Over many years of working in and visiting Early Childhood settings, I have observed the following patterns:
- Educators struggling to manage the load of documenting and planning for very large numbers of children
- Newly qualified educators still building their knowledge and understanding of developmental milestones, indicators for developmental delays and risks for developmental vulnerability
- Greater numbers of children in early childhood settings who show signs of developmental difference including communication delays, short attention spans, challenging behaviour when overwhelmed, problems remaining calm and struggling to be part of a large group for many hours each week
- High turnover of staff meaning that consistency of approach and strategies is difficult to maintain
- Educators feeling as though they have no-one to turn to for advice when they are struggling to support a child in their program
We have developed our coaching packages to help address these specific issues. Over multiple visits, the coach builds a strong connection with the educators and the children in the rooms she is visiting. She becomes a trusted, consistent and knowledgeable member of the ‘extended family’ of the centre. As an ‘extra pair of eyes’ in the room during visits, she is able to closely observe how routines are working, how educators are matching their communication to the levels of the children, whether the program appears to match the skills and interests of the children, any sensory challenges which may be impacting the regulation levels of the children, and how well any current behaviour support strategies are working.
As the coach becomes familiar with the centre, educators and children, she is able to offer strategies in real time, modelling them in the room, at the moment they are needed. Perhaps how to support a child who is in meltdown, perhaps ways to simplify our words so that all children understand them, perhaps how best to use a visual tool to support a child to communicate with adults and children, perhaps starting points or extensions to add to activities to support engagement by all children.
By building the educators’ awareness of ways to observe and document a child’s skills and interests, the coach will help the educators to understand what factors may be important when a child is showing challenging behaviour. The coach and the educators (and the parents if available) will work together to understand what strategies are most likely to work, and why. The coach can be there as the strategies are trialled, helping the educators to adjust or stick with them as appropriate. The educators will feel supported and confident to attempt things they have not done before, knowing that they can rely on the coach to provide any additional knowledge which is needed. Using these strategies and supports, the educators will build their ability to offer a truly inclusive program, welcoming all children regardless of ability, language skills, sensory profile, thinking and engagement style.
All Early Childhood Outreach coaching packages are tailored to the size, needs and budget of your centre, and include training and coach contact time. Get in touch to find out how we can support your team.
