Elements and Performance Criteria

Rest may include:
Sleep
Time sitting quietly

Rest provisions may vary according to:
The venue at the time child needs rest
The child's need for rest
Other children's needs
Space available

Bedding preferences may vary due to:
Cultural practices eg. Hammock
Child's preferences eg. Soft toy

Adjusting the environment for children's rest may include adjustments to:
Level of noise
Light, temperature and ventilation

Personal hygiene may include:
Hand washing
Toileting
Blowing nose
Bushing teeth/rinsing mouth after meal

Hygiene practices taught may vary with child's age, and may include:
Flushing toilet paper after use
Discarding tissues in bin after use
Washing hands before eating, after toileting
Cleaning teeth or rinsing mouth after eating

Different family and cultural practices which may be relevant to hygiene include:
Age to commence toilet training
Eating food with utensils or fingers
Hair care practices

For children with a physical or developmental disability:
A hygiene plan is developed according to the needs of the child

For clothing, weather conditions that may need to be considered are:
Heat
Cold
Rain

Preparation of food in hygienic manner will be according to:
Appropriate regulatory requirements relating to food handling and hygiene
Alternative methods of cooling food and drink may need to be developed in remote or isolated areas (eg. Hessian cooling bag)

Appropriate washing and drying of utensils and crockery and cutlery may include via:
Hand washing in hot, soapy water
Dishwashing

Organisational procedures for food preparation may include:
Use of gloves when handling some foods
Procedures for supervision

Relevant life skills related to their physical needs will vary with the child's age/stage of development. :
For babies and infants:
Exploring, eating and feeding skills
For toddlers:
Toileting
Eating independently
Care of own possessions
Preparing drinks
Sun safety practices
For 3 to 5 year olds:
Nutrition
Meal time
Dressing and undressing
Selecting clothes to wear
Fastening shoes
Washing hands
Who to turn to for assistance
Bathing
Doing up/undoing shoes
Putting away bedding
Making choices
For 6 to 12 year olds:
Responsible for care of own possessions
Knowing when to act and when to wait
Decisions regarding use of pocket money on excursions, within parental guidelines and limits
Who to turn to for assistance and advice
Preparing snacks and drinks
Care of own health and physical needs
Basic cooking
Relaxation
Stress management
Time management
Prioritising
Nutritional needs

Ways of fostering the development of self help skills will vary according to the age of the child -
For infants:
Encourage responding to matching while dressing/undressing eg. Arm to sleeve
Through care routines and daily experiences
For toddlers:
Provide sufficient time eg. Undressing before rest
Encourage efforts
Children may choose from a range of clothes
Give support when necessary
Encourage all attempts at self help
For 3 to 5 year old children:
Provide opportunities for children to learn to fasten their shoes
Store clothes so that they are accessible to children
Personal belongings are stored accessibly
For 5 to 12 year old children:
Explanation
Demonstration
Debate and discussion
Jointly participating in task
Use of written instructions

Explanations of nutritional needs will vary according to the age of the child - For the older child explanations may include:
Healthy eating patterns
Body image
Anorexia
"Diets"
Menstruation
Sexual development

Understanding of physical needs may be promoted through:
Discussions
Demonstrations
Pamphlets
Guest speakers

A child may display their distress by:
Withdrawal
Aggressive behaviour
Tears

Behaviour which is out of character for an individual child may be:
Quiet behaviour in a boisterous child
Noisy behaviour in quiet child

Routines to minimise distress at separation of parent and child may include:
Opportunities for a relaxed and unhurried separation of parent and child
Repeated prior visits to the service prior to parent's departure
Routine of short separation times prior to lengthy separations
Comfortable chairs where parents can relax with child prior to departure

Response to a distressed child may be by:
Physical comfort
Sitting and listening
Talking through a problem
Giving child their comforter eg. Dummy, toy
Distraction

Children's emotional needs may be due to:
School problems
Changes in family circumstances
Accidents that may occur during care
New to child care, separation from familiar people and places
Family relationships
Interactions with other children
Major changes in child's life eg. Migration, losses
Death of a pet
Loss of special toy
Ill health
Embarrassing events that occur during time in care or just prior

Children may be involved in decisions about:
The layout of equipment
Routines
Choice of activities

Changes may include:
Change of countries
New children/workers starting in the service
Children/workers leaving the service
Visitors
Students

Critical aspects of assessment:
Demonstrated ability to provide quality physical care for children including ensuring adequate rest, food and drink and using and promoting hygienic practices
Opportunities for rest are provided and are varied according to the age of the child, their cultural background, development and needs
Implements and promotes hygiene taking into account child's age, development, cultural background and needs

Demonstrates ability to provide all aspects of physical care to child/ren, including:

The provision of food and drink
Provides adequate food and drink which is varied according to age, culture, development and needs of the child
Demonstrated ability to provide a range of experiences and an environment which encourages independence
Demonstrated ability to provide a safe and secure environment which enables children to be themselves and to manage change
Ability to respond to children's emotional needs that gives due regard to child's age, culture, development and need

Essential knowledge:
Individual differences of children in need for rest and sleep/rest patterns
Different practices and routines used by different families and their underlying cultural or personal rationale
Policies, regulations and guidelines about hygiene standards for food handling
Organisational standards, policies and procedures
Storage of food - temperatures
Child development
Importance of self esteem/competence and how to foster it
Effect of organising the environment
Link between care environment and home
Importance of individuality
Expectations about a range of self help skills within cultural backgrounds of children
Organisational standards, policies and procedures
Impact of changes for children
How emotional needs are expressed - directly and indirectly
Children's responses to grief, loss and separation
Organisational standards, policies and procedures

Essential skills:
Food preparation including cooking
Time management
Interpersonal
Organising environment/time management
Effective communication (staff, children, parents)
Evaluate and promote problem solving
Observation
Willingness to be reflective
Interpersonal
Time management
Empathy to child's feelings

Resource implications:

Assessment requires access to a range of opportunities defined in the Range Statement. This includes:

A childcare workplace
Access to children's services, resources and equipment
Access to the local environment

Context of assessment:
This unit is best assessed in the workplace or in a realistic simulated workplace setting under the normal range of workplace conditions, for a range of age groups, a range of conditions and over a number of assessment situations