What is Inclusion and why is it so important in the Early Years?

Anne Purdon
Curriculum Leader 

What is inclusion? This is the question we will be posing to our second year students, Set 38, when they return to college after half term. Our second years have been spending the first half of this semester in placement and they will have been working with children from a diverse range of backgrounds of different ages and abilities. As early years practitioners it is vital that our students consider how they can support all children to achieve their potential and how they can help to remove any barriers that might exist to their learning and development.

But what does it really mean to value diversity and promote equal opportunities for all? Aristotle said that ‘‘There is nothing so unequal as the equal treatment of unequals.” Inclusion, according to Rodgers &Wilmot (2011, p2) ‘… is the process by which we value all individuals, recognising their unique attributes, qualities and ways of being.’

When we work with children we must never assume they are all the same and treat them as such. In order to value diversity and promote equal opportunities we need to value each child equally but treat them differently according to their needs. We need to get to know each individual child so well that we can respond to their individual needs and treat them in the unique way in which they as individuals can thrive.

It is important that our students take on board the fact that inclusion is a right, not a luxury as underpinned by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 and the Every Disabled Child Matters Inclusion Charter 2015.**

As we continue with the lectures for this module we will be discovering how we can ensure every child is included. A fundamental building block for inclusion is showing respect; this involves recognising that each family we work with has a different set of beliefs and values. By allowing children to make their own choices and respecting those choices we can raise their self-esteem in the knowledge that secure emotional development is vital for a child’s learning and development. We know that’s true for adults too don’t we? When we feel good about ourselves, when we feel valued in what we are doing, we can achieve so much more.


**The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 requires us to adopt an inclusive approach; for example Article 2 states that ‘Parties shall respect and ensure the rights set forth in the present Convention to each child within their jurisdiction without discrimination of any kind, irrespective of the child’s or his or her parent’s or legal guardian’s race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status.’ (UNICEF,1989). In addition The Every Disabled Child Matters Inclusion Charter states that ‘All children have the right to be included in every aspect of society. Disabled children should not have to ask or fight to be included in the things that other children do.’ (EDCM, 2015)

Make Memories this Summer with #NorlandNannyActivity Ideas

Claire Burgess

@belles28

Early Years Consultancy Manager

 
Over my career I have been asked hundreds of times ‘what made you want to be a nanny?’ and my answer has always been simple, I love being around children and making lasting memories with them.  This hasn’t changed and over the years I have seen what a privileged position we nannies have; there are very few professions where you get to influence another person’s life in such a way that you help shape who that person will be in later life. It is amazing what children remember as they grow up and one of the best parts when working so closely with children is seeing precious memories being made and thinking, they’ll remember this for life.  

For me last weekend was a great example of how memories are made with children in the simplest of ways by doing and experiencing things with others.  Research has shown that children learn more effectively through hands on experiences and emotional connections with others rather than being told about something. 

On Saturday, a family who I met through my work with Tamba, came to visit me at my parent’s farm.  The afternoon started with two shy 3 year old twin boys and their 11 year old big brother but quickly developed into a memory making adventure! 

Watching the 3 boys look longingly at the tractor, asking if they could sit in it and then having the opportunity to ride in it was wonderful.  Taking it in turns to have a go and then congratulating each other with a hug when they finished their tractor driving experience highlighted their shared love of the experience, and their smiles just said it all. 

Then it was time to feed the calves and there were 2 very keen little helpers!  From mixing the milk powder to watching the calves drink, there were lots of questions and new learning opportunities.  It was hands on learning in the truest sense of the word!

The afternoon ended with us asking the boys what the best bit was, two answered with “the tractor ride” and the other one “all of it!” – can’t ask for much better than that!  I think I can safely say that lasting shared memories were made on Saturday afternoon and as a Norland Nanny it’s pretty special to have been part of it. 

Everyday Norland Nannies around the world are making memories with children, what memories are you making this summer? Some great activity ideas have been shared by our Norland Nannies via #NorlandNannyActivity on Twitter and Instagram, start memory making with your children/charges today!

