I love working with the children, but I struggle to keep up with observations!

Does this sound like you? It’s likely you are ticking all of the National Quality Standards when it comes to being child centred, responding to children’s ideas and play, extending children’s learning, being child directed, developing collaborative partnerships with families, and respecting family views. It’s likely your families, the children, and your colleagues all love working with you. 

Despite all of these positive attributes, you have one niggling thought… I need to do more documenting.  But I don’t want to take my focus away from the children.

Well, there are some things you can do in EarlyWorks to rid yourself of this niggling thought.

• Child Comments: when you notice a child doing something that is noteworthy, make a quick comment in child comments.  Then, when you have time, you can go through the child comments, and use the extend function to turn comments into observations that can form part of the child’s cycle of planning.  The good thing about child comments is that photos can be attached to the comment, and you have the option of making the comment and photo visible to the families.  And, they can respond to those comments. 
• Add photos with captions: when you capture a child’s learning, interests, or milestones with a photo or video, these can be uploaded via the child’s room and shared just with the family of that child.  Families can then comment on the photo and share in the joy of the learning captured.  Then, when you are creating your journals or observations, you have the option of including that photo to support your observations and achievement of outcomes.

• By sharing the comments and captioned photos you have met QA1.1.3 Information for families😊
  • And if you extend on the comments to create observations, you have met QA1.3.1 Assessment and planning cycle😊
  • If you build on the new observation with a new experience, you have met QA1.3.1 AND 1.1.2 Child centred program😊

Just by adding some comments, photos and captions you have made some amazing progress with your documentation AND you have been able to stay focused on doing what you love! Working with the children in your care.