-initiated
experiences in art, music or dance
would be provided every day.
52 Shared visions for outside school hours care
4 | A profile of children five to twelve 53
Children with
additional needs
“”
Children with additional needs have
the same rights to play as do other
children and therefore they should
have the same opportunities. Access
to OSHC services is an important
practical step towards achieving this
commitment and right.
OSHC services may include children
with additional needs because of
particular physical, intellectual,
psychological or sensory conditions
which affect these areas of
development. There may also be
children who have chronic health
conditions such as asthma or severe
allergies. It is important to note that
sometimes the child’s additional need
might be a temporary or short-term
condition. For example, a child who is
experiencing family separation or
divorce may show signs of stress
through difficult behaviour or through
withdrawing from the group. Other
conditions will be long-term or
permanent and require considerable
professional skill and care. For
example, a gifted child requires
experiences that challenge and
stimulate his or her particular talents or
intellectual ability. Close consultation
with families is essential when working
with these children.
OSHC services may also have children
who are from culturally and
linguistically diverse backgrounds
(CALD), or who have Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander heritage. Again,
close consultation with families will
help to ensure that the OSHC program
is culturally sensitive and responsive to
these children.
Implications for planning
While it is beyond the scope of this
publication to address the details
relating to all these categories of
additional needs, there are several
important matters which need to be
considered in OSHC, and which will
provide general guidelines and
strategies. Additional support,
information and resources relating to
inclusive programming for children with
additional needs is provided by
organisations and workers who are
specifically funded to work with OSHC
services.
•
•
•
•
•
Supplementary services (SUPS)
workers, also known as children’s
services resource and development
officers (CSRDOs) are available to
assist OSHC services with maintaining
inclusive programs. SUPS workers and
other support or resources can be
located through a variety of agencies,
some of which are listed below:
Playworks
The FKA Children’s Services
(Incorporating Multicultural Resource
Centre)
Victorian Co-operative on Children’s
Services for Ethnic Groups (VICSEG)
Victorian Aboriginal Education
Association Incorporated (VAEAI)
Local government services
(See Appendix A for contact details)
In multi-staff models, teamwork in the
service is essential when planning and
implementing experiences that enable
children with additional needs to
participate fully in the program. If the
aim is to include a child in an OSHC
service, then isolating the child from
the group by placing him or her in the
care of one staff member is not
sensible. There may also be
environmental and resource
requirements to be considered. For
example, a gifted child may require
games and reading material
appropriate to his or her ability and
interests, or ramps might need to be
provided for a child with a physical
condition that makes stairs difficult for
him or her to access the building.
Children with additional needs have
the same rights to play as do other
children and therefore they should
have the same opportunities. Access
to OSHC services is an important
practical step towards achieving this
commitment and right. OSHC staff
need to identify specific interests,
strengths, needs, communication
methods or management techniques in
partnership with parents and other
relevant professionals such as a
physiotherapist. This will enable the
child to fully participate in the program,
to engage in play, make friends and to
experience success.
Children from culturally and
linguistically diverse backgrounds
(CALD) and Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander children bring different cultural
backgrounds to OSHC services. Their
inclusion provides the OSHC
community with a chance to broaden
everyone’s understanding and active
acknowledgement of the diversity in
Australian society.
Accepting, understanding and
acknowledging the different family and
cultural lifestyles among the service
users is a natural way to make sure all
families feel included in the OSHC
community. Acceptance can be
shown, for example, by having notices
translated for parents whose first
language is not English, or by
employing bilingual–bicultural staff in
services. Examples of acknowledging
family diversity include displaying
family photograph collections which
have English and the family’s first
language in the caption, or by making
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
sure all notices or letters to families are
inclusive of all family types (for
example, ‘Dear parent’, rather than
‘Dear mums and dads’)
Active education with all the children to
help them learn respect and tolerance
for difference and to see core
similarities such as needs and dreams
beneath the differences must be
planned for. Finally, as a community of
parents, staff (school and OSHC) and
children, there needs to be a vision of
inclusiveness and respect for difference
(a philosophy), as well as practical
policies of how this will be achieved.
Ashton and Bailey (2004: 57) remind
us that:
The Australian Law Reform
Commission notes that appropriate
intervention at the right point in
children’s lives can greatly increase
their life chances.
OSHC services can be a significant
place where intervention through
inclusion can occur. The benefits to all
children in the group of including
children with additional needs are
many. Perhaps the most important is
the opportunity to learn that all people
have particular strengths, needs and
unique characteristics and that
regardless of the extent of the
additional need, these children are
children first.
Example: In one service staff decided
to learn AUSLAN (signing) in order to
communicate with a child with a
severe communication disorder.
A number of the children became
quite interested in signing, and the
staff organised a few lessons for them.
They use it not only to communicate
with Adam, the child with an additional
need, but as a kind of secret code to
communicate with each other. This is
a wonderful example of collaborative
learning and inclusive practice.
Inclusion of children with additional
needs in OSHC is about all children
having opportunities to play, learn and
grow with each other. It is about
allowing children, families and staff to
learn together about differences,
similarities and diversity. Inclusion
allows children to continue to develop
with positive experiences and therefore
positive attitudes towards themselves,
each other and their community.
Families benefit from inclusion as they
are supported to pursue their life
(work, study, leisure) as a regular
community member. Staff benefit
through developing confidence and
skills from their experience in
communicating, adapting and planning
relevant programs for a whole range of
children. A philosophy which
articulates the vision of inclusiveness
and respect provides the basis for the
goals which will need to be set in order
to achieve the vision. This is not an
easy task as staff, parents and children
may have to confront fears, bias,
prejudice and stereotypic beliefs within
themselves and each other. Honest
and respectful discussions with
children about the different beliefs we
hold is a worthwhile strategy.
Professionals who work with children
have found that some children’s books
can be a good starting point for these
types of discussions.
54 Shared visions for outside school hours care
4 | A profile of children five to twelve 55
The age spread –
implications for staff
“”
. . . it needs to be remembered that
children experience childhood in a
holistic way with the dual influences
of nature and the child’s active
participation in life experiences being
woven together. Childhood in the
2000s is similar to previous
generations and also different.
Childhood in the 2000s
Diverse views exist among staff in
OSHC services about the challenge of
catering effectively for children in the
wide age range of 5–12 years of age.
Some staff argue that it is not a
problem, but many concede that the
age spread, especially when combined
with only one indoor space, presents a
major challenge to effective planning.
OSHC staff have identified that the
ideal set-up would be to have three
spaces, one each for the younger and
older children set up to meet their
specific needs, and a space for coming
together as a larger group. Among
some staff there is a strong view that
being able to separate the age groups
is essential in offering an enriching
appropriate program.
There is a danger, in a mixed age
program, that what is offered could be
termed ‘airline food’ or ‘one size fits all’
activities. These offer something for
everyone but not a lot for anyone. For
example, staff might decide to have
only medium sized balls because the
younger children can handle them and
the older ones can use them too. There
is a risk that in doing so staff may not
be catering really well for any child,
especially for the more advanced ball
handling skills of particular children. In
addition, there is the concern that
some children will be spending several
(up to seven) years in the same
service. The opportunities and
experiences need to progress as their
development progresses. Some ‘all in
together’ activities and materials are
appropriate, in order to foster group
belonging and cohesion, but the
specific needs of older and younger
children must be catered for. This
consideration applies to the selection
of books, board games, athletic and
sports equipment and construction
equipment, as well as to rules and
organisation of the program.
This chapter has grouped the children
into chronological periods and
separated the developmental areas for
ease of reading and for planning
purposes. However, it needs to be
remembered that children experience
childhood in a holistic way with the
dual influences of nature and the
child’s active participation in life
experiences being woven together.
Childhood in the 2000s is similar to
previous generations and also
different. Children still grow and
develop mostly in families, go to school
and have needs, such as the need for
love, adequate shelter, good food,
regular exercise and play that remain
constant over generations and across
many cultural groups. These are the
rights of children which are enshrined
in documents such as the United
Nations Convention on the Rights of
the Child (1989).
The differences for children in the
2000s can be summarised by two
words: ‘diversity’ and ‘change’ (Howe,
2000). Diversity is evident in the
changing nature of Australian family
structures, backgrounds, life chances
and lifestyles. Change is typified by the
rapidly expanding technology that
surrounds us. Computer technology is
the most obvious of these changes,
and childhood in Australia generally
includes exposure to and experience
with this form of technology. Television
with its powerful advertising
persuasion sees children as
consumers who actively influence their
parents’ purchasing patterns. Some
staff argue that the use of television is
appropriate in before school services
because it approximates what would
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
happen at home – that is, that once
the child is ready for school, waiting
time until they leave is filled with
television watching. As with after
school care, where it could also be
argued that this is what children do at
home, a decision has to be made
about no television, television
sometimes and in moderation, or
unlimited television. It is argued by
many people that because children are
likely to watch television a great deal
when they are at home, there are
better ways for them to spend their
time when in OSHC.
The technology available through the
media, especially television, means
that children today are ‘witnesses’ in a
sense to world events almost as they
occur. These events include the good,
the bad and the ugly features of life.
The phrase, ‘the global village’ sums up
this reality. The realities of terrorism, for
example, are evident to children
through daily media coverage. These
realities cannot be ignored and staff in
OSHC services will have to deal with
these issues from time to time.
Adults have expressed concern that
childhood as they experienced it has
diminished under the weight of
technology and changing lifestyles. It is
true that childhood is increasingly
organised, protected and hurried in
order to meet the demands of parents’
work patterns, societal concerns for
safety and maximising children’s
opportunities. Nostalgia for the
unstructured, unhurried and relatively
unfettered childhood experienced by
us may blind us to the excitement and
the potential for childhood in the
2000s, which after all must prepare
children for a new era. OSHC staff can
be confident that children in each
generation always adapt to new things
in their world through their play and are
always actively seeking to make sense
of their experiences. It is not possible
to go back, but adults need to ensure
that the influences on childhood in the
2000s are monitored and controlled,
when necessary, by adult family
members, professionals involved in
working with children and by
government legislation. Adult
advocates for children and childhood
remain very important.
56 Shared visions for outside school hours care
5 |Relationships
Questions and reflections
In this chapter Staff–child relationships | Links with families | Questions and reflections
1. Can you list the diversity of family and life experiences that are influencing the development
of the children in your service?
?
2. In what ways is your program responsive to the different levels of development of the
younger and older children in your service? Consider, for example, the furniture available,
the expectations, and the range of experiences provided.
3. Would a child in your service who has reached puberty feel comfortable approaching you
for support and understanding? If not, is this an area that needs further consideration by
the staff?
4. Can you describe some of the open-ended experiences provided in your program each day
where children can participate as creative, active and competent learners?
5. If a child with a serious chronic health condition enrolled in your OSHC service what
policies and practices are already in place to support this child’s inclusion into the program?
After reading this chapter what other things might you need to consider? Where might you
find help?
6. This chapter stresses the importance of the dynamic and complex processes involved in
children’s development and learning. Take some time to reflect on one child and try to
identify the ways in which this child is an active agent in his or her development. What does
he or she do to develop themselves? For example, a child might self-select activities to
support or extend an identified strength.
7. What life skills are being developed and supported in your OSHC program? Are there other
life skills that you could foster? What practical ideas can you develop to support this type
of learning?
8. If you operate a single staff model are there any additional issues you may need to address
or alternative ways of addressing points raised in this chapter?
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
58 Shared visions for outside school hours care
5 | Relationships 59
Staff–child
relationships
OSHC quality
assurance principles
1.1 Staff foster self esteem and
confidence in children
1.2 Staff respect the diversity of
children’s backgrounds and
abilities and accommodate
the individual needs of
each child
1.3 Children are treated
equitably
2.2 Staff create a responsive
and inclusive atmosphere
and relate to children in a
warm and friendly manner
2.3 Staff guide children’s
behaviour in a positive way
3.1 The service is responsive to
the interests of families and
encourages participation in
the operation of the service
4.3 Staff work collaboratively
with children to plan and
implement experiences
National Childcare Accreditation Council Inc.,
OSHCQA Quality Practices Guide, 1st edn, 2003, pp. 4–5.
The quality of human relationships is
the key to the quality of the service.
If everything else is great – the
facilities, the equipment, the program,
the amount of funding – but the
relationships aren’t strong and positive,
then the service won’t support the
aims discussed in Chapter 2. This
chapter focuses on the two most
important categories of relationships,
those between staff and children and
between staff and families.
Children are very good at picking up
messages from adults about how adults
regard them. The following strategies
are written mainly with a focus on
interactions with children, but they also
apply to interactions with other adults:
• Be available, accessible and
approachable so that if a child has
something to tell you, he or she can.
This is particularly important in after
school care, where children may arrive
bursting with news of their day at
school or wanting to talk about
something that bothers them.
Sometimes this means just being
there, looking on, not saying anything.
• Always give full attention when
communicating. Eyes, body and mind
need to be focused. Children sense
when adults are preoccupied with
other matters, or are not interested in
their talk or work.
• Give children time to talk in
conversations. Sometimes in groups
or even in a one-to-one conversation
the communication goes at a very fast
pace, which means children may stop
answering questions or withdraw from
discussions because the time they
need to make a response is more than
that allowed by the adult or by other
children.
• Children, like adults, communicate in
different ways: verbally, through body
language, facial expression, creative
expression, constructions and play
behaviour. OSHC staff need to observe
and take notice of these varied forms
of communication because they can
reveal a lot about how people are
feeling and also what they know and
understand.
• It is important when working with a
child who is still learning English to
learn some words in the child’s first
language, or with a child who uses
augmented communication to learn
some signs or symbols that the
child uses.
• Interactions which are respectful are
characterised by using the person’s
name, making eye contact (if culturally
appropriate), moving physically down
to their level, and using gentle physical
touch and non-judgmental voice tones.
Shouting across the room, sarcasm,
towering over them and referring to
children in terms other than their name
send clear messages of disrespect.
Even (or especially) when a child is
being difficult and non-conforming,
it is important for the adult to remain
respectful.
• Empathy, the ability to put yourself in
someone else’s shoes, helps
enormously in relationships. As an
example, think how it might feel to a be
a child who is new, not only to school,
but to OSHC as well. Think how a
number of children must feel in
vacation care, or children in before and
after school care at the beginning of
the school year, when some children
know some children and others know
no one. Particular attention to helping
children get to know each other, get to
know the routine, and feel ‘at home’ is
so important to help children get off to
a good start.
Cooperative behaviour is often
regarded as a hallmark of effective
interactions and is a goal parents,
teachers and OSHC staff often set
when they work or live with children.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
To cooperate with others is a
challenging task because it means
seeing other people’s points of view,
compromising one’s own position and
collaborating to achieve something.
The mixed age groups in OSHC can be
useful in helping younger or
inexperienced children learn about
cooperation. Older children (and
adults) can model cooperative
behaviours such as listening to
someone speaking without
interrupting, waiting for a turn, sharing
ideas and helping someone else with a
task.
Supervision
Many OSHC staff think their main role
is to supervise children and activities.
You may be wondering how
supervision fits with what has been
said so far about interactions and
relationships. Supervision involves
overseeing, managing, having a grasp
on a number of things at one time, and
making sure things are going smoothly.
These are important components of
working in an OSHC service. However,
some people are pressured into
assuming a supervisory role that does
not allow for genuine engagement with
60 Shared visions for outside school hours care
5 | Relationships 61
Staff–child
relationships continued
children. This can happen when there
are not enough things for children to
do, not enough space, or too few
resources, causing children to be
‘at loose ends’ and inclined to do
things that aren’t allowed. Other
people, motivated unfortunately by a
desire to have power over others, take
the supervisory role too far, and
emphasise their power and control at
the expense of interacting in warm and
respectful ways with children.
“”
Even the interactions around
management can be used effectively
to assist staff and children start or
finish the session with feelings of
anticipation, welcome, satisfaction
and encouragement.
One of the skills people new to OSHC
have to learn, among others, is the
ability to interact genuinely with a child
or group of children and still have a
perspective on what is going on all
over the space. This is a skill that can
only come with practice. Especially
when staff are in short supply and
groups are large, striking a balance
between maintaining adequate
supervision and interacting
authentically with individual children
and small groups is a major challenge.
A key to quality in OSHC is to let
children know that they are safe,
welcomed, respected, given
appropriate responsibility and that they
are an important part of a community
of children and adults. This is in
contrast to an environment where the
message is very much that they are
being ‘minded’ or looked after and
where adults are always operating in
positions of power over children.
Children in a group need the security
that comes from knowing that adults
will look after them, keep them safe,
and help them if there is a conflict.
Skilled professionals are able to
combine the ability to relate warmly
and respectfully and still convey to
children a sense of authority. You have
power, and it is important to use it on
behalf of children, not over children.
The challenge of older
children
One of the challenges facing staff who
work in OSHC is to find a balance
between having the responsibility for
children’s health, safety and wellbeing
and giving them the independence
they need. This is especially difficult
with the older children, who may
resent being ‘cared for’ in an OSHC
service and would prefer to be looking
after themselves. These feelings of
resentment can be overcome with
close attention to interactions,
particularly to the way a sense of
group belonging and responsibility
for each other in the service is
nurtured and providing interesting
opportunities for these older
children.
Older children are likely to be more
cooperative when they experience
indications that their maturity and
need for independence are recognised.
One service, for example, has
established a representative body of
senior children (grades 5 and 6).
They meet every four weeks with the
coordinator to plan for the older
children and raise issues of concern
for them. In another service the older
children are allowed to choose their
own afternoon tea and are given a
budget and the supermarket
promotional material to choose the
snacks they can have. They have
afternoon tea separate from the
younger children.
Older children will appreciate and
notice when their needs and interests
are supported, as is evident in the
example that follows:
response by the adults, and at the
other end there is dynamic, varied and
highly involved interaction. Quality
interactions that support children’s
learning occur at the dynamic end of
the scale. This is the type of interaction
that the social construction of learning
framework is promoting. What does it
look like and how might it be achieved?
Thinking about the interactions that
might occur in a typical working day
may make clearer the key features and
strategies involved in quality
interactions.
John, a grade 4 boy, attends after care
but is extremely bored and does not
enjoy attending. The coordinator sits
with John one day and says, ‘John,
what would you like to be doing when
you come to after care?’ John replies,
‘I would like to be able to build things.’
The coordinator had seen a work
bench at Big W, so she suggested that
John write to Big W and ask if Big W
could donate a work bench. John goes
away and writes his letter and then
has the coordinator look at it before
he sends it. John receives a response
from Big W a week later to say that
Big W will donate a work bench to the
service as well as some tools! The
coordinator has the bench and tools
picked up and a plaque made up
which acknowledges the work bench
donated by Big W through the
initiative of John. John enjoys the work
bench and feels proud of himself.
When the children arrive at the OSHC
service there may be no more than
rapid, brief and essential interactions
which help you to explain procedures
and to manage the transition from
home or school into the service. These
interactions might consist of something
like: ‘Sit down please while I mark the
roll;’ ‘Has anyone brought their money
for the swimming?’ ‘Was Angelo at
school today or is he still away?’
