Offering an in-depth exploration of the distinctive features of the play development and learning of toddlers, this book provides useful materials, strategies and tools that can be used by practitioners supporting toddlers at this significant age. The book explores the context and concepts of wellbeing and is ideal for early years practitioners, teachers and students working with toddlers. It sets out practical guidance on the following key factors: home, family, health, development and learning, voice and expressions, early language, meal times and early years settings. These factors are supported with case studies and examples of good practice from Norway, Spain and the UK and expanded upon with reflective thinking exercises and suggested strategies to implement.
"As an early years practitioner, you will educate and care for children with a range of developmental needs and differences. This essential book introduces you to a play-rich approach providing both universal and targeted ideas that will support social and emotional development and ensure that children feel safe, secure, and nurtured. Using the four broad areas of need as a guide, each accessible chapter positions wellbeing at the heart of an effective approach to inclusion and offers meaningful and responsive teaching practices that create a sense of belonging and acceptance. Founded in the latest research, the book presents key knowledge alongside ideas and activities to support wellbeing, which can be embedded into the child's everyday experiences and adapted to meet their individual needs. This book offers: Evidence-based strategies and techniques which have a positive impact on the long-term social and emotional wellbeing of children with SEND; Guidance through the four broad areas of need, with a focus on play, learning, and developing an emotionally healthy early years environment; Examples of practice in action; Case studies, reflective questions, and activities that will upskill the reader and empower them in their role. Providing up to date, transferrable and essential knowledge on SEND in the early years, this is an essential resource for any practitioner looking to expand their repertoire and enrich the wellbeing of children with SEND"--
Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.
The Mosaic approach views children as ‘experts in their own lives’, and offers a creative framework for listening to young children’s perspectives. At a time of shifting policy in early years, this second edition offers a timely reminder that listening to young children is still important for reviewing service provision.The Mosaic approach has been applied by practitioners throughout the world. This new edition reflects on the authors’ original ground-breaking work, with new introductions, updates and examples of how the Mosaic approach has been adapted, and offers case studies that will encourage practitioners to use the framework in their own setting.will be of interest to policy makers, practitioners in nurseries, children’s centres, pre-schools and schools and residential settings. It will also be welcomed by early childhood students and other researchers who are engaged in searching for new theoretical, practical and imaginative ways of listening to young children.
Early childhood care and education (ECCE) settings offer an opportunity to provide children with a solid beginning in all areas of their development. The quality and efficacy of these settings depend largely on the individuals within the ECCE workforce. Policy makers need a complete picture of ECCE teachers and caregivers in order to tackle the persistent challenges facing this workforce. The IOM and the National Research Council hosted a workshop to describe the ECCE workforce and outline its parameters. Speakers explored issues in defining and describing the workforce, the marketplace of ECCE, the effects of the workforce on children, the contextual factors that shape the workforce, and opportunities for strengthening ECCE as a profession.
In the recent years ′safeguarding′ measures to ensure the health and wellbeing of all children has become an increasing focus in the early years. Supporting Children′s Health and Wellbeing helps early years students and practitioners working with children and young people gain an understanding of the key issues relating to children’s health in particular, examining the possible ways in which health can impact upon young children’s early childhood education and care. Packed full of practical advice for the everyday realities of the early years classroom, topics discussed include: Historical perspectives and contemporary issues related to child health Current policy and legislation How to support the child and the family Nutrition in childhood Infectious diseases, infestations and the acutely ill child Children with chronic and complex medical conditions Coping with the death of a child A timely, topical text that will be invaluable to early years professionals. Jackie Musgrave will be discussing key ideas from Supporting Children’s Health and Wellbeing in the SAGE Early Years Masterclass, a free professional development experience hosted by Kathy Brodie.
It is widely accepted that listening to and involving children in decisions about their care, learning and development can significantly improve the quality of early years provision. This book gives practical guidance on how to do this effectively. Starting with a discussion about why we listen to children and the policies around this, the book explains how we can involve children in decision-making that is appropriate to their age and level of understanding. Packed full of examples and ideas that can be easily applied in practice, it covers how to listen to children's perspectives and involve them in staff recruitment and appraisals, classroom design, assessment processes for social services and EHC plans, and much more.
This book is an accessible companion for all early years practitioners to explore how mindfulness can be integrated into an early years learning environment. It presents topical theory and research, giving practical advice on using mindfulness as an everyday pedagogical tool to improve the emotional wellbeing of children, families and staff members. Providing a step-by-step approach for adopting mindfulness practices, the book offers photocopiable resources, information on mindfulness techniques and opportunities for critical reflection to help create a ‘mindful early years curriculum’. Chapters follows the four pillars of Calm, Acceptance, Relational Approach and Empathy, and include: The benefits of adopting a mindful approach in the early years The importance of staff wellbeing A template mindful curriculum for practitioners to adapt and use Case studies of effective mindful practices Resources, activities and techniques to create your own mindfulness toolkit This delightful book will be a source of inspiration for early years practitioners, early years teachers and those who are interested in introducing and embedding mindfulness into early years practice.
′I believe that [this book] could be of value to practitioners working with birth-five year olds, heads or managers of nurseries, health professionals or students who wish to gain an overview of this subject....I enjoyed reading this book and it literally gave me much food for thought′ - Early Years ′This book is a welcome addition and the contributors should be congratulated on the scope and depth they manage to achieve...this book is an interesting read, dealing with a topical, yet complex issue′ - Journal of Early Childhood Research ′Food plays a huge part in our lives, and this book looks holistically at its influence, including our emotional as well as physical wellbeing. It provides useful facts on diet and healthy eating guidelines for children under five, school age children, adults and pregnant mothers...There is advice on promoting positive attitudes towards food in an early years setting, along with practical advice and case studies to help practitioners promote heatlhy eating in their settings′ - Early Years Update ′This highly readable, thoroughly researched book explores food and eating in an historical, cultural and psychological context and, as public concern about children′s nutrition rises, its publication is timely. Food and Health in Early Childhood is a comprehensive, clearly written text enriched with case studies and pertinent reflective activities to consolidate learning′ - Angela Underdown, Associate Professor, Early Childhood Studies, University of Warwick The media interest surrounding children, food and nutrition continues to influence policy and practice in early years settings, and food and eating is of fundamental importance to early childhood practice. Not only does food contribute to health, in terms of nutrition it′s also a vital part of a child′s emotional and socio-cultural experience that is linked to their growing sense of well-being and identity. This book gives you a comprehensive overview of food and eating in the early years, covering the following: - nutrition - policy development - health inequalities - food, culture and identity - food and emotion - healthy eating guidelines - promoting healthy eating in the early years - multi-disciplinary working in relation to young children′s nutrition Each chapter includes case studies, links to useful websites, activities and suggestions for further reading. An interactive approach from the reader is encouraged throughout the book. Aimed at all early years practitioners, it will be of particular interest to those studying for Early Childhood Studies′ degrees and those studying for EYPS. Other professionals and students with an interest in this area (teachers, health visitors, dieticians) will also find it useful.
