Choklits documentation changes; we’ve made some big improvements!

We are always reviewing our policies and reflecting on how we do things at Choklits because we’re all about being a little bit better tomorrow than we are today. Although that’s a cliche, our practice has led to hundreds of improvements over many years. We believe our children and community are better for them all. 

Recently, we completed a major review of the process we use to record and document each child’s learning at Choklits. You know this as the information and updates you get about your child through our communication app, Xplor.

On review, we found a lot of the documentation didn’t have much (if any) engagement. It goes without saying that documentation for the sake of it is, well, a waste of time. Wasting time, time that is much better spent with our children, is not very intelligent! So, we’ve made some adjustments which have now come into effect…

1. Firstly, our learning stories and summative assessments will continue to be documented as they are. Once a month and biannually, respectively. For reference, we’ve put detailed explanations of each of these terms (and others) below. Our method of communication, the Xplor app will remain the same too.
2. The educational programs for each room will be implemented monthly, instead of fortnightly. This increases the depth of interactions with the learning experiences and allows both educators and children to revisit concepts multiple times in line with the EYLF.
3. Each day we will post a program update in the Xplor app, which will replace the current observations. This might be a video or photo with a brief description of the day’s happenings, or, it could be a traditional written update. We will be experimenting to see which works best. And, we’ll put more of a spotlight on the learning, make it more visible and easy to understand. Our aim is to share more about the reasons behind each aspect of the daily activities and how they help the children in their learning journey’s. Having a deeper insight will help give parents and carers more context about their child’s day and aid in regular and ongoing conversations regarding their child’s experiences and development at Choklits.
4. Room reflections will move to weekly instead of daily, allowing us to provide a deeper picture of the learning for each age group.

We are confident that these changes will allow us to return our energies and focus to engagement with the children, as well as providing quality and more insightful documentation for everyone. All updates will continue to be available in Xplor as they are currently.

Our doors are always open at Choklits so feel free to pop in and see us with any comments or questions you have. There will still be plenty of photos on both our Facebook and Instagram accounts every day, so don’t forget to connect with us over there too!

Finally, here’s those technical terms – 

Early Learning Years Framework (EYLF) is a guide made up of learning outcomes, principles and practices. There are five learning outcomes: identity, community, wellbeing, learning and communicating. It is strength-based, meaning it focuses on what the child can do, rather than what they can’t. Early childhood professionals use the EYLF to provide enriching opportunities for children to develop a strong foundation of life-long learning.

Educational Program is the plan (generally a table) that explains the experiences and goals for each group of children. We use the EYLF to build the program around each child’s developmental needs and interests. An important part includes reflecting the needs of the family and community. This is the foundation of learning and each further piece of documentation connects back to the educational program.

Individual Observation is a snapshot of the child’s learning. It can include photos, videos and/or a brief description.

Room Reflections are overview of some of the highlights from the day and observations of the learning experiences. It dives deeper into the children’s learning and interactions with experiences. 

Learning Story is an in-depth explanation of an aspect of individual children’s learning and development. It includes a description, an analysis of learning, ideas for follow-up to the learning and a reflection

Written by Choklits Educator Dee Wasserfall