early years alliance - �� publications

Emotion Coaching in the Early Years

caroline.graham — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 14:01:55 +0000

What is emotion coaching?

Being an emotion coach requires adults to respond fully to young children’s expressions of their feelings and to help them to learn to regulate them for themselves — not just to make them feel better but as a crucial part of building their emotional resilience and assisting their development into fulfilled, balanced human beings.

Emotion coaching presents the perspective that the brain is a whole-body social entity and it is through interactions with the world and — most critically — through relationships that it grows and develops into an integrated, fully functional organ.

This process continues throughout life and it is the balanced, integrated brain that is the key to achieving a happy successful life.

Wherever adults care for children, within families or a childcare facility, they are creating relational spaces where they, as the adults, can be happy, balanced motivated individuals and children can be nurtured and grow to their fullest potential.

Emotion coaching with babies

Within an early years provision, attachment and attunement is dependent on the relationship you have with the babies you care for, as well as with parents.

As a key person, your role is to gradually get to know babies through the settling-in process.

Babies and toddlers need to form a close trusting relationship with you in order to build a secure attachment.

Ideally, to achieve consistency and continuity babies should not change their key person in their first two years.

Babies cannot keep building new relationships with a new carer without it having an effect on their emotional well-being.

The same person and same routine is key

You should always be responsible for the routine aspects of care for your key children, as it is through these seemingly unimportant tasks that attachment is built.

Feeding is a time of closeness, intimacy and affection. Being rocked to sleep at rest time is comforting and soothing so promotes security. Nappy changing or personal care is a time of trust and playfulness.

Sometimes it can seem easier to organise this work between staff on a rota basis, but that is not helpful for babies as it is hard for them to cope with being handled by different people.

These tasks are relational so should be done by you, as their key person, or in your absence, a designated back-up key person.

Emotion coaching with babies starts with the key person relationship and builds on from settling-in.

The importance of secure attachment

Careful attention should be paid to the emotional expressions of babies and these should never receive dismissive or disapproving responses.

Babies cry for a reason, not because they are deliberately miserable or want to be difficult.

Settled babies will rarely cry unless they are hungry, startled, lonely or tired, and crying inconsolably is not a ‘normal’ part of settling-in.

It means that babies are not securely attached because settling-in has not been done properly.

When babies feel insecure, their brain goes off-line, and they become distressed.

A happy secure baby is in their river of well-being[i], allowing for their brain to grow and develop normally.

Bearing in mind that brain growth in the first year is faster than at any other point in their life, then the importance of optimum opportunity for that through secure relationships cannot be underestimated.

Take your time and find the best way to soothe

When babies are distressed, they are calmed by carrying and rocking, firstly because the warm closeness of their carer’s body is reassuring and secondly because their brains are wired to respond to gentle, repetitive rhythmic movement.

Some babies who are very distressed and/or sensitive need to be wrapped to their carer’s body with a sling to provide ongoing closeness and movement.

It is better to take the time and persevere with finding the right soothing and calming answer for a baby’s distress.

Not only do your physical actions act as calming strategies for babies, but so does the sound of your voice and your non-verbal communications.

Body language and facial expressions provoke responses in babies, e.g. a smile in return for a smile, conversely negative or closed body language will create distress.

These are highly sensitive responses to stimuli gleaned from your mood and attitude.

Reassure babies with a gentle voice and kind words

Babies respond to the way adults talk to them in an almost musical way with their bodies, moving arms and legs in sync with the sounds they hear as well as the sounds they make in responding.

Babies’ brains are social brains and they require connection with others, most of all those carers with whom they are attuned and can experience contingent communication.

Responding to babies distress requires empathic and soothing words and intonations.

For example, by saying:

‘Aah. Are you feeling tired? Come, let’s get blankie.’

‘It’s ok sweetheart, food is coming soon, yes it is. Not long now, yes, I know you are hungry and you want your bottle.’

‘Did that make you jump? Did it scare you? It’s all right, there now, shhh, it’s alright. I’m here.’

Choose your words carefully

As babies get older, the language your use, rather than just the sound of your speech, becomes more important.

This is when the words used to comfort become as important as the physical nature of that comfort, so how you respond verbally to the emotional expression of toddlers is important.

By now, all the words that have been used that just sounded good before will have meaning to toddlers which will help them understand their feeling states - tired, hungry, scared - and that these states can be dispelled by soothing movement and comforting speech.

