Transitions are eased by the child’s experience, from birth onwards, of reliable, stable, continuous, and loving relationships. Close and direct contact by the primary caregiver with the settings, along with careful thought applied to the transitions children experience in their care, is required (Keinig, 2002)
Attending an early-learning programme such as pre-school is an important and exciting stage in a child’s development. They will have opportunities to interact with other children and practitioners, and benefit from a stimulating learning environment.
Some children embrace this change with an enthusiasm that can leave parents feeling confident and comfortable, and perhaps even a little left out. Other children may feel afraid, upset or anxious. It may be the first time they have been in the care of adults who are not part of their family, or the environment could be noisy and crowded compared to being at home, making it all feel a bit too much. It is actually quite common for children to show some signs of discomfort when they first start in a service.
From about six months old, most children begin to show distress when they are away from their parents or carers, as they don’t yet have a separate sense of self, so can feel a part of them is missing. While this can be worrying for parents and carers, it is normal for children to find the transition to childcare upsetting and it is important to remember the distress is often short-lived.
Some guidelines through Siolta:
- Enabling staff and parents to meet and discuss issues prior to enrolment
- Assess, understand and plan to meet the child and parent’s/ carer’s needs
- Link closely with parents/carers in helping to settle the child into the centre
- Understand cultural differences and/or key words from a child’s first language
- Make contact at the beginning and end of each day with the child and parent/carer
- Ensure that transitions within the daily routine are sensitively planned (e.g., children are alerted to the next activity, have choice regarding who to sit beside, are given sufficient time to finish their previous activity)
- Monitor the curriculum offered to the children for depth, balance, and relevance
- Provide an update on progress and advice to other team members, and take part in reviews with the children
- Key worker system in operation.
