TEY-10.2

THE STEPS YOU SHOULD TAKE • Make sure that you have information from parents about their child’s experiences at home since you last saw them. Find out what they have enjoyed doing, what activities they have taken part in with their families, what they have found challenging etc. • Build on information from parents to plan for the individual needs of every child as they return. Complete a summative assessment that builds on the last assessment you completed before lock-down and the information that you have sought from parents in the interim period. • Identify the children due to return that you are most concerned about. Contact any other services that may have been involved with the child and family to get an update and/or share information that you have. • Be particularly alert to children for whom you had low level welfare concerns before lock-down. Make sure that their circumstances have not deteriorated since you last saw them • If you have been caring for children during lock-down, plan to support their transition to what is likely to be a busier and more structured environment as more children return. • Remember that new starters still have the same settling-in needs. Settling them will be more challenging as you also focus on re-settling other children. Make sure that you re-establish starting points for returning children with as much thought and attention as you do when establishing starting points for your new starters. • Continue to build on the support you have given to the home learning environment by keeping some of the initiatives you have used to communicate during lockdown. Teachearlyyears.com 31 Melanie has written many publications, training packages and other resources for the Alliance, focusing on best practice and meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Melanie also represents the work of the Alliance at public events, conferences and seminars in this country and abroad. Create a nurturing environment The physical and emotional environment have an important role to play as you support the transition between home and your setting. For the children that have continued to attend, they must also be supported in their transition back to a busier, more structured environment. Their circumstances either as vulnerable, or the child of a key worker brings its own unique set of challenges that must be recognised. When you are thinking about your environment the aim should be to make it familiar, flexible, friendly, and focused on the needs of the child: • While you have a duty of care to keep children safe, don’t let any remaining restrictions you have to work under, detract from a child-friendly environment. • Keep the unique child in focus and create an environment that feels both safe and welcoming. • Children need to escape from the relentless focus on coronavirus. An enabling environment in which they can choose how they play, (role-play in particular), will help them to make sense of what is happening and to express their thoughts and feelings. • Keep it simple, remember that you may have to limit certain activities and resources but give children back the right to play and socialise that has been denied to them for so many months. There may be difficult times still to come for the sector, but the resilience and fortitude that have got us this far will continue to see us through. We must remind ourselves and the children of the positive times we have shared previously at the setting and celebrate the fact that we are back together at last. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Early Years Alliance’s ‘Welcome Back Pack’ Resource Bundle The ‘Welcome Back’ series contains three comprehensive resource packs designed to support nurseries, pre-schools and childminders to ensure their re-opened provision meets the needs of their children and families. The bundle is free to Alliance members and is available at the special price of £40 to non- members. bit.ly/39RCH5f