Parenta Magazine Issue 24 Interactive

Issue 24
November 2016
GUEST:
Jo Morris
Implementing the 30-hour
offer – an overview
GUEST:
Tamsin Grimmer
Smiling is infectious! Creating a
welcoming early learning environment
First nurseries on roll of honour for landmark
Millie’s Mark first aid award

Contents
Remember, Remember
P.4 - Letter from Joanne Thompson, Millie’s Trust
P.5 - First nurseries on roll of honour for landmark
Millie’s Mark first aid award
P.6 - Preparing for the trip of a lifetime
P.7 - GUEST: Jo Morris
Implementing the 30-hour offer – an overview
P.10 - 5 ways Abacus nursery management software
can simplify your finances
P.12 - 6 steps to help you engage with parents via
social media
P.14 - GUEST: Kathryn Stinton
Meeting the needs of a child with a diagnosed
special educational need or disability
P.16 - GUEST: Katharine Tate
Teaching children about eating seasonal food
Remember, remember the fifth of November,
Gunpowder treason and plot.
We see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!
Guy Fawkes, guy, t’was his intent
To blow up king and parliament.
Three score barrels were laid below
To prove old England’s overthrow.
By god’s mercy he was catch’d
With a darkened lantern and burning match.
So, holler boys, holler boys, Let the bells ring.
Holler boys, holler boys, God save the king.
And what shall we do with him?
Burn him!
Check out our bonfire night board for some
creative crafts for you and the children.
P.18 - GUEST: Tamsin Grimmer
Smiling is infectious! Creating a welcoming early
learning environment

Letter from Joanne Thompson,
Millie’s Trust
First nurseries on roll of honour for
landmark Millie’s Mark first aid award
Making the decision to put your child in a nursery is one of the first decisions that
you will make regarding your child's education. Of course you want to have a strong
learning environment whilst letting your child have as much fun as possible, but you
also want to ensure that they are in one of the safest places other than in your own arms.
After we lost our daughter Millie in a choking incident at nursery, we wanted to try and ensure that no
other parent had to go through what we did on that terrible day: taking your smiling child to nursery and
never bringing them home again. We wanted to ensure that if a child had an accident in a nursery, that
the child carers had not just the knowledge but also the confidence to deal with whatever paediatric first
aid situation arose.
The development of Millie's Mark following our campaigns is a fabulous legacy for our daughter and a
legacy that will help parents to decide which nursery to choose. Any parent searching for a nursery via
the Millie's Mark website or recognising the Mark in a nursery will know that all its staff are trained in
paediatric first aid and have rigorous processes in place, which is a weight lifted off their shoulders. All
parents want to ensure that their children will be looked after appropriately if an unfortunate accident
was to happen. Knowing that all staff working with children in the nursery are trained gives parents that
little bit of extra comfort when they have to walk away from the nursery on that emotional first day.
We are extremely pleased that the first 10 nurseries from the pilot scheme have now been awarded
Millie's Mark. This is a fantastic achievement for every single person that signed the original petition.
Working with NDNA who are delivering the mark has been a great experience and a positive learning
curve for everyone on the team and together with DfE has shaped the assessment process that all
settings that sign up have to go through. NDNA completely understand why Millie's Mark is such an
important thing for not only us as Millie's parents, but for the thousands of parents in England.
We are encouraged that so many nurseries are training above and beyond the current legal
requirements to meet the stringent and comprehensive criteria of Millie's Mark and that first aiders in
nurseries are supported to work as teams rather than as individuals to ensure the correct emergency
treatment is given.
We look forward to seeing Millie's Mark appearing in more nurseries throughout England in the
coming months.
Joanne and Dan Thompson
Millie’s Trust
Press release:
Ten nurseries across England have become the
first to achieve Millie's Mark, the new quality mark
for excellence in paediatric first aid for early
years settings.
The status was created by charity Millie's Trust
with the Department for Education and is being
administered by National Day Nurseries
Association (NDNA).
