very frustrated in implementing EYLF

[hotpies2006]

hi all well i have been trying to get it EYLF now for the last 12 months and implementing it in my toddlers room which i have found preety hard and confusing, so for the last couple of months i have been using the curriculum printables on this site and it has help as i understand this way of documentation, NOW my directed wants me to change my format to what another GL is doing and all the obs and learning stories i have been doing, also the printables on this site which all helped me understand and get into it, my director doesnt get it,grrrrrr i have been to a semiar, she my director has not so i am very and i am starting to think as if i did not need my job I WOULD QUIT but i do love the girls i work with and my kiddies, but i am so over it and trying to keep up with all the paperwork by myself as i have had so many different assistants that beleive they dont have to or want help with any documentation, THATS THE GROUP LEADERS JOB THEY SAY, i really dont know what to do, its all to much, just needed to share with you all any advice would be great and appreciated

[fchaudari76]

First of all you need to make it clear to assistants that getting things done is a close collaboration between GL & assistants, obviously obs etc is something GLs do but no harm in teaching and getting assistants to do things if they can. As GL you need to be in charge ... perhaps get a copy of assistants job description so you can see exactly what is in it, I am sure it will say assist GL with classroom duties and thus they cannot use the "its not my job" line

About the Director making you change to what another GL is doing is frustrating esp as what works for one person may not for someone else.
Maybe speak to your Director and show her what you do and let her know it works for you and how much time and effort you have put into finding a system that does
she may come around

[Lorina]

Hi Magpies,

I'm sorry to hear about your current work situation... It really sucks that you finally found a program that suits you and now your director wants you to do something else!! Argh... it's definitely frustrating! Yeah like FeFe mentioned, maybe you can sit down with your Director and explain the program to her so she understands exactly what you're doing! What doesn't she understand about it ???

Don't worry we can work something out...

Cheers ,
L.A

[hotpies2006]

hi thankyou for your advice, well its not that my director doe,s not understand the way my program is said up she actually loved the way i have been doing it and how i wrote things up as well how i have been doing my obs but she talked to another director and head office and they discided they wanted the way other gl from other centre was doing it, so we all are doing it the same way, i like the one i am doing now from this site as i can understand it and if need be i can explain it if a validater comes to check paper work, i dont thin my director really gets how much work we as GL are doing, and they say eylf was suppose to be easier dont think so, but thankyou so much for your support

[Lorina]

Hey Magpies,

Thanks for getting back to me! Well overall even though you have to change your EYLF documentation styles at least your Director noticed the amount of time and effort that you've put into your documentation... Another thing is, head office typically makes alot of decisions that the Director needs to follow. I also have a head office and they make all the decisions with programming documentations... Arhg...it sucks sometimes doesn't it??

Thanks for your ongoing support!

Cheers ,
L.A

[fchaudari76]

I hate places that work out of a head office and they decide stuff, they sit in their office and have no idea of what really goes on in the classroom and that its easy for them to try and chop and change things but the GLs are the ones left with understanding things and working things out
It is frustrating and that is why I prefer private centers or centres that come to decisions by getting staff input/ideas etc before implementing things

[sue073]

omg i just had the same conversation with my director today, i feel the the whole centre is not implementing the EYLF the right way, i know that with EYLF there is no wrong way but when they mix box programming and EYLF together i believe it is wrong.
i have been trying to get the girls to use your format because the more i look at it its easier to understand. my director doesnt even know EYLF she told me today. i explained to her that if i dont fully understand it i seem to make more work for myself. if you know what i mean. now the owner is saying we have to use the same format in each room which is 5 boxes with outcome headings. she wants daily reflections which i have started to do but no one else does. and now she is saying i have to have observation to extend on development stages. but i thought developmental stages went out with EYLF and its all about child input and interest. now they are saying i have to have planned activities on the program but im like. i work with toddlers and their attention span is like no more that 1/2 hour if im lucky.my ages group is from 15 months - 3 year which i feel is an amazing age gap. it is a very busy room. i hae throught about quiting too this week cause i work my butt off in the room and now i have to learn a whole new way of doing things. i really feel for you magpies i hope it all works out for you.
goodluck
sue

[Lorina]

Hi Sue,

Simplicity is supposed to be the key when implementing the EYLF. But I guess that has all been thrown out the window, as services begin to scramble around to make sure that everything is covered through both the EYLF and NQS. Argh! It really frustrates me to see that we are really suffering as we try and get through all this paperwork and so are the children! The programming format which you described using the headings, is another common way of doing it. Alot of services are doing their curriculum this way, too make sure that their activities and experiences throughout the day and week cover all the Learning Outcomes. Using the EYLF, there are still opportunities for you to observe children to extend on their interests and how and what learning outcomes they are achieving. So, I think it's fair to say that even though the "developmental checklists" are not being used anymore, they are being replaced with the Learning Outcomes which cover are broader spectrum of how children learn and develop. Like you mentioned, alot of the experiences should be gathered from child input and their interests.


Adding planned experiences onto your program shouldn't be a major issue. If you incorporate an experience for the children to a achieve a specific learning outcome or plan an experience based on a concept such as counting or number then you can add it ass intentional teaching (or planned experiences). You could also add dental hygiene, sun safety, food and nutrition if you were going to cover this into your program you can do this as planned experiences. Basically, activities and experiences that teaches children about a concept (colours, shapes, sizes, numbers etc) that YOU add onto the program I think can be considered planned experiences. However, I think this should be limitless and not make up your entire program.

I completely understand how challenging it can be working with toddlers - I'm a toddler room leader myself! When adding activities and experiences onto the program in this age group I feel that it is more about what they choose to do and extending on their interests. Yes, you're right! At this age their attention span isn't that long thats why you need to constantly change the experiences and activities to keep the children engaged. That's why I think it's also hard to have planned experiences onto the program. One minute the toddlers are building blocks and then the next they are drawing... LOL... A compromise.. Add planned group times onto your program, instead of planned experiences... Just an idea...

I know you're probably feeling crappy right now but don't give up... just think about your group of children and how much they enjoy spending time with you... It will get easier, you just have to make an effort, be positive and patient and work together with your team!

Hopefully this answers some of your questions,

Cheers ,
L.A