Tag: kindergarten

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Inclusiveness and respect this Harmony Day and beyond

Harmony Day is one of our favourite days of the year. A day that is dedicated to celebrating cultural diversity, inclusiveness, respect for others and ensuring everyone feels they belong.

For many special days throughout the year we plan activities in advance, and while there are certainly many wonderful things you can do in centres in honour of Harmony Day, sometimes the simplest acts can mean the most. This Harmony Day let’s focus on meaningful conversations with children. The Harmony Day website offers a range of discussion topics that are suitable for early childhood. Consider these:

  • What is diversity? What are some of the ways that people can be different from each other?
  • All the same: What things make us the same?
  • What is Harmony Day? What does harmony mean? What are some examples of harmony in nature/in the world?
  • Family diversity: Who is in your family? Talk about how families are the same and different.
  • My groups: Talk about all the groups to which you belong eg team, family, friendship group, hobby. What things help you to feel you belong?

Carrying the message of Harmony Day through your centre’s culture

This Harmony Day feels especially timely for us this year, given the news that ACECQA has recognised Bonkers Beat Music Kinder with an Excellence Rating under the National Quality Framework.

ACECQA specifically recognised Bonkers Beat’s “commitment to children that respects, reflects and celebrates culture and diversity, including place of origin, inclusive partnerships with children and families, and its practice and environments that enhance children’s learning and growth”.

Not only can your Harmony Day efforts contribute towards shaping inclusive, respectful and kind attitudes in young people — you can even transform the way your centre approaches early childhood education!

If you’re ready to see how Bonkers Beat’s culture is inspired by the values of Harmony Day, why not come and see for yourself?! We are hosting an Open Day this Saturday 24 March from 10 am until 12 pm at Bonkers Beat Music Kinder. Activities for children at this free event include music, yoga and a jungle treasure hunt plus lots more!

Event: Open Day – Music Show and Yoga with Bonkers the Monkey
Where: Bonkers Beat Music Kinder, 49 Laura Street, Aspendale, Victoria
When: 10am – 12pm

To discover why Bonkers Beat Music Kinder is different, click to watch the video submission to ACECQA.

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Bonkers Beat Music Kinder is Rated Excellent by ACECQA

We are thrilled to share with you the great news – Bonkers Beat Music Kinder & Childcare Aspendale has been awarded the ‘Excellent’ rating by Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA)!

The Excellent rating is the highest rating an education and care service can achieve under the National Quality Framework.

This acknowledges the exceptional standard of education and care that Bonkers Beat Music Kinder is providing and its commitment to improving outcomes for children and families.

As at 31 December 2017, 14,687 children’s education and care services in Australia have received a quality rating from ACECQA and only 50 services are rated as Excellent. Out of these 50 services, there are 25 long day care centres, and the others are Preschools, OSHC and Family Day Care providers.

Currently, Bonkers Beat Music Kinder is one of only two privately run long day care services in Victoria, which are rated Excellent by ACECQA.

We congratulate all our educators, current and past families and our beautiful children with this significant achievement and thank our followers who’ve been supporting us over the years.

We’re thrilled with the outcome and delighted that many services who run Bonkers Beat Music & Wellbeing programs are part of our success story.

To read the special report on ACECQA website about Bonkers Beat Music Kinder rating please follow the link below:
www.acecqa.gov.au/media-releases/excellent-rating-awarded-bonkers-beat-music-kinder-childcare-aspendale

To see our video submission to ACECQA, watch the video below:

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Engaging Easter experiences to try with children

easter-in-early-childhood

Easter is around the corner and many centres are getting ready to celebrate this much-loved holiday in early childhood settings!

Colouring in images of Easter bunnies is fun, but why not fire up children’s creativity this year and do something different? There are so many learning experiences for children around the subject of Easter – let’s look at a few of them.

Talking about religion at Easter

As we know, Easter is traditionally a religious acknowledgement. Perhaps your centre would like to explore the religious aspects of Easter this year.

While many Australians will celebrate Easter over the long weekend from Friday 30 to Monday 2 April, it’s worth noting that these dates are based on the Catholic Easter dates. Other families may celebrate Orthodox Easter on Sunday 8 April in 2018.

A simple way to share the traditional Christian story of Easter with children is through books. Easter Story and Tiny Tots Easter are suitable for children as young as 2 and can help start the discussion.

Perhaps other children and families could share their religious or cultural views on Easter and how they celebrate.

Engaging Easter experiences for children

There are plenty more creative, hands-on Easter activities to try when incorporating Easter in early childhood.