First awards have been made to nurseries that
took part in a pilot ahead of last month's full
go-live, after achieving the detailed and rigorous
criteria involved.
Millie's Mark is being awarded to nurseries where
all staff members who work with children are
qualified in paediatric first aid and who have
well-deployed first aid processes.
The process takes three to six months and
involves intensive support from an NDNA mentor,
completion of an audit, risk assessment and
spot checks.
All nurseries achieving Millie's Mark have their
own individual policies and procedures in
exemplary practice.
Co-operative Childcare Newburn, near Newcastle
Upon Tyne, for example, operates a buddy system
where staff who are newly-qualified in first aid are
supported by more experienced colleagues to help
them gain confidence. Granby Carlton Nursery in
Nottinghamshire runs six-monthly refresher
courses on first aid for all staff.
Stephanie Beschizza, manager of Elm Cottage
Nursery in Cheadle Hulme, said: "Being part of
the pilot for Millie's Mark and achieving the award
has been such an achievement for our nursery. It
helped us to reflect on our practice and realise our
many strengths surrounding paediatric first aid
as well as evaluating what we could do further to
improve on standards.
"We will be proud to inform our parents that we
have this award and hope this is a reassuring
factor for them when leaving their children in
our care."
Millie's Trust was formed in 2012 by Joanne and
Dan Thompson, whose daughter Millie died after
choking on food at her nursery in Stockport. The
Trust has campaigned tirelessly for all early years
staff to be trained in paediatric first aid.
Joanne Thompson said: "As Millie's parents,
we are extremely proud that Millie's Mark is our
daughter's legacy and we are so pleased that the
first ten nurseries in England have now received
their award. The response from the sector has
been fantastic and we are pleased that so many
nurseries across England have already made an
application for the mark.
"For parents, choosing a nursery with the mark
allows them to have confidence in the paediatric
first aid training that the people looking after their
children will have".
Purnima Tanuku OBE, Chief Executive of NDNA,
said: "Millie's Mark is a fantastic achievement for
these nurseries. It will give reassurance for parents
and help keep young children safe in nurseries
across the country.
"We hope it will help parents make an informed
choice about childcare."
The full roll of honour includes HeadStart Day
Nursery in Horsham; Happy Tots Preschool
Play Group in Ipswich; Little People Nursery in
Shepherds Bush, London; Sansway House Day
Nursery in Bristol; Elm Cottage and North Cheshire
Jewish Nursery in Greater Manchester; Granby
Nursery in Worksop; Cooperative Childcare
Newburn in Newcastle Upon Tyne; Nature Trails
Day Nursery in Rugby and Turnbridge Day
Nursery in Goole.
Go to www.milliesmark.com for more information.

Preparing for the trip of a lifetime
Suzi Presland is one of 7 people going to visit
Uganda with the Parenta Trust, along with her
husband Dave. She'll be leaving on 5th November
and, as part of the excursion, will be visiting
Parenta Trust schools and meeting her sponsored
child. Here, we find out how she's been preparing:
What will you be taking with you?
We're going to be taking clothes and school
equipment, as well as lots of pairs of shoes! I put
out a Facebook plea to parents and friends to
donate pre-loved, good quality school shoes for
the children. I keep getting handed shoes on the
school run as well as coming home to find shoes
on my doorstep! I've collected 119 pairs of school
shoes in the space of 5 weeks, which myself and
my daughters have now finished polishing and
matching up.
How long have you sponsored a child with the
Parenta Trust for?
We've sponsored our little girl, Gift, for about 20
months now and we've loved receiving letters and
photos from her. She is 6 years old and attends
Good Shepherd Nursery School, which is north of
Kampala. We're so excited about meeting her for
the first time when we fly out next month!
Why did you decide to sponsor a child?
We attended a Parenta Trust charity ball two years
ago and we were completely moved by the stories
told about the children.
