KEY CHANGE WORKSHOPFAMILY ENGAGEMENT

TO SUPPORT EARLY LEARNING

Early Years Collaborative: Learning Session 4

WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES• Build a common understanding of the operational definition

of this key change area.• Present emerging learning in this key change area, including

both evidence base and new learning that will advance our knowledge in this area.

• Introduce concept and opportunity of a “Pioneer Site”• Discuss current or potential work within your CPP in this

area and generate themes across CPPs.• Brainstorm change ideas to bring for discussion with your

CPP colleagues during the end of day CPP Planning Session.• Have fun!

SOME IMPORTANT NOTES• All feedback will be gathered after the session

by the Early Years Collaborative team and made available on the Extranet. • Our discussions today are about learning, not

about performance, so sharing your challenges and failures can be just as important as sharing your wins and successes.

MEETING NORMS REFRESH• Suspend judgment as best you can.• Respect one another.• Seek to understand rather than persuade.• Invite and honour diverse opinions.• Speak what has personal heart and meaning.• Go for honesty without going on and on and

on.

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION

Family Engagement to Support Early Learning

Aim: Reduce the equality gap

in child development

WHY?Children's values and behaviours are deeply rooted in their relationships with their parents

Poor relationships with primary care-givers can lead to insecure infant attachment and a range of problems in later life. Can also lead to high-risk health behaviours

Gaps in cognitive ability amongst children from different social backgrounds at age 3 were found to persist at age 5

Doing lots of home learning activities like talking, sharing stories, singing and drawing with children can help mitigate effects of socio-economic disadvantage

Level of parent and child activities has positive impacts on child development

REVIEW OF EMERGENT LEARNING IN THIS AREA

What works:

Impact of parenting on

children’s outcomes?

Parents who feel supported by their family, friends and the local community are more likely to be open to seeking help and advice when required, to do frequent home learning activities with their children and to experience better mental health

Children’s outcomes are most positive when their parents/carers use a positive parenting style: boundaries are set and routines are in place

Targeted parenting programmes that address particular children’s behavioural or developmental needs are also shown to be effective

REVIEW OF EMERGENT LEARNING IN THIS AREA

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION

Pre-school Uptake

Children eligible for pre-school hours are identified

and receive 95% of their allocation

Aim:Reduce the equality gap

Improve number of children achieving their

developmental milestones

High quality early learning & childcare can help to reduce

disadvantage due to social and

environmental factors

It can raise early language, early literacy

and numeracy skills

WHY?

REVIEW OF EMERGENT LEARNING IN THIS AREA

What works in early childhood education

and childcare?

REVIEW OF EMERGENT LEARNING IN THIS AREA

High quality provision has a degree qualified manger, and a good proportion of practitioners with higher level qualifications on staff

Having staff with relevant early years based higher level qualifications, can have a positive effect on practice

Provisions where staff view educational and social development as complementary and equal in importance have better child outcomes

REVIEW OF EMERGENT LEARNING IN THIS AREA

Full day programmes appear to be effective for children who are particularly disadvantaged who gain cognitively from more intensive preschool but don’t seem to show strongly negative behavioural consequences associated with additional hours

Half day programmes may be sufficient for children of higher socioeconomic status or income, with whom more than 30 hours shows a tapering off of cognitive benefits and intensification of negative socio-emotional effects

REFERENCES Growing up in Scotland (2011): Changes in child cognitive ability in the

pre-school years http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/05/31085122/0

Growing Up In Scotland (2010): Maternal mental health and its impact on child behaviour and development

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/04/26102536/0

NHS Health Scotland (2013) Evidence Summary: Interventions to support parents, their infants and children in the early years (pregnancy to 5 years) www.healthscotland.com/documents/6089.aspx

 “Making the Difference - the impact of staff qualifications on children’s learning in early years” (Education Scotland, 2012)

http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/Images/Making%20the%20Difference_tcm4-735922.pdf

BECOMING A “PIONEER SITE” IN THIS AREA• A Pioneer Site is an area (specific geographical

location, nursery, clinic, school, community centre etc.) that has:1. The local will and interest to work on this important issue with

their community.2. Leadership support to be the CPP’s Pioneer Site for this issue. 3. Adequate resourcing to do the work required for testing in this

area.4. Some existing work in this area.5. Willingness to share their data and learning with the

Collaborative, warts and all!

CURRENT WORK IN THIS TOPIC AREA • STEP ONE: With your table, reflect on what

you are doing within your CPP, or could do in this area:–Who are individuals and/or teams currently

working on in this area? What are they doing? Be as specific as possible.– Be sure to generate as many ideas as you

can and write each idea on a post-it note.

CURRENT WORK IN THIS TOPIC AREA

• STEP TWO: Reflect on your ideas and identify emerging themes from your table.–Write the 3-5 largest themes on post-it

notes and bring to the front of the room.– Facilitators will review all table themes to

find the top 5 themes from the room.

REPORT OUT

• What surprised you in your discussions?• Are there any immediate ideas you want

to take back to your home team given what you discussed?

THEMES FROM THE ROOM• PLEASE INSERT HERE (DURING SESSION): – Top 5 emerging themes based upon facilitator themes from

tables.

THEMES FROM THE ROOM

• With your table, review top 5 themes from the room on wall posters:– Discuss with your table where your specific

idea post-it notes might be placed within each of the 5 themes.– Designate 1-2 people to place specific post-

its on poster paper.

FINAL REFLECTIONS

•What are 5 change ideas you could work with in your community you can bring to your CPP planning meeting?

PARTING THOUGHTS

• We need Pioneer Sites!• Remember, a Pioneer Site has the will and

interest, the leadership support, some existing work in this area, resources (people) to adequately do the work, and a willingness to share their data and progress.

Do you think your CPP could be a Pioneer Site? Express interest with one of your facilitators and the EYC team will follow up to explore

this opportunity with you.

THANKS FOR A GREAT SESSION!