Genuine interactions involve much
more than merely giving directions or
replying to requests or questions.
Rather they demonstrate a real interest
in what has happened, what will be
happening and how others are feeling
about this. Even the interactions
around management can be used
effectively to assist staff and children
start or finish the session with feelings
of anticipation, welcome, satisfaction
and encouragement. Some examples
of comments that achieve this are:
Interactions that assist
learning
Stonehouse and Gonzales-Mena agree
that interactions that are based on
respectful relationships are linked to
children’s learning: ‘We think
relationships are of the utmost
importance to young children’s health,
wellbeing, and mental development’
(2004: 119). The daily interactions that
occur between children and adults can
be placed on a continuum. At one end
of the scale there is inaction, minimal
• ‘David, good to see you this afternoon.
I knew you were coming and you’ll be
pleased because we have . . .’
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
• ‘Ari, you have been such a helper
today. It was great the way you showed
the others how to float when we went
swimming.’
• ‘Jodie and Jade, I need sensible, helpful
people to help Emily, who is starting
tomorrow, to learn how things work
here and feel at home. Can you two do
that?’
• ‘See you tomorrow, Erica – we’ll finish
off that puppet theatre you started.’
The other important part of daily
interactions involves working with the
children as they participate in the
experiences provided. One of the most
important strategies to support
children’s learning is to use questions
effectively. Closed questions, which
often require a one-word reply and for
which the adult already knows the
answer, such as ‘What colour are your
new shoes?’ do not contribute to
authentic conversations with a child.
Open authentic questions, however,
allow children to express their own
views or feelings. So, instead of asking,
‘What colour are your new shoes?’
(which you know perfectly well are
red), you could say, ‘I need a new pair
of shoes – tell me about yours’, or
perhaps more authentically a simple
comment such as, ‘Hey, you’ve got
new shoes.’ Sometimes questions
help to focus or remind a child, for
example: ‘What happened last week
when we . . . ?’ Questions that get
children thinking, and that have no
right or wrong answers, such as
‘What would happen if . . . ?’ or ‘How
does this work?’ are important if you
want to encourage problem solving.
62 Shared visions for outside school hours care
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Staff–child
relationships continued
“”
Helping children learn to respect and
take care of themselves, the world
around them and other people is what
adults do to help children learn
discipline. This is sometimes called
behavioural guidance. It is one of the
most important roles of an adult
working with children.
Positive interactions also contribute to
building a sense of belonging, trust and
enjoyment in the service. Difficult
though it can be, OSHC staff need to
find time for relaxed, happy, sometimes
humorous, sometimes serious and
above all meaningful conversations
with individuals and small groups of
children. At these times, the children
may be saying much more than the
adults, but the adult’s body language
is encouraging them to continue.
Such a conversation might includes
comments such as ‘Tell me about . . . ’,
‘Oh, I see’, ‘Mmm’, ‘Yes’, ‘And then
what?’, ‘Good, well done!’
In all these efforts to improve
interactions, there must be awareness
of backgrounds or additional needs
which require the use of additional
communication supports such as
signing. In both situations non-verbal
communication is important. When
children come to the service speaking
more than one language, this needs to
be supported. One of the best ways is
to have staff who can speak in the
child’s first language as well as having
resource materials for children in a
variety of languages. Showing respect
for the language and culture of others
creates a sense of belonging, and
models this for all children.
Helping children learn to
guide their own behaviour
In order for any group of people to
spend time together, there have to be
some accepted understandings about
what is allowed and not allowed.
These are typically called rules, limits
or policies. In this publication those
terms are used to refer to nonnegotiable standards of behaviour.
In addition, there might be negotiated
guidelines arrived at together, which
are recommendations about desired
ways of behaving. All of these support
caring and respect for people,
materials, equipment and the physical
environment and contribute to the
wellbeing of individuals and the group.
• Conflict is inevitable in any group of
people where meaningful interactions
are taking place. Therefore, setting and
enforcing limits and encouraging
desirable behaviour should be
approached with firmness as well as
gentleness and a generous sprinkling
of humour. If resolved constructively,
conflict can lead to growth and positive
outcomes.
• Teasing, taunting and bullying often
reflect prejudice, bias and discomfort
with difference. Staff must challenge
these behaviours, and in doing so
confront the biases and stereotypes
expressed or implied.
Some people don’t like the term
discipline, as they associate it either
with punishment or more generally
with the heavy-handed exercise of
power to control children’s behaviour.
If discipline is thought of as something
adults help children to learn, rather
than something adults do to children,
then it fits closely with the broad
notion of learning adopted in this
publication.
Discipline is an area of particular
concern and importance to staff.
Firstly, staff should approach this
dimension of their responsibilities with
several understandings in mind:
• It is natural and normal for children to
behave inappropriately at times – this
is part of childhood. This is one of the
main reasons that they need adults to
support and guide them. The cause of
much inappropriate behaviour is simply
immaturity; the fact that children are
children, acting their age.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
Helping children learn to respect and
take care of themselves, the world
around them and other people is what
adults do to help children learn
discipline. This is sometimes called
behavioural guidance. It is one of the
most important roles of an adult
working with children.
Learning discipline involves adults
helping children learn appropriate
behaviours and how to control their
behaviour themselves. It follows then
that many of the ways that adults
support children’s learning in general
can be used to help children learn
discipline. Giving encouragement and
support, not expecting learning to
occur after one experience, breaking
down complex tasks into simpler ones,
making the situation easier,
demonstrating ways of doing things,
and giving explanations are all
common teaching strategies that can
be used effectively to help children
learn appropriate behaviour.
Helping children learn desirable
behaviour involves firmness at times,
but it is very different to punishment, or
simply doing something unpleasant to
a child after he or she has done
something wrong. Helping children
learn to guide and control their own
behaviour is much more proactive and
positive than punishment. Punishment
relies on the use of power, whereas
helping children become disciplined
does not rely solely on adults’ power.
In the way of working with children
advocated in this publication, there is
no place for punishment.
The aim of the approach taken should
rightly be to help the child become
self-disciplined; that is to ultimately
have the capacity to control behaviour
from within and to be motivated
primarily by care and respect for self,
others and the environment rather than
by fear of being caught and punished.
Things to keep in mind
There are no fool-proof strategies for
discipline, but the following guidelines
sum up the approach advocated in this
publication:
1. Have appropriate expectations
for the child’s abilities and
understanding; be sure that
rules, limits and guidelines are
reasonable.
The wide age range in OSHC creates
challenges in deciding what is fair and
reasonable. More should be expected
of 9–12-year-olds than of 5–8-yearolds. Staff need to give careful
consideration to the extent to which
rules, guidelines and expectations can
be different and still seem fair; that is,
64 Shared visions for outside school hours care
5 | Relationships 65
Staff–child
relationships continued
that the younger children are not seen
by the older ones as ‘getting away with
murder’. Similarly, staff should consider
affording some special privileges to
older children in recognition of their
greater maturity.
“”
Staff need to give careful
consideration to the extent to which
rules, guidelines and expectations can
be different and still seem fair; that is,
that the younger children are not seen
by the older ones as ‘getting away
with murder’.
2. Try to match reactions with the
undesirable behaviour itself so that
children learn the difference
between a minor annoyance and
serious ‘misdemeanour’.
For example, hitting another child is
much more serious than leaving the
remains of your afternoon tea on the
table, and the adult’s response should
reflect the seriousness of the
behaviour.
3. When a child behaves
inappropriately, look at the
environment or situation as well
as at the child as a cause of or
contributor to the undesirable
behaviour.
A group of very energetic children in a
tightly packed space is a recipe for
misbehaviour. Not enough materials
and equipment, not enough food, too
long sitting still in a group, never getting
a turn, nothing interesting to do, or
always being excluded from the group
are causes of misbehaviour over which
the adult has at least some control.
4. When possible, prevention of
undesirable behaviour is better
than reacting after it occurs.
For example, if you know that there is a
child who has particular difficulty
making the transition from school to
OSHC, plan something special for her,
perhaps give her a job she enjoys, to
try to prevent the behaviour from
occurring. As another example, if the
new computer game causes tension
and disagreements about who can
have it first and how long a turn
anyone can have, work that out
through discussion with the children
ahead of time.
5. Build in choices and variety,
giving children the opportunity to
exercise some autonomy and
decision-making about their own
experience.
In general, staff should avoid having
many times in the program when
everyone has to do the same thing at
the same time. Children’s needs and
interests vary, and the best programs
offer a range of opportunities and
experiences for children to choose
from. Many behaviour problems stem
from children feeling constrained and
overly controlled by the adults around
them, especially as they get older.
6. Always give brief explanations
when you set limits or stop a child
from doing something.
If the aim is that children will eventually
internalise rules and limits, then they
have to understand why they are there
and enforced in the first place. What
may be obvious to adults may not be
so obvious to them. This is not to
suggest that children should be
lectured to at length, but rather
reminded about why what they did is
unsafe, hurtful, disrespectful, wasteful
or inconsiderate.
do with adult convenience or control,
then questions must be asked about
whether or not the rule is appropriate.
And keep in mind that ‘Because I said
so’ is not a very helpful or enlightening
explanation
Example: Afternoon tea for the day
was gourmet sausage rolls prepared
by some of the children on the
previous day. These were obviously a
favourite and appeared regularly on
the menu. As they were served, the
coordinator reminded the children
about the ‘no double dipping rule’.
Then for the benefit of the visitors
present she elaborated: ‘Remember
we decided that you can put your
sausage roll in the sauce on its side
or you can dip the end in, but you can
only do it once and that’s it for the
sauce!’
Example: The reasons for some rules
may be perfectly obvious to adults
but not to children. For example, in
one service there is a general rule
that no child can be excluded by
other children from games. A way has
to be found to incorporate them.
However, the staff have a firm rule
that for the game Monopoly, everyone
who plays must either be able to read
or find a partner who can! A very
sensible rule, but one that has to be
explained to eager young children
who are fascinated by the board
pieces and who want to have a go.
The reasonableness of rules and limits
is assured when staff reflect
periodically on the reasons why a rule
or limit exists. If the explanation has to
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
It has been suggested that children
should be involved in negotiating and
deciding about rules, limits and
guidelines. Recommending a
democratic approach does not mean,
however, that there are never
occasions when adults have the final
say. What is advocated is consultation
and a willingness to pay close attention
to the views of the children about a
number of matters, one of which is
what is appropriate behaviour and what
should happen when children do not
follow guidelines. Clarity about adults’
‘bottom lines’ is important. One
service that had a very strong policy
about non-violence, even to the point
of not allowing violence to be
expressed in drawings, surveyed the
children to find out what each thought
they should have more of in the
program. One child’s categorical
response: ‘More violence and cordial!’.
The staff’s response was that the nonviolence policy was non-negotiable.
7. Acknowledge desirable behaviour
and give attention when a child is
doing the ‘right’ thing. Avoid letting
undesirable behaviour be the best
or only way to get attention.
So often in group situations, it is the
sticky wheel that gets the oil, or the
child who misbehaves who gets the
attention. Desirable behaviour is often
taken for granted, not commented on.
Children want and need adults’
attention, and sometimes they appear
to decide that negative attention, that
is, being spoken to sternly and
redirected, is better than being ignored.
The implication of this guideline is not
that undesirable behaviour should be
ignored, because often it can’t be –
it has to be stopped. Rather the point
is that whenever possible OSHC staff
should acknowledge and express
appreciation for desirable behaviour.
An aim in OSHC services should be to
make desirable behaviour by children
an attention getter.
8. Staff should model the
behaviours they want the children
to ‘catch’. Modelling is a powerful
teaching and learning tool! If adults
continually model respectful
interactions, even when annoyed,
then the children will ‘catch’ that
behaviour and model it back to
adults and each other. Listen to the
younger children playing mums and
dads or teachers and you will often
hear adults’ controlling type
behaviour (for example, ‘Don’t do
that, you naughty boy’), but you will
also see and hear warm nurturing
behaviour such as, ‘Let me hug you
and make it better.’
9. Acknowledging children’s
feelings, whether expressed by
the child or inferred by the adult,
is important when responding to
them. Feelings are acknowledged
when responses such as the
following are used: ‘Yes, I know
you feel angry;’ ‘I feel sad too
when . . . ;’ ‘You feel annoyed
when . . . ;’ ‘I can see that you are
frustrated about . . . ’.
10. Finally, remember that a child
believes the messages they receive
about themselves from adults.
A child needs many successful
experiences that build a positive
66 Shared visions for outside school hours care
5 | Relationships 67
Staff–child
relationships continued
“”
Being in an OSHC program can make
a positive, long-term (even lifelong)
difference to a child’s life . . . through
their relationship and communication
with staff, the child’s family may have
come to see the child differently,
understood him or her better, or
identify a strength, talent or interest
that they weren’t previously aware of.
self-image. Effective discipline
teaches without making the child
feel frightened, ashamed,
embarrassed and insecure, and
without lowering self-esteem.
This is the challenge: to support
self-esteem and respect for others in a
positive way that goes far beyond the
use of punishment, far beyond simply
managing behaviour, but that uses
situations that occur to help children
learn about their own rights and
responsibilities and their obligations
to others.
Part of a positive self-image is seeing
oneself as strong and capable. In
responding to incidents of teasing,
bullying, racial taunts, it is important
that children do not build an image of
themselves as victims.
Expectations and what are considered
appropriate behaviours may be
different at home, in OSHC, and in
school. For example, a child may have
very few limits at home and then face
considerable regulations and rules at
school or vice versa. Facing different
expectations from the adults who care
for them can be very confusing to
children and may result in resistance.
It is important then for OSHC staff to
be aware of the expectations home
and school have for the children and
try to find some common ground to
reduce discontinuity. For example, with
the earlier example of a child who has
few limits placed at home and then is
tightly controlled at school, it would be
appropriate to find the ‘middle ground’,
in consultation with the child. Rules
which the child has been allowed to
discuss with the staff, including the
reasons why the rule is necessary and
Links with families
the consequences for breaches, are
more likely to be acceptable and
enforced successfully. Imposing rules
without discussion or having too many
or too few rules results in children
feeling alienated or unsupported.
Effective discipline, in summary, rests
on respect for children, respect that is
manifest in practices such as:
• Listening carefully to what children
have to say.
• Avoiding demeaning and embarrassing
treatment when a child misbehaves.
• Giving a warning before transitions
and, where appropriate, a reminder
when a child is behaving
inappropriately, that if the behaviour
continues, consequences will occur.
Being in an OSHC service can make a
positive, long-term (even lifelong)
difference to a child’s life, but most of
the time when this happens it is
because the parents or family have felt
supported and have been encouraged
to think about the child in a new way.
Through their relationship and
communication with staff, the child’s
family may have come to see the child
differently, understood him or her
better, or identify a strength, talent or
interest that they weren’t previously
aware of. There are benefits for staff
too, in that having good communication
with families makes the job of working
with children easier, more interesting
and more worthwhile.
Deep knowledge of the child relies
most importantly on information
gained directly from the child, which
would include perceptions about their
place within the family. A fuller picture
is gained when that information is
complemented with understanding,
among other things:
• What the parents’ concerns, hopes,
and dreams are for the child
• How the child ‘fits into’ the family
• The important values and traditions of
the family and its culture, especially
with regard to raising children
• How the family would like to receive
information about their child and
OSHC.
• Monitoring the program continually to
evaluate its match with the children’s
needs and interests.
Every OSHC service should have a
discipline policy, one that is reviewed
and updated regularly by staff, families
and children. While it certainly makes
sense for a school-based service to be
familiar with the discipline policy and
rules of the school and to think about
complementarity, the different focus,
aims and activities of school and
OSHC make it inappropriate for the
rules and discipline policies to be the
same in both settings.
Learning most of the important things
in life comes through a number of
varied experiences over time. It is
helpful if staff approach their
interactions with children with ideas
that have potential for assisting
children to learn skills and attitudes
that will serve them well for the rest of
their lives.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
No child exists within a vacuum: each
one has important relationships with
family members. These relationships
must be taken into account and
understood in working with a child.
When home, OSHC and school liaise
with each other there is greater
likelihood of continuity for all involved,
especially the children.
Who should take responsibility for
ensuring these connections are made,
especially the connections with
families? As the professionals in the
situation, the staff in the OSHC service
need to take the initiative, certainly
with parents, and perhaps even with
the school. OSHC staff need to be
aware of issues concerned with linking
68 Shared visions for outside school hours care
5 | Relationships 69
Links with families
continued
“”
As the professionals in the situation,
the staff in the OSHC service need
to take the initiative, certainly with
parents, and perhaps even with
the school.
between home, OSHC and the school.
Sometimes it is easy to have strong
links with the families and not with the
school(s), while in other services the
school links are clearly established and
stronger than the links with families.
It is critically important that the links
between all three are strong and
efforts on behalf of the child are
collaborative in nature. Children sense
very quickly whether an adult does or
does not respect another person.
So if the OSHC service does not make
these links or ignores links that are in
place, then children are likely to pick
up the message that ‘they don’t
respect my family or my school’.
When children see and hear interest
and active communication among the
significant adults in their lives then the
message is also clear: ‘All these people
care about me.’ This is a powerful
antidote to feeling unwanted and
discouraged.
There are major benefits to families,
staff and children when families feel
welcomed at the service and
connected to their child’s experience
while they are there. Feeling welcomed
and connected is not the same thing
as participating in the management of
the service (being on a board or
advisory committee) or doing
traditional parent involvement
activities, such as working bees and
fundraising. While contributing to the
operation of the service through parent
involvement should be an option
available to parents who want to be
involved, partnership is something
different. It is a relationship between
staff and parents that relies primarily
on a joint commitment to the child’s
wellbeing. It comes about largely
through the brief daily interactions and
communication at drop-off or pick-up
times.
• inviting them to contribute their ideas,
energies and talents to the service, but
without pressuring them to do so
The main message to parents should
be that they are respected as the most
important people in their child’s life.
This respect has to be based on
certain understandings by staff,
namely that:
• sharing all the ‘good news’ you can
about the child with the family
• Most parents have the same aims and
hopes for their child that professionals
have.
• Parents will have quite diverse
expectations of the OSHC service, and
some will not know what to expect or
what is expected of them.
This respect for parents and family is
demonstrated in practices such as:
• encouraging families to share
information about the child and using
that information to plan for the child’s
experience
• involving them as decision makers
about their child’s experience in the
service
• informing them of changes in staff or
any other aspects of the operation of
the service which will affect them
• encouraging them to express their
criticisms, voice concerns, ask
questions, and make suggestions
about the service
• receiving their criticisms, concerns,
questions and suggestions, considering
them, and responding non-defensively
• taking notice of the feedback that
families provide and providing
feedback back to them
• letting them know about their child’s
experience in the service
• sharing ‘not-so-good news’ tactfully but
honestly and enlisting their help when
there are problems.
