Supportive Relationships with Families

NQS 6.1 Supportive Relationships with Families - Respectful relationships with families are developed and maintained and families are supported in their parenting role.

We noticed...

... that families were not a regular voice heard among the programs and for centre decisions. Educators want to explore ways in which we can include Families' voices in program and service decisions.

What are we trying to achieve?

We seek to ensure that every effort is made to include families in the building and implementation of programs and the running of our service.

How will we do this?

Rooms will reflect on the most successful methods of communication with families and implement and try new things to ensure their voices are being heard, specifically in terms of programming.
Management will implement a Family Yarning group every two months, duirng which we will discuss service decisions

When will we do this by?

March 2025

How will we measure our success?

Educators regularly gather input from families and use that to drive programming and service decisions.

Observe in practice:

The centre hosts and facilitates meetings with families
Educators engage with families positively and regularly

Sight Documentation:

Programs record family input and link programmed experiences to input
records of meetings are kept on record (including follow-up emails)
Family Yarn Meetings are recorded in a separate book

Who is responsible?

All Educators

Progress Notes

December 2022

The Leadership team and the Kindergarten educators had a meeting to reflect on the Kindergarten program and how they could reestructure that to have a more structured and clear program for families and children.

February 2023

Eden Academy introduced bi-monthly meetings for all Early Childhood Teachers running the Kindergarten program. This is will be driven by an Mentor ECT and will be an opportunity for all teachers to discuss and exchange ideas about the Kindergarten program and everything that it entitles.

March 2023

First parent information night was held for Kangaroos families, in collaboration with representatives from Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise State Schools. The meeting was surrounding the transition process, each individual's role in preparing their child for school and how this can be achieved.

March 2023

A transition to school information area was created at the entrance of the Kindergarten room and updated information is added for families throughout the year. E.g. Prep playdates calendar, brochures from schools, catchment area map, terms calendar, etc.

May 2023

Kindergarten ECT's Sarah Morgan and Kate Gibbs attended a prep-intake meeting with local ECEs at Broadbeach State School.

June 2023

As part of supporting our Kindergarten children, we offered free eye testing and hearing testing during school hours (depending on the family's consent) to ensure children

July 2024

Sinead (EL) held the first Family Yarning Meeting with families. This was the introduction to the group.

Evidence: Meeting Minutes

July 2023

A transition to school display was created within the Kindergarten room, displaying children's photos linked to which schools they will be attending. School uniforms were also added to the room's home corner.

August 2023

After completing mid-year Summative Assessments, Early Childhood Teacher Sarah Morgan held individual teacher-parent meetings to discuss children's learning and development, individual needs and a plan of support for each child.

August to December 2023

The Kindergarten children attended a number of playdates, library visits and prep experiences at Surfers Paradise State School.

Evidence: Calendar of Important Dates

Prep 2024 Dates.pdf

October 2023

We started our "Lunchbox Program" in term 4. We have been running this program for many years on the back information and feedback gathered during our collaborative talks with our local schools and ECEs. This part of developing school readiness and developing an easiness to transition into school and our local schools have always praised how well our children have been prepared for this once they arrive in Prep.

Evidence: Lunchbox Program

October 2023

Our Early Childhood Teacher attended a professional development session focused on Universal and Tailored Transitions to Prep.

October and November 2023

A number of individual tailored transition meetings happened in our centre with families of children who require additional support, including representatives of their school of choice and any extra allied health professionals who work with the child.

December 2023

The Kindergarten children had a Graduation night to celebrate the completion of the Kindergarten Program and them moving to a big school.

January 2024

The Leadership team and the Kindergarten educators had a meeting to create Kindergarten's 2024 calendar - which included parent information nights, visits to school, parent-teacher meetings.

Evidence: Meeting Record

January 2024

A Meet and Greet night was held for the 2024 Kindergarten families to meet the team of educators and learn more about the Kindergarten Program and how their last year in the service would look like.

March 2024

Our Leadership team and ECT developed and submitted the Kindy Uplift plan. Our plan focused on building teachers' capability, strengthening the cultural responsiveness of services and improving children’s learning and development in Kindergarten.

