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CHCCN302A: Provide care for children

Settle new arrivalsContents

Observe parents and children for signs of stress/distress on arrival3

Settle new arrivals3

Parents stress3

Stress in children5

Begin interaction with the child while parents are still present to minimise abruptness of separation7

Security or transitional objects7

The arrival routine8

Encourage parents to take as much time as needed to have a relaxed, unhurried separation from their child9

Establish routines to minimise distress at separation of parent and child11

Policies for arrival and departure procedures11

Respond to childs distress at separation from parent in a calm reassuring manner14

Strategies to minimise separation anxiety14

Observe parents and children for signs of stress/distress on arrivalSettle new arrivals

There is no doubt that arrival times in child care can be stressful and require careful management. Parents and children are usually in a rush after a busy morning routine at home. They may both be tense about the impending separation. Caregivers are sometimes still setting up morning activities while greeting and settling children.

A new arrival may find the childcare centre intimidating

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Parents stress

I have often heard childcare workers complaining about the so called unrealistic expectations parents have of staff in child care. Parents who are upfront in expressing their concerns about their children and the care they receive whilst in care are sometimes labelled as picky or over protective. Lets stop for a moment and consider child care from parents perspective.

Handing over your most prized and precious possession to the care of a virtual stranger is extremely difficult. To a parent, their child is the most important child in your care. Their rational mind may allow them to understand that every child in your care deserves premium treatment, but their emotional side insists that they would prefer you to dedicate yourself to their child.

I am sure this is true of every parent, both those who need to return to work for financial reasons, as well as those who are pursuing a career. They may be using child care for any number of reasons, but I believe that if there was a way for parents to be in two places at the same time most parents would do it.

The emotional bond between infants and their primary carer (usually the mother) is amazing. Most parents say they would literally die for their infants. Brushing parents off with comments such as Dont worry, Im sure they will be fine or Theyll probably stop crying as soon as you drive off will not fill the gap of emptiness they feel as they walk out the door without their beautiful little baby or child.

Even if the time of reuniting is just a few hours away, parents will have very mixed emotions as they leave their infant or child and this will be increased if the child is distressed as they depart. Feelings of guilt are not uncommon; mothers may be pressured to stay at home with their children by grandparents or others who grew up in an environment where working mothers were rare. Guilt can also occur if the parents themselves have doubts about whether or not they are doing the right thing. It has to be remembered that love and emotion are not always rational.

Along with all these emotions, parents are dealing with the everyday stresses of life, work pressures to perform, perhaps lack of sleep due to unsettled infants, financial pressures and so onthe list goes on and on. It is no wonder that parents may appear to be irrational; they need as much reassurance as the children themselves that everything will be all right.

Strategies to alleviate parents stress

Lets look at some practical strategies that can help ease the troubled minds of parents as they leave their precious offspring in our care.

Have an open-door policy so that parents always feel welcome to visit if they are able and if they wish.

Encourage parents to phone throughout the day to check on their child (perhaps offer suggestions of good times to call).

Ask parents about their childs likes and dislikes and how they settle them when they are distressed at home.

Ask for parental input into the childcare program.

Guide parents as they settle their infants and children for the day by having them participate in some sort of routine or ritual each day. This will help the child feel more secure and will also help the parent get more involved in the service. Nappy changing on arrival is a good way to start the day for the infant, parent and staff members.

All of these things will help parents feel like they have some control over the care their children receive while they are separated from them. You can probably think of others.

Stress in children

Some of you may be wondering what on earth infants could be stressed about. How about being rushed through your breakfast, having your morning floor play at home interrupted to be dressed, strapped in the car at the speed of light and rushed off to day carewhen a morning in the security and familiarity of your home was what you would really prefer? The infant who is used to this rush will still go through stages where this routine stresses them, even those who enjoy the carers and other children.

A childcare centre is a noisy and busy place, especially when compared to home where often just the immediate family reside. As we strive to make day care seem more home-like, we need to consider the fact that its highly unlikely that any family has, say, 12 children under two years of age. Day care is still an unusual situation for infants and toddlers because they are at a stage in their development where cooperation and sharing a carers time, attention and centre equipment is not only difficult, but sometimes just an expectation that is too high.

Infants may show distress by:

crying, whimpering and fussing

being clingy to their primary caregiver at the service as well as parents on arrival and departure

crying on the approach of other children

being withdrawn

startling easily or appearing jumpy

disturbed sleep and/or feeding patterns.

Toddlers may show distress by:

crying

being withdrawn

crying on the approach of other children

not playing

unusual levels of aggression

physically clinging to and constantly following a particular caregiver

regression, eg, needing nappies again sometime after successful toilet training.

