Early Childhood Education Charter Guildelines: Statement of Desirable Objectives and Practices Introduction: Pursuant to section 312 (2) of the Education Act 1989, as inserted by the Education Amendment Act 1990, the Minister of Education hereby specifies the following desirable objectives and practices for early childhood education. This document is the revised Statement of Desirable Objectives and Practices, which, on 1 April 1998, will replace the Statement of Desirable Objectives and Practices Gazetted on 6 December 1990, No. 2131, page 4582. Under section 312 of the Education Act 1989, the Statement of Desirable Objectives and Practices (DOPs) is deemed to be a part of the charter of every chartered early childhood centre and chartered care arranger. The purpose of the DOPs is to establish national criteria for the provision of quality early childhood education and care. It is the responsibility of the management of chartered early childhood services to ensure that all the requirements of the DOPs are met, and it is the responsibility of the management and educators to determine how they are met. A supporting document for the DOPs will provide examples of standards of quality which demonstrate achievement of the requirements. Management and educators should be able to demonstrate achievement of the requirements to a standard consistent with the examples of standards in the supporting document and consistent with the example of quality curriculum set out in Te Whriki: He Whriki Mtauranga m ng Mokopuna o Aotearoa Early Childhood Curriculum (1996). Guiding Principles: Management and educators of chartered early childhood services, in partnership with parents/guardians and whanau, will promote and extend the learning and development of each child attending or receiving the service, through the provision of quality early childhood education and care. Educators will develop and implement curriculum which assists all children to grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society. Learning and Development 1. Educators should enhance children's learning and development through: (a) relationships and interactions which are responsive, reciprocal, positive and encouraging; (b) extending children's thinking and actions through sensitive and informed guidance, interventions and support; (c) respecting children's preferences and involving children in decisions about their participation in activities; (d) planning and evaluating the physical environment and providing resources to support the needs of each child and to facilitate quality curriculum and interactions; (e) modelling non-discriminatory behaviour and promoting this with children; (f) implementing strategies to include all children. 2. Educators should demonstrate understanding of current theory and principles of learning and development and of the different characteristics of infants, toddlers and young children. 3. Educators should demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the learning and development of each child, identify learning goals for individual children, and use this information as a basis for planning, evaluating and improving curriculum programmes. 4. Educators should implement curriculum and assessment practices which: (a) reflect the holistic way that children learn; (b) reflect the reciprocal relationships between the child, people and the learning environment; (c) involve parents/guardians and, where appropriate, whanau; (d) enhance children's sense of themselves as capable people and competent learners. 5. Educators should plan, implement and evaluate curriculum for children in which: (a) their health is promoted and emotional well-being nurtured; and they are kept safe from harm; (b) connecting links with the family and the wider world are affirmed and extended; children know they have a place and feel comfortable with routines, customs and regular events; and children know the limits and boundaries of acceptable behaviour; (c) there are equitable opportunities for learning for each child, irrespective of gender, ability, age, ethnicity or background; children are affirmed as individuals; and children are encouraged to learn with and alongside others; (d) children develop verbal and non-verbal communication skills for a range of purposes; children experience the stories and symbols of their own and other cultures; and children discover and develop different ways to be creative and expressive; (e) children's play is valued as meaningful learning and the importance of spontaneous play is recognised; children gain confidence in and control of their bodies; children learn strategies for active exploration, thinking and reasoning; and children develop working theories for making sense of the natural, social, physical and material worlds. Communication and Consultation: 6. Management and educators should ensure that communication and consultation with each other and with parents/guardians, whanau, hapu, iwi and local communities acknowledge and respect all parties' values, needs and aspirations. 7. Educators should seek information and guidance from specialist services where appropriate, to enable them to work effectively with children and their parents/guardians and whanau. 8. Educators should provide opportunities for parents/guardians and, where appropriate, whanau to: (a) feel welcome to spend time at the service[su'4'], discuss concerns and participate in decision-making concerning their child; (b) discuss, both informally and formally, their child's progress, interests, abilities and areas for development on a regular basis, sharing specific observation-based evidence; (c) have access to information concerning their child, the operation of the service and Education Review Office reports regarding the service. Operation and Administration: 9. Management should develop and regularly review a statement of the service's philosophy and the charter, in consultation with educators, parents/guardians and, where appropriate, whanau. 10. Management and educators should implement policies, objectives and practices which: (a) reflect the service's philosophy, quality curriculum, current theories of learning and development, the requirements of the DOPs and legislation; (b) acknowledge parents/guardians and whanau needs and aspirations for their child; (c) reflect the unique place of Maori as tangata whenua and the principle of partnership inherent in Te Tiriti o Waitangi; (d) are inclusive, equitable and culturally appropriate; (e) are regularly evaluated and modified by an on-going, recorded process of internal review. 11. Management should implement: (a) personnel policies which promote quality practices including appointment of competent staff, staff appraisal and professional development for both management and educators; (b) employment policies which incorporate the principles of being a good employer, including equal employment opportunities; (c) financial management policies which include budgeting to ensure that policies and objectives are met. 12. Management makes the audited annual financial statement available to educators, parents/guardians, whanau, the local community and government, to account for the use of Ministry of Education funding. This notice comes into force on the 1st day of April 1998. Hon. BILL ENGLISH, for the Minister of Education ``Management'' is the charter-holder. In practice, management includes whanau for kohanga reo and parents for playcentre. ``Service'' means licensed early childhood centre or homebased service. ``Educators'' include all trained and untrained personnel who work with children in the service on a regular or formal basis. ``Educators'' does not include occasional, informal parent help, however it includes whanau, hapu and iwi for kohanga reo. [su'4'] This is not possible for distance education.