Samantha Ahearn
Giggletree is a well established boutique company that supports childcare centres Australia wide through the provision of Childcare Consulting, Childcare Management and new centre setups.
Loose Parts. How many of you are thinking loose Parts?
"What is she on about ? " :). Loose parts are basically items that can be moved, re-designed, put together and taken apart in a variety of ways. Children use loose parts to create endless possibilities and invite all kinds of provocations. The "Theory of Loose parts" was created in 19271 by Simon Nicolson. Giggletree - 5 Tips to bring more nature into your outdoor environment. One of the biggest hurdles that a lot of childcare centres have struggled with under the new National Quality Standards, is to do with making sure their outdoor environment has natural elements.
Some centres only have rubber or synthetic surfaces throughout their playgrounds, and it is hard to put permanent elements like real grass or gardens in, because the plants root system can't break through the rubber. Giggletree - Healthy Habits. We all want to see the children we teach as happy, and healthy little people.
I know that this isn't always the case when we see children come into our care. Some children need us to help teach them some healthy habits to create an amazing foundation for their life. There are a number of healthy habits we can teach children throughout the day and incorporate into our program. The absolute best way to teach our children these healthy habits is to take them on board ourselves. Would you want the children to eat what you are eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner? These are just three areas you can look at in your life as the children you teach really do look up to you.
One tip to start making positive changes is to add in not take out. When you start making some changes then these will flow on into the classroom. Be the change you want to see in the children in your life. Nicky Leonti is mother to 2 young boys and has over 5 years experience in the Early Childhood classroom. Giggletree - What makes a good Policy & Procedure Manual? Policies are a big part of life in the childcare sector, but it can be the part that most people dislike and it can take up a great deal of time.
Come on, I know how many of us have spent hours writing these policy's to watch them collect dust :). The thing is that we still need to have policies in place, there is always the questions of what policies should I have, how long should they be and so forth, which I feel there is no one real answer for, as each centre is different and will require different policies. Giggletree - Creating Unique Environments. What is one of the main aspects of Early Learning Environments that creates a unique community orientated place of engaged learning?
After only just over 5 years within a Director/Nominated Supervisor role with the support of Giggletree I have realised it is the people including all children, families, educators, owners & community networks that all come together in the one place & time to create these learning opportunities for each other and for children. The initial conception I had when commencing this leadership role was it is going to take at least 5 years to truly have the sense that the new centre is established.
Highfields Early Learning Centre opened on 25th February 2008 which was the first day of an amazing learning journey to date. Giggletree - Creating Unique Environments. Giggletree - Tips for making Staff Meetings a Positive Experience. While traveling to one of my centres (6 hour drive) I love listening to pod casts and YouTube talks.
I started listening to "Why happiness is the new productivity" by Vishen Lakhiani Mindy Valley. He talked about 10 things to do in your company. One of those steps was called an "Awesome Report". Giggletree - Guest Blog - To New Year's Resolution or Not To New Year's Resolution – THAT is the question... Like many people, the end of a year and the dawning of a new year provides a time for reflection and a time to dust off our resolutions for the year to come.
As I no longer drink alcohol, fortunately the period of New Year's Eve that used to be dedicated to the self-loathing admission that none of my previous year's resolutions had been achieved no longer happens. However my awareness that I am not alone in this confession has grown. It's true – apparently only around 12% of people actually keep their new year's resolution! (Source: Forbes).Does this provide me with an opportunity to cop out of making commitments to myself to change or become a better person? Is there a more effective way to use the beginning of the year as a point in time to make change in my life? Deb CallahanDeb is currently working in Early Childhood Development but has a background in Retail Management, Administration, Human Resources Management, Project Management and Training.
Giggletree - Do you have Rose Tinted Glasses On? Today's post is from a Guest Blogger, her name is Linda Harley and she runs Queensland Child Care Sales.
If you are looking at selling your centre she has some tips to think about before you put it on the market. Giggletree - Sustainable Practices. This area was not very big in early childhood before National Quality Standards came into place, as it was not really covered under the old regulations or under NCAC quality areas.