Words or phrases that describe big feelings, such as happy, sad, cross, fed up, excited, tired, had enough, cannot cope, missing mummy/daddy and hungry, help toddlers to not only feel secure in knowing that they have been understood but that they now have a way of self-recognising their big feelings and are learning to put those feelings into words for themselves.

It also gives the message that not only do you recognise their feeling states, but that you also validate them.

Helping very young children recognise and name their feeling states while they still rely on you to regulate them is an important step in the milestone of emotional self-regulation.

Emotion coaching for babies entails keeping them feeling calm and safe so that they can enjoy a relationship with you, other babies and have fun playing.

Relationships and play all stimulate the brain and promote its growth and integration.

[i] Seigel, D & Payne Bryson, T. (2012) The Whole-Brain Child:12 Proven Strategies to Nurture your Child’s Developing Mind. London: Robinson.

Learn to become an emotion coach

This blog post was an extract from �� publication Emotion Coaching in the Early Years which explains the neuroscience behind emotional resilience and outlines techniques that early years practitioners can use to create an environment which supports emotional development and promotes listening and talking together.

It is available now to order from the �� shop.

Pre-order today and receive 20% off.

Simply quote EC120.

Delivery is expected in late January.

�� publications

Marketing your early years business: What's your USP?

caroline.graham — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 08:59:33 +0000

Effective marketing is an essential tool to help fill current childcare places, continue to attract new customers in the future and ultimately to support a sustainable childcare business. In this this edited extract from Operating a Viable Early Years Provision, we explore how you can let families know about your quality care.

What’s your unique selling point (USP)?

How can you make your setting stand out from the competition?

Let's explore how you can market your provision more effectively.

Check out the competition

Up-to-date market research is valuable in any business, in any sector. It provides an insight into the market, trends and customers. While a good working relationship should be developed with other providers in the area, there will always be an element of competition. This is to be expected and occurs in all sectors.

In order to position the setting competitively in the local market, you should research the other childcare available in your area including:

services offered
age ranges catered for
opening times, including the number of weeks they are open
fees and any special discounts
capacity and vacancy rates
facilities – both indoors and outdoors
meals and snacks offered
USPs
promotional activities

More broadly, you should also find information about local demographics, including the percentage of young families in the overall population in the area. This can be sought from your local authority.

Understanding the main customer group — parents — should be central in your market research.

Knowing what they are looking for is vital when you are looking to adapt your service to their needs.

What makes your setting stand out?

A unique selling point, or USP, is a factor that differentiates your service or products from competitors. A USP should be used as a promotional tool. It should offer families something that your competitors cannot, do not or will not offer. It should be attractive enough to attract new customers.

Your USP could be:

lower fees
improved Ofsted outcome
flexible hours or sessions
longer hours to support working parents
inspiring premises or facilities indoors or outdoors
niche offerings, such as organic food or Forest School sessions
innovative practice
additional activities, such as music or dance classes
school pick-ups/drop-offs

Identifying a shared understanding with the team and a strong statement to promote a USP is an important starting point.

This then needs to be linked clearly with a marketing strategy so that the wider community is aware of what makes your provision unique.

There should be a focus on developing and continually improving the high quality service. This is the most effective approach to successfully marketing the provision and should underpin a marketing action plan and the basis of your brand.

Building your brand

Creating your brand for your setting is important for ensuring that it is easily recognised. It will present your setting in a professional, distinctive and consistent way. Consideration should be given to this before you develop any promotional resources, such as signage, flyers or posters. A successful brand should reassure families of the quality of your setting and communicate your values clearly.

Having worked on your vision as a team, the personality of your setting will be based on your shared values and beliefs. These in turn will shape the identity of the setting and how these values are communicated to the community. This communication includes the tone of written content and the visual images that accompany it.

Whether it is your prospectus, newsletter, policies or leaflets, values can be communicated consistently through colour, language and layout, as well as imagery. These should be distinctive, relevant, memorable and flexible enough to be used in different formats.

Families should also be consulted as their perception is integral to success.

New �� publication Operating a Viable Early Years Provision (Member price £13.65, non-member price £19.50) outlines the various elements of the sustainability jigsaw, from effective leadership and financial management to marketing and developing high quality provision.

Drawing on robust management tools, it focuses on the development of a series of processes to support leaders and managers to take stock of the current position and lays out important planning steps for managers, owners, directors and trustees.