I'm a school teacher myself, so having the
incredible opportunity to support the education
of children in Uganda as well as those in the UK
was one of the main reasons I decided to become
a sponsor.
I'm also a mother to 2 girls - one of whom is about
the same age as my sponsored child - so it's a
wonderful chance for them to find out more about
the world and have that connection with someone
who lives on a different continent.
As a recently qualified Thrive Practitioner, the
mental health and wellbeing of children is of real
importance to me. When I visit Uganda, I'd really
like to find out what the differences are between
children here in the UK and youngsters living out
there. So, for me, I have both personal and
professional reasons for becoming a sponsor.
What does the trip entail and what are you most
excited about?
As part of our trip, we're going to be visiting three
Parenta Trust schools in Uganda: Good Shepherd
Nursery School, Opilitok Nursery School and the
newly built Kiti Parents Nursery. We're also going
to be taken to see a fresh water drilling site near
North Kampala.
We're most excited about meeting our sponsored
girl, Gift, for the very first time and giving her some
presents. It's going to be a wonderful experience!
If you’d like to support the Parenta Trust or find
out more about visiting the schools we’ve built in
Uganda, please get in touch!
Implementing the 30-hour offer –
an overview
Jo Morris, nursery manager at Playsteps in Swindon, discusses what she makes of the 30-hour pilot
whilst it’s being trialled in her setting. She describes the obstacles her nursery has faced so far in
offering the additional hours to parents and how she’s managed to overcome them.
Seven weeks into the 30-hour pilot, we're beginning to see some of the challenges and benefits we'll
see with the full roll-out in September 2017. This is when 400,000 families will become eligible for the
Government's offer of 30 hours "free" childcare for 3- and 4-year olds.
The Challenges
1. Managing parents’ expectations
Most parents don't realise that there are criteria they need to meet for the additional hours. The
headlines shout out "30 hours free childcare for 3-and 4-year-olds" however they don't mention
eligibility criteria. Understandably, parents want these free hours but we've had work to do in our
setting in order to explain the criteria. We've written to parents explaining this and asked them to
contact us with any queries they might have.
2. Increasing hours for eligible families at short notice
We've been able to increase hours this term but for parents becoming eligible in January or April, it will
be much harder because they're our busiest terms.
Going forward, we will not be able to guarantee to increase a family's hours if they become eligible.
We know we may lose some children if we cannot increase their hours, but this protects us from a loss
if we hold 30-hour places in our pre-school for all children only to find that some aren't eligible or do
not want all 30 hours. For next year, we'll be making this really clear on our registration forms and
funding contracts.
3. Understanding the demand for increased hours from next year
By Jo Morris
The next step we'll need to take is to send a questionnaire to parents who may become eligible for the
30 hours next year, to give us an idea of how many additional funded hours we may need to deliver.

Implementing the 30-hour offer –
an overview
continued...
4. Minimising the financial loss as the funding
rate is lower than our hourly rate
The biggest threat to sustainability is the word
"free" in the entitlement. Increased "free" childcare
undoubtedly benefits parents and employers
but this must NOT be at an additional cost to
providers. As a nursery manager running a private
business, my main priorities are ensuring that we
deliver high quality provision and that we remain
financially sustainable.
Childcare is expensive to buy because it's
expensive to provide. Highly qualified staff, DBS
checks, ratios, increases in the National Living
Wage and staff pensions all impact on staff costs -
arguably the biggest outlay for any setting. Add to
this increases in costs associated with running
any business: utilities, rent, rates, staff training,
maintenance, consumables (to name a few) and
it's clear that quality provision for our little ones
doesn't come cheap!
The Benefits
1. Occupancy
One of our eligible families increased to the full 30
hours all year round, so this had a positive impact
on occupancies. Another eligible family chose not
to increase their hours, which shows there may not
be as high a demand for the additional hours as
anticipated.
