THEORY INTO PRACTICE

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[Title: The importance of a successful transition into and from an early years setting]

[Word Count: 3216 words]

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The Importance of a Successful Transition into And From an Early Years Setting

Summary

This essay is based upon observing and gaining insights about a particular setting of one's interest. This essay will reflect upon the observations of all good practices within that vicinity, comparing it to one's own placement and reflecting upon the good practices that can be learnt from. These insights will further comment about the changes that are necessary to be brought about within one's own setting so that it can keep pace with changing times. These observations and comparisons will lead towards enhanced knowledge and understanding about the key practices of one's own setting that must be improved while thoroughly relating all good practices with strong theoretical perspectives.

The movement into new environments poses several inhibitions and experiences for the child, his parents and the teachers. This new movement, referred to as a transition, involves a cultural shift into the new place, new relationships with new people, new responsibilities and new roles, while spanning across a time between preparing the child to successfully move into a new environment to the time when he is actually settled and adjusted to newer surroundings. For this purpose, it is very necessary to establish an understanding about various critical factors involved in a transition of this type. This essay selects two settings where a transition of a child into and from an early-years setting takes place. Setting “A” is a pre-school setting while setting “B” is a private day nursery. This essay compares and contrasts practices in each of these two settings, while reflecting upon the changes required to improve the outcomes and learning practices of setting “A” based on what was learnt while observing setting “B”. The essay will reflect upon the observations while main area on which the essay will mainly revolve around is the “Key Person System”. This essay will look into how key persons work in each of these settings, how well they differentiate with each other and what are the characteristics of the key persons in setting “B”, which if adopted by setting “A”, can make it a better place for its entire stakeholders, especially the children. The information gathered for this comparison and reflecting is purely based on observation the practices that are exercised in each setting, while the writer himself, is employed in setting “A”.

Description of Setting “A”

A pre-school setting involving forty children aged between two to five years makes up our first setting, setting “A”. These children come into the setting for two sessions: one in morning and the other being in afternoon. Setting “A” has one key person and then below him, a deputy key person, as well. Upon visit, the family of the child is informed about the key persons who will look after their child including their main responsibilities. There are three separate key person boards for the ...