Families will have varying levels of
interest in the operation of the service
and the content and aims of the
program for children. Some will be
content to know very little as long as
their child appears to be happy and
settled, while others will want to know
much more. Just as individual
differences are accepted in children,
so must they be in parents as well.
Parents and staff need to be clear that
there is a minimum of information
about the child that must be shared,
for example, updating enrolment forms.
However, what matters most to
cement the partnership is an ongoing
exchange of information. Staff must be
vigilant in establishing and maintaining
the idea throughout the service, and
with parents as well, that it is in the
child’s best interests for the home and
the OSHC service to be connected
through a relationship with parents.
Example: One coordinator reported
that she had received a number of
positive comments from parents
about the cooking and food
preparation emphasis in the program.
Because children were so keen to
demonstrate their skills and
knowledge at home, some parents
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
were rostering their children to
prepare the evening meal once a
week. Other parents contributed
favourite snack recipes.
When partnership exists, there is
clarity about the family being the most
important people in the child’s life
alongside a shared concern and
investment in the child by the OSHC
staff and the family. This shared
concern at its best leads to negotiation
and compromise, all focused on the
child’s best interests. For example, a
strong comfortable relationship allows
a staff member to discuss with a
parent the frustration caused to the
child when the parent picks the child
up early, with no advance notice,
meaning that that the child is
interrupted in the midst of a favourite
activity. A solid relationship allows this
discussion to take place without any
feelings of guilt, blame or
defensiveness and for a solution to be
worked out in the spirit of what is in
the best interests of the child.
Example: Matthew aged 10 and David
aged 7 are brothers. They are sitting
on the edge of the basketball courts
watching the other children play.
A staff member comes bouncing up
to them, saying ‘Come on you guys,
get up and join in, it’s a great day to
be out here playing!’
Matthew and David decline the offer
and ask if they can go to the toilet.
When they return the staff member
questions them about the time taken
in the toilet. Matthew sarcastically
asks if she wants a description about
what he did there! After ten or fifteen
minutes the same staff member
approaches them again and asks
them to join in. The boys once again
decline. She then gives them the
ultimatum of joining in or going inside
to do activities. The boys go inside to
find another staff member offering a
choice of art collage or dress-ups.
Neither of these options appeals to
them. They sit on the floor with their
backs to the wall watching the other
children and talking to each other.
The staff member indoors repeatedly
asks the boys to join in an activity,
saying ‘I don’t just want you to sit
there and veg out’. When their mother
comes to collect Matthew and David,
she tells the staff member that
perhaps her sons are feeling tired and
stressed, as two of their close family
members are in hospital in a serious
condition. The family has spent long
hours at the hospital each night and
the boys are quite worried about the
situation. The upper and lower
primary sections of school are divided
so the brothers have not seen each
other throughout the day.
The example above illustrates the
importance of communication between
staff and families and also between staff
and children. If the staff had known
about the stressful family situation they
may not have been so ‘pushy’ in
encouraging the brothers to join in, and
they could have been more helpful to
the boys. This example also illustrates
the importance of having a varied
program and environment so that if
children want to sit in a quiet place and
relax, they can. Sometimes children
need to just withdraw for a while.
70 Shared visions for outside school hours care
5 | Relationships 71
Links with families
continued
“”
Never lose sight of the fact that
the most important means of
communication, however, is the daily,
face-to-face, informal communication
as children are collected by parents
and other family members.
An issue for staff to consider is the
extent to which it is appropriate for
them to ‘own’ a child’s difficult or
challenging behaviour. Honest
communication is advocated in this
publication, but professionals still need
to consider thoughtfully how, when and
what they share with parents. Many
parents are vulnerable, and it is easy to
inadvertently make them feel
responsible for something that is really
the business of the OSHC service to
sort out. When ‘bad news’ is shared
with parents, it is important to do so in
the spirit of either ‘let’s figure this out
together’ or ‘we’re handling this and
we’re optimistic it will be resolved
successfully, but we thought you’d like
to know’. In other words, don’t share
problems about a child in such a way
that the family feels responsible or
blamed.
• Use of noticeboards, whiteboards,
family diaries
Some parents may have had
experience with other services that
leads them to believe that ‘no news is
good news, and we (the professionals)
will let you know if we need to talk to
you.’ In other words, unless there is a
problem, there is little communication.
Parents may transfer this expectation
to the OSHC service and in doing so
give the impression that they are not
interested.
• Telephone calls or emails by OSHC to
families when there is a concern or to
share some good news about the child
Practical strategies to support the links
between home, OSHC and the school
include:
• Inviting guest speakers along for
discussions of relevant topics. For
example, parents whose children are
going through or have just gone
through puberty may be particularly
appreciative of some supportive
information and advice.
• Conferences that involve the parent, an
OSHC staff member, and a school staff
member. Each is likely to get a different
picture of the child in the setting other
than the one in which they work. These
can be for purposes of information
sharing, not necessarily problem
solving
• Inviting families and school staff to visit
and observe the program and perhaps
share afternoon tea or have breakfast
• Visiting the school to familiarise
yourself with staff and school
operations, and to let them know more
about your service
• Providing for regular written and verbal
evaluations by parents and children of
the service, and using these for
planning and improvements
• Meetings to confer, discuss and
perhaps to tackle common issues or
interests, for example, television,
guidance, computers
• Inviting interested parents to share their
expertise with children, for example, in
carpentry, cooking or gardening
• Written communication through a
newsletter that is distributed to families
as well as to the school. (The older
children could produce this on a
computer or at least contribute to it.)
Never lose sight of the fact that
the most important means of
communication, however, is the daily,
face-to-face, informal communication
as children are collected by parents
and other family members. It is also
wise to consult with families about how
they would like to receive information
and contribute to the program.
Parents can sense when they and their
child are being supported. Small acts
such as assisting a parent to get their
child to leave at the end of the session
when he or she is reluctant to do so will
let parents know that staff are on side.
Even though they are not likely to ask
directly, families are eager to know how
you see their child, and eager for signs
that you hold him or her in high regard.
When information is shared both ways,
both staff and families have a clearer
picture of the child, which makes the
job of being a parent and being an
OSHC professional easier. Most
importantly, the child benefits.
Services have come up with a variety
of ways of including families, letting
them know that they are important
and respected members of the OSHC
community, and showing understanding
of the stresses of contemporary family
life. Some examples of different ways
services have found to convey these
messages are:
• Having the older children organise a
footy tipping competition for parents,
staff and older children
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
• Acknowledging a range of holidays and
celebrations that reflect the families in
the service
• Offering care when the school has
pupil-free days during school terms
• Having a code of conduct that the
parent, child and staff sign, which
spells out the obligations of the staff,
parents and children
72 Shared visions for outside school hours care
6 |Planning and evaluating
OSHC programs
In this chapter Introduction | Why plan? | Philosophy and policies | Observations | Goals and
objectives | What to plan for | Routines | Group meetings or conferences | Organisation of time | Planned
experiences | A word about excursions and in-house activities | The challenge of popular culture | How to
plan | Areas of interest | Types of planning | Program evaluation | Making learning visible | Documentation
strategies | Unique features | Summary of the key points | Questions and reflections
Questions and reflections
1. Think of a recent incident where your support and interactions with a child or children
increased the learning that occurred. What strategies did you use?
?
2. What are the most commonly occurring kinds of challenging behaviour in your service? Why
do you think this is so? What information from this chapter might be helpful in responding?
3. How have you involved children in the setting and enforcing of rules, limits and guidelines?
If you haven’t, how could you?
4. What are some ways that you would use to help a child who is new, or a number of children
who don’t know each other, get acquainted and form positive relationships?
5. What are all the ways you link with parents who use your service?
6. How interested do you think parents are in what happens in the service? Are you satisfied
with this level of interest? If not, how can it be improved?
7. If you operate a single staff model are there any additional issues you may need to address
or alternative ways of addressing points raised in this chapter?
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
74 Shared visions for outside school hours care
OSHC quality
assurance principles
2.2 Staff create a responsive
and inclusive atmosphere
and relate to children in a
warm and friendly manner
4.1 Programs reflect a clear
statement of service
philosophy and a related
set of service goals
4.4 Programs are evaluated
regularly
5.1 Programs encourage
children to initiate and
participate in play and
recreational experiences
5.2 Programs support physical
development
5.3 Programs support the
development of life skills
5.4 Programs support creative
and aesthetic development
National Childcare Accreditation Council Inc.,
OSHCQA Quality Practices Guide, 1st edn 2003, pp. 4–5.
6 | Planning and evaluating OSHC programs 75
Introduction
Why plan?
This chapter will first address the
question, ‘Why plan?’, then follow with
some important components of
planning programs and provide a basis
for deciding how to go about it. These
components are service philosophy
and policies, observations, and goals
and objectives (both long- and shortterm). This is followed by some
practical advice on planning and
evaluation. Planning for children’s
services takes many forms, depending
on the philosophy and values of the
service, the amount of time available to
staff and the tradition and ethos
surrounding the operation of the
service. Many OSHC staff have very
limited planning and preparation time.
The particular process of planning, the
period of time planned for, the degree
of reliance on formal or informal
observations of children and activities,
the extent to which the plans are
written down, and the formats used
vary greatly from service to service.
It is clear from reading the literature
and talking to experienced and skilled
professionals that there is no one best
way to plan, and most professionals
change the way they do it many times
over their careers.
Some staff question the need for
systematic planning in OSHC. They
may say, ‘We have lots of ideas and we
know from experience what will work.
We don’t need to plan.’ Some may see
planning as incompatible with
responding to children’s interests. They
say, ‘We don’t plan – we wait and see
what the children want to do.’
Planning in OSHC is necessary to
ensure that the ‘behind the scenes’
thinking and preparation happens so
that what is offered is interesting,
engaging and appropriate and fits the
philosophy.
Philosophy
and policies
Management, families and staff in
OSHC work most effectively when
there is a shared philosophy, which is
an agreed-upon statement of purpose,
values and aims. If this is lacking, staff
may be working at cross purposes.
Simply borrowing a philosophy
statement from another service is not
nearly as effective as going through the
process of developing one.
Stakeholders in the service go through
the process of discussing and
debating, and hopefully the outcome is
a shared view. A philosophy is a
dynamic document, not empty words
Planning is necessary for many
additional reasons:
• To ensure accountability to funding,
sponsoring and managing bodies, as
well as to the parents and children
• To establish and ensure predictable
routines, as a basis for children’s
security and empowerment in the
service
• To allow for a sense of orderliness and
organisation
• To provide a program that is safe, that
offers a balance of experiences that
need close supervision and those that
do not, that are active and quiet, and a
variety that makes it likely that children
will spread themselves among a range
of offerings. For example, it would be
unsuitable to plan a cooking
experience for 20 children. It is
particularly important to strive for this
balance in services with only one staff
member.
• To ensure that children’s interests and
capabilities are catered for
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
on a page set for all time, and is
rethought and renegotiated on a
regular basis. The philosophy, plus
observations of what is happening,
lead to goals or desired outcomes,
some of which are long-term and
general, some of which are more
specific and short-term.
Policies follow directly from the
philosophy and legal requirements,
and reflect the implementation of the
philosophy. Policies clarify how the
service operates and can assist in
solving disputes and problems. As with
a statement of philosophy, there is
much value in sharing the process of
policy development and review, rather
than simply adopting the policies of
another service. There should be a
regular cycle of policy review to ensure
that policies remain relevant and
compatible with practice. Every service
requires a range of policies to inform
practice and the policies concerned
with planning are only one area. There
are other areas where policies are
required such as food handling policies.
The National Standards (1995) and
Quality Practices Guide (2003) provide
information about policy requirements.
76 Shared visions for outside school hours care
6 | Planning and evaluating OSHC programs 77
Observations
“”
Effective programs for children come
out of sensitive observations of
children, with attention to their
developmental characteristics,
strengths, talents and interests and
the social and cultural contexts of
their lives.
Effective programs for children come
out of sensitive observations of
children, with attention to their
developmental characteristics,
strengths, talents and interests and
the social and cultural contexts of
their lives. These observations are
possible in OSHC if staff regard
them as planning notes rather than
developmental records. Some staff
have found that an exercise book used
as a professional diary and post it notes
provide the easiest way to jot down
significant things they have observed
about the whole group, small groups of
children, individuals, staff, and self, or
for reminders to self, parents and other
family members. Post it notes can be
stuck or posted directly into the diary.
One OSHC professional compared her
written observation notes to her
doctor’s records: ‘I don’t care how he
writes his notes, but I do expect that he
has notes about me that he could share
with me if I asked to see them.’ This
comment is a reminder to staff that
recorded information must be written in
a respectful style. It does take practice
to only write down things that are
important. For example, recording a
brief observation note about a prep
child’s happy and eager behaviour on
arrival at an after school program would
be significant only if the child has been
away for some time, or if the child has
previously cried on arrival every
afternoon. Such an observation might
also include the specific strategy that
you used to help support the child feel
less anxious about coming into the
program. In this way, the observation
note can act as part of your evaluation
process.
When observing children it is important
to observe them within the context of
the OSHC group so that a more
complete picture of the child can be
gained. If you only document individual
developmental details, for example,
‘Jono has difficulty sharing equipment’
(social development), you don’t have
the information you require for planning
experiences for Jono. If staff in OSHC
base their planning decisions solely on
developmental observations, they may
see only the barriers or limitations to
what a child may be capable of
achieving. An appropriate set of
questions to ask when planning for
Jono, or any child, might include:
• Who does he play with or enjoy being
with regularly?
• What are his interests?
• What does he contribute to friendship
groups and the larger group?
• How does he enter into small or large
groups?
• What are his skills?
• What are his strengths?
• How does he use these skills and
strengths in the program?
• How does he express his
understanding or skills?
• What family or community experiences
does he have that are related to your
observations or to these questions?
Every group of staff needs to give
consideration to a system whereby
everyone not only observes the
children as they engage with the
experiences and with other children
or adults, but also records the
observations in order to be able to
share them with other staff members.
One system that seems to work well is
to select four or five children, and focus
your observations on them for a period
of time, such as two weeks, and then
start observing another four or five
children. This ensures that over time all
children are a focus, not just the ones
who demand the most attention. While
in a single staff model, the observations
will mainly be the responsibility of the
staff member, the children and families
can also contribute to the development
of a profile on each child through their
comments, collection of their own work
samples or other artefacts. Whilst there
is value in recording observations for all
children, it may be unreasonable to
expect staff to do so beyond
observations of a general nature, for
example, for all casual attendees or for
short-term vacation care services.
Recording observations in short-term
vacation care services and observing
children who are casual attenders,
except observations of the most
general nature, may have limited value.
Staff may respond to the idea that they
should collect observations on which
to base their planning by saying that it
is too much to expect or that it is not
necessary. The ratios of staff to
children, the amount of time allocated
for preparation, planning, setting up
and putting away make it challenging.
Some may even say that the nature of
the program, namely that it is
responsive to children’s expressed
needs and interests, make collecting
observations inappropriate or
impossible. The response to that
assertion is that competent OSHC
professionals observe informally on a
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
continual basis. It is not being
suggested that staff stand or sit back
with note pads and take extensive
written observations, but that through
careful documenting of individual
children, pairs, and small groups, the
behaviour, contributions, skills,
strengths and interests of every child
and the group will be made evident to
the children, families and the staff.
Putting this documentation together
over time, and sharing observations
with other staff and families means
that this information can be used as a
basis for effective program planning.
There are many other examples of how
to focus your observations of children
in OSHC. Using other types of
questions might help: How many
children and which children usually
want to engage in active play when
they come, to let off steam? Do they
want to just run around or would it be
desirable to plan some games or
sports? What about age differences?
Do the younger children just want to
play on outdoor play equipment? Older
children may want to organise their
own sports competition, or they may
need assistance with such games as
basketball, cricket, netball or different
popular games such as elastics, four
square, 3-on-3 basketball or team
chasey. What do the children who want
peace and quiet want to do? Is reading
popular? Do they want to engage in a
quiet activity such as knitting or
crocheting? Are there some children
who spend most of the time by
themselves? Does this appear to be a
deliberate choice or are they being
excluded by other children?
One way to organise and analyse your
observations is to think about them
according to different categories or as
different perspectives or ‘frames’ as
Rogoff, (2003) calls them. These three
categories or perspectives are
discussed in the following section.
Individual or developmental
observations
Individual or developmental
observations include what the
individual child is doing, saying or
demonstrating. For example, ‘Amy
cannot skip using alternate feet
movement.’
This has been the most common form
of observation in children’s services,
but as mentioned previously, they
provide a narrow perspective and if
they are the only perspective staff use,
they tend to highlight the limitations of
what children are capable of.
Interpersonal observations
Who is interacting? How are they
interacting? Who is leading or
following? What kind of social
competence is being demonstrated?
How is your (or another adult’s)
presence affecting the interactions?
When this perspective is included in
the observations, you will see more
clearly the significance of relationships
in shaping who the children are (their
identity) and how they see themselves
in this group. Your own importance to
the group is also acknowledged
through taking this perspective.
78 Shared visions for outside school hours care
6 | Planning and evaluating OSHC programs 79
Observations continued
Contextual observations
“”
The program is the child’s total
experience, from arrival to departure.
So whatever means is used for
planning, implementation and
evaluation, it must address all
dimensions of the child’s experience.
What are the contexts in which the
observation is taking place? How are
the materials being used, or the rules
or guidelines that apply in this
situation, influencing what you are
observing? What are the social or
cultural aspects of the children’s
previous experiences that contribute to
what is being observed? For example,
your observation about a child who is
demonstrating advanced skills in
basketball might include the fact that
the child is an active member of a local
basketball club. Having this information
would help you to plan for the child in a
more appropriate way.
The contextual observations complete
the picture by filling in the background
details (such as the children’s home or
school experiences) and by showing
how particular contexts can sometimes
be hidden from your view because you
have stopped looking at them or
because you have forgotten that
they exist. A good question to ask is:
‘what can you no longer see because
it is so familiar that you have stopped
looking?’
In one OSHC service, for example, a
rule that only four children could play
at the construction table had been
made to prevent overcrowding and
reduce noise levels at the table.
However, when the staff team were
using the contextual observational
category, they recognised that this
rule sometimes prevented
collaborative and productive play
which five children were keen to
engage in.
Goals and objectives
What to plan for
This example does not mean that you
would change all the rules or abandon
these types of rules, but rather that it is
useful to examine all practices and to
include this type of examination in the
process of observation. As a result of
analysing this observation, the OSHC
staff might decide that rather than a
fixed rule about how many children can
play at the construction table, they
would have guidelines (developed in
consultation with the children) about
noise levels and productive play in this
area.
Out of the observations, and in keeping
with the philosophy, come goals and
objectives. These terms are sometimes
used interchangeably, but usually goals
are thought of as more general and
longer term, not dissimilar to the aims
for children listed in Chapter 2, while
objectives may be specific to individual
children or some children in the group
and may be shorter term. For example,
a goal may be to help a child to enter
into the planned experiences and
groups of other children more
effectively.