2. Less paperwork
Going forward, instead of having 2x 15-hour
children, we'll have 1x 30-hour child which means
one set of assessments, halving the amount of
paperwork and reducing the number of key
children per staff member. This does, however,
raise the concern that children who are only
eligible for 15 hours may struggle to find a nursery
place, as settings may prefer to offer 1x 30-hour
place rather than 2x 15-hour places.
3. Improved outcomes for children
Some children will attend more as a result of
the 30-hour offer, which provides increased
opportunities to build attachments with key carers
and peers. This may have a positive impact on
their outcomes.
We cannot charge top-ups or attach any
conditions to a free place, so we looked at the Code
of Practice and the EYFS statutory requirements
to see what we have to provide within the funded
hours. Then, we identified all the parts of our
provision that are additional to that including food,
nappies and sundries, extra-curricular activities
and learning journeys.
We're designing a package of additional services
which parents can choose whether to purchase or
not. As long as we make it clear on their contract
that they have a choice, we'll be operating within
the Code whilst remaining sustainable.
We'll also be limiting the number of places that
we offer without the additional services. Once
those places are full, then parents can choose
the additional services package or we'll help them
find other local settings who are offering
fully-funded sessions.
The Key Messages so Far
We're a resilient sector, we live through seemingly endless changes in regulation and legislation,
adapting to a 30-hour offer is yet another change for us but so far the message from providers in the
pilot seems to be that charges for additional services are the way to ensure we remain within the Code
of Practice and sustainable.
So, be confident about what your setting can offer and promote the packages that you want parents to
take. Remember that the Code of Practice sets out an expectation that parents can access their funded
hours in a variety of ways, there isn't a "one size fits all" approach. If some parents don't wish to choose
to pay for the additional services you're offering, then you may not be the setting for them, but you'll
certainly be offering what other parents are looking for. Don't try to be all things to all people, it won't
end well!
These additional hours are being brought in under the Childcare Bill; once again our remit has been
manipulated to suit the current political message. It seems that anything to do with outcomes for
children sees us deemed as "Early Education", whereas anything to do with getting parents back to work
sees us deemed as "Childcare". So, at the moment, we're "Childcare" but Ofsted will still judge us on our
outcomes for children. We're not going to get "outstanding" just because all of our parents have gone
back to work! As early years providers, we put the children at the heart of all we do; this 30-hour offer
won't change that.

5 ways Abacus nursery management
software can simplify your finances
5. Reduce late payments
Abacus can be integrated with our fee collection software, which enables parents to pay their fees
each month by Direct Debit. Under this system, parents receive a small fine for a failed collection and
we find this is often enough to deter any late payments in future. Managing nursery fees in this way
is convenient for your setting and, more importantly, it means that you can spend your precious time
focused on providing great childcare.
As you can see, nursery management software can offer a whole host of time and money-saving
benefits for your setting. For peace of mind and the ability to regain control of your nursery's cash flow,
software like Abacus is invaluable.
Nothing is more important in helping your setting become sustainable than making sure the money
coming into and going out of your business is well managed.
Parents being invoiced for the wrong amounts - or not being charged for extra sessions - are just some
of the things which can snowball from being minor problems to major issues for your nursery.
For a free demonstration of Abacus and to find out more about how it can transform your setting,
speak to our team today!
Find out more!
To keep on top of your cash flow, nursery management software such as Abacus can be a real asset.
Here is a run through of some of the ways it can help you regain control of your setting's finances:
1. Fast invoicing
Gone are the days of battling to prepare your
invoices! The invoicing process through Abacus
should take you no longer than 5 minutes. Our
customers have said that they've saved, on
average, 5 days a month on invoicing when they
move from a paper-based system to Abacus
software. Think of what you could do with the
extra time!
2. Automatic FE calculation
With Abacus, free entitlement sessions are
calculated and deducted from parents' invoices
automatically. The software provides a flexible
booking pattern which allows you to set up FE into
hours to suit your parents' requirements. You can
also generate invoices which display free
entitlement in line with local authority legislation.
