The below article was recently published in our family statement newsletter and we thought it was worth posting again, together with some of the family feedback received…

This week I had a parent ask about the apps some child care centres have, which send photos of your child to you during the day.

At Young Discoverers we have reflected on this as a team.  We weighed up the benefits to parents of seeing a photo of their child during the day and the time it would take educators to take and upload a meaningful photo of each child in their class every day.  We consulted the Department of Education and some of our parents.  Our conclusion was that it is more important that educators spend time interacting with your children during the day.  The Department of Education commented that they visit a lot of child care centres and see the educators on phones or tablets all day because they are collecting photos for the apps.  This is not best practice.  Our Educators who have worked at other centres agree.  At Young Discoverers we take photos of the children as part of our program recording and at the end of the year at your child’s Christmas concert you will receive their portfolio of learning stories and artwork that they have done throughout the year.  Those of you who have received these in previous years will know what a rich and interesting record this is for you to keep…

“I am so happy to hear this. I would much rather the educators spending quality time with my child than sending a photo.  Sounds like a great team decision…”  RL

“I totally agree, and love the quality time that the educators spend with our kids as a result. I visited a daycare centre prior to starting at Young Discoverers. A baby was left crying in a bumbo seat for ages without anyone attending to him. After I had to ask if he was okay, someone came to get him out of it… they then put him in a baby swing and snapped a photo of him smiling! I didn’t like the thought of that at all… it doesn’t paint an accurate picture! My sister in law also worked at a popular childcare centre on the coast and complained about how much time was spent taking photos and recording events of the day for the apps they use. She said she could hardly give the kids any attention. So much as I’d love photos and updates… the children come first! They are loved and happy and that is all that matters!”  CS

“I 100% agree with not using these apps!  More time for meaningful interactions.”  TS