The Educator Essentials Collection
MTOP – Moments That Matter: OSHC Educator Guide
MTOP – Moments That Matter: OSHC Educator Guide
A practical guide to meaningful, child-led learning in school age care.
Overview
The Moments That Matter: OSHC Educator Guide provides a clear and practical introduction to the My Time, Our Place framework, tailored specifically to the unique context of school age care. This guide breaks down the purpose, structure, and learning outcomes of MTOP in accessible, professional language and supports educators to create programs that genuinely reflect children’s agency, interests, and developmental needs. It is designed to strengthen confidence in planning, interactions, and documentation while ensuring practice aligns with national expectations for high-quality OSHC environments.
What Educators Will Learn
Educators will learn how to apply MTOP meaningfully in daily practice by understanding what the five Outcomes look like for older children and how to embed leadership, autonomy, and choice into the OSHC environment. They will gain practical strategies for child-led planning, access user-friendly templates, and explore realistic documentation approaches suited to busy before-and-after school settings. The guide also supports educators to build reflective habits, recognise learning in everyday moments, and contribute to a consistent, high-quality program that values children’s wellbeing, relationships, and participation.
1. MTOP Purpose & Structure
A concise overview of the My Time, Our Place framework, outlining its purpose, vision, and core components. This section explains how MTOP supports the unique context of school age care, emphasising children’s autonomy, wellbeing, relationships, and engagement. It provides educators with a clear understanding of how the framework guides program design, interactions, and decision-making in OSHC environments.
2. The Five Outcomes
Each Learning Outcome is unpacked in practical, age-appropriate terms to reflect the developmental needs and capabilities of older children. For every Outcome, the guide includes:
3. Child-Led Planning Tools
This section provides templates and processes that make child-led programming achievable and realistic in a busy OSHC environment.
Includes:
4. Documentation Made Easy
A practical explanation of what constitutes meaningful documentation in OSHC, focusing on efficiency and relevance.
Features include:
5. Critical Reflection for OSHC Teams
A set of reflective prompts designed to guide team discussions and support continuous improvement.
Prompts explore:
6. Empower Their World
Reinforces the importance of responsive, respectful, and child-led practice in school age care. It provides key mindset reminders that encourage educators to recognise the impact of their relationships, expectations, and environment on children’s daily experiences.
A practical guide to meaningful, child-led learning in school age care.
Overview
The Moments That Matter: OSHC Educator Guide provides a clear and practical introduction to the My Time, Our Place framework, tailored specifically to the unique context of school age care. This guide breaks down the purpose, structure, and learning outcomes of MTOP in accessible, professional language and supports educators to create programs that genuinely reflect children’s agency, interests, and developmental needs. It is designed to strengthen confidence in planning, interactions, and documentation while ensuring practice aligns with national expectations for high-quality OSHC environments.
What Educators Will Learn
Educators will learn how to apply MTOP meaningfully in daily practice by understanding what the five Outcomes look like for older children and how to embed leadership, autonomy, and choice into the OSHC environment. They will gain practical strategies for child-led planning, access user-friendly templates, and explore realistic documentation approaches suited to busy before-and-after school settings. The guide also supports educators to build reflective habits, recognise learning in everyday moments, and contribute to a consistent, high-quality program that values children’s wellbeing, relationships, and participation.
1. MTOP Purpose & Structure
A concise overview of the My Time, Our Place framework, outlining its purpose, vision, and core components. This section explains how MTOP supports the unique context of school age care, emphasising children’s autonomy, wellbeing, relationships, and engagement. It provides educators with a clear understanding of how the framework guides program design, interactions, and decision-making in OSHC environments.
2. The Five Outcomes
Each Learning Outcome is unpacked in practical, age-appropriate terms to reflect the developmental needs and capabilities of older children. For every Outcome, the guide includes:
- What the Outcome typically looks like in middle childhood
- Clarification of agency, leadership, independence, and choice within OSHC contexts
- A set of flexible, adaptable activity ideas suitable for a wide age range
3. Child-Led Planning Tools
This section provides templates and processes that make child-led programming achievable and realistic in a busy OSHC environment.
Includes:
- “Ask the Children” brainstorming pages
- Simple planning cycles tailored to school age care
- Term program templates aligned with MTOP Outcomes
4. Documentation Made Easy
A practical explanation of what constitutes meaningful documentation in OSHC, focusing on efficiency and relevance.
Features include:
- Examples of quality evidence (photos, child comments, brief observations, group reflections)
- Short samples that demonstrate MTOP alignment
- Guidance on capturing learning naturally during play, transitions, and routines
5. Critical Reflection for OSHC Teams
A set of reflective prompts designed to guide team discussions and support continuous improvement.
Prompts explore:
- How autonomy, independence, and leadership were supported
- Whether routines enabled flexibility and choice
- How friendships, social dynamics, and wellbeing were observed and responded to
6. Empower Their World
Reinforces the importance of responsive, respectful, and child-led practice in school age care. It provides key mindset reminders that encourage educators to recognise the impact of their relationships, expectations, and environment on children’s daily experiences.