3. Detailed reporting
Nursery management software like Abacus
allows you to access over 100 reports in seconds,
allowing you to identify such things as who owes
you money, how much and since when. It's also
handy for planning, as you can access reports
which tell how you much revenue your setting will
make over a set period of time, based on your
current occupancy
4. Manage multiple bill payers
If you have more than one bill payer for a child,
you can configure this really easily in Abacus so
that two separate invoices are sent out. All you
need to do is add additional carers onto the
system, state how much they're responsible
for (e.g 50%) and then hit save. After that point,
invoices for that child are automatically split
and sent to the respective carers.

6 steps to help you engage with
parents via social media
Write useful posts
If you already have a blog, then this is the perfect way to get useful posts circulating on social media. Be
sure to make sure your posts are relevant to your target audience and not too highly focused on what
your business has to offer. Good content will attract more likes, shares, and retweets which will expand
your organic reach.
Post frequently
As we delve deeper into the digital age, the focus on social media has become more and more
apparent with 60% of the UK being active users of Facebook. In order to keep up with your audience,
it's essential that your business engages with them online. But, where do you start and how can you be
sure that parents will interact with you? Well, here's a few tips to get you started:
Make sure your business is recognisable
When setting up your social media page, make sure that it clearly states your nursery name i.e. "Tots
Childcare" and be sure to use a well-sized version of your logo as your display picture so that people
can easily spot you when searching for your page online. You could also include your location and
website link for further clarity.
Make sure you get the right balance between when you're posting and what you're posting. We
recommend ensuring you have at least 1 post a day on Facebook to keep customer interaction high
(for example a blog post) and then any extra updates to be posted alongside this. Whilst on Twitter,
anything up from about 5 a day is recommended, however, you can repeat posts more frequently
without losing followers because of the fast-moving nature of the platform.
Use paid posts
If you have the budget for it, paid Facebook posts can widely improve your reach online. You can select
the age range, sex, and interests of your target demographic to ensure your posts are appearing to
the right people. Facebook also allows you to see the impact/reach of your paid posts so that you can
decide whether or not it's effective.
Would you like help setting up a business Facebook or Twitter page? Find out how our Digital Team
could help you get your pages up and running!
Tell existing parents about your pages
In the initial stages, you want to work on getting your following up before you do any major promotions
- since you need interaction to gain any attention. Send out a letter or email to all your existing parents
asking them to follow or like your page and be sure to state what you'll be using it for i.e. details of
emergency closures, announcements, picture updates and useful articles.
Keep everything connected
Add links to your social media pages from your website and email signatures. This way, existing and
prospective parents will both be able to click straight through to find out what kind of information is
directly available to them. Some might not even realise your setting is on Facebook/Twitter and will be
keen to follow you!

Meeting the needs of a child with a
diagnosed special educational need
or disability
About the author
Base rate
Kathryn is a specialist early years teacher and trainer who has worked with children for nearly 25 years, including 10
years as an Area SENCO. She is an ELKLAN Speech and Language Trainer and regularly writes and delivers courses for
early years practitioners on all aspects of SEND. You can follow her on Twitter @kathrynstinton2, find her on Facebook
or visit her website for more information.
By Kathryn Stinton
TOP TIPS
¥ Parents are the experts on their child, ask them if you have any queries.
¥ Try to break tasks into small, achievable steps so the child enjoys the experience and
feels successful.
¥ All practitioners should support the child so that expertise can be shared. The child is part of the
setting and if difficulties occur, all staff need to offer solutions.
¥ With parental permission, if there are other professionals involved then contact them for
advice - don't wait for them to visit or make contact with you if you need support.
¥ Celebrate the child's achievements, particularly those that mean they are becoming
more independent.
¥ If you need information about a specific diagnosis, look at a reputable source such as the
information produced by the charity Contact a Family
A recruitment advert for an early years setting recently caused a stir on social media as it stated they
were looking for a practitioner with "...experience in handling children with autism." Parents and
professionals responded with anger, shocked that the term "handling" had been used. They felt this
showed a complete lack of understanding on the part of the setting and was completely inappropriate.