Guidance is also provided on the importance of becoming a values-led organisation, improving planning and decision-making, undertaking a breakeven analysis, a shared vision of high quality for the setting, and much, much more!

Order your copy online or call 0300 330 0996 or email shop@eyalliance.org.uk.

�� publications

Making your early years setting sustainable

caroline.graham — Thu, 12 Sep 2019 11:27:52 +0000

Creating and developing a sustainable early years setting is not just about money, as important as that is, but requires leaders and managers to focus on all areas of the organisation.

The diversity of provision and the current financial climate means there is no single recipe for success.

Effective leadership, financial management, marketing and developing high quality provision, are all crucial and connected pieces of what might be called ‘the sustainability jigsaw’.

Effective leadership and management

Great leadership is about creating relationships with the team and inspiring them to go ‘above and beyond’ their own expectations. In order to initiate and sustain this, it is important to develop a vision. Crucial to the development of a vision is exploring organisational values, such as caring and integrity, valuing creativity and problem solving, respecting honesty and trusting each other, and committing to excellence.

Settings should aim to create a learning culture where individuals take responsibility for their development in partnership with leaders and managers. It is crucial to recognise the need to develop staff team members, so they are fully equipped to deliver the setting’s vision.

Financial management

Successfully managing the finances of any business requires well-defined systems and regular reviews. Accurate and timely financial management information will inform the business, strategic and operational decision making.

For example, careful budgeting and managing cash flow will inform plans with regards to staffing, marketing and the delivery of services. By looking regularly at their current financial position settings can ensure that everything runs smoothly.

Whilst it may be thought that offering services at a low cost will drive demand, a higher fee to reflect the improved services may also make good business sense, where high quality provision is provided.

Having a sense of what other local early years settings charge, in addition to what they provide for that fee will also assist with marketing activities.

Marketing and communications

Effective marketing is an essential tool to help fill current childcare places and continue to attract new customers in the future and ultimately support a sustainable childcare business. This includes understanding market research, to provide an insight into the market, trends and customers; identifying unique selling points, to highlight what makes the service more attractive than its competitors; and creating a brand to ensure the setting is easily recognised and presented in a professional, distinctive and consistent way.

High quality provision and practice

The contributory perspectives and factors which lead to definitions of high quality early years provision are complex, but certain elements have been identified as having the greatest impact on the quality of provision.

Structural quality relates to factors that are more easily observed, measured and regulated, such as group size, staff:child ratios, staff retention, qualification levels and professional development.

Process quality captures children’s day-to-day experiences and includes the educational activities undertaken, the types of interactions between children, teachers and parents, and the way in which routine care needs are met.

Quality improvement is a continuous process embedded in everyday practice, only limited by a setting’s capacity to improve and, most importantly, by the ability of staff and management teams to reflect upon their own thoughts and actions. In doing so, settings can evaluate their provision, recognising areas for improvement and take full ownership of strategies implemented to bring about change. Quality improvement then becomes a continuous journey, fuelled by reflective practice.

Considering all of these four ‘pieces’ of the jigsaw together will support the ongoing viability of the setting.

For more valuable insights you can't afford to miss...

Leading and managing a setting is an incredibly demanding job in itself, particularly when delivering high quality services without sufficient funding. However, it is just as important for settings to work on their organisation in a strategic sense, as it is in an operational way.

New �� publication Operating a Viable Early Years Provision outlines the various elements of the sustainability jigsaw.

Guidance is provided on the importance of becoming a values-led organisation, improving planning and decision making, undertaking a break-even analysis, a shared vision of high quality for the setting, and much, much more!

Order Operating a Viable Early Years Provision by 30 September, quoting VIA919 and get 20% off

Nathan Archer, �� (Ref: A112) £13.65 members, £19.50 non-members

Order my discounted copy now

�� publications

Healthy and Active Lifestyles - top tips for early years settings

sarah.evans — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 11:14:20 +0000

Inspired by the �� publication, Healthy and Active Lifestyles (and just in time for the New Year!) we've put together some of our top tips on how early years settings can encourage and promote healthy eating and active lifestyles for the children and families they work with.

Promoting healthy eating

After all the seasonal treats have been devoured, January is the perfect time to renew a focus on healthy eating. Research shows that almost a third of children in England are overweight or obese and one in five are already overweight or obese even before they start school. That’s why it is so timely and important for early years settings to continually refresh their plans in ensuring they promote healthy eating.