Get hatching

A big part of the meaning of Easter is around new beginnings, and what better way to learn about new beginnings that with new life?! At Bonkers Beat Music Kinder the Henny Penny Hatching Program is currently an exciting and engaging experience for children (and educators!).

Traditional eggs decorating

Egg decorating is a traditional Easter activity that is lots of fun. Any egg-shaped object is fine, but why not use natural resources by hard-boiling eggs for decorating and making your own natural dyes. This means fewer chemicals and an additional learning element.

The Easter Bunny song

There is a song and music for every occasion as far as we are concerned! Easter is no exception. As a Bonkers Beat follower, we invite you to access our special Easter song ‘Easter Bunny’. Watch the video for our simple movements and print the words if needed. Children always love this song! Access ‘Easter Bunny’ here.

Share your Easter celebrations and educational ideas with us on Facebook!

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Creating an ‘Ethical Curriculum’ in Early Childhood

Have you heard of an ‘ethical curriculum’? It’s an important and worthwhile topic to understand if creating the best early childhood education experience for children is at the top of your to-do list.

Catharine Hydon is an early childhood expert with extensive experience working in a range of early childhood settings. We were lucky enough to have Catharine as a speaker at our recent Wellness Summits in Melbourne and Sydney, and educators couldn’t get enough of her presentations. She shared invaluable insights with us about ethical curriculums and how to create one.

Catharine says creating an ethical curriculum is really about celebrating children’s right to participate within their communities.

“When we choose ethical dimensions to add into our curriculum, we’re really connecting with who children are and how they’re living their lives right now, at the moment”, says Catharine.

Catharine wants children to grow up knowing how to engage in the world and enjoying it, not fearing it. How we do that is by listening to the children and families and delivering back an inclusive early childhood experience for all to enjoy and learn from and within. That is at the core of an ethical curriculum.

Ethical dimensions to incorporate can be chosen by finding out what matters to families and children and creating a learning environment that reflects their cultures, individual circumstances and interests. Catharine is passionate about educators growing more confident and raising our voices about the decisions we make for children in our care. Open up and speak out to communities and families about what you’re doing in your centre and why, because the work we do has a real impact on entire communities.

A big congratulations to our Bonkers Beat educators across the country — Catharine noted the enthusiasm of you all and how willing you were to give things a go. What beautiful role modelling for our young people, so congratulations to you on demonstrating your passion and motivation for our special industry.

To learn more about what we got up to at our Wellness Summits, you can take a look through our event albums in Melbourne and Sydney on Facebook. If you’re interested in joining us with your team of educators at the next Wellness Summits, get in touch to find out how!

Enjoy our chat about creating an ethical curriculum with Catharine here:

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Thinking about having an Open Day at your centre? Here’s why you should

We know that the first five years of a child’s life are absolutely crucial when it comes to physical, intellectual, social and emotional development. It’s not surprising that selecting a child care centre or kindergarten is a big decision for families. If you’re thinking about having an open day at your centre, but keep putting it off or think it’s too much effort, think again.

Reading about a centre or hearing about a centre is great, but nothing is quite like visiting a centre. Families often speak about “the vibe” they got from a child care centre. They love to see the centre, meet the educators and director – even the owner! This is a place that they are trusting with their children during one of the most vital times of their development and it has to be perfect.

Why having an open day is a must

While tours for families are great and should be encouraged, holding an open day is proactive and encourages families to have a fun day out while at the same time getting a feel for your centre.

Dedicated time: An open day, especially on a weekend, gives families uninterrupted time at your centre to explore, chat with educators and ask questions.

A showcase of your offering: You get to plan the day from start to finish, so design something special that really shows families what you’re about and why you’re the best choice for their child’s early childhood education.

A fun day out: It’s certainly a drawcard for families when you plan a day of activities and perhaps throw in some refreshments. Even families who attend other centres could stop by and fall in love with your centre.

Show the local community and families what you have to offer. Planning an open day allows you to put your best foot forward and demonstrate to families why they should choose your centre for their child or children.

The next Bonkers Beat Open Day is coming up on Saturday, 24 March. Feel free to come along to Bonkers Beat Music Kinder at 49 Laura street, Aspendale for a day of family fun and enjoy an interactive tour and music show with Bonkers the Monkey!

We look forward to seeing you there!

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Essential facts about the new child care package

From 2 July 2018 the current child care system, which includes the Child Care Benefit and Rebate, will be replaced. The new childcare package will provide families of approved childcare services with a new Child Care Subsidy and result in a few changes for providers.

