What is a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) in Childcare?
The aim of a Quality Improvement Plan (commonly referred to as a QIP) is to help childcare services self-assess their performance in delivering quality education and care, and to plan ongoing and sustainable improvements for your childcare centre.
All approved childcare providers must ensure a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) is in place for each service. Your childcare service’s QIP must include the following 3 key measurable metrics:
An assessment of your centre’s programs and practices as compared against the the National Quality Standard and National Regulations.
Clearly communicated and identifiable areas for improvement
A concise and professional statement about your services philosophy
A QIP should also document and celebrate your service's strengths and should be readily available upon request from a regulatory authority or even a parent considering the enrolment of their child within your care.
Your QIP will become part of your administrative ‘bible’ - in the way that it should be easily available at your primary office or reception for regular reference and accessible sharing to requesting parties.
New childcare services are expected to submit their Quality Improvement Plans within 3 months of opening their doors and must be prepared within 3 months after your childcare has received service approval from the government.
Self-assessment Tool
Self-assessment against the National Quality Standards is essential to drive continuous improvement at your service and is essential to providing quality outcomes for children.
A great starting point in developing your QIP is to visit the ACECQA (Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority) to utilise their Self-assessment Tool to support your approved childcare’s leaders and educators assess the quality of your education and childcare practices, policies and procedures, against the NQS, National Law and National Regulations.
This Self-assessment Tool will help you identify your childcare’s strengths and areas of compliance, while also acknowledging your practices that are are Exceeding NQS. Also identified will be your service’s areas and opportunities for quality improvement.
Once you’ve explored your centres strengths, weaknesses and opportunities with the use of ACEQA’s Self-assesment Tool, you’ll be well on your way to developing a professional and succinct Quality Improvement Plan.
If your centre needs assistance in developing your QIP, then we at the Help2Group are trained and readily available to help! Contact us today on 0423 529 779 for a no-obligation discussion or visit our contact page to send us an email on your service’s needs.