Get the parents involved

Gaining the support of your parents and carers from the outset is vital. This starts with initial conversations to understand their child’s eating habits, preferences, dislikes and any allergies or dietary needs. The key person can then share participation in healthy eating activities, new foods the child has tried and the setting’s menu with the parents. Also plan to get your parents involved in any planting or cooking sessions, picnics or food projects or activities your setting is planning.

Menu planning

Sharing the setting’s menu with your parents and carers can give them ideas and examples for their own menus at home. You can get their feedback helping make sure the children get a varied diet at home and in the setting too. A three week menu plan will give you a chance to introduce a sufficient variety of tastes and textures to mealtimes. You can also take advantage of seasonal fruit and vegetables and accommodate birthdays and festivals.

Boosting involvement and responsibility

A whole setting approach to valuing food and mealtimes can reap rewards in getting children motivated and interested in healthy eating. It can also introduce diverse learning opportunities and activities across the EYFS prime and specific areas of learning and development. Look at ways for children to be involved in the whole process from obtaining the ingredients to planning, preparation, setting out and clearing away. Giving children responsibility will help them gain self-esteem and confidence and interest in mealtimes and the food they are eating. Consider the following activities to get them involved:

grow fruit, vegetables and herbs at the setting
write a shopping list with the children for a healthy meal on your menu
take an outing with the children to buy items from your list – make them responsible for finding the items. Look at and discuss the other food there.
take advantage of your local area and environment – is there a local farmshop, allotment or orchard nearby? Can staff or parents with fruit trees or vegetable patches donate any seasonal glut to your setting?
include cooking sessions with the children where they help prepare a meal and get them weighing, measuring and counting ingredients
give children opportunities to serve themselves during mealtimes
have the children lay the table and help wash and dry up after

Make it sociable

Mealtimes at the setting should be an enjoyable, sociable experience with practitioners joining in. This will support the children’s language and communication skills and increase their participation. You can try new foods yourself, encourage and extend conversations and be a good role model for polite manners and eating well. Here it is important to respect children’s preferences and talk about what you like and dislike too. When you praise and encourage children to try new foods be aware that likes and dislikes can change daily.

Further information

Gain further inspiration and ideas to encourage healthy eating from the many case studies contained in �� publication Healthy and Active Lifestyles for the Early Years. Written by early years practitioners for early years practitioners, this publication provides advice, guidance and examples of how you can actively support the children and families who attend your setting to live a healthier life.

�� publications

Best practice

Why movement counts – a free book extract

sarah.evans — Tue, 10 Jul 2018 15:14:09 +0000

Physical development is one of the three prime areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), alongside communication and language and personal, social and emotional development. These three areas have equal status, are interdependent and together form the very heart of all learning and development. In this free extract from �� publication, Moving Right from the Start, Anne O’Connor, Jasmine Pasch, Dr Lala Manners, Carol Archer, describes how the four specific areas of learning and development are strengthened through physical competencies.

Literacy development

The experience of hearing stories, rhymes and poems is greatly enhanced for children when they can explore them physically and with their whole bodies. This might be through repeated actions (for example, using their hands to create Incy Wincy Spider climbing up the spout) or spontaneously as they physically engage with aspects of a story and show their delight, surprise, anticipation, excitement or relief by jumping up and down or moving in response. Children often revisit stories in their physical and imaginative play, helping them embed literary conventions as well as content and narrative.

Before children can use the fine muscles in their hands and fingers to hold a pencil correctly, so as to be able to write well, they need to have fully developed the required large motor skills in their arms, neck and shoulders. These gross motor skills are acquired through lots of vigorous activity, for example, by stretching, pulling, pushing, reaching, swinging and hanging using the whole body; the kind of activity that children love to use in their physical play. These motor skills need to be in place before the child is fully able to manipulate the smaller muscles in the hand and fingers to find a comfortable pencil grip that is relaxed and does not put an unwarranted level of stress on the whole arm when writing.

Mathematical development

Spatial awareness is very important for mathematical development. Interestingly, our physical experience of mathematical concepts actually begins in the womb, before we are even born. The growing baby developing in utero, is already exploring space, shape, perimeter, forces and rhythm as they experience the confines and sensations of the womb as their mother moves around and carries on her daily life. These early experiences are then built on once the baby is born and begins to take charge of their own movements in their surroundings.

