Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director Kornmehl Emanuel Pre-School

What Have We Been Learning About…

Over the past few weeks all three groups have been concentrating on developing secure relationships and a sense of belonging to the groups and the Pre-school. The Early Years Learning Framework takes the view that “the lives of children are characterised by belonging, being and becoming. From before birth, children are connected to family, community, culture and place”.

At Kornmehl, of great importance is a focus on relationships, collaboration, communication and developing a sense of belonging. Ways in which we begin to get to know the children and to develop positive and trusting relationships is by: listening to their stories, experiences and ideas; acknowledging how they might be feeling and supporting them in ways that are caring, nurturing and respectful, such as joining in their play; having fun together as well as sharing moments of just being, showing a genuine interest in what they are doing and celebrating their learning.

This is done in many ways:

By establishing routines that are predictable and constant, children develop a sense of trust and familiarity that makes them feel secure and safe. This influences a child’s emotional, cognitive and social development and helps children understand the expectations in the environment.
We are learning who is in our group and how to play safely and fairly, sharing and taking turns.
We are learning about our environment, where things belong and where to find materials we are looking for, and how to tidy up together – teamwork! It is delightful to see the children starting to initiate their own learning, by self-selecting resources to use or choosing learning areas in which to investigate and play.
We are becoming independent in looking after our belongings and knowing where our lockers and bags are kept.
We are learning how to use materials and equipment respectfully, and the importance of leaving areas tidy and looking beautiful for the next person who comes to play.
We have been singing and playing name games and learning to find our name cards in the morning and sign in.

Building Relationships and Partnerships with Families

During these first few weeks of the year a great deal of time and thought is devoted to developing relationships with the children in our care and their families. This is done through informal chats, Parent Partnership form, discussions, the Daybook, the Parent Social Night, Communication books and formal meetings if required. The Parent Club also provides opportunities for parents to network and to be involved in the daily life of the Pre-school.

Through a widening network of secure relationships, children develop confidence and feel respected and valued. They become increasingly able to recognise and respect the feelings of others and to interact positively with them.

Educators who give priority to nurturing relationships and providing children with consistent emotional support can assist children to develop the skills and understandings they need to interact positively with others. They also help children to learn about their responsibilities to others, to appreciate their connectedness and interdependence as learners, and to value collaboration and teamwork.

Learning outcomes are most likely to be achieved when early childhood educators work in partnership with families. Educators recognise that families are children’s first and most influential teachers. They create a welcoming environment where all children and families are respected and actively encouraged to collaborate with educators about curriculum decisions to ensure that learning experiences are meaningful. Partnerships are based on the foundations of understanding each other’s expectations and attitudes and build on the strength of each other’s knowledge.

In genuine partnerships, families and early childhood educators:

value each other’s knowledge of each child
value each other’s contributions to and roles in each child’s life
trust each other
communicate freely and respectfully with each other
share insights and perspectives about each child
engage in shared decision-making.  (EYLF p.g.13)

Deborah Blackman Talks

Deborah Blackman’s workshop on Tuesday night was informative and gave parents tangible and hands on skills and strategies for keeping children safe and opening up communication with children about protective behaviours. Deborah also spoke to the children on Wednesday and Thursday morning reinforcing these same messages.

Some of the key messages were:

Good and bad feelings and recognising these
Good secrets and bad secrets
Private parts are private
Safe and not safe touches
Always tell an adult
Safety network – tell your child who their safe adults are (four – five people)
Encourage open communication about any topics
Tell your child who it is okay to be left alone with or to go in the car with, without your permission (e.g. grandma). For anybody else, your child needs your permission.
Have regular conversations about the “safety rules.”
Validate your child’s feelings
Always give your child the message that you believe in them