Legal Requirements and Frameworks for Childcare

• Precious Toe Ngwu

Task 1- Summaries the current legal requirements for those working children. This should include reference to 6 learning goals and how they could be implemented in a child care setting.

Current legal requirements for those working with children whether in the home setting, work place, school or other local authorities has be set out in the children's Act 2006 which was designed with principles to guide and support the children. The Act 2006 guide the child care setting to follow the Early Years Foundation Stage learning in all setting to achieve the 6 learning goals to have the children acquired all the knowledge, skill and understanding they need by the time they are leaving the setting to school or nursery etc. The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage sets out the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five as development matters at the early stages of the child.

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The 3 prime areas are particularly crucial in promoting effective learning and development during the Early Years Foundation Stage. Communicating and language development- involves giving the children opportunities to experience a rich language environment. It develops their confidence and skills in expressing themselves: to speak and listen. The setting are to encourage the children communication skills in the activities around the learning area.

Physical Development- this provide opportunities for young children to be active and interactive to develop their coordination, control and movement. All activities planned with in the setting should aim at teaching the children how to be healthy and the importance of exercising.

Personal, social and emotional development- the activities planned in the setting should help develop a positive sense of themselves and others. It helps them to form positive relations and develop social skills and develop respect for others. To learn how manage feelings, to understanding appropriate behavior in groups and to have a sense of confidence in own abilities. In my class (preschool, I do circle time with the children and encourage them to work in pairs, speak about their feeling over the week end).

The 6 learning goals which are Personal Social and Emotional Development, Understand the World, Physical Development, Mathematics, Literacy and Expressive Arts and Design are to be taught to suit the requirements of the Regulations and the diversity of the children within the provision/setting and this is to done with no exceptions. The learning goals are there to enable the child care provider educate the children and to assess them to ascertain their achievements. Every child has the right to do every activities that is within the 6 learning goals, so by the time they reach 5 years old, they would have acquired the academic year and requirements. The setting should meet several learning goals that will spark children’s interest and enthusiasm for learning, support well-being and sense of belonging. It is important that in the setting, parents and practitioners work to achieve the early learning goals and for the children to be safe and healthy.

• All early year settings need to be consistency and have good quality for every child to have good progress. In so doing no child will be left behind.
• Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children including children with special needs and disabilities.

Task 2- Explain what is meant by respecting and valuing individuality, and how to devise a plan of how this can be implemented in the child are setting. A table format may be used for this task.

Respect is a deep feeling admiration for someone because of their abilities, qualities, or achievements. It is also a sense of worth or excellence of a person and a way of treating or thinking about someone.

Valuing is a reference against which to measure the virtue of an individual’s values and culture. Therefore, it is important to become more aware of the individual both in themselves and others so that the children will respond with respect and awareness of individual needs.

Respecting and valuing children’s individuality means accepting them, for who they are as individuals. This is very important for the development of the children. When children are treated with respect and valued, they will aspirate to their expectations.

The basics of anti-bias is recognising others individuality with both adults, children and young people all have different strengths, talents and attitudes. This in itself tells you that people respond differently. Respecting and valuing children’s individuality means accepting them, for who they are as individual. This is important for the development of children. When children are treated with respect and are valued, they will aspirate to their expectations. Respecting and valuing a child will bring in the best in him or her. It is also a 2 way street when you respect and value a child, most of the time he or she will do the same to you. When a child is not respected or valued they would not realize their self-worth. Care givers should praise, cheer and encourage a child on their own individual qualities, what makes them unique. No child is the same every human being is different in his or her own way, to foster good citizenship in each child treat him or her as an individual. When children are not accepted for who they are it can greatly affect their growth and development. Valuing and respecting- Is showing that we are comfortable with their differences and with young children it means acknowledging that they may have particular interest and help then to build on it by showing them you are for “what they stand for” so from an early age young children need to be taught respecting and valuing individuality. The setting should be able to encourage the children to work with each other and talk about diversity, culture as they plan and set up a classroom rules.

• Respect
• Honesty
• Courtesy
• Commitment

• Equality

• Justice

• Kindness

• Trust

As we are all different so are our values. It is important that children, young people understands values and a good values are instilled early on to enable them grow into well-rounded, decent young adults.

