TEY-10.2

30 Teachearlyyears.com Your aim is to make them feel settled, safe, and secure as quickly as possible Did you stay in touch? Providers were encouraged to stay in touch with children and families during lock-down. Some set up WhatsApp groups, or made use of Skype, Zoom or other social media to maintain contact with groups of children and to facilitate contact between peer groups. There are many inspiring examples of practitioners recording story-time sessions or sharing activity ideas with parents and carers. Similarly, providers have used information technology to record videos of new arrangements for dropping off and collecting children as they prepare to return. What has been less achievable is the opportunity to dig a little deeper into the child’s experiences at home and to have those important discussions with parents about their child’s progress. The information that practitioners gain from parents forms a big part of on-going assessment and must now be the basis of re-settling every child as they return to the setting. There is a delicate balance between maintaining the required level of social distancing in the setting, while not alienating parents at a time when close partnership working is essential to meet children’s needs. SUPPORTING THE RE-SETTLING PROCESS It is important to remember that you are not just resettling children, you are resettling parents too. Make sure that the measures you have put in place to open safely are clearly communicated to everyone. Parents will still have their own concerns about returning to your setting which they may have transferred to their child. It is important to acknowledge these concerns, no matter how trivial they may seem. It is likely that practitioners will have had similar worries about returning to work, so creating an opportunity to ask questions or share experiences will instil confidence all round. Building on what you already knew about a child and what you have since learned about their lockdown experience is essential. Practitioners should review the last observations and assessment they completed against the information they have gained from parents. It should be possible to identify some areas where it seems a child has made progress, or where they appear to need further support. This information will help you to focus your planning for the child from the outset. The transition back into your setting should not be an event – it is a process that will require a great deal of sensitivity and patience from everyone involved. Do not assume that the child who settled quickly when they first started with you is going to cope as well this time round. The principles of settling in still hold firm. Children need to re-establish an attachment with their key person so that they have a secure base from which to adjust to a new normal. There will be many emotional ‘transactions’ to be carefully negotiated, these must first be recognised by the key person who then plans to meet the individual child’s needs. Your aim is to make them feel settled, safe, and secure as quickly as possible.