In order to have a more complete view
of the individual child and the groups
of children it is helpful if these different
observational perspectives are taken at
different times of the program and in
different parts of the environment or
space. For example, a child may work
quite differently when he or she is
interacting with others outdoors or
when he or she is tired late in the
afternoon.
One worthy goal, for example, is that
children want to come to OSHC,
especially older children. Three
strategies to achieve this goal might
be:
It should be clear by now that an
inclusive notion of program and
planning is used in this publication.
The program is the child’s total
experience, from arrival to departure.
So whatever means is used for
planning, implementation and
evaluation, it must address all
dimensions of the child’s experience.
This is emphasised because some
treatments of OSHC program planning,
and in fact planning for other children’s
services as well, seem to imply that the
only things that must be considered
are the experiences that are set up
each day for the children. This is one
component of planning, but only one.
Planning must incorporate not only
what will be done, but also why. You
will find in this publication that the
word ‘programming’ has been
deliberately excluded and the word
‘planning’ is used. This decision
reflects a belief that planning is the key
action for OSHC staff in preparing
excellent programs for children.
• Recognition of the older children’s
involvement in the local community
and the possibilities for planning
experiences that might come from
their involvement.
• The opportunity to be involved in ‘real’
and ‘relevant’ activities children have
planned.
• Recognition of peer and popular
culture.
Example: One OSHC coordinator
heard that the local Council was
looking for a group to help make
Christmas decorations to be used in
the community. The Council accepted
her suggestion that the children in
OSHC were capable of making these
decorations. The children completed
this important community task and
now they enjoy seeing their creations
decorating the Community every
year.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
Just as important, whatever the
process used, planning must
encompass thinking not only about
experiences but also the total
environment in which the program
takes place, interactions and
communication (child–child,
staff–child, staff–parent), the
organisation of time and the conduct
of routines. Weaving through all of
these is the notion of giving priority to
communication and interactions of all
kinds as a means of learning.
Services that include people from
diverse cultural and linguistic
backgrounds and other categories of
diversity will find it easier to address
diversity, as they have ready resources
at hand. Those services where the
children, families and staff are all or
primarily of Anglo-Australian
background have to go further afield
for resources. However, it is critical
that they are committed to supporting
children to be comfortable with
diversity rather than seeing themselves
as ‘not having that problem,’ as it is
sometimes unfortunately expressed.
In offering a program that embraces
diversity in a meaningful way, it helps
to remember that the best resource is
people – that is, families in the service
who can provide meaningful and
authentic information and resources,
diversity in the staff profile and, most
importantly, staff who model a positive
attitude to difference. In areas of high
migrant density the employment of
bilingual–bicultural staff is a critical
strategy, and if that is not possible,
accessing translated materials and
bilingual support through agencies
such as the FKA Children’s Centre will
be helpful. Bilingual staff should be
encouraged to use their first language
when working with children and
families in OSHC.
So what do these principles look like in
practice? If you walked into an OSHC
service, what would be the signs that a
multicultural perspective was being
taken in all aspects of the service?
Some signs would be obvious and
immediately visible while others, in fact
the more significant indicators, would
require tuning in to interactions and
communication.
Tangible signs are in the displays,
materials, equipment and experiences
offered to children. They will reflect the
80 Shared visions for outside school hours care
6 | Planning and evaluating OSHC programs 81
What to plan for
continued
“”
In offering a program that embraces
diversity in a meaningful way, it helps
to remember that the best resource is
people – that is, families in the service
who can provide meaningful and
authentic information and resources,
diversity in the staff profile and, most
importantly, staff who model a positive
attitude to difference.
Routines
cultural diversity that exists among
those involved in the service, or more
broadly in the community. Pictures and
books, music, food, craft, games,
clothes and accessories in the dressup corner, fabrics, baskets and
equipment for dramatic play, are all
obvious ways to embrace diversity
visibly. Care must be taken to avoid
stereotypes and outdated images.
‘Coolie’ hats, wooden shoes, and
sombreros, for example, would be
inappropriate. Incorporating foods from
other cultures and ways of preparing
and serving them is an interesting and
engaging way to expand the horizons
of children and staff.
Routine activities are those that occur
every day: arrivals and departures,
eating, transitions between parts of the
day, setting up and cleaning up. Group
meetings or conferences are also
included, although in some services
they may not occur daily. Often
overlooked by staff in planning and
evaluation, routines form the heart of
the program and can often be the
setting for some of the best and worst
experiences for children and staff.
Routines can also reflect and be
consistent with the cultural and social
practices that are familiar to the
children. For example, asking about or
observing how families and children
greet adults would give OSHC staff
clues as to how to be consistent with
these approaches in their greetings to
the children and parents.
These ‘things from other cultures’
should not be set up as special or
made a big fuss of, but rather
incorporated gently and naturally.
Offering a multicultural perspective is
not ‘doing’ other cultures but
incorporating diversity in a natural low
key way. Families may be able to
donate materials or artefacts for
inclusion in the OSHC environment.
The more challenging and more
significant dimension of a multicultural
perspective is assisting children to be
comfortable with difference rather than
fearing it, creating an environment
where expressions of bias, prejudice
and racism are not tolerated. Most
services of high quality have an explicit
policy banning teasing, bullying, racist
and sexist comments. Children over five
years of age have often picked up
biases and prejudices based on culture
and gender from a range of influences.
The OSHC service can be a place
where these prejudices are questioned,
where a more positive perspective on
difference is developed. Staff should
not tolerate disrespectful behaviour or
critical comments based on culture,
gender- or disability-related differences.
In the following section some critical
planning factors to think about are
identified (interactions are covered in
Chapter 5 and the environment in
Chapter 7). There is inevitably overlap
in the categories, and separating
interactions and environments from
planning is artificial. The separation is
only to make the discussion more
accessible in this publication.
It is through having responsibility that
we learn to be responsible. Children in
OSHC are capable of managing their
own routines to a great extent. Snack
time, unpacking materials and cleaning
can all be part of the children’s
responsibilities to themselves, each
other and the service. For example,
snack time can be managed by the
children through careful planning.
Children can set tables, pour drinks,
prepare food, serve themselves, and
clear up quite easily. This could be a
rostered activity with mixed ages and
genders involved. This kind of
delegation is especially useful in OSHC
single staff models.
Arrivals and departures
Making children feel welcomed,
greeting each child to help them make
the transition from home (in the case
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
of vacation care and before school
care) or classroom (after school
program), listening to whatever is on
their mind, as some children will be
bursting with news, are important parts
of the program. The way children are
greeted gives them a sense of how
valued and special they are. Greeting
parents is of course also important.
The safety requirement of checking
that every enrolled child has arrived at
the OSHC service does make it
difficult to have children enter ‘en
masse’ and go straight to a chosen
experience. In some services, the
children are greeted individually as a
staff member ‘ticks’ them off the roll
and then they have something to eat
or choose something to do. Having a
well-set-up inviting environment also
contributes to children feeling at home.
Some staff try to ensure that there is
at least one new material or experience
provided regularly when the children
arrive, to ‘invite’ them into the service.
Departures and pick-ups of children
can be a difficult time. Parents arriving
unexpectedly early when the child is in
the midst of an engrossing activity or is
just about to have afternoon tea can
cause distress and a less than smooth
reunion with parents. The child may
resist leaving or at least leaving as
quickly as the parent would like. Staff
can assist here. Firstly, staff should
make it clear who is in charge when
both parents and staff are present. If
this is unclear, and the child is not
cooperating, both parent and the staff
member may stand around waiting for
the other to take charge. If a child is
resisting going home, it is probably
because he or she is in the midst of
doing something interesting or doesn’t
want to rush away. Instead of leaving a
parent to struggle, staff can step in and
firmly tell the child that it is time to go
home. Parents can feel uncomfortably
on show when their child is
uncooperative in front of other children
and staff, and most will welcome some
assistance. Parents may not see the
reason for the child’s lack of
cooperation, and a discussion between
a staff member and the parent about
the problem and possible solutions
may help.
On the other hand, children may not
like being the last to be picked up,
especially if there is less and less to do
as the session draws to a close. While
the necessity for staff to pack up and
leave work on time is recognised, it is
essential to have interesting things for
the children to do right up until they
leave. In fact this can be a special time
when the group is smaller and there is
more opportunity for one-to-one
interaction.
Eating
Eating is a comforting, pleasurable,
sensory experience. Choosing and
tasting new foods is an opportunity to
expand horizons and to appreciate
diversity. Preparing food is a wonderful
opportunity for collaborative learning of
all kinds and for acknowledging and
enjoying the diversity of foods and
meal traditions from different cultures
or family favourites. For example, in
some cultures, food is always served in
dishes or on platters placed on the
table rather than the meal or food
being served up on individual plates.
82 Shared visions for outside school hours care
6 | Planning and evaluating OSHC programs 83
Group meetings
or conferences
Routines continued
“”
When adults prepare the snacks all
the time and hand them out to the
children, they are not only creating
unnecessary work for themselves, but
giving children a strong message that
they are being minded, rather than
assisted and supported to look after
themselves.
Eating together in OSHC can be a
social event and an excellent
opportunity for children and staff to
experience that sense of community
emphasised in this publication. It
seems a great waste of an opportunity
when staff do not place importance on
foods offered and involving children in
preparing them. Practices in OSHC
services range from the same old
savoury biscuits or bread with
Vegemite and fruit every day,
prompting one child to say to her
mother, ‘Do you realise I have had the
same afternoon tea for seven years?’,
to an innovative and changing menu
that involves the children in planning
and preparation, and featuring such
dishes as gourmet sausage rolls,
antipasto platters, dips and slices. A
10-year-old, when asked what she liked
best about the before school care
service, responded instantly, ‘The food
– sometimes we get French toast,
bacon and eggs, pancakes, toasted
sandwiches – it’s the best thing.’ When
adults prepare the snacks all the time
and hand them out to the children,
they are not only creating unnecessary
work for themselves, but giving children
a strong message that they are being
minded, rather than assisted and
supported to look after themselves.
Setting up and packing
away
Children’s participation in setting up
and packing away may be essential in
some services where the children arrive
at the same time as the staff because
the facility is not available ahead of
time. However, there are a number of
benefits in involving children, whether
or not it is essential. This point relates
to a recurring theme in this publication:
that of giving children a feeling of being
responsible members of the OSHC
community, each able to contribute to
the smooth running of the service and
to the wellbeing of other community
members.
Transitions
Transitions, including arrivals and
departures as well as moving between
segments of the program (for example,
outdoors to indoors, activities to snack
time), are often overlooked but make a
vital contribution to the desirable
seamlessness of the child’s
experience. How OSHC staff plan for
transitions can be regarded as a major
contributor to the quality of the
children’s overall experience in the
program. Each of the transitions
children make into and out of OSHC
programs may affect the children’s day
either positively or negatively. The
potential in each transition is for
continuity or discontinuity, security or
anxiety, support or isolation. Entering
an OSHC service for the first time or
coming back after a long break are
examples of transitions that would
require sensitive planning by OSHC
staff.
Bringing the group together for
discussion plays an important role in
OSHC services. It is in this forum that
a sense of group is forged, individuals
are recognised, informal evaluation of
aspects of the program occurs,
problems with behaviour are discussed
and resolved, rules are reviewed, and
plans are made. In vacation care
services, this type of meeting can help
the children to understand the
schedule for each day’s planned
experiences and the expectations staff
might have related to requirements for
the children’s safety, especially when
excursions are planned. The schedule
in this example can be written and
illustrated on a whiteboard or large
sheet of paper as well as explained
verbally. Group meetings can also be
used to revisit the children’s
experiences either at the end of a day
or week. Revisiting previous
experiences or events through
Example: In one OSHC service, the
coordinator is always invited to speak
to parents at the transition to school
meetings that are held at the school
towards the end of the year. The
children who will be in prep the next
year also visit the OSHC room with
their parents as part of the transition
to school program.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
Organisation of time
discussion is important for children’s
learning as they can think about what
they did or learned, and how they
learned, as well as learning from what
other children share. The children’s
words can be written down or taped
during any of these meetings and used
for later planning or for documenting
the learning that took place.
Example: After an excursion to a
children’s farm during a vacation care
program, the children discussed what
they had learned. Everyone’s
comments were written on a large
sheet of paper. Later, these words
were placed alongside photos which
were taken of the children at the
farm. This documentation panel was
first displayed in the OSHC service
and later put up on one of the school
noticeboards as evidence of both the
fun and the learning which had
happened on the excursion.
Some keys to successful planning of
time include the following:
• The program needs to be flexible but
orderly to provide predictability (which
engenders feelings of security) but
without regimentation. Staff should
strive for a balance that allows for and
supports responsiveness to children
and to circumstances.
• The session should be ‘carved’ loosely
into big chunks of time that allow for
concentration and serious
engagement. There is nothing more
frustrating than just getting started and
then having to stop. Small segments of
time are likely to work against really
engaging with ideas and other people.
• There should be a minimum of waiting
time when children are not
constructively engaged.
In planning what activities will take
place at the same time, it is sensible to
think about the amount of supervision
each experience requires so that there
are not too many experiences requiring
supervision all at once. This is
especially true in single staff models.
Also consideration needs to be given
to the amount of packing away or
cleaning up needed, especially if
everything has to be put away at the
end of each session. As was suggested
above, the edges of the session,
especially the late afternoon, deserve
special consideration. They should
allow for a peaceful departure so that
children do not feel as though they are
missing out on something special.
At the same time it is important that
those who are there until the end are
happily occupied.
84 Shared visions for outside school hours care
6 | Planning and evaluating OSHC programs 85
A word about
excursions and
in-house activities
Planned experiences
• clubs for particular interests
In thinking about what to offer, it must
be remembered that the most
important provision of all is the
provision for play. Child initiated, child
directed play is perhaps the richest
sort of activity to be found in any
program for children.
“”
In thinking about what to offer, it must
be remembered that the most
important provision of all is the
provision for play. Child initiated, child
directed play is perhaps the richest
sort of activity to be found in any
program for children.
• excursions
• cooking and food preparation
The range of activities and experiences
that can be provided in OSHC is
boundless. There are a number of
accessible resource materials (some of
which are listed and described at the
end of this publication) that detail
specific activities and experiences.
The main categories from which staff
can draw are:
• sports and large motor activities
• creative visual arts (for example,
painting, drawing, clay)
• craft (collage construction)
• needlework and sewing (for example,
making batik cushions for the quiet
area)
• performing arts (music [for example,
performing with instruments and
singing, also music appreciation],
drama [for example, writing and
performing plays], dance and creative
movement)
• games – board and other (for example,
jacks, string games, verbal games,
puzzles, crosswords, Twenty Questions,
Simon Says)
• reading and writing (for example,
shared poetry reading and discussion)
• hobbies (for example, stamp collecting,
gardening, computers, model cars,
penfriends)
• long-term projects (for example, pen
pals, making a scrapbook about the
program, developing and tending a
garden)
• (appropriate) use of computers videos
and television.
Example: In an effort to provide
new activities regularly, one
coordinator photocopies crossword
and word-find puzzles and keeps
them in a folder which the children
can access at any time. These are
often a focus for a group of children,
with a core of committed word puzzle
fans and other children ‘passing
through’ and making a small
contribution. It is a forum for lively
discussion and debate, often leading
to vocabulary expansion.
It is not surprising that OSHC staff and
children speak enthusiastically about
excursions because they may appear to
be the highlight of the week, especially
in the vacation care period. Like all
aspects of planning, excursions need
careful thinking and planning, well
ahead of their implementation.
Excursions have the potential to be
entertaining and enjoyable for everyone
and they also have the potential for
enrichment and making connections
with the local community. It is important
to think carefully about the aim of the
excursion and how this event relates to
the overall goals for the children. Staff
need to be sure that it is appropriate for
the developmental levels and interests
of the children who will be attending.
An excursion to a local playground for
example, would require a venue check
to ensure there were activities
appropriate for older children such as
flying fox playground equipment, and
younger children, such as safe swings
and slides. Supervision for both groups
would need to be appropriate to skills
levels and the elements of risk involved.
The National Standards contain specific
requirements for staff–child ratios in an
OSHC setting, including ratios for
excursions. Linking the excursion back
to the normal program is a way to
maximise the potential of the excursion.
In the example given, the children might
like to design and build their own
scaled-down adventure playground
using construction sets and collage and
construction material. Another group
could draw or paint their memories of
the experience.
• construction activities (for example,
Lego)
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
Example: In one local government
region, all the children attending
vacation care programs get together
for a day to participate in activities.
For example, the children attended
a circus during one of the holiday
times. All the staff from the different
vacation care programs work together
to organise this special event each
year.
Excursions need not be to far-away
destinations. They can be occasions
to introduce children to their local
community. A visit to the local vet,
the radio station or a bakery can be
interesting.
Example: One of the most novel
excursions occurred in a vacation
care service in a country town. This
was a school-based service, and they
walked the children over to the local
church to see a wedding! The school
secretary, whom most of the children
knew, was being married. She had
said that the children were welcome,
so they went along and sat at the
back of the church. The staff said that
many of the children had never been
to a wedding and the experience led
to much discussion as well as
‘wedding related’ art and craft work
and even some dramatic play with the
younger children.
In some OSHC services, there is less
use of excursions and a greater use
of in-house activities where an
experience or expert comes to the
service rather than the children going
somewhere. In-house activities can be
more cost effective, easier to manage,
and safer than excursions. Some
examples of in-house activities include:
a professional puppet play production;
a visit by a wildlife expert; a musical
performance; a mobile rock climbing
experience and a session with an
aerobics instructor. Schools generally
have a resource folder with the details
for these types of in-house activities.
86 Shared visions for outside school hours care
6 | Planning and evaluating OSHC programs 87
The challenge of
popular culture
How to plan
sense of ownership and control which
is important to them when much of
their lives are controlled or organised
by adults. Respecting the children’s
rights to enjoy ‘their’ music, games,
and reading material can be allowed
within guidelines that are developed in
consultation with staff, parents, and
children and which reflect the service
philosophy. For example, the guidelines
might prohibit any popular culture
materials or artefacts which have
reference to violence because the
service is committed to non-violent
conflict resolution and peaceful
environments.
A challenging issue which requires
regular decision-making and perhaps
even policies or guidelines is deciding
how to respect children’s intense
interest in popular culture while at the
same time recognising that adults,
including parents, may be unsure of
the suitability of these pursuits. Older
children in particular are generally very
interested in popular culture. For
example, decisions will need to be
made about allowing the following:
“”
Popular culture is significant to
children, as they feel a sense of
ownership and control which is
important to them when much of their
lives are controlled or organised
by adults.
• Toy guns and other war or violencerelated toys and materials or computer
games.
