Element 3.2.3: Environmentally responsible

What Element 3.2.3 aims to achieve

Education and care settings are places where children learn about self, others and the world, including environmental responsibility. Services play a role in helping children develop an understanding and respect for the natural environment and the interdependence between people, plants, animals and the land (Early Years Learning Framework, p. 13; Framework for School Age Care, p. 15). Children develop positive attitudes and values by engaging in sustainable practices, watching adults around them model sustainable practices, and working together with educators to show care and appreciation for the natural environment (Hughes, 2007).

This element aligns sustainable operations within the service and children’s learning about environmental responsibility. Environments and resources can emphasise accountability and advocacy for a sustainable future and promote children’s understanding about their responsibility to care for the environment on a day to day and long-term basis (Framework for School Age Care, p. 15). This is particularly relevant for school age care environments as children’s depth of understanding of these concepts develops.

Assessment guide for meeting Element 3.2.3 (for all services)

Supporting environmental responsibility

Assessors may observe:

• children:
  • being supported to appreciate and care for natural and constructed environments
  • interacting with vegetation and natural materials in the environment
  • exploring insects and animals in their habitats to develop their understanding of biodiversity
  • participating in environmentally sustainable practices that:
    • support their engagement with and respect for the natural environment
    • increase their awareness of the impact of human activity
    • build a sense of responsibility for caring for the environment
    • are meaningful, relevant to the service context and community, and connect service operations with the educational program and practice
  • being given opportunities to increase their:
    • knowledge of and respect for natural and constructed environments
    • awareness of the interdependence of living things
• educators:
  • developing environmental awareness and programs as a platform for ongoing environmental education
  • using different ways to incorporate animals and plants into the program to support children’s understanding of ecology and the environment
  • fostering children’s capacity to understand and respect the natural environment and the interdependence between people, plants, animals and the land
  • sharing information and supporting children to access resources about the environment and the impact of human activities on environments
• spaces that promote the development of life skills, such as growing and preparing food, waste reduction and recycling, and children being actively engaged in these experiences
• the service’s environmental strategy being implemented.

Assessors may discuss:

• the development and implementation of strategies to support children to be environmentally responsible and to show respect for the environment
• how the educational program fosters wonder and knowledge about the natural world
• strategies used to support every child to engage in quality experiences in the natural environment.
• environments.

Assessors may sight:

• documentation of children’s learning about environmental and sustainability issues
• policies that promote children’s understanding about their responsibility to care for the environment and the development of life skills (such as growing and preparing food, waste reduction and recycling)
• planning documents that support children’s learning through investigation and exploration of the natural environment
• photographs and displays highlighting children’s understanding and learning of the natural environment, including their contributions.