We’ve taken the time to go through some of the main changes to the childcare package so families and early childhood educators, directors and owners can be prepared when July 2 arrives.

Changes for childcare services:

Types of childcare services

Instead of the seven types of childcare providers we currently have, there will only be three. There are Centre-based Day Care (CDC), Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) and Family Day Care (FDC). Depending on what type of childcare service you run, this may affect you.

Operating hours

Currently, there are many regulations for childcare professionals when it comes to their operating hours, however, with the new childcare package childcare providers will have more freedom in choosing their operating hours to suit their local area and demand. This includes how many days and hours they offer care each week, however, some regulation will still apply.

Reduced admin time

According to the department, the new child care IT system that will roll out with the childcare package is designed to support childcare providers in reducing admin time and giving you a highly functional IT system to work with.

Display this poster at your centre to remind families of the upcoming changes.

You can get plenty of information and resources here: https://www.education.gov.au/new-child-care-subsidy-system

Changes for families:

One payment system, not two

Instead of a two-payment system, the Child Care Subsidy rolling out in July will be one payment. This will completely replace both the Child Care Benefit and Child Care Rebate.

Annual cap

While currently your subsidised childcare hours are capped at $7,500, the new Child Care Subsidy will not have a cap on the majority of families. If your family earns over $185,710 your cap will remain but will be extended to $10,000 from July 2.

Means-tested subsidy

As with the previous funding, the Child Care Subsidy remains a payment that is determined by your combined family income.

Take a look at how your subsidy level will be calculated:

Meeting the activity test

The activity test shows the required number of hours a family must undertake in an approved activity to access the Child Care Subsidy. This is to make sure parents who need childcare to work can access it fairly.

Childcare funding for parents not working

To ensure all children can access a quality early childhood education, the Child Care Safety Net offers low-income families who don’t meet the activity test up to 24 hours of subsidised childcare per fortnight.

For complete information about the Child Care Subsidy and new package launching as of 2 July 2018 visit https://www.education.gov.au/child-care-subsidy.

Families, you can learn more and work out your funding level with this online calculator: education.gov.au/childcare

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What you need to know about the new NQS

NQS changes

As you are probably aware, the National Quality Standard (NQS) changed on February 1, 2018. These changes are Australia-wide, and every approved childcare service will be rated based on this updated NQS.

To help educators, directors and owners, we’ve put together a Q and A to answer some of the common queries people may have at this time.

Parents may also be interested to learn of the changes to understand what areas a centre is rated for and what is expected of childcare services.

Getting to know the new NQS

What has changed?

According to ACECQA the changes are summarised as:

  • The number of standards of the NQS has been reduced from 18 to 15, and the elements from 58 to 40.
  • The language is clearer, and each standard and element now describes a single unique concept.
  • The new guidance will clarify the difference between the Meeting NQS and Exceeding NQS rating levels for each standard.
  • The application fee for the Excellent rating will be removed. Services must be rated Exceeding in all quality areas to be eligible.
  • The definition of the Significant Improvement Required rating will change from ‘unacceptable risk’ to ‘significant risk’ to increase clarity for families. Regulatory authorities will continue to work with these services to improve quality and impose sanctions where needed.

The hard work you have put in to achieve your NQS rating will not go to waste with these changes, that’s for sure.

We are excited to see the specific addition of wellbeing in Quality Area 2!

Why were NQS changes made?

Australian education ministers agreed to make changes to the NQF and NQS with the aim of continuing to strengthen and improve the standard of early childhood education across the country. The changes should make sure centres can deliver childcare and education to the youngest members of our communities more effectively and efficiently.

Will my current rating remain?

Yes, the rating you have that is based on the old NQS will remain until you are reassessed. Of course, your next assessment will be based on the new NQS.

Where can I learn more about the changes?

To see a side by side comparison of the old NQS and the updated version, head here.

You can also visit this page to see a summary of the changes to each area.

How do I keep up to date with the National Quality Framework on which the NQS is based?

The best thing to do is save this link to the online version of the Guide to the National Quality Framework. You can order a print version, however, the online version will always be the most up to date.

These changes should make getting your centre in shape for a top NQS Rating easier to understand. And at Bonkers Beat, we can’t wait to help you kick all your NQS goals in 2018 and beyond!

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We’re in the Top 100 Early Childhood Education blogs!

Early childhood education is what we dedicate our time to – our spare time, our working time and well, all our time! Most weeks of the year we take the time to put together an email and blog to our followers offering them valuable and useful information about all aspects of early childhood education including industry, theory and the day-to-day aspects too.

