Childminders EYFS Training prodrigues@learningtrust.co.uk

1. Childminders EYFS Training prodrigues@learningtrust.co.uk

2. Statutory Guidance 1 2 3 • The Statutory Framework (DfE) • Learning and Development • Assessment • Safeguarding and welfare A Know How Guide To the progress check for 2 Year Olds (produced by the NCB) Revised Development Matters Guidance (Produced by Early Education – Nancy Stewart and Helen Moylett)

3. Download only – no hard copies are being produced www.foundationyears.org

5. Personal, Social and Emotional The Prime Areas Communication and Language Physical Development Specific Areas Literacy Understanding the World Mathematics Expressive Arts and design

6. Key differences between Prime and Specific Areas

7. Characteristics of Effective Learning

8. Playing and exploring – engagement • Finding out and exploring • Playing with what they know • Being willing to ‘have a go’ Creating and thinking critically – thinking Having their own ideas Making links Choosing ways to do things Active learning – motivation Being involved and concentrating Keeping trying Enjoying achieving what they set out to do

10. 3 Key themes covering: Characters of effective learning HOW CHI LDREN LEARN WHAT CHILDREN LEARN

11. Development Matters – Assessment A new statutory assessment point at 2 years

12. Using the revised Development Maters grids Use this column to support planning and assessing Use this column to think where you can go and what you can provide Use this column to plan what adults could do to support learning

13. The ELG for each aspect is in bold at the end of the final stage when children are in school

14. Planning for learning A skilful childminder uses the observe-assess-respond cycle on a moment-by-moment basis Observing children as a natural part of all normal activity Interpreting children’s actions and words to try to understand the child’s thinking and learning, Being sensitive to the child’s thinking and learning when deciding when to interact and when to value the child’s independent activity • What is the adults role? • Joining in play and child-initiated activity following children’s agendas • Scaffolding/supporting children’s learning through talk, discussing ideas, suggesting possibilities • Providing brief, well planned focused learning opportunities and activities in response to observations

15. What PSED means for children • For children, being special to someone and well cared for is vital for their physical, social and emotional health and well-being. • Being acknowledged and affirmed by important people in their lives leads to children gaining confidence and inner strength through secure attachments with these people. • Exploration within close relationships leads to the growth of self-assurance, promoting a sense of belonging which allows children to explore the world from a secure base. • Children need adults to set a good example and to give them opportunities for interaction with others so that they can develop positive ideas about themselves and others. • Children who are encouraged to feel free to express their ideas and their feelings, such as joy, sadness, frustration and fear, can develop strategies to cope with new, challenging or stressful situations • PSED-involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others ;to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feeling; • to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities • (Revised statutory framework paragraph 1.6)

16. Understanding and Supporting emotional development

17. Amazing babies (we know so much now!)

18. ‘The large human brain and therefore human head size requires the baby be born earlier than other mammals in order that it can be physically delivered. The brain then grows outside the womb, over the 0-3 year period….It is in that delicate and vulnerable period that our lives can be made or not.’ 80% of brain cell development takes place by age 3 ‘All parents and carers need to know how to, ‘recognise and respond to a baby’s cues, attune with infants and stimulate them from the very start ‘Families in the Foundation Years’ (Frank Field 2010)

19. Brain development is the key ...and its a life long project! (although the brain grows to about 80 percent of adult size by three years of age and 90 percent by age five). Brain growth is largely due to changes in individual neurons, which are structured much like trees. Thus, each brain cell begins as a tiny sapling and only gradually sprouts its hundreds of long branches

20. Babies and young children's brains are far more impressionable (neuroscientists use the term ‘plastic’) in early life than those of older children or adults. • This plasticity has both a positive and a negative side. On the positive side, it means that young children's brains are more open to learning and enriching influences. • On the negative side, it also means that young children's brains are more vulnerable to developmental problems should their environment prove especially impoverished or un-nurturing

21. The cornerstone of high quality provision for babies and young children is the quality of their relationships with significant adults

22. Every experience impacts on brain development Primary caring relationships are key Key relationships impact on the emotional development of the young child This change in brain structure has long term impacts on the child's development what children experience becomes who they are

23. The science…. How Early experience changes the actual structure of the brain Brain development is "activity-dependent," meaning that the electrical activity in every circuit shapes the way that circuit gets put together. Every experience a baby has stimulates certain neural circuits and leaves others inactive. Those that are consistently turned on over time will be strengthened, while those that are rarely excited may be dropped away. The elimination of unused neural circuits, also referred to as "pruning," may sound harsh, but it is generally a good thing. It streamlines children's neural processing, making the remaining circuits work more quickly and efficiently.