Having an intuitive understanding of how the body fits within space and moves through it in relation to other things within that space, is essential for spatial reasoning. This is the mental capacity to think about objects in three dimensions and imagine the paths they take as they move or are rotated. It is the starting point for understanding higher mathematical concepts, such as geometry and physics, and helps with problem solving in number, measurement, algebra and data handling.

Understanding the world

First-hand experience is fundamental to this, as it is to all aspects of the curriculum. Children’s first explorations of forces and energy are inevitably through physical activity using their own bodies, as they push and pull, slide and fall and play with objects. Early spatial reasoning is also believed to be an important predictor of later achievement in Science and Technology subjects. (Uttal et al 2013)

Getting out and about for walks in their local area and community is essential for children’s experience of the world, allowing them to explore the familiar as well as venturing (when appropriate) into the unfamiliar.

Expressive arts and design

Young children are naturally expressive in their movements, showing delight with themselves, their world and their bodies through spontaneous movement and activity. As they grow and become more physically experienced, they also enjoy channelling and containing these movements into increasingly skilled action, for example through sport, dance and gymnastics.

Having lots of early experiences in their own personal ‘movement bank’ also helps them recognise and appreciate movement patterns in other art forms, for example, in stories, poetry, film, drama, sculpture and martial arts.

As well as all of the above, we need to remember that physical engagement with learning means that we are more likely to remember what we have learnt and that the first hand, whole body memories we gain through movement play provide us with firm experiences on which to build new learning. This has strong links with the characteristics of effective teaching and learning, in which ‘active learning’ is emphasised along with ‘playing and exploring’ and ‘creating and thinking critically’. (EYFS 2017, 1.9) The opportunity to make mistakes and take risks, to persevere and try new ideas and to make decisions for themselves is an important part of ‘active learning’ and strongly linked to children’s physical play, both indoors and out.

To make sure these skills have the best chance of developing, we need to provide children with all the opportunities for playful movement and physical activity that their bodies and their brains, require.

This is a free extract from �� publication Moving Right from the Start.

Learn more about the book by visiting our shop.

�� publications

Best practice

Managing early childhood conflicts and behaviours — free book extract

sarah.evans — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 15:50:13 +0000

This free extract from the �� publication Behaviour Matters: Supporting children’s social and emotional development in the early years, looks at some of the common early childhood behaviours adults find most difficult to understand, and how conflicts can be best managed to encourage and support each child's social and emotional development in the most appropriate way.

This extract originally appeared in the ��'s Under 5 membership magazine.

Some behaviours, although frustrating for adults, form part of children’s normal development. For example, very young children may repeatedly bang and throw objects as they learn how things work and move. They also may test out their developing vocal chords and other people’s responses to their high pitched screams and shouts.

Generally, young children move on quite quickly from both these stages. However as they get older, they may start to exhibit more aggressive behaviours such as hitting or kicking because they are struggling to communicate or get something they want.

It is perfectly natural and healthy for a certain amount of boisterous and even conflict play to happen in early years settings, especially as children start to explore the world and people around them and learn cause and effect. However, it is less than ideal when that behaviour means that children start to hurt one another.

"By keeping responses calm, and language simple and concise, practitioners can distract and guide children to use more acceptable and productive behaviours."

By keeping responses calm, and language simple and concise, practitioners can distract and guide children to use more acceptable and productive behaviours. However, sometimes adult’s body language is not in sync with their other actions and even very young children will pick up on facial expressions and tone of voice, so care must be taken to not give out mixed messages, which confuse the child.

There are some behaviours in early years settings which are more difficult to deal with and will take some careful consideration and action.

Biting — what to do when a child bites another child

As with other behaviours, biting has a function for the child and in very young children it could be for a range of reasons, which includes:

exploration and stimulation
to relieve teething pains
to avoid or gain something
to vent frustration
to communicate
to show excitement and affection
copying another child (or adult)
because it feels good

When a child bites another child (or adult) then this should be stopped immediately. The first and immediate response from an adult is usually alarm and they may quickly snatch the child away.

However, the best way to respond to an incident is to be composed, gently but firmly remove the child who has given the bite, tell that child not to bite, and comfort the child who has been bitten.

