2. The Setting Offers a Safe Base
Welcome everyone back personally – staff, children and families. There are many ways to do this. You will want to consider what will work best for your children/families/setting/community e.g. a video or letter from staff that could be posted online or emailed to families, using the connections you have established. Plan how you will spend the first session - reconnecting, sharing, listening, observing, supporting.
Families play a hugely important part in supporting each other at times of uncertainty. This document gives families advice about how to support their child returning to Early Learning and Childcare.
Practical Ideas
Produce a leaflet to welcome new and returning parents and to inform them of changes to ‘new ways’ of working. Encourage parents to use the leaflet to work with their child to remember the old routines e.g. putting their coat on the peg and introduce new ones e.g. washing hands before playing.
Share pictures of the staff so parents can talk about who will be looking after them at the setting.
Provide contact numbers/email address for families who wish to contact you to discuss individuals needs.
A letter home from the child's keyworker would provide a link - they could include their memories of the child in the nursery e.g. what they enjoyed doing .
Think about how you will convey the ‘new normal’, such as hand washing and physically distancing. Ongoing explanations and discussion will be needed e.g. a social story, songs, puppets, visuals. Do not assume that everyone will know what to do and why they should be doing it. Support children to understand that these boundaries are there to keep us all safe. There will be children who are concerned about the risks. Give them a chance to ask questions and be reassured.
Additional hand washing will quickly become part of your daily routine. Games and songs will make it a fun time for all.
You need strategic room planning that promotes connection and ensures social distancing. Think about entering the setting, routes round the setting, seating and routines. Think about the storage of personal possessions, and resources. We know visuals have great impact and support many learners so use them to full effect. Consider your children with Additional Support Needs who will require more individualised planning and responses. Building Connections can support you with this task.
Create/develop your sense of identity and belonging e.g. displays and collages with photos of everyone, photos of key school events etc. Consider the words you use - ’We have missed you.’ ’We look forward to getting to know you.’
Practical Ideas
Making a large rainbow display with the children will not only provide a familiar theme from the past months, but will also allow children to discuss their thoughts and feelings. Use the display and songs about rainbows to provide opportunities for the children to discuss their thoughts, feelings and experience of life over the past few months. Add children's thoughts to rainbow as this shows how much you value their views.
Identify areas or spaces, inside and out, where children and staff can relax and have a bit of space when it is needed. Different sensory experiences such as lighting, texture, scents and colour can support this process. Make sure children know where these are and how to get to them. Building Connections can help – what will these spaces look/ feel/ sound like?
A setting can feel overwhelming, particularly if a child has not been surrounded by many people in the last few months. Children will communicate they are not coping in different ways. A quiet area gives them time and space to calm their sensory systems and take control of their emotions again.
Practical Ideas
Create two quiet spaces in your setting - one outside and one inside.
Your outside area could be included in a den making experience - consider what you need to make a den and include children in the construction.
Setting up your quiet spaces:
Choose calming colours e.g. natural browns, blues and greens.
Make area cosy using soft furnishings such as cushions and soft blankets.
Introduce a daily basket of books, rotating over a five day cycle. Books with flaps and texture are additionally calming and distracting.
Have a CD player/iPod with calming music or music that the child particularly enjoys.
Make a fidget basket e.g. stress balls, calming bottles, small puzzles, elastic bands, stretchy toys and pipe cleaners.
Noise cancelling headphones block out overwhelming noise, and to help the child self-regulate.
Soft lighting and torches also create a calming atmosphere.