• Popular music with controversial lyrics
• Pre-teen and teen popular magazines
When staff break down the power
dynamics that often exist between
adults and youth, the teens
(or 11–12-year-olds) can take a
more active role in planning and
implementing activities . . . That’s an
example of ‘power with’ rather than
‘power over’ an important tenet of
relational practice. (Seligson and
Stahl, 2003: 81)
• Television and videos that contain
violence or other unsuitable material
(if a decision has been made to use
television, as the use of television at all
may be controversial and deserves
consideration, especially if it is
believed that children watch a lot of it
at home)
• Children’s collectibles
Staff should consult with parents and
get their views on these matters to
assist with decision-making. Inevitably
their views will be diverse. It would also
be useful to discuss these issues with
the older children in the group in an
effort to come up with a compromise
that is in the interests of all. Older
children are capable of looking at their
own interests in light of the impact on
younger children. This exercise itself
can assist older children to feel some
responsibility for the welfare of the
whole group. Popular culture is
significant to children, as they feel a
An effective planning process
necessarily begins with the
developmental levels, characteristics,
strengths and interests of the children
in the service. It must take into
account the need to support all areas
of development, including social,
physical, creative, cognitive, emotional
and moral. The community’s social and
cultural contexts must also be
acknowledged, as well as the
philosophy of the service. Given these
considerations, it is still the case that
there is no single best planning format
or way to think about and write up the
program. There are a number of ways
to do it:
Areas of interest
• Categorising types of activities and
experiences and planning for each
type, for example: excursions, visitors,
projects, everyday activities, food,
sports, crafts and arts and discussions.
• Ensuring that the program caters for
each of the eight intelligences
described by Gardner (1983). These
intelligences are as follows:
- verbal/linguistic
- logical – mathematical
- musical
- spatial
- bodily – kinaesthetic
- interpersonal
- intrapersonal
- naturalist/environmentalist
• Focusing on aspects or dimensions of
the program (environment, routines,
interactions, activities, as above),
making changes and evaluating them
• Planning specific activities and
opportunities for each area of
development (for example, social,
physical, emotional, intellectual and
creative)
• Developing themes, so long as the
theme has been arrived at as a result
of pursuing children’s interests, so that
it ends up being a collection of
experiences around a particular topic
rather than something the staff set out
to do in advance. Themes that are
artificially imposed by adults without
consultation and collaboration with
children are not usually as successful
as those that emerge naturally. Staff
should avoid slavishly focusing on a
theme, trying to make every single
thing relate to the theme. This restricts
the program and choices for children
unnecessarily.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
Some OSHC services use different
areas or centres of interest as a way to
organise the program. An interest area
could be at a table or on a mat or at a
bench. Location is less important than
thinking about what might happen
there.
The areas could include:
• A library space where children can
relax with a wide range of literacy
material such as books, magazines,
taped stories and newspapers. Having
a variety of these materials in other
languages would be valuable.
• An exploration area where collections
or specimens are displayed along with
magnifying glasses, sorting boxes and
information about the collection such
as non-fiction books or posters.
88 Shared visions for outside school hours care
6 | Planning and evaluating OSHC programs 89
Areas of interest
continued
Types of planning
• A writing table with all the materials for
writing including paper, pens, pencils,
envelopes, rulers, erasers, staplers,
highlighters, paperclips etc. A computer
is also appropriate for a writer’s work.
• A craft or art space which offers
different art media each week or
fortnight.
• A hobby centre where children can
share hobbies such as cards, stamps
or figurine collections.
“”
The children might have ideas for
areas or centres of interest and these
could be voted on and trialled over a
period of time. The children could
make up a name for these centres and
help to decide what materials go in
them, the guidelines for using the
centre or area, and how to make the
area attractive.
• A construction area for materials such
as Lego.
• A games centre where board or card
games can be played.
The children might have ideas for areas
or centres of interest and these could
be voted on and trialled over a period
of time. The children could make up a
name for these centres and help to
decide what materials go in them, the
guidelines for using the centre or area,
and how to make the area attractive.
In other OSHC services, clubs are used
as the way to organise the program.
Clubs can run for a term or half year or
over a year. They sometimes require
‘outside’ support such as a music or
dance teacher. In this type of club,
there may be additional fees to be paid
to cover the cost of the special tuition.
This arrangement might suit busy
parents who want their child to have
extra-curricular experiences but they
do not have the time to organise them.
Clubs can also be simple and managed
mostly by the children, such as a book
club where the children read and share
books together and plan activities
related to the books they enjoy. The
short- and medium-term plans should
always build on children’s interests.
Example: One coordinator overheard
some children comparing different
versions of the movie Robin Hood
they had seen. She suggested that
they divide into groups, take a simple
story they all knew and plan a
production of the story, thinking of
ways to adapt it while sticking with
the basic story line. Three groups
worked hard over several days and
the plays were presented.
However the planning is done, it needs
to take into account the ages of the
children, the size of the group, the
number of staff, the space, equipment
and materials needed, the amount of
setting up and packing away required,
the space requirements and the
balance and variety of experiences.
The plan and overall program should
allow for a variety of child- selected
experiences, a balance of individual
and group activities, a mix of
opportunities that will challenge, and
experiences that provide opportunities
for certain success, a balance of quiet
and vigorous activities and plenty of
time for child-initiated play. Even in
smaller services, there should be
relatively few times when the whole
group is required to be together with
everyone doing the same thing. Larger
groups cause staff to move into ‘crowd
control’ mode at the expense of
interacting. Generally, requiring
children to queue up for activities is
another example of unnecessary
‘crowd control’ by staff.
Example: All the children are in the
gymnasium engaging in energetic
activities such as rope climbing,
trampoline bouncing and basketball.
Two girls did not want to engage in
sports and just stood back. The
coordinator approached them and
said, ‘Can you two find something to
do?’
‘Well, actually we don’t feel like doing
sports today. I have to get my
homework done because tonight is
my grandma’s birthday and we are
going there straight from here
tonight.’
The second girl also expressed
concern about getting homework
done. The staff member turned,
scanned the gym and said, ‘Well I
don’t know how you will be able to
get some work done in this noisy
place! Perhaps if we move that table
in from the foyer and set it up in the
corner.’
Together the three of them shifted a
table and the two girls found chairs
from the store room. They were in
view of the staff and quite happy to
get on with their work. Other children
moved over to them to check out
what was happening then moved
away, respecting the girls’ need to get
on with their work.
The above example illustrates how
staff can be flexible and responsive to
children’s individual requests and
interests and how they can adapt an
area or the environment and make
allowances even in restricting
circumstances.
There are different types of planning,
planning at different levels and
planning for varying lengths of time.
Long-range planning includes
attention to:
• A long time span (six months).This
timeframe might be necessary for
booking visitors for in-house activities
or sites for excursions
• Broad goals
• The philosophy of the service
• The community context.
Monthly or fortnightly planning
focuses on:
• Short-term aims
• Specific strengths and needs of children
(both individuals and the group)
• Major projects or interests (for
example, the plans for a recycling or
tree planting project within the school)
• Attention to the organisation, interest
and aesthetics of the environment
• Delegation of general responsibilities
• The general timetable and organisation
of the sessions.
Daily or weekly planning is
characterised by:
• Specific objectives or predictions.
• Follow-through of observations,
specific events and evaluations of
previous plans (for example, watching a
video of a child’s holiday or baking a
birthday cake for someone)
• Careful attention to which staff
members have responsibility for
particular planned experiences.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
The planning, which is a best guess or
prediction ahead of time, is translated
into a program that takes account of
the reality at the time. This reality
includes among other things the
weather, the collective mood and
energy level of the group of children,
the availability of staff, and the
children’s interests. Never lose sight of
the big picture in planning or in
practice. Much more important than
the specific activity itself, is whether or
not overall the experiences or activities
encourage genuine cooperation, free
sharing of ideas, sharing of
responsibility, collaboration, genuine
curiosity, exploration and investigation,
and a sense of belonging.
Example: The coordinator of a before
school care service wanted to put a
notice on the board to remind
everyone about the sun hat policy.
She asked Lisa, a child in prep, if she
would draw a picture of a child in a
sun hat. Lisa agreed, and an older
child wrote the message after Lisa
had finished the picture. Both
children helped the coordinator put
up the poster on the noticeboard.
90 Shared visions for outside school hours care
6 | Planning and evaluating OSHC programs 91
Making learning
visible
Program evaluation
“”
In its essence, evaluation is really just
thinking about and learning from how
well things have gone and acting
accordingly, with the aim of improving
practice.
Evaluation is an ongoing process in
programs of good quality. It happens
informally as people plan and
implement their plans, reflect as they
are working about how well things are
going, and discuss this with fellow staff
members, children and parents. In its
essence, evaluation is really just
thinking about and learning from how
well things have gone and acting
accordingly, with the aim of improving
practice. Most programs of excellence
also build in a more formal process of
evaluation which involves parents and
children as well as staff.
The important questions to ask in
evaluating the program relate to the
major points in this publication:
• Do we have sufficient links with the
community?
• Are staff delegated most efficiently and
effectively and to tasks and
responsibilities that capitalise on their
individual strengths and interests?
• Are experiences and materials placed
to ensure their most constructive use?
• Do we acknowledge the social and
cultural contexts of the service and the
children’s lives?
• Are we doing all that we can to forge a
sense of group?
In answer to that last question, displays
of photographs or an album created
together of group projects such as a
vegetable garden, a play or a concert,
and special group experiences, such as
an excursion or a visitor to the service
are all practical ways to reinforce the
cohesiveness of the group. Staff will
need to gain consent from parents or
guardians to take photographs and
display them.
It is critical to know what children want
and like and, although staff may think
they know, children’s responses may
surprise staff. Their ideas can be
canvassed through discussion in small
groups, although more honest
responses may be obtained through
discussions with individual children or
through a written questionnaire. OSHC
services including vacation care could
base their planning on the children’s
responses to the following:
It is also critical to know what parents
expect and what experiences and
opportunities they would like their child
to have in OSHC programs. In doing
this it is important to ensure that
parents understand the resource and
staff limitations. Parents could also
respond with their children to the
questions suggested above or some
additional questions could be included
just for the parents. For example:
• What does your child like to do most
when they are doing things with you?
• What is the best place you have visited
with your children?
• What would you like your child to do at
OSHC?
• What do you like to do when you are at
home?
• What are your favourite games to play
with other children?
• Do we provide time for children to be
in small mixed-age groups as well as
age groups?
• What do you like to do if you are on
your own?
• Are we promoting in children respect
for each other and comfort with
diversity, based on culture, ability and
individual differences?
Adapted from Piscitelli and Mobbs, 1988
• Are there things that would you like to
know more about?
• Do we maximise opportunities for
collaborative learning?
• Is there a balance of large group, small
group and individual experiences?
• Name three things that you are good at
doing. Could you share these talents
with other children?
• Name one special place that you like
to visit
• Name three things you like to do
indoors.
• Name three things you like to do
outdoors.
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One way to formalise the evaluation of
the program and to ‘make the learning
visible’ to staff, children, families and
sometimes the wider community, is to
document what is happening in OSHC
(Rinaldi 1998). Documentation can
help others to understand what you are
planning and achieving and can be
part of the evaluation process. By
documenting children’s words and
their work, staff send a message to
children and families that they respect
and value these efforts. Children will
be motivated to explore something in
more detail when they believe that the
adults see it as important. There are
many ways to document and some of
these have been mentioned already.
The following list may provide staff with
ideas to consider which are
appropriate for their particular service.
Parent permission needs to be given
before taking or sharing images of the
children on film (still or video).
Documentation
strategies
• Written observations
• Anecdotal or diary reflections
• Sound recording
• Video recording
• Photographs
• Collection of children’s work and their
words about the work
• Sketches of children’s work
• Family contributions.
When these different strategies are
used, staff can then plan how to use
the information and how to share what
they have learned. Some ways that
have been used include:
• Children’s drawings or paintings
accompanied with their own words are
displayed for families, children and
staff to see and to comment on.
• Video recordings of events or
experiences in OSHC which children
and families can borrow. (It is a
requirement under the Federal Privacy
Act to seek the consent of parents or
guardians requiring any other intended
use or disclosure of such materials).
• Panels on display boards which show a
project from start to finish through
words and pictures.
• Scrapbooks which can tell a story
about the OSHC group or some special
events. These can become favourite
books to read or to share with the
group or to borrow and take home for
families to share.
• Photo albums which document events,
projects or the children in the group.
• Newsletters. Older children in
particular could help with the
preparation of a newsletter.
92 Shared visions for outside school hours care
6 | Planning and evaluating OSHC programs 93
Summary of the
key points
Unique features
The key characteristics of excellence in
OSHC must be understood as a basis
so that effective planning for the
program can take place. The following
section of this chapter brings together
the key concepts that underpin OSHC
programs.
There are number of characteristics of
OSHC services that affect planning.
Examples include:
• Children may come to the same
service for up to seven years, and so a
progression of experiences and
opportunities must be planned for.
“”
One way to formalise the evaluation of
the program and to ‘make the learning
visible’ to staff, children, families and
sometimes the wider community, is to
document what is happening in OSHC.
• Some children coming to the service
would rather be unsupervised and on
their own after school or during school
holidays. While children are wanting
independence and adventures that
involve some risks, especially 9–12year-olds, most parents are concerned
about safety and may in fact choose
OSHC as an alternative to children
being unsupervised and on their own.
Some older children may be aware of
this and may come to the service
somewhat resentfully.
Children
• Children feel secure, safe, known by
and cared for by adults and also feel
part of the group of children. One
advantage of OSHC is that it is
possible to have long-term continuity
of staff for the child, if the staff stay
employed in the same service. That
means a child and staff member may
be together for up to seven years,
which is a long time to get to know one
another and to feel a strong sense of
belonging.
• Attendance is varied in before and
after school care, in that children stay
quite different lengths of time on
different days, some children come
irregularly and a number of children
attend casually.
• As mentioned previously, in vacation
care the staff may not know the children
until they appear on the first day.
• Some children may view coming to
vacation care as an alternative to either
going on holiday or doing other special
activities with their family and
consequently may have very high
expectations of the vacation care.
In addition, a major fact mentioned in
Chapter 1 is that many services operate
in space that is not their own and that
is not available to them except during
the sessions. Storage may be limited
also. Lack of dedicated space means
limited ability to set up attractive, wellorganised environments and this limits
or precludes the possibilities for some
long-term projects.
• The child’s right to play and the value
of play are acknowledged in the way
the environment and the program are
structured and in the expectations
adults have about how children will
spend their time. Creative, self-directed
play is not viewed as wasted, ‘throwaway’ time, but rather the medium for
some of the richest and most powerful
learning experiences of childhood.
• The needs, strengths and interests of
individual children are given first
priority in the program. To the extent
possible, the program allows for
children to make choices based on
individual interests, needs,
developmental levels, strengths,
energy levels, and rhythms. There is a
minimum of regimentation and few
times when everyone is required to do
the same thing at the same time.
meaningful work and of the feeling of
making a contribution to the life of the
group.
Program planning
• Children are active collaborators in the
planning of the program. Children in
OSHC should be involved not only in
planning but also in ongoing
evaluation. They help to make and
enforce policies about acceptable
behaviour and are part of discussions
about what is going well and what is
not. This has the impact of making
them feel that they are effective
contributors to the group.
• Staff ensure that children have
opportunities to practise skills and to
revisit their ideas or work many times.
Program implementation
• Children are given independence to
pursue their own interests, while at the
same time staff ensure that they are
safe.
• The potential benefits as well as the
challenges and pitfalls that arise when
children of such a wide age range are
together are acknowledged, and
children are given opportunities to
work individually and in small groups.
• Collaborating with others, including
children older, younger and the same
age, as well as adults, is viewed as a
powerful way for the child to learn. It is
also a skill in itself that children should
be given the opportunity to learn.
• The community context in which the
service exists and the cultures of the
families and staff involved in the
service and others in the local
community are taken into account in
planning.
• Having fun in OSHC is a major priority
for both staff and children.
• The service, in every aspect of its
operation, embraces an inclusive
approach.
Program content
• Staff make every effort to enable the
pursuit of hobbies and allow for
children’s involvement in long-term
projects.
• Staff plan on the assumption that
children learn best when they are
interested and when experiences have
authenticity and meaning in their lives.
It is acknowledged that OSHC services
give wonderful opportunities for
learning in context, for helping children
acquire appreciation of the value of
Partnerships and links
• The OSHC program is not viewed as a
means of keeping children out of the
community. Rather opportunities are
sought to move out into the
community safely and to bring the
community into the service as a means
of enriching children’s lives.
• Serious efforts are made to know
about and exchange information with
teachers and parents. Staff take
seriously the notion that the child’s
experience in OSHC should
complement the experiences,
opportunities and relationships the
child has outside the service.
• Parents of children in the service are
welcomed partners in the service, and
are encouraged to share their
expectations of, concerns about,
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suggestions for and criticisms of the
service as well as their knowledge
about their child.
Staff
• OSHC staff think of themselves and
are thought of by others as
professionals, doing a complex, ethical
job and who therefore need support
and resources, professional
development activities and time to
reflect and plan.
• Staff view themselves as having a
multiplicity of roles:
- architect of the environment
- link between the school and OSHC
- link between the family and OSHC
- base for relationships that promote
feelings of safety and security on the
part of the child
- organiser of experiences for each
child
- promoter and supporter of the child’s
involvement
- facilitator of learning
- scaffolder of meaning
- model of appropriate and desirable
behaviour and ways of interacting.
94 Shared visions for outside school hours care
7 |The environment
Questions and reflections
In this chapter Spaces | Resources | The outdoor environment | Questions and reflections
1. Think about your own planning process (even if you don’t think you have one!). How do you
incorporate the views of parents, children or the sponsoring body?
?
2. Do you see advantages in writing down more as part of the planning, implementation and
evaluation of programs? If yes, what are these advantages?
3. What are the major obstacles to effective planning in your OSHC service?
4. In what ways does your program acknowledge diversity?
5. Do children in your service operate with strong gender stereotypes? If so, how can you and
other staff counter these?
6. Check and see if the words and work of the children are visible in your service. If the
children’s words are missing, how are you going to document them?
7. If you operate a single staff model are there any additional issues you may need to address
or alternative ways of addressing points raised in this chapter?
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96 Shared visions for outside school hours care
7 | The environment 97
Spaces
“”
The aim is to create an environment
that invites participation, engagement
and initiative, and supports
constructive relationships between
children and between children and
adults.
The physical environment in an OSHC
service consists of the indoor and
outdoor space and all the material
resources in the space, including
furniture, equipment and materials,
both permanent and consumables.
The National Standards contain a
number of specific requirements
related to space and equipment.
Every staff member in an OSHC
service should be familiar with these.
The physical environment is at the
heart of what matters in an OSHC
service, along with relationships; in
fact, they are the two most important
components of the quality of the
experience for everyone involved.
time and effort to plan the
environment carefully and offer the
very best that you can.
The environment relates closely to the
program you offer, the philosophy, your
understanding of the children you work
with and the picture you have of them.
