2. Happy & Sad
• How do you feel about your experience of
transitions at the moment and why?
3. First Step Community Project
•
A community project for families
with young children, based in the
Musselburgh East housing estate.
•
First Step take a holistic approach
to working with local families by
offering a range of services such
as:
•
Parenting support
•
Nursery provision
•
Grandparents group
•
Outreach & Respite service
•
Young mum’s group.
•
Groups and classes for the local
community.
4. Aims Of the Workshop
• To explore feelings of transition from a parent’s
perspective.
• Use a practical example of how an early years setting
supported parents around transition.
• Look at the benefits of this approach.
• Explore theories of transition and good practice; relating
this to LTS Transition Fact File & CFE early Level Health
& Wellbeing outcomes.
• Reflect on participants own experience of transition.
5. Activity – Feelings of Transition
• Think about being in a new/transition
situation, how did you feel?
• What helped you prepare of this new
situation?
6. First Step – Parent’s transition
• Listening to service users – staff aware of
parent’s concerns/issues around
transition.
• Arranged for an initial informal meeting
between parent’s and Early Years
Manager to explore concerns.
7. Case Studies• Morgan – First child going to local authority nursery. Heard from other
parents about several issues that were worrying her. Lots of discussion in the
community regarding mixed feeling around the local nursery.
• Nicola – 2
child to go to local authority nursery. Did not have a very good
experience with her 1st child and felt that the child’s additional support needs had not
been met. Was very apprehensive about sending her 2nd child.
nd
• Sarah – First child to go to local authority nursery although did have friends
and relatives who had children at the nursery. Had heard various things that she was
a little bit nervous about and was worried about the child:staff ratio.
8. Initial meeting
• Identifying what parent’s concerns were.
• Discussions around change from small
community nursery to larger nursery.
• How can we support parents around these
issues.
9. Outcomes of the meeting
• Reflections on our previous transition
process/methods.
• Other parent’s perspectives and real life
experiences of transition were very
important and relevant to parents.
• Coffee morning arranged with previous
parents of First Step.
10. Parent’s transition coffee
morning
• 4 previous parents from First Step
attended covering 4 local nurseries.
• 1 parent who had not attended First Step
represented another local nursery.
• 6 existing First Step parents attended.
• Very informal, lots of honest discussions
around transition took place.
11. Outcomes and evaluations
• Here is what our parents said:
Found speaking to other
mum’s who have
experienced the transition of
moving to another nursery
helpful. It is very reassuring
to know other mum’s are
feeling the same as myself.
What a great idea! An
informal way to ask
questions and air any
concerns they may have
about their child going to
nursery. What a friendly
group of people.
Today’s session went well. I
found the questions I
needed to ask got
answered and everyone
was willing to tell their
personal stories.
Helpful, answered all the
questions I needed to know.
Nice to know that other
people are feeling the same
about kids leaving First Step
A good session, insightful as
to what’s happening not only
at First Step but also what
happens in other nurseries.
13. Next step
How did this approach strengthen existing peer support
systems in place within First Step?
14. Transition and Good Practice
•
Planned transitions- Transitions should be planned for (wherever possible) and not regarded as
a one off events but as continually processes that we all experience .
•
Links to Theory: Bronfenbrenner Ecological Theory
SOURCE:(http://faculty.weber.edu/tlday/human.development/ecological.htm)
•
LTS transition fact file: Supporting parents to become more confident around transition.
•
Successful schools involve parents. Where they are involved in transitions, the children’s move to
school is well supported. ‘This is a time of change for parents as well as for children, so it is
crucial to have parents and families involved throughout.’ Professor Dunlop (TAG:2013)
15. Transition & CFE Health & Wellbeing
•
I am aware of and able to express my feelings and am developing the ability
to talk about them. HWB 0-01a
•
I know that we all experience a variety of thoughts and emotions that effect
how we feel and behave and I am learning ways of managing them.
HWB 0-02a
•
•
I am learning skills and strategies which will support me in challenging
times, particularly in relation to change and loss. HWB 0-07a
16. Building on this approach
By using what we have learned from
this approach we aim to:
• Continue to build upon what we have learned. Peer
support is crucial not just at key transition points.
• Continue to review and reflect on our approach to
transition to meet both parents and children’s
needs.
• Use this approach when children are moving on to
primary school.