24. So as the synapses in a child's brain are strengthened through repeated experiences, connections and pathways are formed that structure the way a child learns. If a pathway is not used, it's eliminated .When a connection is used repeatedly in the early years, it becomes permanent. For example, when adults repeat words and phrases as they talk to babies, babies learn to understand speech and strengthen the language connections in the brain. Lets watch Ruby....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q2cL-WteZk Spot any key characteristics in action?

25. “The way children feel about themselves is learnt…positive self esteem depends upon whether children feel that others accept them & see them as competent & worthwhile.” (Siraj-Blatchford 1994) This 6 week old infant is already capable of imitating joy, sadness, and surprise as is manifested by his caretaker’s expression.

26. In the first 3 years the brain is most concerned with: -Emotional regulation -The development of personhood -Understanding others. Feelings start to become conscious at around 6 months old and it takes about 2 years before synapses reach their maximum density. Emotional regulation only gradually increases throughout childhood It is arguably children's emotional intelligence - the ability to recognise and control their own feelings as well as to respond to the feelings of others - that plays a much greater part in determining their later success (Goleman 1996). Personal, social and emotional developmentis fundamental to all other areas of development and learning.

27. When things go wrong! • Babies and young children can become stressed if their caregivers lack responsiveness to their emotional and physical needs. • Their bodies will release cortisol at times of stress, affecting the brain by impeding the development of connections between brain cells. It is these connections that are needed for successful future development and learning In order to develop secure attachment relationships, babies need their primary caregiver to be able to recognise and understand their behaviour and feelings, and respond appropriately. This capacity is known as parental reflective function

28. Key person – attachment matters most

29. Attachments are the emotional bonds that infants develop with their parents and other key caregivers. These relationships are crucial for children’s well-being and for their emotional and social development.

30. Bonding or Attachment • Bonding refers to the parents feelings of love for the infant, and good bonding helps parents to respond sensitively to infants in a ways that promotes their attachment • Attachment refers to the infants need for security and safety from the parent

31. Bonding or Attachment • Bonding refers to the parents feelings of love for the infant, and good bonding helps parents to respond sensitively to infants in a ways that promotes their attachment • Attachment refers to the infants need for security and safety from the parent

32. Attachment [1] • Biological system – activated by stress and goal of reducing arousal and restoring security • Two core behavioural systems: - PROXIMITY seeking – seeking security when hurt or upset - SEPARATION PROTEST – crying when separated from safety figures

33. Attachment [2] • Parents - SAFE HAVEN: ‘If I am upset, I can run to mum and she will comfort me’ - SECURE BASE: ‘I am secure enough in my relationship with my mum to be able to begin to take an interest in the world around me and to explore it’

34. The importance of attachment ’ Secure-Able to separate and will seek help when frightened. When parent returns they meet with positive emotions, and child prefers parent to strangers. As an adult have trusting, lasting relationships and tend to have good self esteem. Ambivalent-wary of strangers, greatly upset and distressed when left by parents. Fail to settle and can be angry and reluctant to warm to carer or play alone. As adults reluctant to be close to others. Distraught when relationships end. Avoidant- Little or no distress on departure and no visible response on return. Do not seek comfort from parent or preference between strangers. As adults problems with intimacy or revealing feelings. Disorganised-Avoidant and resistant behaviours. freezing,rocking. As adults absent and difficult to maintain relationships.

