Developing Early Years Practice

Linda Miller, Carrie Cable, Jane Devereux

• Publisher: David Fulton Publishers
• Year: 2005
• ISBN:
  9781136790584
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Pedagogía
• Subtopic: Educación general

This book provides readers working in a diverse range of early years settings with the underpinning knowledge required to increase their effectiveness in working with young children. It will explore a wide range of issues including: the roles and responsibilities of practitioners; developing reflective practice; how children learn and develop; earl

Part 1

Creating
Empowering
Environments

Introduction to Part 1:
Creating Empowering Environments

Part 1 of this book is concerned with both internal and external changes in the environment. It considers how these changes are impacting on early years practitioners' day-to-day working practices and on the lives of young children and the families with whom they work. The five chapters cover the themes of: recent policy changes, changes in service provision and in employment roles in the field of early years education and care; ways of working with other professionals; developing partnerships with parents; the role of positive and inclusive environments for learning, and the personal and professional development of early years practitioners.

The first chapter focuses on the external environment and charts how early years education and care has become a high priority on the agenda of government. It goes on to consider how new policy and legislation is influencing the organisation of service provision. At the level of practice, the chapter describes how developments such as Sure Start and new inspection and regulation legislation are opening up new and additional employment opportunities for those wishing to work with young children and their families. The chapter also describes how new opportunities and progression routes, such as Foundation Degrees, are being created, where early years education and care is a key focus of study. The move towards multi-agency working is a major feature of this changing scene, as is the need for a new core worker who can work across professional boundaries.

The theme of working with other professionals is continued in Chapter 2, where we consider how the ethos and environment in early years settings can set the scene for the development of the mutual regard needed for successful teamwork. We go on to consider some key aspects of working with others, such as developing the important skills of listening and communicating. We also consider the impact of external developments such as changes in legislation and policy on working together in early years settings, for example in relation to equality issues. Creating partnerships with children's parents and carers is seen as an important aspect of working with others.

In Chapter 3 we explore the contribution that parents can make to children's learning, development and well-being in an environment where working with others is truly valued. We discuss the form that partnerships can take and consider what is feasible, given the diverse nature of a parent body, and the complexity and range of children's needs. We consider the challenge for practitioners of reaching out to parents who may feel unable or reluctant to work in close collaboration with them and explore practices that might foster ways of working together for the benefit of children.

In Chapter 4 we consider why early years practitioners have a responsibility to create an ethos where both children and adults can learn and develop together. We discuss the benefits of positive learning environments, where children are listened to and their rights are respected. We see this as an important aspect of protecting children and keeping children safe. We also discuss the need for environments where children can try out new things, where practitioners allow them to explore and take some risks and so enable them to become both competent and confident learners.

A key aim of this book is to empower early years practitioners through increasing their knowledge and understanding of their practice. In Chapter 5 we consider the professional development of early years practitioners. Alongside this developing knowledge, we explore the intuitive knowledge that practitioners bring to their practice and discuss the place of ‘knowledge in action’. Practitioners are encouraged to stand back and to reflect upon their practice. However, we recognise that in a world where increasing accountability features, such reflection is not sufficient and we discuss the need for practice to be supported by evidence. We consider the role and nature of this evidence. Finally the reader is asked to consider his or her own professional development and to identify some future goals for this professional journey.

1 Changing Times: Early Years Practitioners Today

By the end of this chapter you will have:

■ explored changing roles and professional practices in working with young children and their families;

■ considered current and future changes in ways of working with young children and their families;

■ increased your understanding of other professionals, their roles and responsibilities.

Introduction

Practitioners in today's early childhood institutions are maybe facing some of the most demanding challenges in the history of their profession … Profound and interrelated change in our social, economic, political and technological environments, combined with a fundamental shift in the nature of work and employment patterns, are impacting on the lives of children and families.

(Oberhaumer and Colberg-Schrader 1999, cited in Abbott and Hevey 2001: 179).

The past decade has been both a challenging and exciting time to be working with young children. In this chapter we discuss the changing external environment, which is opening up new roles, responsibilities and opportunities for early years practitioners, which will require broader and higher levels of knowledge and skills. The working contexts and professional roles of early years practitioners are evolving fast. Policy makers are increasingly focusing on how the workforce is organised and trained. Over the past century the need for childcare and early years education prior to school has grown, as more and more women have entered paid work outside the home. This has led to a need to provide quality service provision to children and families, as well as meaningful career routes and progression for early years practitioners. In this chapter we discuss this background of policy developments and in particular how professional work in the early years is changing.

How is professional work in the early years changing?

There have been many forces for change within the early years education and care sector. We outline the most significant changes below.

The National Childcare Strategy

The National Childcare Strategy, launched in England in 1998, aimed to increase the quality, accessibility and affordability of early years education and care provision. Developments in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland paralleled many of the changes proposed in England. The formation of Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships (EYDCPs) meant that early years services were planned in each Local Authority. EYDCPs were identified as having a key role in developing and training the workforce to support these services.

Integrated provision

Integrated provision is a key policy development of government and the government's aim is to have a Children's Centre in every community in England. Children's Centres bring together under one roof early education and care, family support, health services, employment advice and specialist support for parents and easy referral between services. The DfES Children's Workforce Unit, in collaboration with the National College for School Leadership (NCSL), has developed a ‘National Professional Qualification in Integrated Centre Leadership’ aimed at Children's Centre Heads and Deputies (DfES 2004b) to provide leadership training for the leaders of these new centres.

Sure Start programmes

Sure Start programmes operate in all four countries in the United Kingdom (UK) and bring together health, early learning and parenting, with the common aim of coordinating early years services and tackling child poverty and social exclusion.

Extended schools

Extended schools are an initiative which began in Scotland and are planned in England in 1,000 primary schools by 2008. They are aimed at supporting working parents and will provide ‘wrap-around care’ childcare at either end of the school day. In addition schools will offer sports and art activities, family learning and parent classes and extra study support for children.

National Children's Service Framework

A National Children's Service Framework (NSF) will establish new national standards for children across the National Health Service (NHS) and Social Services and will interface with Education (DfES 2003b).

Children's Trusts

Children's Trusts will bring together a range of partners, including the voluntary and community sector, to integrate the planning of children's services (DfES 2003b).

Early years education

All four countries in the UK have developed initiatives for expanding early years education. In England a framework for working with children from birth to three has been develope...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Full Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• About the Authors
• Acknowledgements
• Foreword (Maureen Smith)
• Introduction
• PART 1 CREATING EMPOWERING ENVIRONMENTS
• PART 2 WAYS OF LEARNING
• PART 3 CURRICULUM IN PRACTICE
• Index