Nannies who read Nursery World as well as Professional Nanny will know that official guidance to support good quality practice with the youngest children has been issued by Government departments. In England, Birth to Three Matters: a framework to support children in their earliest years was published in November 2002. In Scotland, Birth to Three: supporting our youngest children was launched in January 2005.
Early years professionals who work in nurseries or as childminders are expected to reflect the approach of their national guidance in daily practice with babies, toddlers and very young children. However, both these guides offer valuable ideas and advice for anyone working with babies and toddlers, and it is well worthwhile for nannies to become familiar with them. They provide a resource for your continuous professional development, which you can also point out to prospective employers. Parents may even have already read something about them in magazines or newspapers - possibly not very accurate accounts - and ask you for advice or confirmation.
Indeed, there have been renewed fears in the media this month over the prospect of a formalised 'curriculum for babies', as the Government has revealed an action plan for its childcare strategy, including new details of the Early Years Foundation Stage which is meant to incorporate Birth to Three Matters with the framework for children of nursery and reception age.
But the 'birth to three' guidance remains the standard on which carers of the youngest children would agree.
The materials for England and Scotland are consistent over principles and content, only looking different on the surface.
* Birth to Three Matters (England) was produced as a boxed set. The pack includes a short introduction booklet, 16 laminated cards, a poster, a CD-Rom and a video. The development team chose to present the materials around four broad developmental aspects: A Strong Child, A Skilful Communicator, A Competent Learner and A Healthy Child. Each of these aspects is explored in detail by four 'component cards', having a consistent layout with sections like 'Play and practical support' and 'Challenges and dilemmas'.
* Birth to Three (Scotland) started with a guidance book, a leaflet for parents and a set of posters. This approach was organised around three key features of effective practice: relationships, responsive care and respect.
The book explains the principles underpinning good and safe practice with under-threes and provides plenty of examples of how practitioners need to behave day by day. There is also a range of ideas and examples about suitable play experiences, and the opportunities arising naturally from daily routines. Further materials to support practitioners have followed, and some are available online (see box opposite).
The two sets of materials have a great deal in common, drawing on the same research and pre-existing source materials about good practice. Each guidance set gives the very clear message that, wherever they work with young children, early years professionals should focus on babies and children as individuals, with active respect and understanding for their current pattern of development. The needs of young children do not change depending on the place where they spend their days, any more than on their country of residence.
As you become familiar with the details, you will be able to see valuable ideas and suggestions for your practice as a nanny in a child's own family home.
* Young children need to develop close, affectionate relationships with their non-family carers. Watch the video from Birth to Three Matters and the additional video excerpts on the CD-Rom. See how practitioners are physically close to babies and young children in play and offer personalised physical care and attention
* In video materials and the photos illustrating the Scottish book, attentive adults are shown sitting on the floor with babies, responding sensitively to how an individual baby wants to play - just as any good nanny will do within a baby's home. Toddlers and two-year-olds are shown absorbed in play, able to choose because their indoor and outdoor environments are well resourced.
* It is clearly shown that adult-initiated experiences are offered flexibly, for children to enjoy and explore at their own pace. Look at the babies enjoying paint on the Birth to Three Matters video, or the funny foam and painting excerpts that are part of Birth to Three (and can be viewed online.)
* Look through the section on relationships in the Scottish Birth to Three and notice how much the emphasis is on building up trust with children and their confidence that you really care about what interests them. This guidance draws on the concept that young children need to feel 'kept in mind'. The phrase means that even when the day is busy, or a child has become absorbed in their own chosen play for a while, they can be certain that you have not forgotten them and are pleased to be in close contact once again.
* Babies and young children need personal attention to thrive. The English and Scottish approaches are very clear that a home-like feel is crucial if under-threes spend their days in group settings. So, there is plenty of support for nannies to show that, of course, young children learn within their days with you through experiences in and around their own home.
* Watch the emotionally warm sequence in the section of the Birth to Three Matters video where a childminder is snuggled up with a baby and two-year-old enjoying a book. Here is the way you support A Skilful Communicator.
* Early learning cannot be separated from the importance of care and a nurturing environment for young children. The Scottish Birth to Three makes 'Responsive care' one of the three main strands of the guidance, and Birth to Three Matters has suggestions within each aspect that relate to the importance of respectful personal care and children's involvement in regular domestic routines.
Babies and very young children have already starting learning and are very responsive to their environment and daily experiences. Each guidance set stresses the holistic nature of young learning: nobody should 'box up'
children's experiences with the misunderstanding that this adult-initiated activity will definitely 'deliver this learning intention'. When you know children as individuals, you can notice how a baby's early communication is linked with a close and trusting relationship with you. A toddler's wish to use their skills will depend upon experiences that enable them to explore their world with plenty of choice.
The 16-card format of Birth to Three Matters is intended as a flexible resource that any early years practitioner can read and re-visit over time - definitely not a 'curriculum for babies'. You can make this resource your own and ground it in the real advantages of being with children in their own family home:
* Take one card at a time and look for ways to refresh your knowledge of child development with the 'Development matters' section.
* 'Look, listen, note' offers ideas of what could catch your attention in terms of how children react and how they use their growing skills.
* 'Effective practice', 'Play and practical support' and 'Planning and resourcing' are ways for you to confirm your existing good practice as well as to gather some more ideas for experiences to offer children.
The double-sided laminated cards are hardy, but I don't find them user-friendly. So after a year of flipping them to and fro, I printed a paper copy of each card (from the CD-Rom - but you could photocopy the cards), so that I could use highlighter pen and add my own notes and comments. Then I created a personalised ring binder (with transparent envelopes to protect the materials) and added other useful material, including features from Nursery World. I recommend you take this option, or some other way of customising the resource for your own practice within a family home. You can then blend good ideas from either the English or Scottish guidance and add your own photographs. Parents will be impressed by your professional approach to happy, home-based practice with their children.
FIND OUT MORE
These resources are free for practitioners within the country of publication. However, anyone can freely access most of the materials on the internet.
Birth to Three Matters: a framework to support children in their earliest years, distributed by Prolog (tel: 0845 6022 260) or access from www.surestart.gov.uk/resources/childcareworkers/birthtothreematters Birth to three: supporting our youngest children, distributed through Learning and Teaching Scotland (tel: 0141 337 5000) or access from www.LTScotland.org.uk/earlyyearsmatterswww.ltscotland.org.uk/earlyyears/birt htothree
