Supervision
Did you know?
Effective supervision also provides a great opportunity to interact with children and enjoy their company.
Supervision is a vital skill for you to develop as a child care worker. You will use this skill almost every minute of your working day, and the wellbeing of all the children in your care depends on it.
There are state/territory child care regulations relating to supervision. Additionally each centre will likely have its own policy to further support its own staff.
Regulations and policies will include things like:
- child-staff ratios
- requirements when supervising in particular areas eg outdoor play area
- requirements when supervising particular activities eg toileting
- requirements when supervising particular groups eg a group of 3 year olds on tricycles
- requirements when supervising children’s arrival and departure from the service
- requirements when supervising on excursions.
Supervision isn’t just about managing children’s behaviour or preventing accidents. It’s also about observing how children are interacting with each other, their environment and equipment, and recognising opportunities to enhance their play and learning experiences.
Effective supervision involves:
- positioning yourself so you can see all of the children you are supervising
- positioning yourself closely enough to act in higher risk activities or situations
- listening carefully, paying attention to changes in the sounds
- regularly counting children
- anticipating what may happen next in different activities
- management of choking risks at meal times
- communicating well with other staff to ensure supervision is constant
- explaining safety rules to children and helping them to follow them
- ensuring all children are signed in and out by their parent/guardian
- never leaving children unsupervised.
Remember, if an accident does happen, the correct procedure must be followed, including completing an Accident/Incident report. Have another look at the form in the Intranet if you need a reminder.
Proximity
How close should you be to effectively supervise these activities? Choose your response to each from the drop down list on the right.
A group of eight year olds playing soccer
A four year old trying a new slide for the first time
A group of three year olds making vegetable prints
Bathing a six month old baby
