Flying Start Flying Start Flying Start Childcare Childcare - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Flying Start Childcare in Swansea Flying Start Flying Start Childcare Childcare in Swansea in Swansea

Chris Koukos Chris Koukos

• Flying Start Manager

Flying Start Manager Anne Bailey Anne Bailey – – Childcare Manager Childcare Manager -

• Townhill & Sea View

Townhill & Sea View

Development of the Flying Start Settings

• Capital Programme
• Mini Children’s Centres –

integrated service delivery approach

• Licence agreements
• Service Level Agreements
• Protocols
• Multi Agency Meetings/Team Building

Events

Quality Childcare Quality Childcare Quality Childcare

Staff and the Staff and the Environment Environment

“ Education and care are “ Education and care are inextricably linked. inextricably linked. Quality care is educational and Quality care is educational and quality education is caring” quality education is caring”

(Selleck & Griffin 1996)

Flying Start Childcare settings in Swansea strive to provide a balance between quality care and educational experiences through adult/child interactions and experiences provided within the setting

• High calibre staff who are responsive to

children’s individual needs

• Adult as

an equal partner during play

• Adults who

encourage a child’s line of enquiry

• Adults who

know what is appropriate for a child’s stage of development

• Supportive
• Positive role

models Adults who are…

• Enthusiastic
• Consistent
• Caring

An environment which….

…is welcoming and inviting

…is exciting and stimulating …develops imagination …allows for exploration

…promotes curiosity …sets appropriate challenges …builds on children’s prior experiences

…provides as many

• pportunities
• utdoors as

indoors

Quality Childcare Quality Childcare Quality Childcare

Meeting the Child’s Meeting the Child’s individual needs individual needs

Discussion with health visitor prior to home visits Home visit to family Weekly staff meetings to discuss child observations Daily feedback to parents and termly Toddler Talks

Communication is the key

Continual link with all agencies involved with child – health visitors, speech and language, etc,

• All About Me
• Daily
• bservations
• Child’s

personal file

• Weekly staff

meetings All have a focus on the individual child’s development

In the setting

Assessment

• SOGS
• Daily observations that inform planning
• Summarised on a development tracker which

becomes part of the transition document

• Child’s progress shared

with parents/carers during toddler talk sessions

Quality Childcare Quality Childcare Quality Childcare

Building relationships Building relationships with parents with parents

• 1. Telephone contact
• 2. Home visit
• 3. Setting visit

Making contact

Key Workers Art & Story Project Toddler Talk Language & Play Families with EAL Daily Feedback

Quality Childcare Quality Childcare Quality Childcare

Inclusion Inclusion

• 2 sessions in Stepping Stones –

linking with childcare workers to build knowledge and expertise

• Interagency Panel

to address identified additional need

• Use of translation services

when needed

• Making everyone feel

welcome and identifying parents that are hard to engage

• Strategies put in place to support

family further, e.g. Mobile Toy Library

Quality Childcare Quality Childcare Quality Childcare

Transition Transition

• Transition documentation
• Nursery visits 6 weeks prior to child

starting

• Joint events with nursery, e.g. welly

walks, park visits, school trips, etc.

• Nursery teachers regularly coming in to do

story time

• Celebration of “My Time at Flying Start”

for parents

Quality Childcare Quality Childcare Quality Childcare

Mobile Childcare Mobile Childcare Team Team

• Mobile Childcare Team mainly support Flying Start

parenting groups

• Different in that they may

provide a childcare session for children ranging from 6 months to 5 years of age

• The team still communicate with

relevant agencies involved with the family in order to provide the best care for the child.

• They receive the same key messages for good practice

from Flying Start Link Teacher as other FS Childcare settings do

Quality Childcare Quality Childcare Quality Childcare

Evaluation and Evaluation and Quality Assurance Quality Assurance

• Parent’s feedback

forms

• Staff self

evaluation tool & Link Teacher evaluation

• Membership with

umbrella

• rganisations
• Staff personal development & training
• Continual support from Link Teacher

individual to each setting’s needs

• Work with FS Manager re common

protocols etc and national outcomes

and finally….

“My son has improved a lot since starting. His speech has improved and staff helped with potty training too!” “I wasn’t sure at first as my son was only 2, but it has made a huge difference to the start

• f his little life”

“The Flying Start staff are a credit to the school, children and the local community as a whole” “Very helpful and supportive towards every need of a child”

Questions

Contact numbers

• Anne

Bailey-Flying Start child care manager for Townhill and Sea View Tel: 01792 469580 Email:anne.bailey@swansea.gov.uk

• Chris

Koukos-Flying Start Manager Tel: 01792 612155 Email:chris.koukos@swansea.gov.uk