Incident form

Within each class at Natural Steps, we keep records every day for nappy changes, sleep check sheets, food and bottles, and we also have accident/incident forms. At the beginning of each week (and every morning in the case of the sleep check sheet) I fill in the children's names on the new forms and file away the previous forms. These forms are kept in a folder on nursery one's shelf for three months, after which they are discarded. The accident forms however, are treated differently. Usually it is the head teacher of the room that handles these, but as this wasn't being done regularly, I offered to take on that responsibility. At the end of each calender month, the accident forms are collected and the totals of type and adult involved are tallied. If there is anything that requires attention, it is discussed with the office and staff members concerned. Otherwise these are filed in the office.
There was one incident that I came across that concerned me. I noticed that there were two copies of an incident involving a child during their nappy change, and neither had been signed by a parent of the child. I brought this up with the centre manager, and informed her that I would speak to the parent concerned. I thought just in case this needed to be discuss further she should know I would be speaking with A's parents. When I informed the parent in the morning, he seemed surprised and had no idea at all. All I could do was apologise, explain how the incident form process should work, and reassure that it wouldn't happen again. I also put a note in his daily diary just so we had it in writing.
I was really disappointed to see what I viewed as lack of respect for the child and their parents. Even if only a minor thing, parents should always be informed. We are caring for their children, and they expect nothing but the best from us - always. I did inform my head teacher when she returned to work the next day, letting her know that when I found the two forms, I spoke to the parents.

By taking on the role of tallying and filing the forms, I meeting dimension 18,Professional Relationships - maintains accurate records.
I am also meeting dimension 22, Professional Relationships - maintains confidentiality, trust and respect. By informing the parents that I had come across this incident form they hadn't seen, I am demonstrating my respect for them. I spoke privately with them, maintaining confidentiality, and explained what the correct procedure should have been. I am trying to build a trusting relationship between us.

Easy communication with parents

Because we have recently changed the carrier of our online profile books, as soon as we post an entry, the parents get an email informing them. When I wrote the farewell page for Isaac, I was really pleased to get a response from his mum. I found it up lifting, knowing that she does look at the entries put on. You can't help but wonder sometimes if all your hard work is even seen. Now I know - it is.

This is evidence of dimension #19. communicates with families, whanau and caregivers. It is also evidence of dimension #20. contributes to the life of the learning centre, as our centre functions best when there is communication that happens both ways between the parents and the staff - especially the primary caregiver.

Change of primary care for a transitioning child

One of my primary care children is transitioning to nursery 2. When he first began in nursery one, he was a very sensitive boy. He had trouble settling down to sleep, refused to eat, and unless I was with him, was very unsettled. During our time together he has grown in confidence, would call out to anyone just to get them to look at him so that he would laugh and wave at them. The changes in him were amazing.

Now that he has moved over to nursery 2, I can see those personality traits returning. I have discussed with his new primary caregiver how this young boy was when he first began with me, and techniques she could try with him, but above all, how much he requires patience, care, and to be listened to. When I went outside today (September 28th), I was able to model for her what I meant. She mentioned that she found it easier to just let him be and to give him space. I agreed that, yes, he does require space, but he also needs clear boundaries. An example of this was when he left the sandpit, he carried the spade with him and then began to walk inside with it. His new caregiver seemed as if she wasn't sure how she should respond to this behaviour. I repeated to her that as well as allowing him space, he does need to learn the expected boundaries. I then modelled to her my explaining to the young boy that the spade stays in the sand pit, and that he needed to take it back. This was happily done. I reminded my colleague that because I was the former primary caregiver, we had formed a friendship. All it would take was for her to be consistent, to listen to him, and just a little bit of time and she would have the same with him. And if she's ever not sure of what to do, to just listen to him and he would tell her in his own way. Through this interaction, I was demonstration how I lead and support other teachers, dimension #25.

Documenting planning

As a team, the nursery one staff discussed our planning wall and the next steps (and the possibility of changing our approach to displaying it). One suggestion I had made was to implement a new format to the way we documented our group activities. It was an example I had seen in action when I worked at a nursery school in London, and I felt that it worked really well for getting information and observational notes written down quickly and efficiently. At the top of the front page we could write what the intended learning outcome is, and at the bottom, we evaluate the session and write what the next step is. The form was designed in A4, and was four pages as it was intended to use over four sessions. This way, the activity was able to be either continued over four consecutive days, or else extended over the four days. I sometimes find that we set up an activity one day, but the next it has gone and something else has replaced it. I am of the opinion that if we introduce something (a resource, a set of skills required, a game, etc) then we also need to provide plenty of opportunities for those skills to be rehearsed over and over).

I will look through my storage boxes at home for an example of it, otherwise I will recreate the form to introduce to my team, see what they think, and alter it to best meet our needs.

