Orchard Nursery School

Birth to three Matters Policy

There will be children joining the Nursery who will be under the age of three and therefore the Nursery will ensure that the Birth to three matters framework is followed.

The framework is a useful document highlighting the needs and development of these younger children.

Aims

To ensure that the youngest children follow developmentally appropriate activities and that their needs and those of their parents are respected and catered for.

Objectives

To treat children individually

To follow their interests and needs

To keep daily records of their activities

Allocate key workers.

To follow and use for support the Birth to three framework

Ensure all staff have copy of the framework (Copy attached.)

To ensure all staff have access to Birth to three training.

Review October 2006 reviewed and amended September 2006

Amanda/Policies/Birth to three matters Sept 2004

Birth to Three matters

A strong Child

Realisation of own individuality including:	Experiencing and seeking closeness including:	Becoming able to trust and rely on own abilities including:	Acquiring social confidence and competence including:
• Growing awareness of self • Realising s/he is separate and different from others • Recognising personal characteristics and preferences • Finding out what s/he can do	• Needing recognition, acceptance and comfort • Being able to contribute to secure relationships • Understanding that s/he can be valued by and important to someone • Exploring emotional boundaries	• Gaining self assurance through a close relationship • Becoming confident in what s/he can do • Valuing and appreciating his/her own abilities • Feeling self-assured and supported	• Being able to snuggle in • Enjoying being with familiar and trusted others • Valuing individuality and contributions of self and others • Having a role and identity within a group

A skilful Communicator

Being a sociable and effective communicator including:	Being a confident and competent language user including:	Listening and responding appropriately to the language of others including:	Understanding and being understood including:
• Gaining attention and making contact • Positive relationships • Being with others • Encouraging conversation	• The impulse to communicate • Exploring, experimenting, labelling and expressing • Describing, questioning, representing and predicting • Sharing thoughts, feelings and ideas	• Listening and paying attention to what others say • Making playful and serious responses • Enjoying and sharing stories, songs, rhymes and games • Learning about words and meanings	• Communicating meaning • Influencing others • Negotiating and making choices • Understanding each other

A Competent Learner

Connecting ideas and understanding the world including:	Responding to the world imaginatively including:	Responding to the world creatively including:	Responding to the world with marks and symbols including:
• Making connections through the senses and movement • Finding out about the environment and other people • Becoming playfully engaged and involved	• Imitating, mirroring, moving, imagining • Exploring and re-enacting • Playing imaginatively with materials using all the senses • Pretend play with gestures and actions, feelings and relationships, ideas and words	• Exploring and discovering • Experimenting with sound, other media and movement • Developing competence and creativity • Being resourceful	• Exploring, experimenting and playing • Discovering that one thing can stand for another • Creating and experimenting with one's own symbols and marks • Recognising that others may use marks differently

A healthy Child

Emotional stability and resilience including:	Physical well-being including:	Being safe and protected including:	Being able to make choices including:
• Being special to someone • Being able to express feelings • Developing healthy dependence • Developing healthy independence	• Being well nourished • Being active, rested and protected • Gaining control of the body • Acquiring physical skills	• Discovering boundaries and limits • Learning about rules • Knowing when and how to ask for help • Learning when to say no and anticipating when others will do so	• Discovering and learning about his/her body • Demonstrating individual preferences • Making decisions • Becoming aware of others and their needs