INSIDE THE CHILD CARE CENTER: HOW TO ENSURE QUALITY CHILD CARE PRACTICES
ABSTRACT: Ensuring staff
display best practices when handling children at childcare center is a task
that requires the management to instil knowledge of child development and
develop the skills for maintaining childcare. This paper unfolds the initiative
of a childcare manager who believes in the necessity of conducting research
about staff skills and level of knowledge to ensure the quality of childcare
service. Therefore, a case study was conducted to identify the key areas of a
quality childcare centre: staff relationships with children and peers,
partnerships with families, programming and evaluation, children’s experiences
and learning, protective care and safety, health, nutrition and well-being, and
management to support quality. The questionnaire was adapted from the Quality
Improvement Accreditation System (QIAS) model and administered to all staffs at
the center. This research discovers three areas that each of them (1) reflct
staf ability to implement new knowledge, (2) need further training and
guidance; and (3) need urgent consistent training and monitoring. Furthermore,
this study also presents discussion between the researcher and the manager to
enhance staff development.
KEYWORDS: Quality Improvement
Accreditation System (QIAS), childcare center management, quality childcare
Author: Zahyah Hanafi, Siti
Noor Ismail
Journal Code: jppendidikangg140147