• Children to listen to each other
• Children to help in the setting implement policy for valuing and respecting each

other.

• Encourage the children share and do a display with them about diversity/cultures
• Individual planning (meet needs and interest of the child) also needs and interest are identified.

Task 3-Evaluate the benefits of consistency with regard to positive and negative behaviuors, and identify strategies that can be used to encourage setting.

Positive behavior is important. When we consistently and lovingly meet the needs of the young child in our care, secure attachment are formed. Child now develop secure attachments to more than one adults, that child/children are more likely to develop positive social and emotion skills. They know that they can rely on adults to meet their needs, to respond to them, and to comfort them. This will make the child important and begin to develop a sense of competence and confidence.

-Children and young children needs to be part of the setting out of the rules for positive behavior. This will enable them take ownership of any consequences and they will keep it.

- It is important not to say no but encourage the positive words to tell the child what to do

- get the child's attention, use words like, “good listening, good boy or girl”. Be specific, keep it simple, use enthusiasm to encourage the child and also comment positive comments and encouragement in front of others. Praise the children good work and thank the child for acts.

- Use a warm, engaging and reinforcing the positive behaviours encourages the child to do well and act will.

Always work out the rules with the children for the settings in a group which could become a behaviour policy for the child care setting and encourage them to put it up with you. It is better to influence the child's behaviour rather than control it. This is very important as it is beneficial for both the child care provider and the child, the earlier a child is established right from wrong it gets easier for the child to develop in all areas. This should be consistent.

Negative behaviour: negative behaviour is very distressing and frustrating when it is not managed appropriately for the one receiving end. It is good to keep it simple when explain to a child why he/she is behaviour is not helping or accepting by using positive words and remaining them of the boundaries set out in the child care setting. It best to focus more on their positive than negative behaviours. The child care setting need to address that at some point, consistently letting the children to know that negative behaviours are not accepted and they need to understand what can be allowed and what cannot be accepted. I do circle time with my preschoolers and in the circle we discuss about our behaviours and how to improve on it. And I made them to understand that bad behaviours

are not awarded. We only reward good behaviours not the bad once and there are more consequences. It’s good as the child care provider to have a good tone of voice, but be consistent it goes a long way. The child will than start to build a relationship with that adult and it will encourage that child to stop saying no etc. The self-esteem, confidence and trust will come back. But make sure the setting identify the problem and work with the child and all will fall into place.

Task 4- Describe the process involved in managing conflict between children and adults. You should refer to at least one behavioural theorist in your answer

I will like to start off by saying that, Firstly, identifying the underlying conflicts aim and hidden agendas that drive the dispute in the first place. Children are emotional and are not ready to begin a process of resolution. It’s a step by step process and it takes patience and consistency.

-approach the child/children calmly at his or her eye level using a gentle touch. Acknowledge that there is a problem/issue and suggest some ways to calm them down. I usually use the 1-10, it always work with my preschoolers. I also tell them to breathe in and out. Children need to be taught how to express their emotions without violence/ mood swings.

-you the adult should not find fault in the matter or blame, because one child is always in the wrong. Stay neutral. Listen to the child/children and make sure they know you are listening to them and they are been hard by the adult. Make sure that children in the conflict talk about their needs and wants. Most of the time the issues are the “want”, the adult should stay on the 'want'. The adult should show interest in what they are saying by noddy the head, acknowledge the feelings of each child by helping give the feeling a name e.g. frustrated etc.

After defining the problems, help the children find a solution to solve the problem. If the solution is not resolved the adult will have to start again.

As Dennise Colwell and Lindsey- Texas Tec University founder-gender differences children when identifying areas of conflict. So the solution is going to be what type of conflict it is. Boys and girls.

Girls tended to have more conflicts with each other (peers) over thing said, displaying a child-to child conflict whereas the boys areas of conflict manifested themselves in form of disobeying the teacher. It also goes on to say “in resolving conflict, it was interesting to note that girls used peer resolution, and the boys relied on the teacher as a facilitator to resolve the conflict. In both ways the adult has a vital role to play be restoring and helping the children control their feelings.

'Vygotsky research”- stated that conflict with girls are words and conflict with boys are action.