All about the ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’

 

The Early Years Foundation Stage has 4 main principles which guide early years staff in helping your child learn and develop.

 

A Unique Child – “every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self assured”.

As soon as your child starts we create an individual record/file for each child called a “Learning Journey”, which shares observations and photos of your child’s progress in all areas of development. Parents can access their child's Learning Journey at all times. Room Supervisors plan around children’s individual interests.

When your child first attends, we will start by getting to know them and their interests through the settling process. Your child’s key person will complete forms with the parent about the child’s development; they will observe the child regularly, plan around the individual child’s interests and give feedback on their progress during their time with us. The key person will be responsible for completing 2-year-old checks/baseline assessment with parents. Your child's key person will create an individual record/file for each child called a “Learning Journey”, which shares observations and photos of your child’s progress in all areas of development. Parents can access their child's Learning Journey at all times. Please keep us up to date with your child’s changing/developing interests.

 

Positive Relationships – “children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and/or a key person”.
Good relationships and respect for parents and children are important. A key worker is allocated to each child giving parents reassurance that their child is safe and cared for and has that special person to share experiences with, developing friendships and confidence over time. We ask parents to share information before children start with us by filling in an Initial Child Profile and Entry Details.

 

Enabling Environments – “the environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development and learning”.
We provide interesting, varied, creative activities which are planned for both indoors and outdoors through a ‘freeflow’ system. Outdoor play is a very important part of the children’s day and is accessed during all weathers! We operate a ‘Café’ style snack enabling children to make their own choices. Children are developing ‘life skills’ through many first hand experiences.

 

Learning and Development – “children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates and all areas of Learning and Development are equally important and inter-connected”.
The Oasis Childcare Centre provides many experiences supporting individual children's interests, such as drawing, climbing, dinosaurs, imaginative play, collecting, pouring, stacking etc. This is a time when many children experience some activities ‘first hand’ and staff take care to observe children learning, playing and being engaged in activities. These activities are noted down by staff, then in the following weeks more activities are planned for your child to further their particular interests and to enable the ‘next steps’ in their learning and development. We ask parents to update Initial Child Profiles when they move from the Baby Room to the Toddler Room or from the Toddler Room to the Pre School so Key Persons are fully aware of children’s most recent individual development and learning.

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