35. “What attachment behaviour in humans keeps on showing us is how important it is for infants and children to become attached to those who care for them; this is both normal and healthy. By attending to children's psychological and biological needs parents and later other carers can provide children with a secure attachment which will enable them to develop fruitful long term relationships and a sense of being valued and lovable. Unfortunately the reverse is also true: by failing to respond in a consistent and sensitive way, psychological damage or trauma may be inflicted upon the child's attachment system wounding their sense of self esteem and their capacity to relate and tune into others.” Felicity de Zulueta – psychiatrist and biologist (Key Persons in the Nursery – Elfer,Goldschmied and Jackson p10)

36. The main focus of children's learning from birth to 3 is about who they are as people. Young children are “person creating” (Stonehouse 1988), experimenting with their own and others ideas of who they are. Children tune into the messages we give them constantly, these messages then help to shape their view of themselves, positive and negative Still face experiment clip... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apzXGEbZht0&feature=relmfu

37. Which aspects of early interaction are important?

38. Parent-infant interaction • Sensitivity and responsiveness • Parental attunement and mirroring • Parental mind-mindedness • Home learning environment

39. Parental sensitivity • Parents respond in a sensitive and timely way when the infant is distressed • They comfort the infant using their voice, touch and reassurance

40. Mirroring • Parents face is the infants first mirror • Infants need the caregiver to ‘gently’ mirror the feelings that the infant is showing • This enables babies to begin to understand what they are feeling • Toddlers need adults around them to ‘name’ feelings for them

41. Mind-Mindedness • The ability of the parent to understand their baby’s behaviour in terms of the feelings that are underpinning it • Their ability to get to ‘know’ their baby in terms of what he or she likes or dislikes

42. Maternal Tutoring Toddlers improve their ability to learn when mothers: (a) offer help only after the child has tried but failed to succeed and asks for help, (b) calibrate the appropriate help to the feedback from the child’s performance, (c) avoid intrusion, and (d) insure positive feedback and encouragement.

43. Other aspects of the home learning environment • Regular routines – bath, book and bedtime • Parent’s spending ‘quality’ time playing with children • Household chaos undermines children’s learning

44. Early Years Settings • Key worker – continuity of carer (Elfer et al 2003) • Nurturing and warm relationships • Teaching about feelings (Denham et al 2003) • Continuing professional development for staff in terms of supporting the emotional needs of young children and of themselves as professionals (Elfer, 2007)

45. Working with parents • Aim to increase a) parental sensitivity to infant/todler cues; b) increase parental mind-mindedness • ‘talking for the child’ – I wonder if James is feeling…? • Share knowledge with the parents (e.g. explain about the importance of parents reading and playing with their toddler) • Model good practice • Talk to the HV if you have concerns

46. Practical techniques to offer to parents to help tune into their babies needs: Following baby's lead Turn taking & waiting for a response Animated facial expressions & positive body movements One to one chats & mimicking sounds Understanding behavioural states & awareness of stages of development Encourage singing, rhymes, telling stories, reading books, treasure baskets ... Still Touch & Containment for settling & soothing Mindfulness, self awareness, sensitivity, empathy & respect Massage techniques to help relieve wind, colic, reflux, constipation, teething...

47. Working with young children • All children need: a: safe haven and a secure base from which to explore b: Mind-minded adult: respond to their emotional needs • Gentle mirroring and verbalising to them what you think they are feeling • Naming and ‘talking about feelings’ helps children as young as 4 years (Evangelou et al 2009)

48. Containment • The mother ‘contains’ the baby’s strong emotions Containment is where a person receives and understands the emotional containment of another without being overwhelmed by it and communicates this back to the other person.

49. 3 key questions • What is the exact age and developmental stage of your child? (This may include ‘What are they trying to do at the moment, for example, learn to crawl, feed self, overcome difficulties getting to sleep, go out with their first girlfriend/boyfriend etc.?’) • 2. What changes have taken place in your lives recently? (Parents need to consider all recent changes, no matter how big or small, for example, losing a child’s favourite cuddly toy, a young person breaking up with their girlfriend/boyfriend.) 3. How well can your child communicate his or her needs to you?

50. Common behaviours you may find challenging • Tantrums • Swearing • Biting • Will not follow adult requests • Very timid/withdrawn –will not engage with adults or other children • Clinging/crying when separating • Sleep and food issues