Of course, I agree that the term "handling" shouldn't have been used, but a quick read of the Ofsted
report showed this was a "good" setting where "children with special educational needs and/or
disabilities are supported through effective partnerships with their parents and outside professionals."
Most importantly, don't underestimate your own skills and ability to meet a child's needs, sometimes
you just need to look at things a little differently!
For me, the advert reflected what I hear from early years practitioners when I deliver training. Although
they are confident and competent, they feel that they do not have the skills to meet a child's needs when
they have received a diagnosis. A diagnosis doesn't change a child and when I was an Area SENCO,
it made little difference to how practitioners in the best settings met a child's needs because they were
already working at the child's developmental level, using the child's interests to motivate them and most
importantly, asking parents and professionals for advice when they were unsure.
On many occasions, I've seen a key person preventing a child with autism becoming distressed
because they recognised the signs that they were becoming anxious and either removed them from
the situation or found something that would calm them such as a favourite book, song or toy. I've
witnessed the key person of a child with Down syndrome encourage sensory play by placing the child's
favourite laminated cartoon characters in the water tray, playdough and sand. I've seen another key
person buy a pair of ski trousers from a charity shop so a child with Cerebral Palsy could play outside
without hurting their knees. None of these actions required specialist knowledge, they needed a
reflective practitioner who had the time and skills to look at a situation from the child's point of view
and adapt the environment to meet their needs.

Teaching children about eating
seasonal food
By Katharine Tate
The Food Teacher, Katharine Tate, has worked as a teacher and education consultant internationally in primary and
secondary schools for over 20 years.
Qualified as a registered nutritional therapist, Katharine, combines her unique education and nutrition expertise to offer
schools, organisations and families advice, education programmes, practical workshops, and individual/family clinical
consultations. She has also published 2 books: ‘Heat-Free & Healthy’ and ‘No Kitchen Cookery or Primary Schools’.
For more information, visit her Facebook page, follow her on Twitter or email her at thefoodteacheruk@gmail.com Visit
www.thefoodteacher.co.uk for more low sugar recipe ideas and subscribe to The Food Teacher newsletter.
There are also a vast range of stories that can be used to discuss seasonality and also how foods grow.
Some examples include:
¥ The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
¥ The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and The Big Hungry Bear by Audrey Wood
¥ Oliver's Vegetables by Vivian French and Alison Bartlett
¥ The Ugly Vegetables (link to the Chinese New Year) by Grace Lin
¥ Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White and Megan Lloyd
¥ Jack and the Beanstalk
Educating children about seasonal food has far-reaching benefits as not only does it help children
learn more about where food comes from, it also links with other skills such as time, weather and the
seasons. It's important for children to understand that fruit and vegetables naturally grow, ripen and
are best eaten during certain seasons each year. Their taste and nutrition value is considered to be
at their highest when they are in season, which is a concept that can be challenging for children to
understand when modern farming, technology and transport means fruits and vegetables have year
round availability in our supermarkets. Eating seasonally also supports local farmers and suppliers
and ensures greater variety in our diets.
Using a range of different mediums can help to engage children and reinforce key messages
about food seasonality. As an early years practitioner, the concept of seasonality can be introduced
and reinforced using song, visuals, stories and a wide range of practical activities.
A calendar of foods in season is a great visual tool and can highlight the foods that are optimal each
month. As a basic overview, key seasonal foods by term include:
Autumn Term: This is the best time of year to talk about courgettes, blackberries, apples, sweetcorn,
runner beans, potatoes, red and white cabbage and Brussel sprouts.
Spring Term: In season during the spring are carrots, kale, leeks, savoy cabbage, spring cabbage
and cauliflower.
Summer Term: This time of year in season are strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, plums,
lettuce, cucumber, broad beans and peas.
