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How does the document define inclusive practice?

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How does the document define inclusive practice?

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The document provides a holistic commitment to fostering inclusion within learning environments. It mentions the proactive design of environments and adaptation of equipment to ensure access and participation for all children, including those with additional needs. Educators will take on the role of tailoring programs and curriculum to meet the diverse needs of children, promoting a sense of belonging and equity. Cultural diversity is celebrated and sensory considerations are acknowledged, highlighting the importance of accommodating diverse sensory experiences.

The philosophy prioritises the promotion of each child's personal abilities, fostering autonomy, confidence, and respect for differences.

Educators are encouraged to undergo training to understand and support children's unique communication needs, while external professional services are accessed when necessary. Transition support is provided to achieve smooth transitions.

Overall, it reflects a comprehensive approach to inclusion with thought to physical accessibility, curriculum adaptation, cultural sensitivity, sensory considerations, and collaboration with external professionals.

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What images of the child and teacher are present in the document?

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What images of the child and teacher are present in the document?

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Child:

The child is portrayed as an individual with different levels of skill and abilities.

This is evident in the section outlined Positively Promoting Each Child’s Personal Ability where the services commitment to promoting each child's participation in their own learning is encouraged, promoting respect for diversity, enablement of autonomy and independence and encouraging friendships between all children and their peers.

Teacher:

The document states that the service is inclusive of everyone, this outlines that teachers and educators that are at the service are also accepting and inclusive of all children. Educators and teachers would receive training and professional development to meet the needs of all children. The centres policy highlights their commitment to equity and fairness for all children.

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What understandings of inclusive practice are silenced or unsaid in the document?

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What understandings of inclusive practice are silenced or unsaid in the document?

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The document states that as per the national quality standard the service responds positively and welcomes children with additional needs who are are Aboriginals or Torres Strait Islanders, are recent arrivals in Australia, have a culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, live in isolated geographic locations, are experiencing difficult family circumstances or stress, are at risk of abuse or neglect, are experiencing language and communication difficulties, have a diagnosed disability, or are undergoing assessment —physical, sensory, intellectual or autism spectrum disorder, have a medical or health condition, demonstrate challenging behaviours and behavioural or psychological disorders, have developmental delays, have learning difficulties, are gifted or have special talents.

These groups are very glossed over and not all are mentioned again throughout the rest of the document, the rest of the document is very focused on children who may have physical or mental disabilities and not really on the other groups.

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What images of the child and teacher are present in the document?

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What images of the child and teacher are present in the document?

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The document views the Teacher and child as capable and co-constructors to each other's learning. It recognises each child as an individual and presents an equitable approach toward inclusion. The document acknowledges that different children require different support across different aspects of their lives and commits to working alongside children and families to provide appropriate and individulised support.

The service views educators as ‘positive, open-minded, and honest’ (Melton Montessori 2019). Additional support services and professional development opportunities are made available to educators to ensure they are equipped with the knowledge and support required to develop and implement an inclusive learning program that meets the needs of children with additional needs. The service views all children’s health, safety, and wellbeing as central to all that they do, and identifies strategies utilised to support this value.

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Who wrote the document? Who is the document intended for?

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Who wrote the document? Who is the document intended for?

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There is no reference as to who wrote the policy, although it does source key professional documents such as the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011, National Quality Standards and the EYLF.

The document is intended for management, employees, families and other interested parties.

It is interesting to note that while the policy mentions "the child”, there is no input from children, nor are children listed as parties that may be consulted in the review. This excludes the people it seeks to represent and contravenes the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) which states under Article 12: You have the right to give your opinion, and for adults to take it seriously.

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Positively Promoting Each Child’s Personal Ability

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Positively Promoting Each Child’s Personal Ability

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Each child within our centre is recognised as an individual, this means our education team understand each child's skill set's and abilities are all at different levels and need to be respected at their own pace of development.

According to unicef united nations convention on the rights of the child article 29 Education should develop each child’s personality and talents to the full. It should encourage children to respect their parents, their cultures and other cultures. This is relevant in our service as its highly regarded from us to respect each child's development individually and work with families in the child's learning journey.

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Professional Support Services for Children/ Professional Development

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Professional Support Services for Children/ Professional Development

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When considering how we would like this information to be accessed, we decided it would be best received in conjunction with the formal documentation. Our vision was to create an ‘easy to read’ poster capturing the key highlights of the policy. The poster’s intent is to be displayed in staff rooms, community boards, or common areas ensuring inclusive practices are first and foremost importance of service practices. Those seeking additional information can still access the formal document for further clarification. Families are also encouraged to review the document alongside Centre management for a deeper understanding.

The 2021 Early Childhood Education and Care National Workforce Census identified that 19.1 percent of “children attending child care services ... had parents or guardians who spoke a language other than English at home” (The Social Research Centre 2022, pg. 39). With this in mind, we decided it was important to make the poster available in additional languages.  Our poster includes a QR code that allows the information to be viewed in a person’s preferred language on smart devices. This can be made possible through the use of technology software such as Uniqode’s Multi-lingual QR Code (Uniqode Phygital 2024).

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Upon reflecting on the original document we noted that the layout of it was very un appealing. There was no introduction which isn't inviting to parents, educators, children or community members.

Including a small blurb or heading to introduce the reader would make it more enticing to read, we agreed the sections on the original document were realistic and justified.

We also agreed that adding in the children's voice would be an important aspect of this document.

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Through reflection and discussion, it was noted that the language used was not necessarily "family friendly". Some of the wording was very sector specific and may not be understood by everyone accessing the policy. The purpose of the policy is for inclusion, however some of the language used may be viewed as non-inclusive. Terms such as "additional needs" could be replaced with more inclusive language such as "special rights".

The addition of a child's voice featuring child friendly language may enable this policy to represent all parties involved, this aligns with a principle listed in the Statement on the Inclusion of every child: Each child has unique interests and strengths and the capacity to contribute to their communities (ECA, 2012).

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We want everyone at Melton Montessori to feel welcome. This means we want you to feel safe, happy and included in everything. We want you and your family to feel comfortable to say what you like about spending time here and what we can do better. We want you to have fun with your friends and teachers. We want everyone to be treated fairly and for your words to be heard and valued.

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Department of Education. (2021). Statement on the inclusion of every child in early childhood education and care. Early Childhood Australia, viewed 22 February 2024, https://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Statement-of-Inclusion-2016.pdf

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Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). United Nations. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org.au/united-nations-convention-on-the-rights-of-the-child

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(n.d.). A simplified version of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Unicef. Retrieved March 3, 2024, from https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com/99f113b4-e5f7-00d2-23c0-c83ca2e4cfa2/fc21b0e1-2a6c-43e7-84f9-7c6d88dcc18b/unicef-simplified-convention-child-rights.pdf

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Adarsh, M. (2024), Multilingual QR codes – deliver content in your consumers’ preferred languages, Uniqode, viewed 29 February 2024 , < https://www.uniqode.com/blog/qr-code-management/multilingual-qr-codes/>

Australian Government Department of Education 2022, 2021 Early Childhood Education and Care National Workforce Census, Social Research Centre, pdf