Gothenburg Meeting, September, 2015
To study social competences and skills of staff, parents and children in situations of settling in children to the ECEC centre for under 3’s Objectives: to assess existing practice and to find ways to enable parents and staff to improve the quality of pedagogical exchanges to better accommodate children’s needs and to ensure better participation.
Context Legislation National guidance Local pedagogical curriculum „Nevelés” Procedures Document analysis Focus group discussion Questionnaire before and after settling in Survey Photos
What are the weaknesses and strengths of current childcare practice in terms of involving children and parents (i.e. participation)? What are the needs met and needs not met for all agents in the situations studied (children, parents and staff)? What competencies are needed to redress situations where needs are not met or could be improved)?
Consensus (of parents and staff): To be able to make decisions, to be supported in the attempts for autonomy, to know the daily schedule, to be integrated into the children’s group, children’s feeling of security Parents. If activities are not forced on children, they can freely choose what to do Staff: Participating at holidays/events
Parents: Following children’s development to a greater extent, involvement in activities related to the child, getting to know the life at the centre They do not value participating in decision making as much as staff thinks Staff: Parents involvement in process of settling in children, taking part in celebrations/events, possibilites to observe life in the centre They do not think availability of children’s documentation and staff’s reports and notes contribute to parents’ feeling of being involved.
needsdifficultiessuccesses Children parent’s presence security care acceptance loving attention time gradualness separation from parent adapting to new situation unknown environment daily schedule eating sleeping settling in well autonomy growing to accept and like staff sense of achievement new friends Parents to be accepted being informed trust empathy feedback child to feel good separation from child change observing rules communication understanding the practice at the centre child feels good child is autonomous getting to know staff and life at the centre successful cooperation good communication Staffcooperation of parents tolerance forming good relationship with parents information about the child and family trust expectations of parents absence of cooperation with parents settling in more than one child at a time child accepts staff successful settling in good relationship with parent positive feedback from parents Survey
There is need for more information, mutual trust and understanding, excellent communication (skills), feedback and accepting/loving atmosphere Parents’ knowledge about staff is minimal Pedagogues do not feel the need for parents’s opinion, getting to know the parents seems to be enough for them Getting to know and meeting children’s individual needs does not appear in the survey, although the practice is different as it shows in the individual diaries of children about setting in.