 If visiting a working farm, please remember to be conscious of children’s safety at all times, for advice on this click here.

Behaviour Management - Norland's Approach

Elspeth Pitman 

@ElspethPitman

Early Years Consultant 

One of the hot topics parents always ask is what the ‘Norland secret’ is in regards to behaviour management and in truth there isn’t one! We know that no two children and no two families are the same and individual approaches need to be carefully considered before they are applied to any family or child.

However, there are two top tips that we at Norland think can help to manage any children’s behaviour:

First, it is important to try and understand why the child’s behaviour might be occurring. A child’s behaviour will be a reaction to something in their lives, find out what this ‘something’ is so you can look at treating the cause. Some common ‘causes’ include, the child feeling unwell or being over-tired; there being unrealistic pressures on them or if they are receiving mixed confusing messages. Understanding why a child is displaying behaviours we may deem unacceptable will help you avoid the situation in the future and help to explain to the child what behaviours you would expect in that situation and help them learn.

For example, a toddler might be at the stage where we start to teach them to be more independent with potty training and feeding themselves, yet they might find themselves being told off for spilling their drink as they try to help themselves. Here the toddler is confused about what is expected of them, one minute they are being told to be independent and the next they are being told off for doing so. This is where the toddler’s behaviour is likely to be labelled with the famous ‘toddler tantrums’ and shrugged off as being a phase. But are we considering the child’s self-esteem and their innate desire to learn and succeed in what they see the adults doing in the world around them? They should be praised and encouraged to try again and perhaps consider how you can help the toddler achieve this next time without spilling.  

Having a better understanding of why children behave the way they do can often be quite empowering in managing children’s behaviour. Children are not born ‘naughty’, a word we would not recommend using as it labels the child and isn’t helpful for the child in understanding what they need to do differently. A child who is given attention when being disruptive, or is not given clear guidance on what behaviour is desired instead, will be likely to continue with the unwanted behaviour.

Second, try and notice and acknowledge the positive things your child is doing. This might seem to be an obvious piece of advice, but it is often one that we forget to do in the busy day to day. When a child is playing nicely our default tends to be to leave them to it in fear that we might interrupt their play. Children are often told what to stop doing, but we forget to tell them what they should be doing instead! When giving praise it is also important to make sure it is specific, ‘good boy’ or ‘good girl’ is not wrong, but it is not very clear. A young child who is doing 100 things in a minute will not be able to pick out which of their 100 actions they are doing well, so make sure you tell them.

For example, ‘well done, you are eating very nicely’. At this moment we might even choose to ignore the fact that the child a moment earlier dropped some food on the floor. The child is more likely to continue to eat nicely in order to receive more praise and less likely to continue to drop food on the floor, which is not receiving any attention.

It is worth considering the emotional impact continual negative feedback can have on a child. What are we telling them if they are predominantly given attention when doing what they shouldn’t be doing and constantly told ‘no’, ‘don’t or ‘stop’. This is teaching the child what to stop doing but not teaching them what they should be doing instead. There is also the danger that the child will start to view themselves in a negative light believing that they cannot do anything right which ultimately might result in low self-esteem.

I have seen huge success within families who implement these two top tips, often resulting in a more harmonious day for all. The adult invariably has a better understanding of the child’s reasons for displaying unwanted behaviour and can support the child in learning to manage this behaviour. This will lead to less frustration from both the adult and child with a more positive atmosphere throughout the day. It is ultimately important to remember that children are not born understanding the complexities of the world and need a loving and consistent environment in which they feel safe to get things wrong, are taught how to do things in a better way and allowed to try again.

I believe that the Norland motto ‘Love Never Faileth’, which our founder Emily Ward bequeathed to all Norlanders in 1892, is still relevant today in all aspects of our care and education of children. With this motto in mind, all Norland Nannies are also expected to uphold the Norland Code of Professional Responsibilities when managing behaviour to ensure that physical and emotional wellbeing of the child is never compromised. Both parents and children should be treated with the upmost respect at all times recognising their unique nature as individuals.