The Transition Of A Child Attending A Day Nursery For The...

Within this piece of work, I will be focusing on the transition of a child attending a day nursery for the first time. This piece will be centred on a child under three, starting a day nursery for the first time and attending the nursery all day. This will be based on a child whose parents work full time. Therefore, they will be having breakfast and tea at the setting. Day nurseries are becoming increasingly popular as many parents are needing to return back to work. The Education Editor, Graeme Paton, wrote in The Telegraph online that the Figures from the Department for Education show that 441,000 children under five are in day nurseries. (16 Oct 2013, DA 14.09.15) The key issues surrounding this type of transition are planning,†¦show more content†¦These feelings could carry on throughout the years. When a child starts attending a day nursery, this can be a very stressful time for them. This may be the first time that they have been separated from their parents. The second key issue of having a strong partnership with parents is reiterated in the work of theorists such as Friedrich Froebel. Froebel placed a large amount of emphasis on creating a strong partnership with parents. Froebel also recognised that parents are the child s first educators, therefore their contribution should be accepted and valued. Having a strong partnership with parents can allow the setting to gain background knowledge of the child before they have even started for example certain words that the child uses, specific foods that they like or even if the parents have specific method of helping the child sleep. Having a basic knowledge of this will help the child to settle in the setting and create a home from home feeling for them. Without this type of partnership, the setting could miss vital information about the child, leading to the transition becoming more difficult for the child due to lack of understanding from the practitioner. Jane Drake, an early years teach er and author from Leeds, stated in an online Nursery World article (November 2006) that in order for a partnership with parents to be effective there needs to be a genuine commitment from the practitioners. Drake also states that if the relationship between practitioners