It is usually very young children who bite and once they have bitten they are more likely to repeat the behaviour again, so vigilance and anticipation is essential to avoid situations arising, especially when young children cannot yet use words to express themselves.

Close attention to the child and the practitioner’s own behaviour at this early stage reduces the likelihood of it happening again. Older children understand the consequences of their actions, what behaviour is unacceptable and why, but they may still need to be reminded occasionally. Parents also need consistent advice on responding to biting; unorthodox approaches such as biting children back, which are commonly discussed in online forums, must be challenged by practitioners as abusive and in fact more likely to reinforce the unwanted behaviour.

Sexualised behaviours in children — how best to deal with this

Sometimes children exhibit sexualised behaviours which do not appear to embarrass the child or other children but certainly make the adults feel uncomfortable. Sex and sexuality form part of our normal development, and associated behaviour starts to emerge at a very early age. In the early years this behaviour includes:

kissing and hugging
showing curiosity about private body parts
talking about private body parts and using words like poo, willy and bum
playing ‘house’ or ‘doctors and nurses’ type games with other children
touching, rubbing or showing off their genitals or masturbating as a comforting habit

With regard to behaviours that adults would consider to be inappropriate in public, children with good comprehension can be told that these actions are very private and should not be done in the setting. Adults should not humiliate or embarrass a child but simply guide them as to what is acceptable social behaviour. This behaviour should be monitored to check that it forms part of normal development and childhood curiosity.

However, if the behaviour continues and the child shows a lack of inhibition, then these may be signs that indicate a safeguarding concern. Even if there is some uncertainty about this behaviour, safeguarding procedures should always be followed.

Swearing — how to respond when a young child swears

Swearing is always a particular concern and one that causes much anxiety for practitioners and parents.

When young children first start to talk it is not unusual for them to occasionally use a term which is socially unacceptable, such as a swear word. In very young children this may be because they are pronouncing a word incorrectly or because they have heard an adult use the term. Most young children will not understand the meaning of the offensive word but may continue to use it if using the word initiates a response from adults.

It is possible that the child has said a swear word that they have heard used elsewhere. The best way to avoid this happening again is to ignore it because even if it is repeated the child will soon tire if there is no reaction.

However, it is difficult to ignore a child using a word or gesture which is highly offensive and/or is repeatedly used in a busy setting. If the child is able to understand that a gesture or word is hurtful or offensive then it should be explained to the child that the word should not be used. If the child is younger and unable to understand rules of acceptable behaviour then the key person should consult directly with the parents to agree a consistent approach, both at home and in the setting, for example, ignoring use of the word, distracting the child and checking the use of language around the child.

Bullying — can a three-year-old ever be a bully?

Bullying is another behaviour that parents and practitioners worry about. Bullying can be defined as a deliberate, aggressive and repeated action, which is carried out with intent to cause harm or distress to others. However, bullying requires the child to have a higher level of reasoning and thinking than most three-year-olds have developed. Therefore an outburst by a three-year-old is more likely to be a reflection of the child’s emotional well-being, their stage of development or a behaviour that they have copied from someone else.

"Young children are keen observers and more likely to copy behaviours, mimicking the actions of others, especially the actions of people they have established a relationship with."

Young children are keen observers and more likely to copy behaviours, mimicking the actions of others, especially the actions of people they have established a relationship with. These are learnt behaviours rather than premeditated behaviours because children this young do not have sufficiently sophisticated cognition to carry out the type of bullying an older child might engage in.

However, unless addressed early, this type of behaviour in young children can lead on to bullying behaviour later in childhood. But by labelling a child as a bully so early in life we risk influencing negative perceptions and expectations of the child which will impact on their self image, self-esteem and may adversely affect their long term behaviour. Bullying labels can stick with the child for the rest of their life.

If any of these types of behaviours continue to occur, the key person should consult with the parents and the setting’s SENCO to find suitable solutions and support as soon as possible.

This is a free extract from �� publication Behaviour Matters: Supporting children’s social and emotional development in the early years.

Learn more about the book by visiting our shop.

This extract originally appeared in the ��'s Under 5 membership magazine.

Find out more about the magazine, request your free taster copy, or sign up to the newsletter mailing list

�� publications

Under 5

Best practice

Case study - Supporting Children’s Experiences of Loss and Separation - free book extract

sarah.evans — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 12:32:34 +0000

This free extract from the �� publication Supporting Children’s Experiences of Loss and Separation, looks at a case study examining possible reactions from a young child to an experience of loss, how their experience and feelings may differ dramatically to any adults involved in the situation, and how the child could be supported through the experience.

