Homebased early childhood education (family day care) - The Visiting Teacher’s role in improving Educators’ practices

This project investigated the role of Visiting Teachers (formerly called coordinators) in improving the quality of Educators’ practices, and children’s learning outcomes, in the homebased settings supervised by the Dunedin Community Childcare Association (DCCA). The Visiting Teachers in the project engaged in two action research cycles, one per year, examining how the different activities, tasks, professional development workshops and Visiting Teacher-Educator interactions enhanced educational and care practices in the homebased settings. We focused on support services within the homebased early childhood education and care setting (the Visiting Teacher as well as professional development provided by the DCCA) as international research has shown this role of Visiting Teacher is both a key in providing the support for improved Educator practices, and a link between the training, professional development and successful learning outcomes for children.
 

The two-year project identified three main factors that influenced the practice of the Visiting Teachers and matched those of the Educators: informality, intentionality and isolation. The three ‘I’s became both the process of our research and the final conclusions. Addressing these factors within the Visiting Teacher and Educator settings and pedagogy directly impacted on the learning experiences for the children, the Educators and the Visiting Teachers.