ECEC Policy Reform

The early years framework emphasises a personal and individual approach to learning and development because valuing a child’s individuality, ideas and feelings is an important part of developing an individual approach to the learning and development. A child has universal physical needs such as food, drink and shelter and psychological needs such as love, affection, security, friendship which are essential to maintaining their quality of life. In recognising and trying to meet an individual child’s needs each child’s age, physical maturity, intellectual abilities, emotional development, social skills and past experiences and relationships need to be considered.

It sets out welfare and developmental aims and objectives for children from birth to five, setting out six key areas of learning. The welfare section covers; basic checks, ensuring staff has undergone security checks, safe facilities and equipment, suitable for children, quality of the environment e.g. access to outdoor space. The EYFS promotes teaching and learning to ensure children are ready for school and gives them a wide range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for them and to ensure that they make good progress through school and life in the future.

Effective practice can support children’s well-being and development when looking at a child’s health and physical development. Effective practice means ‘About ensuring that all children get optimum benefit from their experiences in the EYFS. This apparently simple outcome can only be achieved when adults work together to get to know the children s that they can support their play, development and learning.’ (Early years’ matters,2017.) Children’s well-being means the quality of the child and how their life is, and to ensure that they child is happy, comfortable and stable throughout their everyday life. Children all develop at different stages, whether this is through additional needs or family issues or they might have a gap in there learning.

All Children and Young People grow up in different environments but the quality of care and experiences offered in settings and by other services can contribute significantly towards positive outcomes for all children.

Every Child Matters Framework which is currently in the process to be changed is part of the Children Act 2004; it is a piece of legislation which has and influences planning and provisions of learning opportunities. The Every Child Matters ensures that settings provide quality of children’s and young people’s play and learning.This supports children from birth to 19 years. When practitioners plan, they should relate their work to the five outcomes for children; be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve though learning, make a positive contribution to society and achieve economic

* an explanation of how different approaches to work with children in early years have affected current provision in the UK.

The National Quality Standard includes standard 1.1 states that ‘An approved framework informs the development of a curriculum that enhances each child’s learning and development’. This is where the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) is introduced. This framework is included in the National Quality Standard to help ensure the consistency in the delivery of learning programs within Australia. Within the EYLF is the Early Childhood curriculum framework which guides early childhood educators to develop quality early childhood education programs. This framework describes the principles, practice and learning outcomes which support and enhance young children’s learning from birth to five years old, and then their transition to school.

There are many social, economical and cultural factors that impact on the lives of children and young people. In my role as a Young Carer’s Support Worker, I work with a number of families living with the consequences of these factors. Every Child Matters (ECM) aims to improve the outcomes and life chances of every child and young person, therefore, it is important we understand and do all we can to help them achieve the 5 outcomes of the ECM, stay safe, be healthy, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution, and, achieve economic well-being.

The publication sets out five principles to improve the care of children. First the government pledges to provide sufficient support to those caring for the children, by providing a responsive service which ensure that children and young people are prepared for their adult life, in addition to experiencing an enjoyable childhood.

Theories of development and frameworks to support development are incredibly important to us working with children and young people. They help us to understand children, how they react to things/situations, their behaviour and the ways they learn. Different theories and ways of working with children have come together to provide frameworks for children’s care, such as Early year’s foundation stage (EYFS) which is used within all child care settings. This encourages us to work together, help and check the development of babies, children and young people, to keep them healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to

-quality and consistency in all early years settings, so that every child makes good progress and no

The state of early childhood profession has rapidly been changing because of the current trends, policies and movements in the rapidly changing 21st century world. This report articulates the key issues of diversity of the early childhood settings, a number of models of early childhood education and care, diversity among people, the status of early childhood profession, the belief that the profession suits female than male, the poor status of the profession and less pay than other professions associate with the early childhood profession The study consisted of analysing the strengths and challenges of the early childhood profession. The study methods of analyses include the National Quality Framework, The National Quality Standards, Assessments

Along with knowing the purpose of quality daycare/child care facilities, the next important factor is to be aware of what generates a high quality daycare/child care facility. It is vital to know the characteristics because these prime objectives are the driving forces influenced by what children need in order to succeed and grow in their developmental skills. Fundamentally, “High quality [preschool] education can support early development in ways that yield long term social, cognitive and emotional benefits” (Barnett 2005, p1). The most essential aspect of a high quality facility are the trained, certified and attentive teachers hired to support children’s developmental needs. They ensure this by respectful interaction,

In early childhood education, school readiness has been becoming an issue of concern. Early childhood educators have the responsibility to prepare the child to demonstrate certain skills, behaviour and abilities that are essential for getting them ‘ready’ and their ‘academic-success’. Children are prepared to excel in certain key areas of learning so that they can meet certain kindergarten standards and expectations of curriculum.

Child-care or non-maternal care of a child also has an impact on a child’s development. Research has found that child-care quality is positively correlated with family income indicating that those children living in poverty would be more likely to receive poorer child-care (NICHD, 1997). Studies show that quality early child-care