17. Closing thoughts..........
• How do we plan transition with both
parents and children to fully support their
Health and Well being?
18. Finals views.......
•
“Common as such experiences may be, we cannot assume that they are plain sailing. For
some children the winds of change blow fair, for others the passage can be stormy, for
others still they drift into the new and for some they set off on a huge adventure, as
explorers in search of something new. It is in this very variety of possible experiences,
including how parents experience their child’s transition and the educators working with
them, that demands that we work together to support children to maximise the
opportunities and learning at times of change” (Dunlop A-W and Fabion, H (eds)
informing the Early Years Research)
•
“Early years transitions research and policy is especially important to realising the rights of
young children, as this phase of life is generally acknowledged as a period of accelerated
and intense change, usually involving multiple developmental, social, and (for increasing
numbers of children), institutional transitions, each of which has implications for current
well-being and long-term outcomes.” (Vogler P, Gruello G and Woodhead M 2008:08)
20. References
•
•
•
Vagler P, Crivelleo G & Woodhead M (2008) Early childhood transitions
research: A review of concepts, theory and practice. Bernard Van Leer
Foundation.
Curriculum for Excellence: Pre-school into Primary Transitions (2010)
Learning Teaching Scotland
Dunlop, A-W and Fabian, H (eds) Informing Transitions in the early years,
Research, Policy and Practice, Maidenhead Open University Press.
Editor's Notes
Introductions – Tina & Kirsty
Parent’s perspective – listening and identifying the needs of parent’s during the transition process
Practical example – Explore through a real life example how we supported parents before, during and after their child’s transition.
Look at the benefits of this approach for children, parents and staff.
Draw on theories surrounding transition and also look at how this links to current good practice guidelines and the Curriculum for Excellence Health and Well being outcomes.
Opportunity at the end for participants to reflect on their own experience of transition .
New situation: New job, Leaving home, Moving house, Starting a new group/class.
(Split participants into small groups or pairs depending on numbers)
(Responses noted on sticky’s and put onto the correspondent flip chart)
Previously in the past we had focused and done a lot of work around our transition programme for children and how we could best support them with moving on. For example it had been included in our improvement plan and we had worked in partnership with local nurseries to ensure that we could fully support children during this time. We hadn’t really looked at how parent’s were coping with this transition
Staff and Early Years manager had picked up on parents concerns and feeling of being anxious through informal chats when dropping off/collecting their children and through other groups within the project such as cooking classes, getting your child ready for school groups. Examples?
Rather than let these issues/concerns escalate and parent’s feeling worried or nervous about their child move we decided to hold an initial meeting to discuss concerns and how we can support them at this difficult time. Staff and EYM signposted parents to this initial meeting but their was no expectations for them to attend.
These are just some case studies around the issues that parents were concerned about.
A lot of concerns were around the procedures/systems that were part of all local authority nurseries and the difference in settings between First Step and local nursery. For example staff/child ratio, daily communication, negative feedback from other parents, nurseries being oversubscribed.
EYM reassured re: procedures and that these were part of the systems within all local authority nurseries and the reasons behind this. First Step being set up in a completely different way.
Discussed past methods of supporting parents with transition and listened to parent’s views on these. Mix of parents helped meeting to be even more effective.
EYM reassured – re process could change.
Reflecting on the initial meeting both as a staff team and as parents we identified that what we had done in the past which was Inviting parents to a coffee afternoon with heads of local feeder nurseries to share information and hand out welcome packs each parents, did not meet parents needs. Parents felt that this information was repeated at each nurseries welcome events and a lot of the time their concerns were not answered through this event.
Staff team reflected on this and felt the coffee morning idea would be great as parents were needed support around the emotional side of transition rather than the procedures.
What was important to parents was real life experiences of transition, other parent’s stories and perspectives were the most relevant.
They decided that it would be beneficial to invite other parents whose children had moved from First Step to a Local authority to a coffee morning were they could share any questions or concerns with them.
As a staff team we also reflected on how this fed into other bits of our daily practice – not assuming we know what parents want/ every family may need something different and what works for one parent or group of parents may not necessarily work for others.
Coffee morning was very informal with lots of common issues and concerns discussed. Previous parent were able to relate to these concerns and provided advice about how they coped with their child moving on.
Good for parent’s to hear the positive aspects of transitions and how there child had benefited from their new setting.
