EDFD314 Early Childhood

Leadership
Assessment Two: Quality
Improvement Plan
S00118768 Charlotte Wearne
Tutorial: Wednesday 12pm

Lyrebird Preschools Quality

Improvement Plan

Lyrebird Preschool
Telephone: 03 9786 9381
Fax: 03 9786 9300
Email: lyrebird.director@lyrebirdpreschool.vid.edu.au

Service details
Service name

Service approval number

Lyrebird Preschool

Primary contact at service

Shayla Evans

Physical location of service

Physical location contact details

Street: 134-136 Bowerbird Drive

Telephone: 03 9786 9381

Suburb: Carrum Downs

Fax: 03 9786 9300

State/territory: Victoria

Email: lyrebird.director@lyrebirdpreschool.vid.edu.au

Postcode: 3201

Approved Provider

Nominated Supervisor

Primary contact: Shayla Evans

Name: Shayla Evans

Telephone: 03 9786 9381

Telephone: 03 9786 9381

Mobile:

Fax: 03 9786 9300

Fax: 03 9786 9300

Email: lyrebird.director@lyrebirdpreschool.vid.edu.au

Email: lyrebird.director@lyrebirdpreschool.vic.edu.au

Operating hours
Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Opening
time Blue
Group

8:30

12:00

8:30

Closing
time Blue
Group

14:30

15:00

14:30

Friday

Opening
time Green
Group

8:30

8:00

8:30

Closing
time Green
Group

14:30

11:00

14:30

Saturday

Sunday

Additional information about your service

There is a car park area to the front of the centre with parking space for disabled person, staff and parents. There is also
street parking on Bowerbird Drive and bus stop designated right next to the driveway for local bus lines.
The centre operates to the Victorian school year with 4 terms and Victorian school holidays
There are four pupil free days per year as allocated by Department for Education and Child Development (DECD).
Our preschool program offers access to preschool that is 15 hours of education and play for all children in their age
appropriate year which operates
Monday to Friday. It is a sessional preschool so the children are divided into age groups accordingly between the 3-yearold group and the 4-year-old group.
The preschool operates near to capacity throughout the year and has routines and structures in place to ensure childrens
safety, play and learning at all times. The preschool divides the children into two groups; Blue Group and Green Group.
Blue Group is for the three-year-olds and the Green Group has the four-year-olds. This preschool has a program which
provides a strong play-based agenda and incorporates premeditated teaching. This is implemented by creating small
groups where the children in both Blue and Green Groups are divided into groups with an educator during the morning.
Throughout the sessions, children are presented with particular activities like dancing, relaxation, music and a gross
motor program as well as the opportunity to increase their play-based experiences. This preschool offers a balance of
play-based learning and premeditated teaching for all children.
Nominated Supervisor: Shayla Evans
Number of educators: 4

Service statement of philosophy:

The Educators at Bowerbird Pre-School aim to form the groundwork for ensuring that children in our early childhood
education and care setting experience quality teaching and learning. The quality and commitment of our professional
staff is an integral part of the centre and reflect our best practices. We have a specific emphasis on play-based learning
and recognise the importance of communication and language (including early literacy and numeracy) and social and
emotional development. We do this working in partnership with families; children's first and most significant educators.
We believe that all children have the right to an education that lays a foundation for the rest of their lives, makes the
most of their ability, and respects their family, cultural, identities and languages. We also recognise that children have a
right to be active participants in all matters affecting their lives and to engage in play-based learning that emerges from
their own ideas. Our Pre School embraces the National Early Years Learning Framework of Being, Becoming and
Belonging and the Victorian Early Years Learning and development Framework that underpins our objectives.
(Community Kinders Plus, 2014).

Quality Area 2: Childrens health and safety

This Quality of the National Quality Standard focuses on safeguarding and promoting childrens health and safety (Australian
Childrens Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), 2011).

Standa
rd 2.1

Each childs health is promoted.

Element
2.1.3

Effective hygiene practices are promoted and implemented.

Quality Area 2: Related sections of the National Law and National Regulations
Standard/element

National Law (section) and National Regulations (regulation)

2.1.3

regulation 77

Health, hygiene and safe food practices

2.1.3

regulation 168

Education and care service must have policies and procedures

2.1.3

regulation 168(2)(a)
Policies and procedures are required in relation to health and
safety, including matters relating to:
(i) nutrition, food and beverages, dietary requirements; and
(ii) sun protection; and
(iii) water safety, including safety during any water based activities; and
(iv) the administration of first aid

(ACECQA, 2013).

