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What does this mean?

In Kids Stats children’s experience of child care refers to the child’s perspective of how happy they are, how stressful their day is or how the child experiences the program offered to them. 

Why is it important to monitor?

Children have positive experiences in child care when their individual needs and preferences are recognised and responded to appropriately.

Child care staff can make important contributions to what children come to expect of relationships and how they feel about themselves.

Child care that is responsive, loving, understanding and consistent encourages children’s sense of their importance, competence, effectiveness, trust and safety.

The quality of child care as experienced by children can be influenced by a number of components including:

• the appropriateness of the care to the individual child
• the responsiveness of the environment to the children’s and families’ individual needs and preferences
• the way that staff interact with children and families
• the way children experience daily routines
• the nature of the learning program and how it is implemented [1].

Indicator

Information on children’s experience of child care is not routinely collected in NSW. This is an area for future development.

Note:
[1] Children Now (2002). California Report Card 2002: Children’s Critical Early Years. Accessed on 14 April 2003, at http://www.childrennow.org

For details of the references and to find out more about the data follow the link to Glossary and further information