At the end of last month, we were informed that our blog has been selected as one of the Top 100 Early Childhood Education blogs on the web!

The honour of being named among the top early childhood education blogs came to us from Feedspot. Feedspot is a content compiling site that gathers the best online content from all over the world and puts it all together in one spot for readers to enjoy in the one place.

Anuj from the Feedspot team explained that “This is the most comprehensive list of best Early Childhood Education blogs on the internet and I’m honoured to have you as part of this! I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world.”

Through our blog in 2018 we will continue to aim to deliver lots of valuable information as well as ideas, encouragement and inspiration to you all as you continue to commit yourselves to the early childhood education industry.

In fact, as we begin our regular blogging again, we’d love to know what you would like to read about on our blog! We’d also love to know what you think of our blog and hope to receive your feedback via email. Our goal is to remain among the top early childhood education blogs!

Head over to Facebook and comment if you have a topic in mind that you would like us to cover in 2018!

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The Best Start in the New Year with the Starter Program

Do you want to start the year off right? If you’re looking for a cost-effective and practical way to get your centre on track to shine in 2018, this is it.

The Bonkers Beat Starter Program is the way forward, enabling you to complete 5 modules of training for a leading holistic early childhood education program. All from the comfort of your centre or home.

Whether you’re a centre owner or director, you’re running a family day care, or you work in occasional care, the Bonkers Beat Starter Program will empower you to run an exciting, comprehensive quality music program that will enhance your curriculum.

5 weeks to transform your approach

Throughout the 5 modules across 5 weeks, educators will learn:

  • Musical Experiences to enhance your curriculum
  • Transitional songs during daily routines
  • Art Experiences to Make Learning Visible
  • Rhymes & Musical Games to Support Children’s Social and Emotional Skills
  • Effective Documentation to Reflect on Children’s Progress

The Bonkers Beat Starter Program is based on the award-winning Bonkers Beat Music and Wellbeing programs. The approaches used in this early childhood education program have been proven over the course of a decade and are used ongoing by many centres across Australia and the world.

This training will help you to motivate educators, boost your business, strengthen your team, but most importantly, enhance children’s brain development and their multiple intelligences.

What other educators say

Here’s an example of the way you could be feeling in your centre in 2018!

Bonkers Beat Makes Children More Focused and Happy

“Since we started the Bonkers Beat program, our children are happier, more settled, and started to love music. The program helps us to develop our room routines. Our children are now more focused, active and happy. We have a new program that we are proud of and excited to share it with our parents.”

– Marwa Zeyada, Billy Bear Preschool and Long Day Care Centre

Children Enjoyed Singing, Dancing and Playing!

“Throughout the whole year children have been captivated by the Bonkers Beat Music Program. They greatly enjoyed singing the songs, dancing and playing all sorts of instruments. I would highly recommend this music program for any family day care, kindergarten or school.”

– Tatiana Petrove, Family Day Care Provider (Bayside City Council)

Starter Program for the best start!

To make your Christmas super special, we’d love to give you a 50% discount so you can access the program online at half of its price. A New Year’s resolution to make 2018 your best year ever begins with the Bonkers Beat Starter Program.

Let’s make a mark in 2018!

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Who Benefits More?

Spending time with the elderly may not seem like it would be an exciting experience for young children, but maybe it deserves more credit… Recent research indicated that when children and seniors get together, there are a lot of benefits for both!

Take a look at this video and see for yourself! http://bit.ly/2xxYuKn

We wanted to share the amazing outcomes of the time spent between young and old with Bonkers Beat and our own community. That’s why we planned a visit with some of the older members in the local area. So, off we went to the Aspendale Senior Citizen’s Club!

Take a look at what a fun and fulfilling day we all had. Click here.

The time spent between young and old isn’t just enjoyable – the benefits are real and they are meaningful. A 4-year old can learn so much from a 74-year old – and vice versa!

Here are just a few of the benefits experienced by children and older individuals through this intergenerational time spent together:

Benefits for children

  • A patient listening ear
  • A lifetime of stories to hear
  • An insight into life’s ageing processes
  • An opportunity to learn something new

Benefits for older individuals

  • Enhanced mood
  • An opportunity to learn something new
  • Improved physical capability and movement
  • More enjoyment of life
  • Lessened dementia symptoms

We are so excited to have started this new relationship and can’t wait to continue working together with our community. In fact, at our upcoming Working Bee on 28 October we are planning to create a community garden!

By getting your centre involved with your local community you can show your children the importance of creating strong connections and enhance the wellbeing of everyone involved.

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