Quality Improvement Plan for Q2

Summary of strengths for Element 2.1.3

Strengths

The amenities in Lyrebird Preschool are set up with the childrens independence as a foundation. There
are visual stimuli around the rooms to remind children of expected and encouraged hygiene practices.
Allergy sheets are displayed in the kitchen and in the foyer rooms to ensure all parents and staff are
aware of the seriousness of some childrens allergies. This is so hygiene practices for things such as
anaphylaxis are always in place.
Weekly notices are displayed in the foyer for parent information regarding any viruses that have been
spreading. There are posters on display regarding particular hygiene practices such as hand washing,
blowing noses with tissues and covering mouths when coughing/sneezing. These posters are displayed in
the appropriate areas accordingly. Hygiene practices are also personally and directly taught to the
children such as wearing gloves when cooking how to wash hands properly.
Lyrebird Preschool uses the Bug Busters Program, which is a service that provides pest management
solutions for government and commercial manufacturing sectors (Bug Busters, 2014). Pest control is a
part of our policies and all of our policies are sourced and referenced.
Children have access to their own drink bottles and sharing food is not encouraged. This is to reduce the
amount of germs being spread between children.

There are cleaning practices in place that are done daily such as cleaning tables before meals, cleaning
of bathrooms during the day and cleaning toys and furniture.
Lyrebird Preschool has hygienic and safe first aid practices and every staff member has updated first aid
certificates. The preschool also has Occupational Health and Safety audits regularly which means all of
our hygienic policies and plans are regularly updated (Department for Education and Child Development,
2013).

Issues

The educators at Lyrebird preschool need to continuously reflect on their hygiene practices. The staff
team need to keep updated with food handling reviewing (Department of Health, 2005). The staff need
to ensure families obey and follow the preschool policies on preventing unwell or contagious children
from coming to the preschool. Safe storage and management of all drinks and food consumed by the
children, including food brought from home needs to be reviewed (Mathews, C. 2004). There also needs
to be a toy-washing procedure that is monitored and documented in some way because it is hard to
know when they were last cleaned. The problem of head lice has arisen in the preschool and it is
becoming more of an occurring problem that does not seem to be getting solved.

Rationale
It is absolutely vital to have a high level of hygiene practices in all areas of Lyrebird Preschool. This is to
reduce and minimise the risk of cross infection between the children as well as adults and to help
children develop and acquire hygiene routines that they will practise during their lives (Department of
Education and Child Development, 2013). Sickly and contagious children coming to the preschool has
been an ongoing issue that has arisen. It is important for this to be sorted out as parents it makes the
parents unhappy about sending their children to Lyrebird Preschool. Enforcing the policies in relation to

this need to be reviewed so the issue becomes solved and parents can become aware as to what the
policies are in accordance. There are policies in place regarding this, so they need to be utilised. Safe
storage and management of food and drink is a vital part of the preschools health and hygiene and is
currently an issue because it not being managed affectively. This can lead to germs being spread and
children not getting satisfactory nutrition from the provided food and drink. The toy washing procedures
need to be monitored and documented because potential germs are being spread, since the toys and
furniture arent receiving the cleaning that is outlined in the preschools policy. This way, all the staff will
know when the toys and furniture were last cleaned so the job is definitely getting done. Lastly, head lice
has become an extremely large issue in the preschool because children arent having their heads treated
when infested (Department of Health, 2014). This needs to be solved so children arent missing too
much preschool time and that parents dont have to worry about spending so much money on
treatments.

Improvement Plan
Standar What outcome
d/
or goal do we
element seek?

2.1.3

Achieve a high
level of hygiene
practices in all
areas of Lyrebird
Preschool.

Priority
(L/M/H)

Strategies
Develop a spreadsheet to
identify and check all areas
that require hygienic
practices.
Follow through with a staff
discussion and review areas
that can be improved to
reach a higher level of
hygiene practices.

Timeline

This will be an ongoing process that requires

fort-nightly staff discussions about how the
hygienic practices are going.

2.1.3

2.1.3

Research a
program for the
Preschool on head
lice and
implement/emplo
y it.

Develop a
procedure and
documentation
booklet for toy
cleaning.

Allocate one of the staff

members to research head
lice program for
schools/childcares.
Have a staff meeting to
decide together as a team,
which one of the options
would be most
suitable/affordable.

The research will be done over a period of

two weeks and the chosen head lice
program will be implemented as soon as a
booking is available and once the parents
have been informed.

Book the program for a

session to come in and check
childrens hair.
Review policy on toy cleaning
with all staff members.
This will take place over a two-week period.
Create a sheet that will be
used for documentation of
toy-cleaning times. This will
be a document with a table
on it that will be signed
whenever the job is done.

Quality Area 7: Leadership and service management

This quality area of the National Quality Standard focuses on effective leadership and management of the service that contributes to quality environments for
childrens learning and development. Well-documented policies and procedures, well-maintained records, shared values, clear direction and reflective
practices enable the service to function as a learning community. An ongoing cycle of planning and review, including engagement with families, creates the
climate for continuous improvement (ACECQA, 2013).

Standard
7.1

Effective leadership promotes a positive organisational culture and builds a

professional learning community
Element
7.1.2

The induction of educators, co-ordinators and staff members is comprehensive.

