Settling Children In is Today's Thursday Tip from Canavan Byrne. When services reopen after any type of closure it is very important that they retain their child-centred practice. This means putting the needs of children to the forefront while adhering to public health advice to reduce the transmission of the virus.
Children will need emotional support, nurturing and care as they transition back into the early years setting. This is relevant for new children commencing at the beginning of a new term or after any closure due to COVID-19.
Settling Children In: Top Tips
- Services can support the transition back to the setting by having the child’s keyworker meet them on arrival. They can welcome them and maybe have a welcome ‘Happy’ sticker or similar symbol to focus the children’s attention positively.
- Services could take a picture of the children in their play pod with their friends (with parent’s consent!). This could be sent to parents and children could use it at home to talk about their friends and experiences in the early years setting.
- Services could provide pictures of the child participating in activities to parents. Again this can be used as a way of talking about the children’s experiences and addressing any worries or concerns that child may have.
- Where the child remains distressed having tried some of the above actions, arrange for the parent and child to come into the child’s room. Ensure that the parent maintains two meters social distance from the staff and other children. If this is not possible ask the parent to wear a face covering. Support the parent in the usual way to settle his/her child.
- Ask the parent to adhere to all infection control measures while in the service e.g. hand washing and cough etiquette.
This information has been taken from the COVID-19 Rescue Pack Updated August 2021. This newly updated pack provides you with all the paperwork required in line with the most recent government guidelines around COVID-19. The Policy and Response Plan and other documentation has been re-organised and rewritten.
This is based on the latest information and advice available as well as feedback from early years services. This includes the latest guidelines around international travel, vaccinations, quarantine and the new Delta variant. For more information read our latest blog post here.
