Working with Children in the Early Years

Working with Children in the Early Years is an accessible introduction to early years theories, policy and practice, offering practitioners in a diverse range of settings the opportunity to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills for working with young children. This fully updated second edition builds on new government agendas and interests in supporting quality provision for young children and their families. Bringing together current research and thinking in a broad range of areas, it covers: the diversity of practitioner roles and multi-agency working working with families listening to children observing and assessing developing professional roles health and well being curriculum and pedagogy the importance of play and learning in the early years All contributions are strongly practical and underpinned by relevant theory, and will support students and practitioners studying in the field of early years and early childhood studies as well as those aiming to achieve Early Years Professional Status. The book will also appeal to training providers, equipping them with a valuable and unique source to support a range of early years courses.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements Introduction Part 1 Roles, provision and practices Introduction 1. The roles and responsibilities of leaders 2. A day in the life of a bilingual teaching assistant 3. Developing professionalism in the early years: from policy to practice 4. Working in teams in early years settings 5. Professional roles in the early years 6. Leadership in a multi-agency context 7. Approaches to curricula in the early years Part 2 Children’s lives Introduction 8. Modern Childhood: contemporary theories and children’s lives 9. Health Inequalities in early childhood 10. What’s it all about? – how introducing heuristic play has affected provision for the under-threes in one day nursery 11. Exploring the great outdoors 12. ‘Hi Granny! I’m writing a novel.’ 13. Creativity across the curriculum 14. Children growing and changing: the interpersonal world of the growing child 15. Promoting Healthy Eating in Early Years Settings 16. Playing with Song 17. Young children, learning and ICT: a case study in the UK maintained sector Part 3 Listening to children and adults Introduction 18. The challenges of starting school 19. Listening to young children: multiple voices, meanings and understandings 20. The role of grandparents in children’s learning 21. What can we learn from listening to girls and boys talking about their play? 22. Watching and listening; the tools of assessment 23. ‘It’s not like anything Joe and I have experienced before’: family workshops at Tate Modern 24. Parents and practitioners: sharing education 25. Working with Parents

About the Author :
The Open University, UK