Last Thursday, Daddy, Mama and Jackson went to the parents' evening at Jackson's nursery.
We got to talk to the carers about the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum that state nurseries are implementing. Noname, with her interest in curricula, might like to see how it compares to the US. Nurseries in the UK differ from daycares in the US in that there is this educational/developmental aspect to UK nurseries for under 5s.
Mama and Daddy were pleased to learn more about this more holistic approach, which emphasizes child-led experiences rather than schedules, and each child having a Key Person. We suspect most good nurseries and pre-schools already follow this type of curriculum (and Sunshine already was, for the most part), but it's good to know that it's becoming standard in the UK.
We got to sit down and talk with Jackson's key person, Ida. Part of the new curriculum includes her observing and assessing him in a binder. These assessments aren't like tests, but more observations about the activities and skills that he specifically is interested in and working on. It's great to have a record of this, and someone paying close attention, even if he's only there 3 afternoons a week. He seems extraordinarily happy there, and seems to be very eager to see Ida and even a couple of other familiar carers he has come to know.
Ida also gave us this little "progress report" to bring home (click to enlarge):
2 comments:
Jackson's NoNaMe looked at the UK curriculum, and thinks it looks quite similar to the U.S. birth - 4 year curriculum. Here it's called Early Childhood. Starting several years ago our elementary students were required to be certified from birth to fourth grade so they do internships in nurseries like Jackson's. I think it's a great improvement, and it looks like Jackson is thriving.By the way, U.S. nursing homes for the elderly are beginning to use the "Eden" approach which is holistic and shares many characteristics with nursery schools--caregivers are always the same, etc. Sorry for the lecture, Jackson. Keep on loving your Sunshine School. Love, NoNaMe
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