Preschoolers may show stress by:

crying and whimpering

refusing to talk or participate in the program

clinging to adults

watching other children playing and refusing to join in

uncharacteristic, inappropriate or undesirable behaviours.

Begin interaction with the child while parents are still present to minimise abruptness of separation

As each family arrives, we should always greet both the parent/primary carer and the child by name. We then initiate a 3-way interaction where we can share information about the child with the parent/carer as well as making eye contact and smiling at the young child. At this point a transitional object, which is a familiar item from home, can be used to comfort the child and ease the transition.

Security or transitional objects

Many older infants adopt an object to help calm them. Toddlers and preschoolers may continue with the security items from infancy or they may adopt new ones. The variety of possible comforters is almost endless. They can range from purpose-built items, such as dummies (pacifiers) or manufactured security toys, to pieces of satin on blankets, cloth nappies or a pillow. They can literally be anything. These items are usually called security objects or transitional objects. Some of you may remember the comic strip Snoopy. Linus, a little boy in this strip, always carried a blanket - a typical transitional object.

Do you recognise these transitional objects?

Many infants become attached to items kept in their beds. The reflux baby who has slept elevated with a cloth nappy under their head to catch any spillage, may fall in love with the cloth nappy. Infants enjoy tactile stimulation so a common security item is a blanket or a pillow with something special about the texture, such as a satin edge. From birth, babies are comforted by sucking so the appeal of dummies or thumbs is quite obvious in light of this.

Activity 1

As carers, we want our charges to feel secure and comfortable. We want them to know that they can access the things they need to feel calm, things that remind them of home or things that help them to settle. It is of paramount importance that comforter items are not confiscated or withheld from them. Children should be able to easily access them or to indicate when they need them. A responsive caregiver allows the child to decide when they want to give up these items or sets reasonable boundaries on their use.

It is important to understand that security or transition objects provide comfort during the transition from dependence to independence, so these are the times when they are needed most. Settling in to care is just such a situation.

Of course, parents may have other ideas. We need to be able to explain the value of transitional or security objects, especially when children are settling into child care. If parents are concerned with a childs fixation for a particular item, we should explain that these objects give children a sense of security and association with their parents when they are absent. Special objects are a healthy and normal way for children to provide self-comfort.

A further discussion about how to distract the child from their adored item can take place once the child has been settled into care for some months and seems confident. Remember, most toddlers outgrow the need to have constant access to these objects, and many preschoolers are able to save the special comfort toy/object just for bedtime at home. The world becomes far too interesting to be distracted permanently by a piece of satin binding off a blanket, or even a dummy.

The arrival routine

Emotional wellbeing goes hand-in-hand with feeling that you belong. This is important to children and allows security and trust to grow. Children need to feel welcome and that they belong. Ways that we can do this is to ensure that we greet each child and family on their arrival at the centre and that we make a point of farewelling them at the end of the day.

Activity 2

Encourage parents to take as much time as needed to have a relaxed, unhurried separation from their child

As childcare workers, we are aware of the need to ensure that the transition into care is as secure and nurturing as possible for children, but its sometimes easy to forget that parents also need to be settled into the care situation.

This is a very stressful time for many families. There is the uncertainty of the unknown for first time users of child care and the worry of what might happen if the infant experiences difficulty settling. Many parents also experience guilt at leaving the child, worry that they will miss important milestones such as the first step, worry about the childs physical needs being met and about whether they will be loved as before or become less important to their child.

A responsive caregiver will ensure that parents needs are also addressed and met. To do this they will ensure that the centre has a settling in or orientation policy as well as clear and appropriate arrival and departure routines for each child and family.

Spending time allaying parent concerns and fears is time well spent. It also allows you to gather more information on each child, their particular needs and specific routines and rhythms.

Many childcare services review their enrolment forms on a regular basis to ensure that the information collected meets the requirements outlined in the regulations. However, many are now looking to these forms as a way of collecting detailed information about individual needs, routines and rituals. The more the caregiver knows about the child, the more personal, appropriate and responsive the care becomes which flows over into the quality of care provided by the centre.

It is now standard practice that infants, toddlers and their parents spend time in the centre and the room getting to know the caregivers and becoming familiar with the surroundings; we are less afraid of things that we know about and so are parents and infants. Many centres also do this with older children as well.

Parents need to be reassured that they have chosen well and their child will receive the best care and attention. By allowing them to spend time in the centre they gain first hand experience at seeing this. Centres that exclude parents and keep what happens there under wraps encourage feelings of mistrust in the service and staff.

Clear and public policies on settling children encourages a sense of trust. Providing parents with copies of centre policies creates a feeling of openness and care.

This open approach to child care also encourages parents to be involved in their childs care on a regular basis and many parents spend time in the room interacting with their own and other children. Parents need to be made to feel welcome in the room at any time. Parents who feel secure and comfortable with the choice of care will result in more settled, happy children in the room.