Being with babies

An excert about interactions with babies-in particular the pikler and RIE approaches.

Babies have a marvelous affect on us. They enchant us. They touch us very profoundly.... And yet... many times it happens that in the important moments of being together we do not really pay attention to them, because we are preoccupied with the tasks relating to them: putting on their shirts, wiping their bottoms, adjusting their diapers. We touch them, move them around, and sometimes fail to notice the expectation in their gaze as they look at us." This view is expressed by Anna Tardos from the Pikler Institute in Budapest, Hungary, in her Exchange article, "Being with Babies." She continues...

"We don’t think about how happy they would be ‘to help’ if we had a discussion with them in the meantime, and if we told them what we were up to:

"'Now, I am going to take off your diaper to see if there is anything in it. I am going to wipe your skin, lift your bottom. Will you allow me to do that? Now, I am going to put this coat on you. You see how pretty it is? Your grandmother made it for you. First I am pulling up on one arm, then the other. I have to lift you up a little bit. It’s not very easy, but we have made it.'

"Would they help? Yes. The baby would pay attention to what we are doing, would relax his arms, and, at the age of only a few months, he would reach his arms towards us when we show him the shirt. A real conversation can be formed this way between the adult and the baby. In this way, the hasty and careless movements that often cast a shadow on the joint activity during times spent together could be avoided: legs lifted too high, too swiftly being turned on the side, the baby&rsqu o;s arm getting stuck in the sleeve, or legs stuck in the zippered (not very practical) overalls. This can be a very unpleasant experience for the baby. And it also happens that, instead of a rich and meaningful dialogue realized in the course of the pleasure of being together, the adult must dress a crying and protesting baby. At this time, the adult would try to calm the baby down: 'I can see that you are tired. Alright, I am going to hurry, and we’re going to be done real soon.' Meanwhile, the movements become even faster, and quite often overhasty, thus even more unpleasant for the child. It’s a shame. Why? Because the activity of getting dressed or changed, repeated several times a day, can also be a joyful encounter of being together!"


Joann

Leadership

Morning Rebecca,

Leadership... not only tricky to define but also to work towards. Leadership when effective can take on many possbilities, open many doors and empower teams and teachers to work together to achieve amazing outcomes for teams, children and families.
Im sure that you have read lots about Leadership and have also in your teaching career come across a range of leadership styles(some effective and sadly others detrimental).

Below is an excert about the benefits of collaborative leadership- enjoy.

A recent issue of the Harvard Business Review (July 2011) focused on "collaboration." In discussing how life for a collaborative manager is different, the magazine noted...

"In the old world of silos and solo players, leaders had access to everything they needed under one roof, and a command-and-control style served them well. But things have changed: The world has become much more interconnected, and if executives don't know how to tap into the power of those connections, they'll be left behind.

"Leaders today must be able to harness ideas, people and resources from across boundaries of all kinds. That requires reinventing their talent strategies and building strong connections both inside and outside their organizations. To get all the disparate players to work together effectively, they also need to know when to wield influence rather than authority to move things forward, and when to halt unproductive discussions, squash politicking, and make final calls.

"Differences in convictions, cultural values, and operating norms inevitably add complexity to collaborative efforts. But they also make them richer, more innovative, and more valuable. Getting that value is the heart of collaborative leadership."

Transitions

Morning,

Below is a snippet from an article on transitions, and the effect they can have on the classroom and childrens ability to follow through and develop interests. happy reading.....
Joann

In their Exchange article, "Eliminating Transitions," which forms the basis for the newest Out of the Box Training Kit, Barb Gallick and Lisa Lee make a case for keeping to a minimum the number of transitions children confront in early childhood classrooms:

"Picture a group of children in the block area who have spent 15 or 20 minutes building an elaborate car wash. They have just gotten to the point where they will be using cars to develop a story and act it out when the teacher says it’s time to clean up for snack. Of course, after snack there’s group time and then the class will be heading outside. Are these children also wishing that they could have had an extended time to relax and focus on enjoying their car wash and the dramatic play possibilities? Do they also feel like they have no control over their schedule?

"Having a daily schedule that creates routines for young children is an essential part of an early childhood classroom. Evaluating the daily schedule on a regular basis is an integral part of creating a quality program that meets the needs of both the children and adults who ‘live’ in the classroom each day. We would suggest that you look (with a critical eye) at your daily schedule once a year to determine whether it works for the group of children currently enrolled in your classroom. One of the most important things to consider when reviewing your schedule is the number of transitions that occur throughout the day.

"Transitions tend to be some of the most difficult and stressful moments in an early childhood classroom. At these times teachers often find themselves dealing with more challenging behavior s and feeling more like police officers than nurturing caregivers. If you are feeling uncomfortable or frustrated during transition times, that is a sign that your current schedule may need to be revised to better meet the needs and developmental levels of the children in your care."