How do we recognise that a young child may be experiencing loss and going through the grieving process? Reality can be very different to perception.

Children tend to have difficulty in accepting the permanence of a situation; timescales such as a week, a month, or six months mean absolutely nothing to a child. The effects of a loss, no matter what that loss may be, can trigger reactions such as grief, which can have a detrimental effect on the emotional well‐being of the child who feels ‘abandoned’.

For instance, adults may regard the loss of a child’s favourite toy as minor and just an inconvenience. However, for a child this can be completely traumatising and trigger a similar emotional response as a death would to an adult. A child does not have the ability to rationalise, and a very young child may not be able to articulate his or her thoughts and feelings. A favourite teddy or doll can be comforting and a friend to the child that is very real.

Simon’s story

(4 years old ‐ in his own words, if he could express himself in this way)

Simon’s perspective

"I am not feeling happy. Last week I lost my favourite teddy bear, Fred. I know he was a bit old and tatty, but we did everything together. He came to nursery with me every day and kept me company in bed every night. I have looked everywhere, but I just cannot find him.

I told Mummy and Daddy. They tried to cheer me up with my favourite pudding; it was really yummy and I felt a bit better for a while. But at bedtime I missed Fred again and kept waking up, so I was tired the next day. People at nursery asked what was wrong and one of my friends lent me his teddy bear, which was very kind but it wasn’t the same as having Fred.

Something has been going on with Mummy and Daddy; they were whispering a lot, and Daddy went out in the car without me and wouldn’t say where he was going. When he came back, he looked really pleased and I became really excited as I thought he must have found Fred. He handed me a bag and in it was a brand new bear ‐ he looked a bit like Fred, but was too new and the eyes were funny. I wanted to smile and say ‘thank you’ but started crying and ran to my bedroom, crying for Fred. Mummy and Daddy seem angry that I am not happy, and have told me that the new bear cost a lot of money and that Daddy made a special trip to buy him. I don’t like making them upset, but all I want is for Fred to come back.”

Keith’s perspective (Simon’s father)

“I can’t understand what is wrong with Simon. He is behaving like a spoilt child and it is all because he has lost the silly, old, worn out bear he kept carrying around with him. I know that poor Simon was upset, but the teddy bear was in such a state anyway that it was probably time to get a new one. I took the day off work and secretly went to the big toy shop in town. I couldn’t believe how expensive toy bears were, but I managed to find a brand new one that looked like the one he lost and didn’t mind paying the money as I wanted him to be happy again.

When he opened up the package at home, I expected him to be really pleased and excited, but he got even more upset and started crying. Now he is even worse than before. I can’t believe I have gone to all that effort for nothing. I don’t know what to do to make things better.”

So what does Simon’s story tell us?

The parents in this case study see the teddy bear simply as a toy – a plaything, which can be replaced easily. Simon, on the other hand, sees Fred; who is real, with a character, thoughts, feelings and emotions. In his mind, Fred is a trusted friend, who will cuddle him to sleep, wake up with him and take part in his play and daily life. Simon is experiencing a grief response and simply wants Fred back in his life. The parents do not recognise this and until they gain the understanding that his sense of loss is very real they will not be able to understand Simon’s behaviour, or comfort him, and will remain frustrated.

As adults, if we felt that our feelings were not being understood or listened to, we would feel indignant and insulted. We need to give the young child the consideration and respect that we would give to an adult. What is required here is some empathy for the way Simon is feeling and an acknowledgement that his sense of loss, though in many ways trivial, is still very significant to him.

This is a free extract from the �� publication,Supporting Children’s Experiences of Loss and Separation.
To find out more about the book, or to order your copy, visit our shop here

�� publications

Best practice

Case studies

Case study - Effective Leadership - free book extract

sarah.evans — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 10:47:23 +0000

In this free extract from the �� publication, Effective Leadership for High Quality Early Years Practice, Michael Reed, Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Early Childhood at the Institute of Education, University of Worcester, shares a successful case study in which one setting used a distributed approach to leadership to improve their practice and outcomes.

