Settling in at The Willows
At The Willows we understand the importance of the relationships between keyperson, child and family. We strive to provide excellent emotional support and to develop strong attachments with the children attending.
We take each child and family individually and look at the best way to support the child's transition, and attachment to the parents, within the preschool. Sometimes this may mean a period of a few weeks of the parent staying with the child to help them to settle in, and eventually leaving them for longer periods of time; at other times it may mean building up to increased sessions and times each week.
At each stage, we will liaise with the parents to ensure that we are all in agreement with the arrangements in place.
The role of the keyperson:
Each child is assigned a named keyperson who takes responsibility for the child when in session. The keyperson builds up a relationship with the child and the family and should be the first point of contact. They are also responsible for maintaining record keeping and developmental records for the child. We currently use an interactive learning diary which is an online learning journal which parents also have access to. This is a great resource to help you share in the experiences and activities that your child has whilst at preschool. Parents are very welcome to request additional meetings with the keyperson, or manager, at mutually convenient times. We also hold parents' evenings to discuss progress and development.
To help children and caregivers familiarise themselves with the setting we have put together the following video to show what the preschool looks like on a typical morning: