Key Worker Approach is Recommended for your Early Years Service

Every child deserves to be special to someone and the Key Worker Approach recognises this. Using Key Workers in your early years service is recommended by early years education experts and organisations worldwide as an important methodology in providing a secure, nurturing environment within which the child can feel confident exploring their relationship to the world and to other children. The Key Worker provides a safe platform from which the child can securely form further relationships.

The role of the Key Worker is to know their individual child and to support their sense of identity and individuality. The Key Worker needs to be aware of their individual child’s and family’s needs, preferences and development. They also will take additional care to make observations and recommendations for their key children to best facilitate their education and development according to the Aistear themes and Síolta standards.

The forms in the Key Worker Toolkit are designed for Key Workers to maintain proper records for observation and to support the care, education and development of the children in their group.

If you have not yet implemented the Key Worker Approach in your service, we recommend you do so! And if you are using Key Workers we think you'll find this toolkit very useful for good record-keeping and organisation. This is also a case where documentation of your processes is great if you should happen to have an inspection.