Building Foundations

A Birth to Three Framework of Effective practice

The Foundations for Families: A Birth to Three Framework of Effective Practice has been created as an interdisciplinary framework to support practitioners and parents in the understanding and facilitating of development of children aged 0-3 years.

Framework Principals

The Foundations for Families Framework is underpinned by the following principles:

-          Relationships with other people are of crucial importance in a child’s life, especially a key person

-          Babies and young children are social beings and competent learners from birth

-          Children learn by doing rather by being told

-          Young children are vulnerable. They learn to be independent by having someone they can depend upon

-          Caring adults count more than resources

-          The socio-cultural context of a child bears great significance to their development

-          Australia is a wonderfully diverse and multi-cultural country.

Framework Aims

The Foundations for Families framework aims:

-          To provide a core common understanding or agreed position of child development and how best to support it in children aged 0-3 years

-          To value and celebrate children, their individuality, efforts and achievements

-          To acknowledge the changing context of children and families in Australia today

-          To value and support the adults who live and work with children

-          The provide opportunities for reflection

-          To inform and develop effective practice

-          To acknowledge that there are no easy answers

What does the Foundations for Families: Birth to Three Framework look like?

The framework comes packaged in one A4 sized, hard-cover folder that contains:

-          Four colour distinguished sections of information

-          A Strong Child

-          A Skilful Communicator

-          A Competent Learner

-          A Healthy Child

-          Removable easy reference information cards

-          DVD

-          Posters

-          Literature Review

-          Additional Information

Background

-          The Framework looks at the socio-cultural context of a child and considers development from a more integrated perspective to traditional developmental domains

-          It has considered the UK model of Birth to Three Matters (DFES) and has reconceptualised the model into an Australian context

-          Is based on current Australian research and international studies in neuroscience and neurobiology in relation to infant’s brain development and well as attachment theory.

For further information please contact the Communities for Children team on 07 3290 5200.