Staff Training

Inclusivity in Early Years Settings

To foster an inclusive environment, early years settings should actively challenge and address barriers like negativity, biases, and stereotypes. A fair and equal society enhances young children’s development, health, education, and well-being.

Barriers to Inclusion

These encompass attitudes, practices, and factors that hinder the full participation and equal opportunities of individuals within the setting.

Prejudice and Stereotypes

Unfair opinions or feelings formed without adequate knowledge, and oversimplified ideas about groups or individuals.

Negative Attitudes

Detrimental viewpoints or behaviors that can negatively impact the learning environment and children’s development.

Inflexible Organizational Procedures and Practices

Rigid procedures or practices within an organization that limit flexibility and hinder individual needs.

Inaccessible Information

When information is not easily accessible or communicated effectively, it can impede participation and understanding.

Inaccessible Buildings

Buildings or facilities that are not designed or equipped to accommodate individuals with disabilities or mobility limitations.

Prejudices and Stereotypes in ELC Settings

Common Instances: Gender stereotypes, racial prejudices, socioeconomic biases, language stereotypes, disability assumptions, cultural misrepresentations, and family structure stereotypes.

Manifestations of Negative Attitudes

Examples include impatience, low expectations, stereotyping, inattentiveness, lack of empathy, inconsistent discipline, exclusion, inflexibility, negative language, and ignoring concerns.

Impact of Inflexible practices

In ELC, this can affect children's engagement, sense of agency, increase overwhelm, exclude diverse needs, reduce personalization, cause resistance to learning, impact social interaction, discourage curiosity, and negatively impact emotional well-being and sense of belonging.

Limited Engagement

Inflexible practices may not cater to individual children's interests, preferences or learning styles, leading to disengagement and reduced participation in activities.

Reduced Sense of Agency

When children are not given choices or opportunities to make decisions, they may feel disempowered and less motivated to actively participate in the learning process.

Overwhelm

Rigidity in schedules and activities may overwhelm some children, leading to stress or anxiety and hindering their ability to engage fully in the learning environment.

Exclusion of Diverse Needs

Inflexible practices may fail to address the unique needs of children with different learning abilities, cultures, languages or disabilities, potentially excluding them from full participation.

Lack of Personalisation

Each child has their own pace of learning and develops in their own way. Inflexible practices that don't account for individual differences may leave some children feeling left behind or unchallenged.

Resistance to learning

When children are forced into activities they are not ready for or interested in, they may develop resistance to learning or negative attitudes toward the educational environment.

Impact on Social Interaction

Inflexible practices may limit opportunities for social interactions and cooperative play, hindering the development of vital social skills.

Discouragement of Curiosity and Exploration

When children's natural curiosity and desire to explore are stifled due to rigid structures, it can hinder their cognitive and creative development.

Negative Emotional Impact

Children may experience frustration, boredom or a sense of inadequacy when they encounter rigid expectations they are unable to meet.

Diminished Sense of Belonging

Children may feel like they do not fit in or are not valued if the learning environment does not accommodate their individual needs and preferences.

Inaccessible Information in ELC

Can impede ELC participation through unclear communication, lack of multilingual support, poor parent interactions, insufficient special needs support, and lack of communication with support services.

Inaccessible Buildings

An inaccessible building refers to a facility that is not designed or equipped to accommodate individuals with physical disabilities or mobility limitations.

Ways in which inaccessible buildings can impact an ELC setting

Inaccessible buildings can cause limited access for children, barriers to parental involvement, health and safety concerns, isolation and exclusion, limited use of facilities, challenges for educators and staff. It also causes lack of inclusive playgrounds.

Key Considerations

The best interests of the child, effective provision of education for other children, the nature and level of educational response, and appropriate support in an integrated setting.

Inclusive practice strategies commonly used in ELC settings

Differentiated instruction, collaborative learning, flexible grouping, adaptable materials, clear communication, access and inclusion plans, continuing professional development, positive behaviour support, parent and family engagement and physical environment accessibility.

Differentiated Instruction

Educators create varied learning paths to match differences in children's readiness, interests, and profiles, maximizing learning and reducing anxiety or boredom.

Collaborative Learning

Children work collectively on activities, encouraging peer support, social skills, diverse perspectives, and a sense of community.

Flexible Grouping

Grouping children by abilities or interests to provide focused instruction and tailored support.

Adaptable Materials

Modifying materials for children with motor disabilities, promoting movement, and encouraging inclusive play.

Clear Communication

Using storytelling, singing, art, music, and movement but being aware that finger rhymes can be confusing for children using sign language. Also read the same stories over and over and practice favourite rhymes to encourage confidence and improve learning. Also be patient, understanding, and adaptable will go a long way in creating a positive and effective communication environment in an ELC setting.

Access and Inclusion Plan

Level 4 is provided by the Better Start Early Years Specialist Service (EYSS), which develops inclusive learning environments and offers coaching to preschool staff. This includes creating Access and Inclusion Plans to identify necessary support.

Continuing Professional Development

Ongoing learning is vital for educators to stay current with research and best practices in early childhood education, improving care and development for children.

Positive Behaviour Support

Recognize that some behavior is linked to children’s development and the age. Teach children good behavior as an important part of working with children and an important life skill.

Parent and Family Engagement

Parents greatly influence children’s achievement. Practitioners should value parents' rights, responsibilities, and contributions by creating a welcoming and empowering atmosphere.

Physical Environment Accessibility

Adapting the environment to include children with special needs, ensuring their participation and quality of life by implementing necessary physical adjustments.

Qualities for Building Relationships with Parents

Building relationships with parents requires good listening, communication, appropriate values, ethics, trustworthiness, enthusiasm, motivation, a professional approach, patience, empathy, versatility, and flexibility.

Supports offered to Children enrolled in preschool.

Clinical psychology, psychiatry, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

Multidisciplinary Team Collaboration

Professionals must give objective advice and maintain confidentiality while working with educators to support the child, with parental consent.

Physiotherapist

Physiotherapist

Occupational Therapist

Occupational Therapist

Speech Therapist

Speech Therapist

Dietician

Dietician

Social Worker

Social Worker