Quality Improvement Plan for Q7

Summary of strengths for Element 7.1.2

Strengths

At Lyrebird Preschool, there are effective authority arrangements in place with relevant policies and
leadership processes regarding induction. There is a wide range of efforts made, to ensure the
Lyrebird team cohesion and significant investment into professional development. There are annual
reviews of philosophy by the management, staff educators and families. An online survey is
conducted annually to collect information from families about their children and about the service.
The responsibilities and expectations are clearly communicated to all staff by the management and
preschool leader. Monthly meetings take place that are dedicated to reviewing the National Quality
Standards, the relevant frameworks a regulations. A strong sense of leadership is displayed and
given from the leader. All staff members display a serious sense of responsibility and commitment
as well as demonstrating respect for one another.

Summary of Issues for Element 7.1.2

Issues

Lyrebird Preschool does not review the way they induct staff to the documents such as the National
Quality Standards, the Early Years Learning Framework and Lyrebirds philosophy enough. Monthly is not
adequate and needs to be increased because each staff member has not got a completely sound
understanding on each of these vital documents and policies. Code of conduct has not been reviewed in
many months and needs to be relooked at. As well as this the induction process hasnt been reviewed
enough in general for permanent and casual staff when newly employed. Leadership roles are not being
exhibited enough in relation to checking up on new employees.

Rationale
Not reviewing the documents abundantly such as the ones stated above is an issue because Induction

is a key process in creating and maintaining a positive and professional culture. Each individual who
begins work at the service should have a clear understanding of their role and the expectations for their
performance, and should be given the opportunity to engage with the philosophy and context that
underpin the operation of the service at the earliest possible time (ACECQA, 2014). This is relative to all
induction practices at Lyrebird Preschool and needs to be taken into serious consideration and
implementation so the preschool can flourish in all areas. Induction is vital considering the process isnt
being reviewed enough could cause potential problems for the preschool. The leadership roles need to
be exhibited because the necessity for leadership in early childhood settings always needs to be a
priority because this is the foundation of the connection between high-calibre leadership and enhanced
outcomes for young children (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, 2012). The
preschools leaders role of leadership and support is fundamental to the development of the beginning
teachers professional competence and occupational wellbeing so this needs to be addressed (Rodd, J.
2013).

Improvement Plan
Stand
ard/
eleme
nt

What outcome Priorit

or goal do we
y
seek?
(L/M/
H)

How will we get this outcome?

(Steps)

Timeline

7.1.2

7.1.2

7.1.2

Relevant
policies and
documents
need to be
reviewed
fortnightly for
two months.
Updated
induction folder
including new
policies and
site-specific
information that
can form the
basis for the
induction of
new staff.
Leadership roles
are utilised to
their full
potential and
are giving
adequate
mentoring to
new employees.

Host fortnightly meetings where

these policies and documents are
reviewed and discussed thoroughly.

This will happen fortnightly for two months,

and then continue monthly.

Allocate specific policies each

meeting so theres only a focus on
one at a time.

Consider and reflect on what new

staff members need to know to
efficiently and quickly familiarise
themselves to the site and the job
they need to do.
Update the current induction folder
and processes and make sure that all
current staff can locate and use it
with relief and incoming staff.

Staff appointments with preschool

leader are scheduled and
documentation recorded.
Staff goals and needs for improving
induction are recognised and met.

This needs to be an ongoing process that is

reviewed every two months to keep
updated.

Leadership roles being utilised is a neverending process. This goal needs to be met
everyday.

Staff files are established for personal

storage of documentation.

References:
Australian Childrens Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) (2011). Guide to the National Quality Standard. Sydney:
ACECQA.

Australian Childrens Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) (2014). National Quality Standards. Sydney: ACECQA.
Retrieved from http://www.decd.sa.gov.au/docs/documents/1/NationalQualityStandard-1.pdf
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL, 2012). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers [Fact
Sheet] received from
http://www.teacherstandards.aitsl.edu.au/DomainOfTeaching/ProfessionalEngagement
Bug Busters. (2014) Commercial Pest Control for Perth. [Web Page]. Retrieved from
http://www.bugbusters.com.au/commercial/
Community Kinders Plus. (2014). Bowerbird [Web Page]. Retrieved from http://www.ckp.org.au/kinders/bowerbirdkindergarten/
Department of Education and Child Development. (2013). Health and Hygiene. South Australia: NEALS. Retrieved from
http://www.decd.sa.gov.au/docs/documents/1/HealthHygiene.pdf
Department of Health. (2005). Guidelines for Food and Nutrition Policy in Child Cares. South Australia: SACCNP. Retrieved from
http://www.health.sa.gov.au/pehs/srer-award/childcarefoodnutritionpolicy-promotions-sahealth-2005.pdf
Department of Health (2014). Head Lice.Victoria, Australia. (Web Page). Retrieved from
http://health.vic.gov.au/headlice/regulations.html
Ebbeck, M. A., & Waniganayake, M. (2003). Early childhood professionals: leading today and tomorrow. Sydney: McLennand
Petty.
Mathews, C. (2004). Healthy children: A guide for child care. 2nd Ed. Sydney: Elsevier Australia.

Rodd, J (2013). Leadership in early childhood The pathway to professionalism (4th ed.) Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.