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Action research in day nurseries: evaluating programmes through staff perceptions and attitudes
Insights
This study introduces new approaches for day nursery staff in deprived areas to better support socially disadvantaged children under five. The project aims to enhance care quality for young children facing developmental and emotional challenges.
Area of Science:
- Early Childhood Education
- Social Work
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Day nurseries in deprived inner-city areas face significant challenges with children's development and emotional well-being.
- Nursery staff, often young with limited training in atypical development, require specialized support.
- Nurseries traditionally operate in isolation, limiting the sharing of best practices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address the challenges faced by day nurseries in disadvantaged areas.
- To introduce innovative ideas and approaches to nursery staff.
- To improve the quality of care for socially disadvantaged children under five.
Main Methods:
- A 2-year exploratory project was designed.
- The project focused on introducing new strategies to nursery staff.
- The initiative aimed to support staff in handling children with developmental delays and emotional problems.
Main Results:
- The project sought to equip staff with tools to manage diverse developmental needs.
- It aimed to foster a more supportive environment for children and families.
- The focus was on enhancing the professional capacity of early years practitioners.
Conclusions:
- Early intervention and specialized training are crucial for supporting vulnerable children.
- Collaborative approaches can strengthen the capacity of early childhood education settings.
- Investing in nursery staff development leads to improved outcomes for socially disadvantaged children.
Abstract:
Day nurseries in deprived inner-city areas have to cope with a wide range of problems which are presented by the young children and their families. Many of the children can be delayed in some area of their development or have emotional problems which require sensitive handling. These challenges are in addition to the expected difficulties of helping young children to adjust to a new situation and the presence of unfamiliar adults and children. The staff of day nurseries tend to be young and the 2-year training has a great deal to cover on normal development. The consequence is that staff in their late teens and early twenties have to face the demands of children whose development is often far from 'normal' in terms of the average range. It was a concern about this situation in a very disadvantaged area of London and the fact that nurseries have traditionally been fairly isolated institutions that led to the planning of a 2-year exploratory project with the objective of introducing new ideas and approaches to nursery staff which would help them provide a better quality of care to socially disadvantaged under-5s.