Evidence: Kindy Uplift Plan

March 2024

We began working alongside Basilia, who is the Advisory Visiting Teacher Deaf /Hard of Hearing from Education Queensland. Basilia will work alongside our team to support one of our Kindergarten children who has hearing loss. Basilia will be visiting our centre monthly to observe the child and meet the educators to discuss strategies of how to better support the child.

April 2024

Our Centre Manager and our ECT attended a Queensland kindergarten learning guideline (QKLG) consultation by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority. During the meeting they explored and discussed about the Draft QKLG (version March 2024) and the changes that will be happening.

April 2024

Our ECT attended an information night at Surfers Paradise State School on the topic “How to help your child learn to read”, which explored how prep teachers are teaching reading, alphabet, sounds, etc once children start school.

May 2024

The Kindergarten class attended the Under 8's Day at Surfers Paradise State School, which was a great opportunity for the children to get to see the school environment, meet some teachers and spend time with older children.

June 2024

A parent information night was held for Kangaroos families, in collaboration with representatives from Surfers Paradise State Schools. The meeting was surrounding the transition process, enrolment process, school routines, what to expect, each individual's role in preparing their child for school and how this can be achieved.

Evidence: Power Point Presentation

June 2024

We received a very relevant feedback from a family whose child have just completed their Prep interview at their school of choice. When mentioned by the family that the child attends our service, the School Principal expressed their contentment with how our centre is doing a very positive job in supporting children's learning and development, that there are a few children enrolled at their school who attended our centre previously and they all had a very smooth transition and settled in at school very well due to our supportive transition process.

Evidence: Family Feedback

July 2024

After implementing a number of different strategies throughout 17 months, receiving family and school feedback and seeing the children thriving at school, the Leadership team and Kindergarten team have reflected and we believe that we have achieved our goal. This will be a continuous process of implementing strategies, but we feel the restructuring of our Kindergarten Program has been successful and we will continue to follow this plan. Any new changes needed to be made will be reflected on and recorded here.

May 2025

"Under 8s Day" is a special event held at the state school where our kindergarten children visit for a morning filled with fun and engaging activities. The day is designed to celebrate the younger children within the school and foster a sense of community between different kindergartens and the school. Children participate in a variety of hands-on experiences that promote creativity, learning, and play. The children were very excited walking to the school they showed enthusiasm and excitement to try something new and interact with the school children. Once they had entered the school and made their way to the hall where all the activities were, they were able to break of from the group and explore the activities. Some of the children were hesitant and nervous to move around without an educator, where some were confident and interested in what was around.

July 2025

As part of our commitment to embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into our curriculum and promoting cultural awareness, we held our Annual NAIDOC Week Art Show. This event provided children with meaningful opportunities to engage with First Nations culture through creative expression, storytelling, and collaborative learning. Throughout the week, children participated in art experiences inspired by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, Dreamtime stories, and cultural symbols, fostering respect and understanding of the world’s oldest living cultures.

The Art Show served as both a celebration and a reflective experience, involving families, educators, and the wider community. It created a platform for conversations around the significance of NAIDOC Week and the importance of recognising and valuing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, and contributions.

This initiative aligns with Quality Area 1 (Educational Program and Practice), Quality Area 5 (Relationships with Children), and Quality Area 6 (Collaborative Partnerships with Families and Communities), supporting our service’s commitment to inclusive, culturally responsive practice.

August 2025

Book week

Book Week in our childcare centre was a joyful celebration of storytelling, imagination, and early literacy. Throughout the week, children engaged in a variety of activities inspired by their favourite books, including dress-up days, interactive storytime sessions, craft experiences, and themed play spaces. Educators used this opportunity to promote a love of reading by incorporating diverse stories that reflect different cultures, abilities, and family structures. Families were invited to participate by sharing stories from home, further strengthening the connection between home and the centre. Book Week not only sparked excitement and creativity among the children but also reinforced the important role that books play in language development, emotional expression, and cognitive growth.