It links, for example, to:
• how much trust you have in them
• the amount of responsibility you are
willing to give them
• the value you place on giving choices
and minimising times when everyone
is required to do the same thing at the
same time
The environment isn’t just a place in
which to hold the program and store
stuff; rather it underpins the
experience. It affects the quality of the
relationships and how staff spend both
their preparation and planning time
and their time with the children.
This means that separating out the
discussion of the environment from the
experiences offered for children is
artificial. Rather than thinking of the
program as happening in the
environment, the environment is the
program, to a large extent. This is a
view very much compatible with the
view of Reggio Emilia programs, where
the environment is referred to as
‘the third teacher’ (along with children
and adults).
The aim is to create an environment
that invites participation, engagement
and initiative, and supports
constructive relationships between
children and between children and
adults. Therefore it is really worth the
• the priority you place on creativity and
innovation
• children’s rights to contribute to
decisions about their experience.
The environment itself is a regulator of
behaviour – that is, it can support
desirable behaviour (for example,
cooperation, engagement, and
creativity) or undesirable behaviour
(conflict, boredom, and interfering with
each other, and aimless wandering).
It can contribute to children’s feelings
of helplessness and dependency,
or on the other hand, feelings of
competence, independence and
interdependence or collaboration.
An inadequate environment puts
great pressure on adults and nurtures
behaviour problems, as children
become bored and/or frustrated. Too
little space, too little to do, too much
change, too little variety, and too much
time ‘all in together’ in a large group
can lead to undesirable behaviour
which will require adult intervention.
Supervision is of course affected by
the environment. When there are
safety hazards the adult has to be
vigilant all the time. The more
interesting and engaging the
environment, the less need there is for
‘surveillance’, as children are more
likely to be content and engaged. An
excellent environment is more likely to
free the adult up to be watchful and
interested, and to have time to interact,
support, and comfort. The adult’s role if
the environment is rich, varied, and
welcoming is not to ‘run the show’, but
rather move around and provide help
and encouragement where needed. If
there’s nothing there except what you
put out or organise yourself then
enormous pressure is placed on you to
be an arbiter, decision maker, director
and controller. If much of what is on
offer for children requires an adult to
oversee and manage it, then that will
take up much of the adult’s time. When
services have only one staff member
the demands of creating an interesting
and appropriate environment are even
greater, but so are the rewards.
to access. Others have a collection of
spaces not adjoining one another,
which makes supervision of children
very difficult. Many don’t have easy
access to outdoors or to toilets. Some
have too little space, while others
operate in big cavernous barren
spaces with few interesting features.
Single staff services face particular
challenges if the service operates in a
space that has to be set up and
packed away. Planning, careful
organisation, and enlisting children’s
help can go some way to addressing
these challenges.
In all of these conditions, two key
principles apply:
• Children and staff have the right to a
safe, comfortable, healthy, interesting
and attractive environment in OSHC.
• One of the important roles of the
OSHC professional is architect of the
environment.
Providing an excellent environment
may present a major problem for many
OSHC services as some environments
may be less than ideal. There is great
variation in the physical environments
available to OSHC services, ranging
from excellent to minimal, from
dedicated space to space that has to
be set up and packed away each day,
from space designed to meet the
particular needs of OSHC services to
space designed for a totally different
purpose. Some have very attractive
equipment and materials in the space
they use, but which they aren’t allowed
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Although the space and what is in it
are closely connected, the contents of
the remainder of this section will be
divided into space and material
resources, followed by a brief look at
some key features of a good outdoor
environment.
Some important considerations about
the space are the following:
An adequate amount of
space
Crowding leads to children interfering
with each other and generally to
undesirable behaviour. Too little space
frustrates and discourages. This
applies both in terms of the overall
space in which the program is housed,
and space for particular types of
activities. For example, there is nothing
more frustrating than too much Lego
on a small table, or a wonderful set of
blocks and accompanying props and
no room to construct something large.
Safety
A fundamental concern of all staff is
keeping children safe. Equipment
needs to be in good repair and the
arrangement of space needs to allow
for adequate supervision.
Arrangement of space
Dividing up large open spaces into
smaller spaces presents a more
attractive environment and one that
encourages concentration and focus.
A big open space with all the ‘stuff’
around the edges against the walls is
not interesting and does not support
constructive engagement with
materials or with other people. Some
children (and adults as well!) have a
greater capacity to tune out
distractions than do others. A big open
space encourages big open space
behaviour: running around and flitting
from one thing to another.
98 Shared visions for outside school hours care
7 | The environment 99
Spaces continued
“”
OSHC settings need to be inviting,
much more like a home than a
classroom (which can be a challenge
if it takes place in a classroom). Room
temperature and lighting are also
important. Texture, colour (but not too
much – the children themselves
provide a lot of colour), and softness
are inviting to children of all ages.
Divisions can be created effectively by
the use of room dividers (which also
double as notice board and display
space), arrangement of furniture such
as shelves or, more basically, by simply
grouping pieces of equipment together.
In addition, carpet squares can serve to
designate an area for a specific
purpose or activity. Additional benefits
of organised space are a more
productive atmosphere, more
reasonable noise level, more frequent
pleasant encounters and interactions
between children and fewer unpleasant
ones, more appropriate use of materials
– in short, a more settled group.
Some of the areas that might be found
commonly in an OSHC service would
be the following:
• Listening to music area
• Book and quiet area
• Media/technology area
• Conversation area (somewhat
secluded)
• Cooking and food preparation area
• Open area for group conferences and
discussions, creative movement,
performances.
Staff should think about the pathways
or routes taken by children (to the
toilet, outdoors) and ensure that
materials and activities are not set up
in those pathways.
Accessibility and adequacy
of storage
Both are critical, especially where the
service does not operate in dedicated
space. Equipment and materials need
to be close at hand if the program is to
be responsive to children’s interests.
An additional consideration is provision
of space for safe storage of each
child’s personal belongings.
• Art and craft area
• Board games area
• Construction area (building sets and
accessories)
• Dress-ups and dramatic play area
• Homework area
Example: Some parents want their
children to complete homework at
after school care. While it is not
appropriate for staff to make children
do homework, they will encourage
children and support them to get it
done. One service had a donation
of a couple of restored old-fashioned
school desks. The rule was made by
staff and children that you could only
sit in the desk if you were doing
homework. The children responded to
this with an increased interest in
homework.
Home-like environment,
comfortable, welcoming
OSHC settings need to be inviting,
much more like a home than a
classroom (which can be a challenge if
it takes place in a classroom). Room
temperature and lighting are also
important. Texture, colour (but not too
much – the children themselves
provide a lot of colour), and softness
are inviting to children of all ages.
The space needs to include cosy
places, calming, soothing spaces and
places to relax.
Aesthetics
Environments where children spend a
considerable amount of time need to
be attractive. It is easy to become
totally function-oriented in OSHC and
to lose sight of the importance of
considerations of aesthetics, for
example, having objects of beauty,
such as flowers, plants and beautiful
fabric around. Care should be taken to
display children’s work in an attractive
respectful way, avoiding clutter and
confusion by displaying too much for
too long.
Reflective of the people
who come
Personal touches, photos, as well as
work done by or chosen by the
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children add personality to the space.
Decorations, material and equipment
should reflect the communities and the
cultures represented in the service.
Find ways for children to claim the
space as their own, even if is a space
that has to be packed away each day,
perhaps through a banner that they
have made, some photos on a room
divider, and the display of recent art
works done by the children.
Quiet ‘withdrawal’ space
Provision needs to be made for privacy,
for small groups, for relaxing, spaces for
conversations and places to
concentrate, as well as space set up to
do homework. There need to be spaces
where a child can be alone safely.
Noise levels
Staff should monitor noise levels, and
get children to assist. Unchecked, the
noise level can go up and up,
preventing concentration and causing
frustration for some children. Noise
level is reduced by appropriate floor
coverings, having soft things around,
and careful consideration of room
arrangement. Background music
should be used thoughtfully, with
attention to its contribution to the
noise level and atmosphere. Think
about what you want to achieve with
music, for example, calming people
down or exciting them.
100 Shared visions for outside school hours care
7 | The environment 101
The outdoor
environment
Resources
Resources include furniture,
equipment, and materials including
paper, paints, glue and markers.
• Furniture and equipment need to be
appropriate to the size of the children.
A range from adult size to small chairs
and tables is required. Remember that
children often prefer working and
playing on the floor, so provision must
be made to do that comfortably.
“”
Children need the freedom to be in an
unconfined space, especially after a
day at school – a chance to run, to
shout, to move freely after a
structured day.
• Place equipment and materials near
each other that are compatible or that
can be used together (for example,
quiet and noisy activities separated,
messy activities near the sink).
• Try to achieve a balance of
organisation and messiness. Either
extreme is not conducive to children’s
involvement. As children feel a sense
of belonging to the service, they can
be supported and encouraged to take
responsibility for looking after the
environment.
• Keep in mind the power of ‘junk’ or
found materials. Use contacts with
families and organisations in the
community to access materials. If it’s
safe, put it out and see what children
will do with it. Materials that lend
themselves to a variety of uses, often
called open-ended materials, allow
children to use their creativity and
imagination, and cater for a range of
interests and abilities.
Example: Many staff in OSHC services
cope with limited resources by being
very resourceful themselves. Scraps
and junk and off-cuts in the hands of
someone clever and creative become
the raw material for fantastic
sculptures and collage. Large
cardboard cartons become cubby
houses, caves, and puppet theatres.
One coordinator, lacking funds for
smocks, asked parents to donate old,
adult sized T-shirts. She was inundated
with very serviceable T-shirt smocks.
• Provide a lot of open-ended materials –
that is, materials that can be used in a
number of ways. These kinds of
materials encourage creativity and rich
play.
• Make materials accessible to children;
ensure that they can get what they
want easily. Display materials
respectfully. Bins and baskets are okay
for some things, but not for everything.
• It is important to have enough
materials and equipment available. It is
difficult sometimes to decide how
much is enough, and the best
judgment comes from the children’s
interests and behaviour.
• Rotate materials and equipment to
renew interest.
• There needs to be lots of materials
accessible for children to choose, but
that doesn’t mean everything has to be
out and available. There is a place for
‘special’ things that are taken out
occasionally and maybe used under
supervision.
• OSHC environments can provide some
familiarity for the children attending the
service, as well as exposing all of the
children to the richness that cultural
diversity can add. Donated materials
from home can be used in art or
dramatic play experiences. Quiet play
areas can include soft furnishings and
fabrics that reflect cultural diversity.
Bilingual books or magazines in
languages other than English can be
used in book corners. This can be
further extended by providing music in
a variety of languages. These materials
are often available in local libraries.
• Allow children to have a voice in how
the environment is set up.
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Much of what has been said above
about the indoor environment also
applies to the outdoor environment,
especially where the OSHC facility has
access to good quality outdoor space.
This provides the opportunity for
children to have a choice of being
inside or outside. In this situation the
outdoor space can be used not just for
sport and active games requiring large
open spaces, but also as a site for
many of the experiences and activities
that are usually thought of as inside
activities. For example, staff and
children could set up a comfortable
space for reading books outside using
bean bags and a rug under a tree or
shadecloth area.
Services that operate in schools usually
have access to significant resources in
the school such as ovals, ball courts,
gymnasiums and other areas for
particular types of activities. While
some services have an outdoor space
that may be limited in size and scope, it
is possible to plan effectively for these
limited areas. When services have
limited outdoor spaces, staff could also
plan opportunities to go to parks or
other nearby suitable places for outdoor
activities. Of course, they need to keep
in mind that when they go outside the
premises they are funded to operate in,
it is seen as an excursion.
Children need the freedom to be in an
unconfined space, especially after a
day at school – a chance to run, to
shout, to move freely after a structured
day. This means that whatever the
outdoor space is like, or when the
weather is unsuitable to be outdoors,
some active play needs to be offered
indoors for the children.
Supervision in outdoor
environments
Outdoor environments require special
consideration for supervision, partly
because of the types of activities the
children may be engaging in and also
because the area is often larger and
more complex in its arrangement than
indoor environments. A good beginning
for thinking about outdoor supervision
is for staff to carefully observe the
entire layout and the placement of
fixed equipment and also how the
children actually use the spaces and
equipment, especially equipment such
as climbing frames and swings. These
careful observations should help staff
to identify any ‘problem’ spots, for
example, areas that are difficult to
observe because they are behind a
fixture or any potential problem
behaviours such as inappropriate risktaking on the gym equipment. The
children could also be asked about any
issues or problems that they have
experienced in the outdoor
environment.
Key supervision strategies for the
indoors apply as well outdoors. These
include:
• Staff positioning themselves for
maximum visual observation of the
children at all times. This means
thinking carefully about where you will
stand, sit or play with the children so
that you can see not just the group you
are working with but the other children
who are outdoors.
• Regularly visually scanning the entire
area that you are allocated to
supervise is another practical way to
ensure that you are aware of where the
102 Shared visions for outside school hours care
7 | The environment 103
The outdoor
environment continued
children are and what they are doing.
Scanning in this way also lets the
children know that you are aware of
their activity and interactions with
other children. This helps children feel
more secure. These regular visual
supervision checks can help staff to
intervene before a child’s behaviour
gets too disruptive or is dangerous to
their or other children’s safety.
“”
All children in OSHC have a right to
spend some of their time in active
play as part of their physical
development needs. Encouraging
children to be active in sports or
games is important for a healthy
lifestyle and can help children to
develop teamwork skills and social
competence.
• Allocating particular activities or
spaces to individual staff members is a
helpful strategy in larger outdoor
environments. These allocations could
be written into the daily planning sheet
so that it is clear to the staff team who
is responsible for a particular area or
activity. In one large service, the staff
use walkie talkies to keep in verbal
communication while they are
supervising children in a number of
different areas around the school both
indoors and outdoors.
• If supervision is difficult for outdoors
because of staff numbers, or the
access to the outdoor environment
that is available, staff may decide to
divide the program into indoor and
outdoor times so that children and
staff are either all indoors or all
outdoors. This type of planning is
necessary in single staff models.
Dividing the time like this can be done
flexibly. For example, in the winter
months the outdoor time might be
offered when the children arrive so
that the children aren’t outside as it
gets colder and darker, and in the
warmer months the outdoors time
could be for a longer period of time.
• In some services where there are
both indoor and outdoor activities
happening at the same time, the
children use a whiteboard to write
their names down when they go
outside to play or to go to the toilets.
Older children can help the younger
children with this task. Encouraging
the children to take this type of
responsibility is a good idea because it
makes them more aware of the fact
that their safety is important to the
staff. It also means that the staff who
are inside know who is outside and
parents can also see where their child
is when they arrive for pick-up.
• Another supervision strategy is to
work with the children to determine
the boundaries which will be used
when the children are outdoors.
For example, there might need to
be a rule that the children will not
play beyond a certain point or that
only the older children can play in a
particular area or on particular
equipment. Rules for outdoors could
also include where children can run,
what equipment can be taken outside
and how this equipment must be cared
for. When the service operates in a
school, it is likely that the children will
be familiar with boundaries such as
these. OSHC staff could check with
the school staff about these rules
which may need to be incorporated
or adapted for OSHC.
important that staff plan for a balance
between collaborative and competitive
games.
Outdoor activities
The focus for most of the planning for
outdoor activities is usually on active
play. There have been suggestions
mentioned in previous sections of this
resource that are useful for staff when
planning for the outdoors. The
developmental profiles in Chapter 4, for
example, provide important information
and ideas about planning for different
age groups and their characteristic
interests, strengths, skills and needs.
Mixed age groups, for example, are
suitable for some active play
experiences such as dancing or sand
play, while other activities such as
football or netball are probably best
organised in age groupings.
Chapter 4 also highlights the need for
staff to consider community contexts
when planning. For example, some of
the children in the OSHC program
might be members of community
sports clubs and have highly
developed skills in particular sports
which they could share with other
children. In some OSHC services, the
children can attend sports clinics or
have instruction such as tennis lessons
which are paid for by the parents as an
additional fee. Such an arrangement
can suit busy parents who would like
their children to have extra-curricular
sport participation but do not have the
time to arrange these activities.
Regular active activities for indoor and
outdoors might include the following
range of ideas:
• seasonal sports such as tennis, cricket,
football or netball
• games for small or large groups (for
example, chasey or tag games)
• ball games such as tunnel ball, target
ball or volley ball
• play on fixed equipment (swings,
climbing frames)
• sand or water play
• dancing such as bush dancing (indoors
or outdoors)
• hopscotch
• skipping games
• marbles
• athletics such as running or relay races
• aerobics (indoor or outdoor)
• gymnasium activities using equipment
such as trampolines, tumbling mats, or
vaulting horses (these activities require
very close adult supervision)
Some vacation care programs focus
on sports activities, especially for the
older children. These might include
activities such as excursions to the
local swimming pool, a ten pin bowling
alley or coaching clinics for specific
sports. Whatever the program, it is
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There are many ‘physical education’ or
games resource books which are
available in schools, the local library or
through an OSHC resource agency.
These resources can provide staff with
a wide range of ideas for appropriate
games for active play. (See, for
example, Whitaker, D. (1996) Games,
Games, Games: Creating Hundreds of
Group Games and Sports. Nashville:
School-Age Notes.)
All children in OSHC have a right to
spend some of their time in active play
as part of their physical development
needs. Encouraging children to be
active in sports or games is important
for a healthy lifestyle and can help
children to develop teamwork skills
and social competence. Staff in OSHC
can act as role models for the children
in showing enjoyment and
participating with them in these active
pursuits. Many of the practical ideas
listed above can be adapted to smaller
spaces and for different age groups or
where resources are limited. The
school or local community and the
families might also be able to provide
resources for sport. For example, one
OSHC service in a country town was
given footballs by their local football
club and some coaching time by local
members of the football team.
104 Shared visions for outside school hours care
8 |Putting it all together –
a look at a program
In this chapter Reflections about this ‘day’ | Comments about planning notes | After School
Program – A-One Primary School | Questions and reflections
Questions and reflections
1. How essential is dedicated space for the operation of an OSHC service of high quality?
?
2. Critique your own indoor and outdoor environments. What obstacles to high quality exist
within them? How can some of these be overcome?
3. What rules exist in your program about use of equipment and materials? Have children had
input into these? Have they been reviewed recently?
4. To what extent is the environment a ‘third teacher’ in your program? Can you enhance that?
5. In what ways does your environment support positive interactions between children?
6. What ‘found’ or junk materials do you have access to that might be interesting and useful for
children in your program? What might parents have access to that would enrich your program?
7. If you operate a single staff model are there any additional issues you may need to address
or alternative ways of addressing points raised in this chapter?
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106 Shared visions for outside school hours care
“”
Naomi and Mark plan on a monthly
basis, and each week do an evaluation
of the week and update their plans for
the following week. They base their
plans on what they know has worked
well in the past, and what they learn
about the children from watching and
listening to them and on what the
children have suggested they would
like to do.
