Key Person System
A close bond with parent and childAt Roots to Wings we operate a key person system. The term key person is best explained in a preschool context by quoting from one of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Principles, upon which all contact with children is underpinned:
“Children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and/or a key person.” Keeping this principle in mind, a key person in a preschool will have “special responsibility for working with a small number of children, giving them the reassurance to feel safe and cared for and building relationships with their parents” (quoted from the EYFS). In practice, this means that the key person will develop a close relationship with both parent and child, sharing information and having discussions about the child, planning for their progress and writing reports, allowing a consistent approach to their development and learning. The best environment for any child is one where parents, child and key person work together. |
A key person will be allocated to you and your child after an initial settling in period, often after the first half term of their attendance at preschool. This initial period allows the staff at preschool to get to know both you and your child and of course for you to get to know us. It also allows your child to feel more confident and comfortable in their new surroundings and with the new adults in their lives. In this time the staff will observe and chat with you and your child, finding out about the things they enjoy or otherwise, about the important people in their lives and all those other things that are important to them – tractors, cuddly toys, trains, their pet dog or their baby sister. During this time the child will often begin to form a bond with a particular member of staff – the one they look for when they come in, the one they will turn to if they are unsure or the one they will tell if they have done something particularly wonderful. It is this person that will become you and your child’s key person – effectively the one they would choose for themselves.
Communication is vital to the key person/parent/child relationship so we have a few ways in which this can happen:
And last but most important, we are always available to discuss your child with you – we have an open-door policy and would welcome your ideas and comments.
Communication is vital to the key person/parent/child relationship so we have a few ways in which this can happen:
- Children’s trays – Each child has a tray in which they can put anything which they may want to bring home – their jumper, their painting, their box model robot. We will also use these to get any printed letters or information to you so please check them regularly.
- Notice boards – We will keep you updated with information about what the children have been doing on a daily basis on the notice boards in the cloakroom and main session rooms.
- Baby's Days – We use a secure online system called Baby's Days here at Roots to Wings. Baby's Days stores a host of important and confidential information about your child and is only accessible by you and designated members of staff. We use the system to observe and record all the key learning steps that your child is taking whilst they are with us, to track their progress and to record any incidents or accidents that may happen. We will also use Baby’s Days to get in touch with you about things that are happening, to ask for your permission to go on outings and all sorts of other day to day things.
And last but most important, we are always available to discuss your child with you – we have an open-door policy and would welcome your ideas and comments.