Establishing an achievable, practical, and effective planning cycle is a challenge experienced by many services. The process can feel complex, often leading to the documentation of a planning cycle that is implemented at the service rather than for the service.
Often, service leadership takes a top-down approach, establishing templates and steps for documenting the planning cycle. Once established, this cycle is then filtered down to educators who are expected to complete the work with limited input into it, in specified time frames.
Element 1.3.1 of the National Quality Standards requires that each child’s learning and development be assessed and evaluated as part of an ongoing cycle of observation, analysis, documentation, planning, implementation, and reflection. Meanwhile, Element 7.2.2 highlights the educational leader’s role in guiding the development and implementation of the educational program and planning cycle. While it may seem straightforward to align these two elements by taking a top-down approach—establishing templates and setting specific deadlines for educators—this can lead to rigid expectations, such as requiring the creation of a new program each week.
If we reflect further on the role of the planning cycle, it’s important to highlight that V2.0 of the Early Years Learning Framework emphasises the importance of collaborative leadership that is centred around continuous improvement.
When services embrace their responsibility for collaborative leadership, alongside their commitment to delivering high-quality learning programs for children, it creates an opportunity to reflect on the planning cycle and how it is implemented and documented.
One example of this is CELA member Peter Pan Preschool. During recent CELA training, Educational Leader Cathy Jolly highlighted how her service is adopting a collaborative approach to documenting the planning cycle. Cathy and fellow educational leader Carly Kelly provided us with more information about the new process to share with Amplify! Readers.
How collaborative leadership helped to tailor the planning cycle at Peter Pan Preschool
By Cathy Jolly and Carly Kelly
Our team were finding it difficult to record follow-ups and extensions of learning with our old planning template. After receiving feedback from two educators expressing a desire to try a new method for recording the planning cycle, we invited the entire team to share their ideas. We then combined these contributions to form the foundation of our new system
We removed our previous templates, which were box-based and required filling in, and instead provided a blank scrapbook for each room. We provided examples, based on educator suggestions, of how the team might record the planning cycle within their rooms. However, we encouraged them to experiment and tailor the process of documentation to suit their specific needs. The goal was for each room to document the planning cycle in a way that made the most sense to them.
What the process looks like now
Educators now collect information through enrolment forms, family conversations, and observations. They then plan experiences to engage and extend the children’s learning, which is documented in our planning book.
After observing the children participating in these experiences, educators record their observations, which are displayed daily in our foyer for families to see (see image below). Educators then reflect on the experiences, plan extensions, and document these in the planning book.
This cycle continues as we observe again, record the observed learning, and analyse and evaluate it. Our goal is to complete this cycle for each child once per term.
How the team has reacted
We've observed that the team is more positively engaged in documenting the planning cycle and has taken ownership of their chosen formats. Educators have found that this approach makes it easier to follow and visualise the planning cycle on paper. Additionally, we've seen an increase in the number of educators who feel confident contributing to these documents.
This adjusted process is still new for our service, and it’s important to note that it is continually evolving with our team. It will continue to change as we grow professionally and as our team develops
Here are some tips for services struggling with their planning cycle:
CELA professional development in relation to this topic:
FIND OUT MORE
Further reading:
ACECQA: Collaborative leadership and teamwork information sheet
ACECQA: The planning cycle reflective session template
ACECQA: Quality Area 7 - Governance and Leadership
About Meg
Meg is an Early Childhood Teacher in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne on Wurundjeri land. She has worked across a range of settings throughout her decade of work in the early learning sector, and is now pursuing postgraduate study in adult education. Meg is very passionate about advocating for the early childhood profession in a way that both challenges and empowers educators.