8 | Putting it all together – a look at a program 107
Offering you a glimpse of a program
in action may assist you to see
what is meant by some of the main
points of this publication. What
follows is an edited glimpse,
highlighting what relates closely to
the main thrust of this publication.
It is difficult to decide what sort of
program to construct with words. The
majority of services operate in space
that is not their own, space that is used
when the OSHC service is not in
session for other purposes and by
other people, and this is a substantial
constraint on the quality of the
program. However, primarily because
of the emphasis on relationships as the
major determinant of the quality of the
program, the hypothetical program
depicted below operates in a school’s
multi-purpose room, where the two
staff, the coordinator Naomi and her
assistant Mark have an easily
accessible storage room and access to
a small kitchen and they are able to
use the library and the gymnasium.
They believe that they have a good
relationship with the school, for
example their photos are displayed in
the foyer along with the rest of the
school staff and the deputy principal is
very interested in the operation of the
service and tries to meet the staff’s
requests for equipment and materials.
Naomi meets with the deputy principal
on a regular basis.
The service caters for a total of
approximately 35 children, most of
them full time, and the attendance
ranges from 30–35. The community in
which the service is located has a
number of families from South-East
Asia, and the children enrolled in
OSHC reflect this mix. Most of the
children are 5–9 years of age, but on
most days there are usually around six
to10 older children attending.
Naomi and Mark plan on a monthly
basis, and each week do an evaluation
of the week and update their plans for
the following week. They base their
plans on what they know has worked
well in the past, what they learn about
the children from watching and
listening to them and on what the
children have suggested they would
like to do. Each week, on Friday, a
focus of the group meeting with the
children is comments about the week
and suggestions for improvement.
Naomi and Mark take these
suggestions seriously and, when they
cannot accommodate them, they
explain why to the children. Once a
quarter they send a brief evaluation
form to the parents, asking them what
they think about the program and
reminding them that their questions,
suggestions and concerns are
welcomed. As with the children, when
they cannot accommodate parents’
requests, they explain why to the
parents in a non-defensive way. They
also update, alter, add and subtract as
they go along. In other words, they
evaluate their work continuously.
Naomi and Mark have access to the
room for the last period of the school
day. They bring out some dividers and
section the room, creating a quiet area
for reading, a homework area and a
craft area, and they put out some new
board games on tables. Mark has
brought in some daffodils from his
garden and these are placed on one of
the shelves.
Naomi and Mark make a point of
greeting each child as he or she
arrives. Justin bowls in as usual, full of
energy, shouting ‘Guess what, guess
what! I lost a tooth today. See the big
hole.’ Naomi examines the space
where the tooth used to be. ‘That’s
exciting, Justin. I guess the tooth fairy
will come to your house tonight.’ Mah
Ling comes in quietly and puts her bag
away. She immediately goes over to
the book area and takes down her
current favourite. Mark notices that she
has a new haircut. He approaches her
and admires it, asking where she had it
cut. As the children come in they move
to favourite activities, the older ones
congregating on the bean bags and
cushions to go over the day’s events.
Several of the children go over to the
table and take one of the new games
out of the box. They read the
instructions and discuss what they
mean. Eventually they work out how to
play the game. There is a mix of older
and younger children, but they team
up, an older one with a younger one.
In the craft area, Naomi is reminding
the children that the school is having a
fete in two weeks time and that the
children had decided to make a display
that will let people know how exciting
the OSHC service is. There is much
animated discussion and eventually
they agree that they will design and
make a three dimensional mural, in the
children’s words, ‘a humungous
collage,’ that shows all the best things
that might happen in the service during
a week. Preparing their special spring
rolls is immediately agreed on as
something to be featured, and
eventually they agree that basketball,
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group time, art projects and tending
the garden they have planted are what
they like best right now. They make a
list of the supplies they will need and
agree to each bring at least three small
boxes from home. They give the list to
Mark, who promises to get the supplies
the next day. One child, who is very
musical, suggests that to accompany
the mural they should make a tape of
their own music and he offers to take
responsibility for this. The other
children seem to think this is a good
idea. All these plans are documented
by the children with Naomi’s help.
Naomi also uses her camera to take
photos of the children as they plan
their project.
The day being described is
Wednesday, and it is the third week of
the planning cycle. Last week it was
noted that several of the younger
children were unsettled when they
arrived. It seemed to take them a long
time to settle down to an activity.
Naomi and Mark discussed this and
decided to offer a small simple snack
upon arrival, just some fruit, dips and
dry biscuits or pita bread. The main
snack, usually something the children
prepared the day before, would be
served around 4 p.m. This flexibility to
eat or let off steam seems to work well,
as it gives the children a choice about
how to start the session. The staff have
noticed that the younger children seem
much more settled this week.
Naomi notices two children arguing at
the edge of the room. She moves
closer and listens. The dispute is over
the use of a special yo-yo that Alice
has brought. Jack is threatening to
withdraw his invitation to her to come
to his birthday party unless she hands
over the yo-yo. Alice stands firm. Jack
is getting more and more distressed.
Naomi intervenes and reminds Alice
that the group had made a rule that
things that are brought from home to
OSHC must be shared or handed over
to the staff and taken home at the end
of the session. Alice reluctantly
decides to hand over the yo-yo rather
than give Jack a turn.
Naomi observes Joshua, aged 11, who
likes to complete his homework at
OSHC. Joshua is a very conscientious
child who takes his work very seriously
and sets high standards for himself. On
Monday he had been quite upset over
108 Shared visions for outside school hours care
8 | Putting it all together – a look at a program 109
large group. Mark reminds the children
that as of next week the policy is no
hat, no playing outside. He also makes
a mental note to ask the school if there
are spare hats available that the OSHC
children could use.
“”
Naomi asks whose turn it is to take
responsibility for organising the
afternoon tea and three children
respond. They go into the kitchen area
and place the muffins made by some
of the group yesterday on a tray, pour
juice into jugs and take these out with
cups to the table. They remind the
children that each person takes only
one muffin. The children help
themselves, then sit at tables for
afternoon tea, and easy conversation
continues. Naomi puts on a tape of
traditional Vietnamese music that one
of the children brought in and this
provides soft background music.
After the children have been there
about half an hour, Naomi and Mark
go around to them and remind them
that the group meeting will happen in
about five minutes. They try to do this
‘rounding up’ quietly rather than yell
across the room which does work but
seems to create the wrong
atmosphere.
his maths’ homework assignment
which he said he didn’t understand at
all. Naomi had a word on Tuesday with
his teacher, Ms Batison, about his
distress. Naomi approached Joshua,
saying ‘How’s the maths going Josh?’
‘No worries, Naomi, Ms Batison went
over it again and I now I know exactly
what I have to do.’
activities and experiences.
After the children have been there
about half an hour, Naomi and Mark go
around to them and remind them that
the group meeting will happen in about
five minutes. They try to do this
‘rounding up’ quietly rather than yell
across the room which does work but
seems to create the wrong
atmosphere. They have let this first
segment of the day go on a bit longer
than usual, as the children seem
settled and very much into the
In the meeting, Naomi asks the
children who were planning the display
for the fete to share their plans with the
others. Then Kwan interrupts to say
that he has some news. Naomi
reminds him that they all decided last
week that news was taking up a lot of
time and that they would drop it for a
fortnight and then discuss whether or
not to include it again. Kwan says
persuasively, ‘But it’s very special
news.’ Naomi says, ‘Well in that case,
let’s hear it.’ Kwan then shows the
group his new hat which he got as a
prize at a promotion for a local takeaway shop. Mark and Naomi glance at
each other as if to say, ‘Special is in the
eye of the beholder.’ Actually they are
both pleased, as Kwan is very quiet
and shy and seldom speaks in the
When afternoon tea is finished, Mark
invites those who would prefer to stay
inside to help him prepare the sausage
rolls for tomorrow’s afternoon tea or
continue other indoor activities. He
reminds Celeste and Chang about the
puppet theatre they started working on
yesterday with fabric, tape and grocery
cartons. Those who want to can go
outside with Naomi and Steve, the work
experience student, to play basketball,
two square and skipping rope. About
half the children choose to stay inside.
When the group reconvenes inside,
Naomi invites the children to draw a
picture or write a note on a large card
for George, the school cleaner, who is
in hospital having surgery. She
discusses with the children what a
good job he does and how he never
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complains about the mess. A number
of children choose to take part.
Naomi has put out a large floor jigsaw
puzzle, which the children have only
had two or three times before. Older
and younger children have a go putting
pieces in. It is a difficult puzzle and just
before everyone loses interest and
walks away, Mark comes over and
offers to put in a crucial piece. ‘I can
remember,’ he says, ‘because I have
seen it finished before. Try hard to
memorise where the pieces go when
you are working on it, and soon it will
be easy as pie for you too.’ David
persists in trying to put a piece with a
smooth edge into the middle. Bronwyn,
an older child, says to him, ‘Don’t you
see that side has a straight edge?’
David looks confused, so she shows
him the side she means, how it is
different from other sides and how only
some pieces are like that. ‘That means
it has to go on the outside,’ she tells
him. ‘Try it here.’ David places the
piece where she suggests and it fits.
He then looks at the other pieces
intently and picks up another with a
straight edge. He announces proudly,
‘I’ve found another edge piece.’ Mark
notices this interaction and says
quietly to Bronwyn, ‘Bronwyn, thanks
for helping David. You’re a good
teacher’.
It is almost time for parents to arrive.
Naomi looks around. She notices that
at this time, fairly late in the afternoon,
more children gravitate to the book
corner and she makes a note in her
work diary to get more books from the
local library. She also thinks that she
and Mark should discuss with the
children how to rearrange the room to
give more room there, as the children
are putting their feet on other children
because there is not enough space to
spread out.
Ali’s mum is the first to arrive. Ali is just
helping to take the sausage rolls out of
the oven. Her mother is in a hurry and
does not heed Ali’s pleas that she wait
just five minutes while she helps put
the sausage rolls on the rack to cool.
Mark notes this and says to Ali, ‘You go
with Mum now. She needs to go now
and I promise you that tomorrow you
can help me cut up some fruit for
afternoon tea when you get here.’ Ali
seems to think this is a fair trade and
she collects her bag. Her mother looks
grateful.
When all the children have gone, and
Mark and Naomi are packing things
away, Naomi says to Mark that she
thinks that one of the board games is
too complicated and that they should
only put it out when one of them can
sit with the children to play it or they
find a child who knows how to play it
well. Mark mentions that Jason is
totally focused on Sam as his only
friend for the whole time. He does not
play with anyone else and seems to
defer to Sam for all decisions. Mark
and Naomi agree that over the next
few weeks they will actively encourage
Jason to spend time with other children
so that he can learn that he can have
fun with someone other than Sam.
Normally they would support such a
close friendship, but Sam is moving
interstate in two weeks time and they
would like Jason to have another friend
he can play with.
110 Shared visions for outside school hours care
8 | Putting it all together – a look at a program 111
Reflections about
this ‘day’
Comments about
planning notes
5. They offer choices where possible.
1. It is significant that Naomi and Mark
are thinking all the time about how
things are going, about what they can
do to improve the program. There is an
atmosphere of reflection and
evaluation with the aim of continuous
improvement.
“”
There is not a best or most highly
recommended planning format and
there is considerable value in each
staff team devising their own
‘customised’ form.
6. They see themselves as assisting
parents with their child rearing.
7. They involve the children in planning
and evaluating the program.
8. They have, as a priority, forged a
sense of group among the children
where each is valued and respected by
other members of the group.
2. The notion of what is worth
reflecting on is inclusive. That is, they
take note of routine activities and are
always looking at the dynamics
between children. Are children actively
engaged? Is anyone being excluded?
Are children feeling confident,
comfortable and secure?
9. They place a priority on making links
with the school and utilising
community services such as the local
library.
3. They give priority to interactions and
communication as a means of helping
children to feel valued, secure and as a
means of helping children to learn in
collaboration with others.
10. Most importantly, they
demonstrate pleasure in working with
the children, respect and liking for the
children and having positive
relationships with children and families
and the broader school community.
4. They have a plan and are prepared,
but they vary the plan according to the
children’s expressed interests and
needs. They document events as part
of the planning process.
Having read this publication and the
description of a day in OSHC, readers
may be wondering about how such a
program might be written up. You may
be thinking that a planning format that
encompasses all that has been
suggested as necessary elements of
quality must be enormously
complicated and require copious
amounts of thinking and writing things
down.
There is not a best or most highly
recommended planning format and
there is considerable value in each
staff team devising their own
‘customised’ form. However, what
follows is one way that reflects the
ideas set out in this publication about
planning. Many accomplished OSHC
professionals engage in a thinking
process similar to this one. Writing it
down instead of ‘keeping it inside your
head’ ensures that important items are
remembered and also that thoughts,
concerns and ideas are conveyed to
other staff members. What follows at
the end of this chapter are the written
notes for the week in which the day
just described (Wednesday) occurs.
A blank copy of the program planning
format is included as Appendix B. A
communication poster and templates
on the CD-ROM are included in the
Shared visions for outside school hours
care resource kit.
Staff need to have a plan of the
program displayed for families and
children, and keep a different one for
their own use. This is necessary
because the nature of the notes and
reminders that the staff are making
means that they should be
confidential.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
What is significant about planning
notes and in what ways do they reflect
the emphasis of this publication? The
answers to this question can be
divided into two categories, the set-up
of the form itself and the content of the
notes contained on the form.
Contents of Naomi and
Mark’s notes
Form design
There are blank sections on the plan,
which may or may not be filled in as
the week progresses. Planning does
not require putting something in every
box for every day.
The form encourages Naomi and Mark
to think about and plan for not only
activities, but also the routine
experiences and the environment.
The form itself serves as a reminder to
think about all aspects of the program,
including the total experiences for the
staff and children from arrival to
departure.
The form is large enough to invite
‘scribbles’ and notes on the run to be
written as thoughts occur. Naomi and
Mark find that this helps them to
remember.
The form serves as a basis for both
reflection about the past plans and
planning for the future.
The form acts as a task organiser or
staff delegation roster and reminder.
Thinking about who will be responsible
for what is a critical component of
running a well-organised program.
Planning and evaluation are
continuous. A plan is a ‘best guess’
and the program is always work in
progress. Naomi and Mark revise as
they go.
The assumption behind what is written
is that certain experiences and
materials will generally be offered each
day or week, and so these don’t have
to be written in detail for each day or
week. For example, the children always
have access to writing and craft
materials, board games, books and
dress-ups. Naomi would make an entry
about those only if there was a change
or addition to the offerings. In other
words, the details relate to what is
new, what is to be altered, and to plans
for individual children or staff
movements and actions.
Naomi and Mark do not write lengthy
observations or highly detailed
program notes. Brief snippets are
recorded as reminders.
Planning reflects an inclusive
approach. Children with additional
needs are not singled out and plans for
them are included in a natural,
inclusive way.
112 Shared visions for outside school hours care
8 | Putting it all together – a look at a program 113
After School Program – A-One Primary School
Staff: Naomi, Mark
Student: Steve – Work Experience Year 11
Experiences
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Routines
Staff allocation
Monday
Arrival:
3.30
Snack:
4.00
General meeting:
Pack up/late snack:
Follow-up
• Collect surveys
• Offer early snack for
prep and grade 1 children.
• Fruit platter and rolls –
mixed fillings.
• Welcome to the week
5.30–6.00
• Speak to Mrs B.
• Early snack
• Fruit. Antipasto
platter, bread/crackers
Speak to Uri’ ,s Dad about
offcuts.
• Muffins, fruit salad in
cups
• Share fete ideas.
• aMake
surepackLegoup.is
shared
• Sausage rolls, dips,
crackers and pita
• Most surveys back. Remind others.
• Grade 4 have project and Joshua seems
• Fruit platter and cheese confused. Speak to Mrs B about this.
board
• Imagination – the younger troops seem
• Review the week
more settled after the early snack.
• Review rules about
things from home
Indoor Regular
Book area
Tuesday
• Basketball books added.
Quiet space
Art/craft
Construction/games
Creative play
• Spend time in book area
• T he early snack is definitely working!
Keep it going.
• Celeste and Change very busy and
productive making a puppet theatre –
need to encourage and take a photograph.
Write down their comments about this
project.
• Math homework project
for grade 4
• Free choice from trolley
• Lego – add small people • Encourage Kwan to join
and felt pieces
Lego
• Put puppets out
• Mention fete and start
discussion.
• Large floor puzzle
(Naomi)
Indoor Special
• New board games
• Get well card for George (Naomi)
• Charcoal drawing
• Cooking (Mark)
Wednesday
• New board games
• Get well card
• Sausage rolls
• Charcoal introduced
• Meatballs (freeze)
Outdoor Regular
Playground equipment
Sports/games
Sandpit
Thursday
• Remind older children
about rules when on the
high bars
• Free choice
• Free choice from two • Not available today –
baskets of equipment for wet! wet! wet!
sand
• Include Jay and T han in
obstacle course around
equipment
• Gather a group to give
all the gear a good wash
and tidy up baskets
Friday
Outdoor Special
• Basketball clinics with Steve
• Skipping ropes – individual and groups
(Naomi)
• Problems with the board games – children
need adult support. Just put out one
tomorrow and Friday?
• Work on strategies to help Jason find
another friend.
• Steve has a basketball video he can bring in
for Friday – NBL Fever!
• Move to gym – too wet
for outside clinic
• N/A
• Ask older children to
organise group skipping
• Basketball match
(video?)
• Indiv. or group skipping
Materials/Resources
Environment
Group meetings
• Find 2 new background music tapes for snack (Mon and T hurs). Bushscapes? Ask Mai for the Vietnamese tape she brought ages ago.
• Borrow extra ropes from school.
• Ask DP about borrowing or buying another room divider
and spare hats (Naomi)
• Flowers for decorating shelves around quiet area
• Pin up the poster George brought from home
• Surveys – remind children to bring back
• Fete – share ideas for our stall. Make decisions – what, how and who
• Talk to children about George and our get well card
• Review on Friday
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
114 Shared visions for outside school hours care
9 |Conclusion
Questions and reflections
1. Did some incidents and interactions in the description of a session sound familiar to you?
?
2. Study the program planning format. Are you surprised? Does it seem more complicated or
less complicated than you thought it would be?
3. Think about what is happening in your service this week. Could you fit all that into the format
provided? What additional things would you need to consider?
4. Compare your current planning format with Mark and Naomi’s one. How are they similar or
different? What would you add to the design now that you have compared two formats?
5. What would parents and children want to know about the program each day?
6. If you work in a vacation care service, what are the key elements that need to be recorded
every day for staff and for children and families?
7. If you operate a single staff model are there any additional issues you may need to address
or alternative ways of addressing points raised in this chapter?
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
116 Shared visions for outside school hours care
“”
Relationships are the key – the key to
providing an excellent experience for
all children, the key to supporting
parents and families, the key to
nurturing a vibrant, positive and
constructive work environment, the
key to ensuring that each OSHC
service is strongly connected to the
services in the community that
support families and children.