Case study: Ladybirds Pre-school’s distributed approach to leadership

Ladybirds Pre-school is run by a team of six practitioners who all hold appropriate early years qualifications. It is located on the site of a large primary school and has close links with the school. It provides funded early education for two, three and four-year-old children who have a range of abilities and needs and are from families which encompass diverse faiths and cultures. The preschool values children’s learning and prides itself on collaboration with parents. This was described in inspection feedback as outstanding. Staff provide support for children’s learning, are sensitive to their needs and see themselves as having a passion about early education and its value to the community.

The leader encourages each of them to take on board key person duties and early assessments of children’s development to ensure intervention is swiftly put in place to close gaps in learning. Their latest inspection report noted how children have immense fun as they try out interesting learning activities. They smile, trust the staff and are obviously happy to engage in planned experiences, directed teaching and learning discoveries.

The leader, Jan, has high expectations of staff and children. She leads by example and encourages all staff to take professional responsibility within the setting. Jan works well with staff and her judgement is trusted. She in turn trusts the staff to be honest and professional when they air their views. She encourages the staff team to share their expertise in curriculum planning.

Less experienced colleagues, volunteers and students on placement are supported and encouraged to share their ideas at meetings and their views and ideas are respected. The aim is to help them learn from experienced staff who take more of a lead in planning. Jan encourages the pre-school staff to have professional conversations with the school staff as well as other professional agencies associated with the setting. This is achieved through joint meetings which ask reflective questions about how to work better together. There are also regular opportunities for the staff team to come together to reflect on the connection between how children think and learn and their day-to-day practice. This has been quite successful and led to what can be described as a pattern of staff self-evaluation and development which has influenced changes in practice.

For example, it was identified through reflective dialogue that when staff received external training, the detail was rarely fed back to the whole team so that they could consider if it might have a wider influence on practice. Now, staff members take responsibility for ensuring short verbal feedback is given as part of staff meetings. If there is strong interest in what is said, a more detailed explanation is placed on the agenda for self-organised professional development days.

The reflective questions have also led Jan to take on new ideas. She admits that one of her limitations is being a novice when it comes to technology. She therefore has worked alongside a student on placement and another staff member to learn how to access webbased updates on policy and practice and place what is found on a staff social media website. This is not because she wants to be involved in everything, but in order to receive the support she needs to develop her own skills.

Distributing responsibility is successful when a leader invests time to encourage and support people so they recognise that together they can shape practice. The approach helps practitioners to become professional leaders by being self-directed, responsible and willing to be accountable to the team. This is an important lesson as effective early education rarely emerges from a leader working in isolation. An individual leader may have the desire to make things happen, but it is rare to find all the parts of an organisation coming together without active collaboration between staff, and this requires a clear direction to which everyone subscribes. It takes time and needs careful people management. It is also a way to nurture more effective leaders, as practitioners learn skills which will enable them to take on other leadership responsibilities in the future.

This is a free extract from the �� publication, Effective Leadership for High Quality Early Years Practice, by Michael Reed, Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Early Childhood at the Institute of Education, University of Worcester.

To find out more about the book, or to order your copy, visit our shop here

Case studies

�� publications

Professional development

early years alliance - �������� publications

Emotion Coaching in the Early Years

What is emotion coaching?

Emotion coaching with babies

The same person and same routine is key

The importance of secure attachment

Take your time and find the best way to soothe

Reassure babies with a gentle voice and kind words

Choose your words carefully

Learn to become an emotion coach

Marketing your early years business: What's your USP?

Check out the competition

What makes your setting stand out?

Building your brand

Read more

Making your early years setting sustainable

Effective leadership and management

Financial management

Marketing and communications

High quality provision and practice

For more valuable insights you can't afford to miss...

Order my discounted copy now

Healthy and Active Lifestyles - top tips for early years settings

Promoting healthy eating

Get the parents involved

Menu planning

Boosting involvement and responsibility

Make it sociable

Further information

Why movement counts – a free book extract

Literacy development

Mathematical development

Understanding the world

Expressive arts and design

Managing early childhood conflicts and behaviours — free book extract

Biting — what to do when a child bites another child

Sexualised behaviours in children — how best to deal with this

Swearing — how to respond when a young child swears

Bullying — can a three-year-old ever be a bully?

Case study - Supporting Children’s Experiences of Loss and Separation - free book extract

Case study - Effective Leadership - free book extract

Case study: Ladybirds Pre-school’s distributed approach to leadership

early years alliance - �� publications