NEW TO CHILDCARE - Themes

[Kay2014]

Hi all...

I have come from a state school and have decided to give childcare a go (as that is where I intially wanted to be).
I am taking up a role with the kindergarten group & am wondering how people develop their weekly programs.

Do you focus on a theme each week or does it vary by day?
What things are being taught now that the year is drawing to an end?
How can I better use my assistant during the day?

Thank you.

[Lorina]

Hi,

Welcome To Aussie Childcare Network and Welcome to the industry!

In regards to programming, in my opinion we should try and steer away from themes. You can use "intentional teaching" as a basis of anything you would like to teach the children throughout the day such as in group time but themes can become repetitive and unintentional. When you begin program the experiences on offer should be collected from a variety of sources. For example: observations, children's interests, parent input, daily dairy, group abilities and skills etc. Once you have collected different types of documentation as evidence for future planned experiences then you can use these to make up your program. When you begin at your kindy, the first couple of weeks of programming will mostly be intentional teaching or child initiated until you can gather enough information from the various sources to begin planning your experiences.

I have explained in a detailed article on how to program and plan using the EYLF framework:

EYLF Programming and Planning
How To Write The EYLF Curriculum Plan
Understanding EYLF


Once you get your head around the programming side of things then you would want to utilize your assistant ore throughout the day. As far as documentation goes your assistant can support you in writing the day book "reflections of our day", writing up individual child observations, engaging in experiences with children to discover new interests which can be extended upon, setting up of experiences, assist you during group time etc. There is a lot that needs to be done throughout the day and you should use your assistant to support you for a smooth running of the day to day program.

Let me know if you have anymore questions,

Happy to help,

,
L.A