There are a number of different songs and nursery rhymes about food that can be linked to seasonal
produce. These include:
¥ Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley Grow
¥ Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush
¥ One Potato, Two Potato
¥ The Farmer in the Dell
Organising experiences around food are also great opportunities to discuss when foods are in season.
Visiting a farmers' market or local farm shop either as an organisation or encouraging parents to take
their children can be a perfect opportunity to talk about availability of different foods. Encouraging
children to look at labels to see where their food has come from can link in well with geography and
understanding the world. Parents can also do this with children in the supermarket and opt for food
grown in the UK.
Utilising local expertise is also worthwhile, especially if you have a local farm shop or established
allotments locally. Linking up for a monthly video chat with someone to talk about what's being grown
that month and what's ripe and ready to eat can be fun for the children. Opportunities to taste are also
ideal and if children can grow, pick and/or prepare the food themselves, their understanding becomes
far more concrete. The experience of planting carrots, watching them grow, pulling them from the
ground, touching and washing them and then eating them is one many children love.
If, as an early years setting, you have limited outdoor space then growing some fruit and vegetables in
pots can work well. Tomatoes, strawberries, potatoes and blueberries can be grown in a small space
and seeds such as runner/broad beans can also be grown in the setting and then sent home.
Other practical ideas include visiting a "Pick your Own" farm during the summer term, getting out in
nature during the Autumn to take children blackberry picking and handling, preparing and eating
seasonal food. Opportunities include:
¥ Shelling peas and making a mashed pea and mint dip for a snack, serve with oat cakes
¥ Making fruit leathers by blending blackberries with mint to make a puree and bake at a low
temperature in the oven for 5 hours
¥ Juicing fresh apples
¥ Making pumpkin soup or pumpkin pie
¥ Trying sauerkraut with red and white cabbage
¥ Making cauliflower cheese
¥ Making kale chips
¥ Using Brussel sprouts and potatoes for printing
¥ Making popcorn

Smiling is infectious! Creating a
welcoming early learning environment
By Tamsin Grimmer
I visited a toddler group once when my first child was very young and not a soul talked to me during the
whole session. I don't think I have ever felt so excluded and alone, in such a busy room. Needless to
say, I didn't go back to that particular group. If you have ever visited a new place, you will know how
important it is that you feel welcomed. A simple smile can mean so much. As a young teacher I had a
poem on my wall that began, "Smiling is infectious you can catch it like the flu, when someone smiled at
me today, I started smiling too!" and it's true!
We want our settings to be welcoming places. Places where children want to be. Places where parents
are happy for their children to be. Places that make you smile.
When we think about our early years environment, we need to consider these aspects:
¥ Is it welcoming and inviting?
¥ Are children and families greeted at the door with a smile?
¥ Does it reflect the children's interests, fascinations and diverse backgrounds?
¥ Is it meaningful to adults and children?
¥ Do displays and posters aid the welcoming atmosphere?
¥ Are the different languages represented by our families evident around the setting?
¥ Do children have access to opportunities inside and outside?
¥ Is it clear where children can go and what they can do?
¥ Are there hands-on activities available that cover all areas of learning and development?
¥ Is it safe, clean and tidy?
¥ Are there clearly defined areas?
¥ Are resources accessible to promote independence?
¥ Are resources maintained and replenished?
¥ Am I proud of the environment?
¥ Do children feel like they belong in our setting?
¥ Would I want to play here?
So let's welcome children and families into our settings and hope that all who came as guests leave as
friends, with a smile on their faces.
Tamsin Grimmer is an experienced early years consultant and trainer and parent who is passionate about young
children’s learning and development. She believes that all children deserve practitioners who are inspiring, dynamic,
reflective and committed to improving on their current best. Tamsin particularly enjoys planning and delivering training
and supporting early years practitioners and teachers to improve outcomes for young children.
Follow Tamsin on Facebook, visit her website or email tamsingrimmer@hotmail.co.uk

Start saving time today
With our nursery management software solution!
Find out more today
See what our customers have to say