9 | Conclusion 117
• A national quality assurance system is
being implemented.
A draft of the original version of this
publication, written in 1996 and 1997,
asserted that high-quality OSHC is
possible only when staff see
themselves as professionals doing a
complex and important job. Equally
essential is that families, sponsoring
organisations and others in the
community see OSHC as a
professional service. This view of
OSHC leads to recognition that
support, resources, ongoing
professional development activities
and time to reflect and plan are
essential. Visits to a number of OSHC
services throughout the state provided
evidence that there are many
committed staff members working in a
highly professional way and offering a
service of high quality, sometimes in
challenging circumstances.
All of these mean that the
professionalism and commitment of
people working in the sector is being
validated in more tangible ways than in
the past, and most importantly, there is
greater momentum towards continuing
improvement in the quality of the
services being offered.
OSHC has come a long way since the
project took place that led to the
original version of this publication.
It is more commonly viewed within
and outside the sector as a type of
service provision that is critical to
communities, to families, and to
children. There is still some way to go,
however, especially in ensuring that
those people and organisations that
have a stake in OSHC appreciate its
complexity and share a vision of what it
can be.
However, much progress has occurred.
Some examples of exciting positive
initiatives include the following:
• Courses leading to recognised
qualifications to work in OSHC are
available
• Professional development is more
accessible to workers in the sector
Particularly noticeable in visiting
services was the impact of the
relationship with the sponsoring body,
especially when that sponsor was a
school. Because of the resources, the
fact that the service operates in the
same premises, and the fact that many
of the children attend both the school
and the OSHC, the power of the
relationships and the possibilities that
a strong relationship provides are
greater when the sponsor is a school.
Lessons can be learned about the
importance of strong relationships in
general by looking at what can happen
when the sponsor is a school.
Community, competence, collaboration,
connections, co-learners, and the
importance of context were highlighted
in Chapter 2 as main themes of this
publication. They apply at the level of
overall service provision and include
staff, families and children. Keeping
these concepts at the forefront, OSHC
will continue to develop as it offers a
valuable and significant contribution to
the childhoods of many Victorian
children.
In concluding this publication and
following on from the example given
previously, three of those six C’s that
are related closely form the major
means of OSHC moving forward in the
early 21st century. They are
community, collaboration, and
connections. Everyone will benefit
when OSHC services:
• are strongly connected, linked in with
other organisations in the community
• have a dynamic relationship with their
sponsoring body
• establish relationships with individual
professionals, organisations and
businesses in the local community to
increase their appreciation of the
important role OSHC plays, the
complexity of running a good service,
and how they can assist and support
their local OSHC services
• embrace their place in the youth
recreation, children’s services, early
childhood care and education, and
school sectors, acknowledging both
commonalities and ways that an OSHC
service is different.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
OSHC is different to school, to
recreation programs, and to early
childhood services, but has much in
common with each of these. This
commonality has been increasingly
recognised, and the result is that
OSHC and other services have been
strengthened as a result. This bridge
building must continue and strengthen.
Those people, particularly staff, who
want to improve the quality, status
and appreciation of OSHC must form
strong networks to support one
another and advocate powerfully for
OSHC. That is not enough however;
they must also move beyond OSHC
and participate in broader forums
focusing on the wellbeing of children
and families so that understanding and
appreciation of OSHC among other
professionals and organisations, as
well as the broader community, is
increased.
Relationships are the key – the key to
providing an excellent experience for
all children, the key to supporting
parents and families, the key to
nurturing a vibrant, positive and
constructive work environment, the key
to ensuring that each OSHC service is
strongly connected to the services in
the community that support families
and children.
Of course, in pursuing relationships
at all levels it is important to keep the
focus on the support that an OSHC
service of high quality can provide to a
family in its child rearing capacity and
most importantly, the contribution it
can make to the quality of childhood
for many Victorian children.
118 Shared visions for outside school hours care
Appendix A 119
Appendix A
Selected recommended resources
The resources listed represent only a
sample of resource materials available
and organisations that can assist
OSHC. Comments have been included
to indicate particular points about
certain resources, and some have
been listed more than once where it
was felt that this was helpful.
In regional areas, OSHC networks
might find that they need to draw up a
list of organisations and individuals that
are potential resources available in
their particular geographic area.
Resource and Advice Agencies
Community Child Care Association
Ground Level, 48 High Street,
Northcote, Victoria, 3070
Phone: (03) 9486 3455
Fax: (03) 9486 3271
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.cccinc.org.au
• Community Child Care is an independent
non-profit association which operates as a
training, resource, advisory and advocacy
body for children’s services in Victoria. CCC is
also the in-service training provider and
provides training for OSHC. CCC has also
produced various publications associated with
OSHC. CCC supports all ‘approved’ OSHC in
all aspects of the service.
FKA Children’s Centre (Incorporating
Multicultural Resource Centre)
1st Floor, 9–11 Stewart Street
Richmond, Victoria, 3121
Phone: (03) 9428 4471
Fax: (03) 9429 9252
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.fka.com.au
• FKA provides consultancy support, resources
and training for staff working in OSHC in
regard to the provision of programs that
support cultural and linguistic diversity.
Playworks Resource Unit for
Children with Disabilities in
Child Care
590 Orrong Road
Armadale, Victoria, 3143
Phone: (03) 9500 8133
Fax: (03) 9500 8966
TTY: (03) 9500 8433
Email: [email protected]
Website: home.vicnet.net.au/~playwork
• Playworks Resource Unit’s primary focus is to
resource and support children’s services staff
to assist with the ongoing development and
provision of quality programs that respect,
reflect and respond to the needs of all
children and families in their local community.
Victorian Aboriginal Education
Association Inc.
49 Brunswick Street
Fitzroy, Victoria, 3065
Phone: (03) 9416 3833
Fax: (03) 9416 3255
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.vaeai.org.au
• The major aim is to develop and provide
processes for the involvement of Victorian
Koorie community members in decisionmaking regarding education and training
provision for Koorie students. This goal is the
core of the organisations’ principles of
community empowerment.
VAEAI provides an advocate role for the
Victorian Koorie community and provides
representation in relation to all education and
training policy, strategy and program
development at the local, state and national
levels. It promotes the provision of education
and training which is culturally relevant,
reinforces cultural identity and provides
supportive learning environments for Koorie
people. VAEAI also supports the provision of
education to the wider community which
increases awareness of Koorie culture,
communities and aspirations.
Victorian Co-operative on Children’s
Services for Ethnic Groups (VICSEG)
11 Munro Street
Coburg, Victoria, 3058
Phone: (03) 9383 2533
Fax: (03) 9383 2711
Email: [email protected]
• VICSEG is a cooperative of ethnic community
organisations with a direct interest in services
for children. It promotes understanding and
links between services and recently settled
migrant and refugee families.
For this purpose it employs resource workers
from Afghan, Assyrian/Chaldean, Iraqi,
Mainland Chinese, Somali and South
Sudanese backgrounds. These workers are
available to provide family and children’s
services with advice, cultural training,
community outreach and community
education with regard to families from these
backgrounds.
Activities and experiences
in OSHC services
Bender, J., Flatter, C.H., and Sorrentino,
J.M., 2000, Half a Childhood (2nd edn)
School-Age Notes, Nashville TN.
Bergstrom, J., 1984, Afternoons,
Weekends, Vacations, Schools Out Now
What? Creative Choices for Your Child,
Ten Speed Press, California.
Blackwell, L., 1995, Drawing on
Resources. Resources and Activities for
School Age Children in Family Day
Care, Skills Training Centre for
Children’s Services, Adelaide.
Blakley, L., Blaw, R., Brady, E., Streibert,
C., Zavitkovsky, A. and Zavitkovsky, D,.
1989, Activities for School-Age Child
Care, (revised edn), National
Association for the Education of Young
Children, Washington, DC.
Drummond, P and Hurst, B., 2003,
‘Oral literacy in outside school hours
services – beyond storytelling’,
Resource, FKA Children’s Services
Newsletter, No 117.
Harrison, J., 1995, Towards Responsive
Relationships. Understanding Children
(2nd edn), ACER, Hawthorn, Victoria.
• This is a general text on developing
responsive relationships with children.
Haas-Foletta and Cogley, M., 1990,
School-Age Ideas and Activities,
School-Age Notes, Nashville, TN.
Miller, L.G. and Gibbs, M. J., 2002,
Making Toys for School-Age Children:
Using Ordinary Stuff for Extraordinary
Play, Gryphon House, Beltsville,
Maryland.
Wallace, E., 1994, Summer Sizzlers
and Magic Mondays, School-Age
Theme Activities, School-Age Notes,
Nashville, TN.
Musson, S., 1994, School Age Care.
Theory and Practice, Addison-Wesley,
Don Mills, Ontario.
• Chapters 8 and 9 provide extensive
suggestions on behaviour management.
Rogers, W.A., 1992, You’re Not the Boss
of Me. Positive Behaviour Management
for OSHC Workers, Lady Gowrie Child
Centre, Melbourne.
• This book focuses on assisting staff working
in OSHC to develop a positive and active
approach to discipline and behaviour
management.
Whitaker, D., 1996, Games, Games,
Games: Creating Hundreds of Group
Games and Sports, School-Age Notes,
Nashville TN.
Whitaker, D. L., 2002, Multiple
Intelligences and After-School
Environments: Keeping All Children in
Mind, School-Age Notes, Nashville, TN.
Child development
Allen, E.K. and Marotz, L., 1994,
Developmental Profiles: Pre-birth
through Eight, Delmar, New York.
• This book provides developmental summaries
of children up to eight years. It also describes
characteristics of children according to age.
Chapter 7 deals with the school age years.
• Practical ideas on appropriate activities for
children in OSHC are detailed in all of these
texts.
Bee, H. ,1999, The Growing Child,
An Applied Approach, (2nd edn)
Addison-Wesley, New York.
Child guidance and discipline
Fink, B., 1995, Discipline in School-Age
Care, Control the Climate, Not the
Children, School-Age Notes,
Nashville, TN.
• This book looks at the structure of the
program and how this can contribute to
behaviour patterns.
Berk, L., 2003, Child Development (6th
edn), Allyn and Bacon, Boston.
• Laura Berk has a well-deserved reputation as
an excellent writer on child development.
This book looks at both the genetic and life
experiences which influence a child’s
development.
Berger, K.S., 1988, The Developing
Person Through the Lifespan (2nd edn),
Worth, New York.
• This book includes coverage of the physical,
cognitive and psychosocial development of
the seven to eleven year old. Puberty issues
are addressed.
Rogoff, B., 2003, The Cultural Nature of
Human Development, Oxford University
Press, New York.
• Check also the texts mentioned in the general
resource section. Some of these also include
useful child development material, for
example, Bender et al. or Musson.
Children with additional needs
Gould, P. and Sullivan, J.,1999, The
Inclusive Early Childhood Classroom:
Easy Ways to Adapt Learning Centres
for all Children, Gryphon House,
Beltsville, Maryland.
Playworks, 1996, Fun, Friends and a
Fair Go. Caring for All Children in
Outside School Hours Care, Prahran.
• This is an excellent resource kit for OSHC
programs attempting to provide inclusive
programs for children with additional needs.
Environments – indoor and
outdoor
Bender, J., Flatter, C.H. and Sorrentino,
J.M., 2000, (2nd edn) Half a Childhood:
Time for School-Age Child Care,
School-Age Notes, Nashville, TN.
• See Chapter 8.
Mobbs, J., and Nailon, D. 1996,
Planning Programs for Outside School
Hours Care, Office of Child Care
Department of Family Services and
Aboriginal and Islander Affairs,
Brisbane.
• Chapter 4 discusses the key aspects of quality
environments in OSHC services.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
120 Shared visions for outside school hours care
Appendix A 121
Appendix A
Selected recommended resources continued
The School of Early Childhood Studies,
University of Melbourne 1992, The How
and Why of Program Planning for
Outside School Hours Care Programs,
Lady Gowrie Child Centre, Melbourne.
• This book has a good section on the indoor
and outdoor environments in OSHC services.
Health and safety, nutrition
and wellbeing
Heart Foundation, 2002, Eat Smart
Play Smart, A Manual for Out of School
Hours Care, Heart Foundation Victoria.
Greenman, J and Stonehouse, A.
(2003) What Happened to the World?
Helping Children to Cope in Turbulent
Times, International Edition. Pademelon
Press, NSW.
The Australian Government’s website
Building a Healthy Active Australia,
www.healthyactive.gov.au
Seligson, M. and Stahl, P., 2003,
Bringing Yourself to Work: a Guide to
Successful Staff Development in
After-School Programs, Teachers
College Press and National SchoolAge, New York and Boston.
Stonehouse, A., 2002, NSW Curriculum
Framework for Children’s Services.
The Practice of Relationships, Essential
Provisions for Children’s Services.
Department of Community Services,
Office of Childcare, NSW.
Stonehouse, A. and Gonzalez-Mena, J.,
2004, Making Links: A Collaborative
Approach to Planning and Practice in
Early Childhood Services, Pademelon
Press, NSW.
Program planning and
evaluation
Puberty
Musson, S., 1994, School-age Care
Theory and Practice, Addison-Wesley,
Don Mills, Ontario.
The internet has useful information
about puberty. School libraries, health
departments and local community
health centres are also suitable places
for information and kits relating to
puberty.
The School of Early Childhood Studies,
University of Melbourne, 1992. The
How and Why of Program Planning for
Outside School Hours Care Programs,
The Lady Gowrie Child Centre Inc.,
Melbourne.
The Victorian Government’s
Better Health channel
www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au
Interactions and
communication
Mobbs, J. and Nailon, D., 1996,
Planning Programs for Outside School
Hours Care, Office of Child Care,
Queensland Department of Family
Services and Aboriginal and Islander
Affairs, Brisbane.
• A very easy to read text with a step by step
approach to program planning.
Multicultural perspectives/
anti-bias programming
Creaser, B. and Dau, E. (eds), 1996,
The Anti-Bias Approach in Early
Childhood, Harper Educational,
Pymble, NSW.
• The early childhood focus does not detract
from the core principles and practices
outlined in this book.
FKA Childrens Centre (incorporating
Multicultural Resource Centre)
9–11 Stewart Street, Richmond
• They have a library, resources for purchasing
and staff training programs. Phone: 9428 4471.
McCracken, J.B. 1993. Valuing
Diversity: The Primary Years, National
Association for the Education of Young
Children, Washington, DC.
• An American text which provides detailed
discussion and practical advice on antibias
programs for school age children.
Multicultural Ethnic Schools
Resource Centre
Phone: 9384 1455.
Stonehouse, A., 1991, Opening the
Doors: Childcare in a Multicultural
Society, Australian Early Childhood
Association, Watson, ACT.
• This book is written with a focus on long day
care settings for children under school age.
However, the key elements of partnerships
with parents and staff, and of multicultural
curriculum being incorporated into all areas of
the program, are also appropriate for OSHC
services.
Victorian Aboriginal Education
Association Incorporated (VAEAI)
49 Brunswick Street
Fitzroy, Victoria, 3065
Phone: (03) 9416 3833
• VAEAI have a consultant for school-age
services.
Victorian Co-operative on Children’s
Services for Ethnic Groups (VICSEG)
Information on ethnic groups
Phone 9383 2533
Parent–staff relationships
Policy development
National Childcare Accreditation
Council 2003 Quality Practices Guide
Sydney.
Community Child Care and
Department of Family and Community
Services,2003, Managing an Outside
School Hours Care Service – A manual
for operators of before school, after
school and vacation care services,
Melbourne, Victoria.
Playworks. ‘Ideas Sheet Number 7’.
Building Positive Partnerships with
Parents, Playworks.
• This ‘ideas sheet’ is one of seven that
Playworks have produced. It is a clear,
illustrated handout in cartoon style which
gives suitable strategies and practical
examples of how to communicate with
parents.
Stonehouse, A. 1991. Our Code of
Ethics at Work, Australian Early
Childhood Resource Booklet No. 2.
Australian Early Childhood Association,
Watson, ACT.
• See Section 2 for policy development.
Mobbs, J., and Nailon, D. 1996.
Planning Programs for Outside School
Hours Care. Office of Child Care.
Department of Family Services and
Aboriginal and Islander Affairs,
Brisbane.
• See Section 3 for policy development ideas.
• This booklet gives clear points about how staff
can improve their relationships with families.
Philosophy and practice
National Standards for Outside School
Hours Care, 1995, Community
Services, Ministers’ Conference,
Canberra.
Malaguzzi, L., 1998, ‘History, ideas
and basic philosophy’, in C.P. Edwards,
L. Gandini, and G. Foreman (eds)
The Hundred Languages of Children:
The Reggio Emilia Approach –
Advanced Reflections, (2nd edn) Ablex,
Stamford CT.
Social construction of learning
Millikan, J. 2003. Reflections: Reggio
Emilia Principles within Australian
Contexts. Pademelon Press, NSW.
Fleer, M., 1992, From Piaget to
Vygotsky: Moving into a New Era of
Early Childhood Education. In B.
Lambert (ed), Changing Faces: The
Early Childhood Profession in Australia,
Australian Early Childhood Association,
Watson, ACT.
Tarrant, S. and Jones, A., 1996, Before
9, After 3: A Handbook for Outside
Schools Hours Care. Pademelon Press,
NSW.
• This book provides a comprehensive guide to
setting up and maintaining quality OSHC
services.
• VICSEG assists ethnic families to access child
care services and OSHC services.
• Chapter 6 discusses working with parents in a
OSHC service.
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
Berk, L. and Winsler, A., 1995,
Scaffolding Children’s Learning:
Vygotsky and Early Childhood
Education, National Association for the
Education of Young Children,
Washington, DC.
Fleer, M. (ed). 1995. DAP Centrism:
Challenging Developmentally
Appropriate Practice, Australian Early
Childhood Association, Watson, ACT.
Rinaldi, C. (1998) Projected curriculum
constructed through documentation –
progettazione. In C.P. Edwards, L.
Gandini, and G. Forman (eds)
The Hundred Languages of Children:
The Reggio Emilia Approach –
Advanced Reflections (2nd edn) Ablex,
Stamford, CT.
• All of these texts provide further discussion
and examples of the social construction of
learning theory in practice.
122 Shared visions for outside school hours care
Appendix B 123
Appendix B
Program planning format – blank copy
Experiences
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Routines
Follow-up
Monday
Arrival:
3.30
Snack:
4.00
General meeting:
Pack up/late snack:
5.30–6.00
Tuesday
Indoor Regular
Book area
Quiet space
Art/craft
Construction/games
Creative play
Indoor Special
Wednesday
Outdoor Regular
Thursday
Playground equipment
Sports/games
Sandpit
Friday
Outdoor Special
Materials/Resources
Environment
This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)
Group meetings
Staff allocation
124 Shared visions for outside school hours care
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This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007)