So, we need to start thinking how we can turn our centres into more sustainable places. You might already have started putting things into place or have some great ideas. Giggletree - What to look for in a childcare centre. As we head towards the new year many parents will be preparing to send their children off to care, often for the first time.
Choosing a childcare centre can be a daunting task – apart from being an appropriate distance from your home or work, having places available and being affordable for your budget, what are some of the other things you should look for in a centre? Secure, well maintained building - People other than staff and parents should not be able to enter the centre without staff knowledge and approval. Children should not be able to leave the facility without adult supervision. High quality facility – The building and equipment should be of high quality with regular maintenance inspections and immediate repair or removal of any damaged or faulty items.
Parking facilities - to allow for the safe drop off and pick up of children. Climate Control – appropriate heating and cooling so children and staff feel comfortable all year around with plenty of airflow. Giggletree - Demystifying Performance Evaluations... Demystifying Performance Evaluations... I have been recently working on a project reviewing the Performance Assessment and Evaluation processes for an organisation.
Having worked for numerous organisations and seen many incarnations of these systems, I thought others may find it useful to walk through the little reality checking session that I had to give myself when launching into this project.I had to realise that within the Early Childhood Education field, the concept of Performance Evaluation is relatively new. Many Educators are aware of the "Performance Improvement" or "Performance Management" processes – all with a negative connotation as they are associated with someone being told that they are not doing their job (or at least something in the workplace) the right way, and that there are clear expectations of improvement... all those confronting closed door meetings and anxiety!
Giggletree - blog. Giggletree - Contact us. New Centre Startups - GiggleTree - Giggletree. Are you lost on where to start with setting up your new childcare centre? Then Giggletree can help you stay on track when establishing a new childcare centre! We can assist you in coordinating every aspect, from site suitability inspections through to centre openings.
Whether you just need help in one area, or with the entire process, we can tailor our service to meet your individual needs. Giggletree saves you time and effort, and ensures that all aspects of establishing a childcare centre are covered. Childcare Consulting - GiggleTree - Giggletree. Here at Giggletree we provide flexible childcare consulting services to the Early Learning Sector, to help clients in all areas of running a childcare service. Whether you need help with things like staffing, marketing ideas or help with the National Quality Standards etc we are the consultants for you. The first step is for one of our consultants to understand your specific circumstances either at a face-to-face meeting, Skype or over the phone. After looking at the most cost–effective way to you achieve your goals, we then prepare a proposal and a cost estimate for your consideration Giggletree can help you get the absolute best out of your centre and your staff.
Childcare Consulting. Our Vision Here at Giggletree, we deliver a meaningful journey of discovery to greatness for all stakeholders. Through Trusting and personalised connections that meet everyone's individual needs, Giggletree empowers all involved to be the best they can be through providing remarkable experiences. Values A Happy fun Environment > We Foster Teamwork and Collaboration > Fun & Laughter is a sound you will hear from our environment. Child Management - Giggletree - Giggletree. Giggletree is a boutique management company that specialises in high quality childcare management and consulting services.
We implement simple, effective processes that balance human preferences with efficient operating systems. Most importantly we believe that centre staff need proactive and hands on support from their management company and our programs are designed to develop and support them. Giggletree management provides centre owners with the peace of mind that your centre is being run efficiently and that staff are being looked after, ensuring the long term sustainability of the centre. Day-to-Day operations we provide:- New Centre Startups - GiggleTree - Giggletree. Giggletree - Contact us. Giggletree - Childcare Management. "As a Director of a centre, it is great to have someone to bounce ideas off, get advice from and network with. Samantha is on site for us every week, and when she is not in the centre, we can always call her on the phone to catch up. Samantha helps us with staff recruitment, policy development, quality improvement, budgeting, purchasing and so much more.
She is responsible for doing the financial reporting to our owners and takes care of all payroll and superannuation issues for us as well. If there is ever a crisis - which lets face it, can happen in a child care environment, Samantha is ready to jump in, act quickly and sort out the issues. I was fortunate enough to see this in action when one of the centres Samantha was managing, went completely under water in the 2011 floods. Child Management - Giggletree - Giggletree. Childcare Consulting. Giggletree - Home Page Childcare Management, Childcare Consulting Childcare Consultants.