1 parent’s child had not been at First Step but was good to hear her view point and how by not having her child at a setting prior to starting nursery her issues/ concerns that she had in the past were very different.
What was highlighted was that real life experiences, other parent’s perspectives and personal experiences of transition were very important. Parents could ask real honest questions about transition that they could may not have asked nursery teachers and had them answered honestly from another parent’s view point.
What was evident was that following the coffee morning parents were more confident about their child moving on and their discussions with each other were much more positive which in turn had a huge effect on the child’s feelings and confidence around transition.
Evaluations on the day were as follows.
Allow participants time to read over comments
We asked parents that had taken part in this transition discuss the benefits of this approach for them; Here are there stories……
Peer support is part of other opportunities within First Step were strengthened as a result of the parents transition programme. These included;
Buddy System – This was for new parents coming into the project. This gave parents the opportunity to meet with an existing parent and hear about First Step and from a parents perspective. This was also helpful to support parents whose children were having difficulty settling.
Parent Chat- This is run normally by an Early Years worker and our Family Opportunities worker. Parents meet in a group to discuss aspects of being a parent and sharing tips, advice and skills.
Me Time groups – Again a group of parents that come together to share skills or participate in activities such as fitness, arts and craft and relaxation.
Together sessions for parents and children – These sessions are run by the Early Years staff and involve parents, children and staff coming together to participate in a variety of themed sessions such as story and songs, messy play, physical activities etc.
Weekly Coffee mornings as discussed in the previous video is run by parents on a weekly basis and gives other parents the opportunity to drop in for a coffee and a chat. This again strengthens peers support within the project not only at times of transition but with daily life.
Here what our parents said about our buddy system....
Planned transitions – Previously the focus was on the children and transitions at exact times in the school calendar; often transitions would happen in the same way each year (example – children go for one visit, parents have a welcome meeting etc etc etc)
Furthermore, transition programmes where build around children and what suited settings and when we reflected on this we fell into this trap too. We have to ask ourselves who is important during times of transitions and how do we support them? If we consider Brof model then we can see that parents are key to children and their networks.
Recent evidence (Education Scotland and Joining Up the Dots) suggests that parents are crucial in supporting children in their transitions. What our clips show in that by parent’s having the support in their child’s earliest years they then felt they would have the foundations to support their child during other transitions: this will help to support both parents and children’s well-being now and in the future.
Again if we consider Brof’s model of a child at the centre within a set of Rings (Bronfenbrenher) Interactions with others and the environment are key to development. children need the people supporting them to feel confident.
And if we think about Individual needs of the child, we must also look at the individual needs of the parents. If parents feel equipped with the knowledge and confidence them they can impart this to their children.
If parents are confident and are able to openly speak to their children, then in turn the children will be able to openly discuss issues with their parents. One parent highlighted that it was her issues that may cause the barrier for the child. The network of support in place benefits both children and parents.
LTS transition Fact file:
The vast majority of children and young people look forward to moving on, in learning and in life, and these moves almost always turn out to be positive experiences. However, transitions can also be challenging and support from parents and staff at school can help the transitions go more smoothly.
A recent TAG report found – last point…
Now how does this link to children’s learning in relation to HWB:
Confident parents have been able to support confident children. Which in relation to the curriculum supports the idea that children are able to express and talk about their feelings.
Parents being honest with their children. (examples of questions children coming to parents with issues and them being very dismissive but given support parents able to answer honestly and support children to meet the learning outcomes and their needs).
Saying “I don’t know or “oh it will be fine” maybe more detrimental to their child as they may feel mislead – having a clear picture really supported both parents and children to develop in the area of HWB.
Take what we have learned and apply this to other areas such as groups, volunteering etc.
Different parents, different needs.
As identified in the video parents have said that they would find this beneficial when moving onto primary.
Sharing experiences of transition both positive and negatives!
Feedback on our approach.
Final thought on transition
Here are some relevant quotes that sums up the importance of the involvement of parents at times of transition in a child’s life. In everyday practice we can identify children that go through a variety of transitional phases in their early years, what is important is to ensure that we as professionals work with parents and children to enable then be confident in these transitions which will in turn as the quote states will benefit current well being and long term outcomes.
Curriculum for Excellence Pre-school into Primary transitions
Early Childhood transitions research: A review of concepts, theory and practice.
