Page 60 - PSPS: A Training guide

Using some of these tools and methods well help to ensure that the child is at the
centre of planning, preparation and policies/procedures. Listening to families, and
giving the opportunity to children themselves to express how they are feeling and
coping will ensure that the transition is a successful part of the continuity of care that
begins in the home, and continues as the child’s world expands to encompass the
wider community, including school.

Documenting the process – how the service is capturing what is happening so it can be
revisited multiple times with the child and parents:

Choosing a tool for pedagogical documentation, having a method for capturing
observations and comments on particular issues for each child is important, whether it
is through digital methods, written notes, logs, journals, learning stories, or a tool such
as the Leuven Scale. It enables the teacher to monitor the child’s progress over time,
and for the partnership between the child, the parents and the preschool/school to
develop. Open access for such documentation will be valuable, and revisiting previous
findings can be a form of great reassurance and support in seeing progress for each
child on their transition journey.

Unit 5 Social and Emotional Development: Main Takeaways

The main points from this unit, which has examined the need for parents and teachers
to carefully consider each child’s social and emotional issues, are:

To recognise that each child will respond emotionally in their own way in
handling the move to school

That each child will manage social situations according to their stage of
development and any previous attachment issues

The child needs the adults to be aware of their capacity for change, any
vulnerabilities and how astute, knowledgeable adult support will guide the
child towards good coping skills
The parent knows their child, they know the child’s capacity for understanding
change, the child’s ability to act individually as they progress in their maturing
as an independent person.

The preschool practitioner also knows each child, and recognises the
momentous nature of this change for each individual child

The adults each need to consider vulnerabilities and special needs which may
impact upon an effective transition for the child

All adults in the child’s world will respect the need to listen, hear and act upon
the views of the child