Exceeding guidance for Standard 2.1: Health

Overview

The following guidance is questions for services to ask of their own practice to consider whether their service Exceeds the NQS in Standard 2.1.

Questions to guide reflection on practice for Standard 2.1

Exceeding theme 1: Practice is embedded in service operations

• How do educators, the educational leader, and co-ordinators demonstrate a deep understanding of the requirements of the Standard and its component elements, and a commitment to high quality practice at all times?
• How are all educators:
  • consistently attuned to and responding to children’s changing health and physical activity requirements throughout the day?
  • providing a range of opportunities to effectively address and respond to children’s needs for sleep, rest and relaxation throughout the day, individually and in groups?
  • managing and supporting children’s health and medical needs in line with established best practice at all times?
  • actively promoting healthy eating, physical activity, and effective hygiene practices in the delivery of the daily program?
  • providing regular opportunities for explicit learning about health and wellbeing?
  • responding confidently to the daily events that impact on children’s health and activity needs?
• How does the observed and discussed approach to supporting and promoting children’s health and physical activity consistently align with the design and delivery of the educational program and service philosophy, and demonstrate a strong commitment to the priorities, principles and practices of the approved learning framework?
• How does the service's approach to supporting and promoting children's health and physical activity reflect a commitment to the prevention of illness and injuries, and how is this evident in the service's approach to reporting and responding to health and illness-related incidents?

Exceeding theme 2: Practice is informed by critical reflection

• How do educators, the educational leader and co-ordinators:
  • systematically and regularly reflect on opportunities to enhance each child’s health outcomes and promote physical activity with children and families?
  • seek out and consider alternate ways of supporting each child’s health and activity needs, and make changes where opportunities to further enhance children’s outcomes are identified?
  • explain how reflection on children’s changing health and activity needs influences the design and delivery of the educational program?
  • reflect together on health and illness-related incidents, and support the service to make changes to practices, policies and procedures where opportunities are identified to strengthen the approach?
  • discuss the influences on their approach to supporting and promoting children’s health and activity requirements and outcomes, the recognised guidelines that underpin their practice approach, and how these build on the approved learning framework/s and the service’s health policies and procedures?
  • consider and discuss social justice and equity implications of their practice decisions to ensure that practice takes into account the needs and rights of every child at the service?
• How is the service’s approach to supporting and promoting children’s health and activity needs and outcomes reflective of robust debate, discussion, and opportunities for input by all educators, and informed by critical reflection on past incidents?
• How is the service’s approach to supporting and promoting children’s health and physical activity, including safe sleep and nutrition, informed by current recognised guidelines and up-to-date information?
• How are changes to the service’s approach to supporting and promoting children’s health and activity needs understood by all and implemented appropriately?

Exceeding theme 3: Practice is shaped by meaningful engagement with families and/or the community

• How do educators, the educational leader and co-ordinators:
  • engage meaningfully and regularly with families to discuss children’s changing health and physical activity requirements , including their interests, preferences and strengths, and incorporate these into the program?
  • work directly with children, families, and professionals as appropriate to develop targeted practices that are responsive to children’s evolving health and activity needs?
  • incorporate children’s changing health and activity needs, interests, preferences and strengths into the design and delivery of the educational program, including information gathered from families and the community and directly from children?
  • proactively promote children’s health and physical activity with families and the community?
  • build partnerships with families and the broader community to further enhance children’s health and activity outcomes, for example through collaborative initiatives with health professionals and other support services?
• How is the service's approach to supporting and promoting children's health and activity suited to and drawing inspiration from the unique environmental, cultural and community context of the service?