Abstract:
The years of birth to five span the period where the most rapid learning and development occur. There is a wealth of research that details the benefits of children attending early childhood services. More recent research however points to the fact that children only benefit if the service they attend is one of high quality.
In the last twenty years across the world early childhood services have increasingly been engaged in developing accreditation and quality improvement criteria. All of these systems relate to childcare centres which cater for children aged birth to five. I am currently developing a model of best practice that applies to preschools in South Australia. These cater for children in the year before they attend formal schooling (generally 4-5 year olds) I am trialing this model in the diverse number of preschools across the state and examining the role that staff play in the development and maintenance of best practice.
In the last twenty years across the world early childhood services have increasingly been engaged in developing accreditation and quality improvement criteria. All of these systems relate to childcare centres which cater for children aged birth to five. I am currently developing a model of best practice that applies to preschools in South Australia. These cater for children in the year before they attend formal schooling (generally 4-5 year olds) I am trialing this model in the diverse number of preschools across the state and examining the role that staff play in the development and maintenance of best practice.