Settling in children at ECEC centre as a potential for participation and cooperation between parents, children and staff

Marta Korintus

Gothenburg Meeting, 28-29 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.

Specific aims

Context Legislation National guidance Local pedagogical curriculum „Nevelés”Procedures Document analysis Focus group discussion Questionnaire before and after settling in Survey Photos

Context and research procedures

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)?

Research questions

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 doStaff: Participating at holidays/events

What participation for the child means

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.

What participation for the parent means

needs difficulties successesChildren parent’s presence

securitycareacceptanceloving attentiontimegradualness

separation from parentadapting to new situationunknown environmentdaily scheduleeatingsleeping

settling in wellautonomygrowing to accept and like staffsense of achievementnew friends

Parents to be acceptedbeing informedtrustempathyfeedbackchild to feel good

separation from childchangeobserving rulescommunicationunderstanding the practice at the centre

child feels goodchild is autonomousgetting to know staff and life at the centresuccessful cooperationgood communication

Staff cooperation of parentstoleranceforming good relationship with parentsinformation about the child and familytrust

expectations of parentsabsence of cooperation with parentssettling in more than one child at a time

child accepts staffsuccessful settling ingood relationship with parentpositive 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 minimalPedagogues 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.

Some summary and conclusions