We need to work in partnership with parents to provide good quality care. After all, they are the parents and ultimately are responsible for the child.

In these early days, you are building the foundation for an ongoing partnership of care with the new parents. This partnership will be crucial to the successful care experience of the child.

Establish routines to minimise distress at separation of parent and childPolicies for arrival and departure procedures

Below are sample policies to guide staff in handling the arrival and departure of children and family members each day.

Sample policy on arrival procedure

Arrival time experiences can set the tone for the whole day for children and their parents. It requires special attention because both staff and parents can be rushed at this time of day. Childcare staff are often setting up the room while greeting new arrivals and may still be settling children who arrived earlier.

The parent or other authorised person brings the child in to the centre foyer and signs the child in on the attendance record.

The parent takes the child to the locker area and assists them to store their belongings. If the child wears a nappy, the parent takes them to the change area and puts on a centre nappy.

The parent takes the child to a carer, and information is exchanged between carer and caregiver. Caregivers make every effort to greet each parent and child warmly and to spend a few moments with each arriving family.

The child is taken to a morning activity or play area by the carer and assisted in saying goodbye to the parents.

If the child is distressed, carers are encouraged to take the child to a window to wave goodbye, and are comforted in a manner appropriate to each child.

Sample policy on departure procedure

Child must be collected by their parent or other authorised person.

Parent or other authorised person signs child out on the attendance register in the foyer before collecting the child. The parent or other authorised person collects the childs bag from their locker.

Childcare staff to greet parents and information is exchanged about the childs day. Good news should be given about the child.

If child wears a nappy, parent changes the child out of the centre nappy and into their own nappy.

If staff are unsure about the authorisation of a non-parent collecting the child, they should check the childs enrolment form, the message book, or seek verbal permission from the childs parent. Staff must then chec3 the identification of the non-parent.

If a person is authorised, the child may be released. If a person is not authorised, staff members should take whatever reasonable measures they can to keep the child at the centre and notify the custodial parent of the situation. However, at no time should staff members endanger themselves or other children at the centre.

Parent or other authorised person is responsible for the child as soon as the child leaves the front door of the centre.

Rituals in the arrival routine

One of the first things caregivers need to establish for a new infant in care is a positive arrival routine. This routine should be worked out in consultation with the family as establishing a ritual or pattern of behaviour that reflects the infants needs is helpful.

The ritual will allow the infant to know whats coming next and not be subjected to daily surprises. The infant begins to gain a sense of whats going to happen and when a similar event occurs everyday the infant begins to not only expect it but trust the situation as well. He or she will become aware that the parent will return after the days activities.

Think carefully about the ritual and routine you wish to establish. Make sure that you consider the infants transitional or security objects. If there is a favourite toy or item ensure its included as part of the ritual.

Remember the attachment curriculum? As part of the ritual, include a handle for attachment. In the case study below, the infant has such a handle for attachment.

Case study: Bella

Bella, nine months, has recently begun to display a little separation anxiety on arrival at the centre each morning. She has a favourite sheepskin that comes to the centre with her each day. Mum has told you that whenever Bella gets upset she uses the sheepskin, affectionately known as laa-laa, to cuddle and it helps her to settle.

To aid Bellas separation each morning you have worked through a small ritual with her mum. On arrival mum will pass Bella to you and also pass over the sheepskin saying, Heres laa-laa to cuddle. Mummy will come back later. You have a lovely day with Nicole. You then walk mum to the door carrying both Bella and laa-laa and say, Bella, lets wave goodbye to mummy at the front window. You carry Bella over and wave.

If Bella gets a little upset you encourage her to cuddle laa-laa. You both then go into the playroom and sitting on the sofa, nursing both Bella and laa-laa you read a book until Bella settles. Once she is settled you help her to choose a toy to play with and place her on the mat.

Bellas transitional object is laa-laa and the story reading becomes the handle for attachment. By following this ritual everyday Bella will become more familiar with the pattern of each morning and begin to settle more easily. It not only reassures Bella but also her mother.

Activity 3

Respond to childs distress at separation from parent in a calm reassuring mannerStrategies to minimise separation anxiety

Gradually introducing the child to the care situation is one important strategy that can help alleviate separation anxiety. Parents should visit the centre at least once with their child before they begin. Start off with short stays and gradually increase the time spent where this is possible.

Personalising the situation for the child is also a positive way of introducing the child to preschool or child care. Rather than just contacting the parents when a vacancy occurs, centres can send a special letter or invitation to the child, perhaps with some photos of other children and staff and a simple description of some of the things that happen at the centre.

No child should be allowed to be left in a strange place with new people for a lengthy period without some preparation.

Strategies for children two to six years old

There are also a number of other strategies you can put into place to minimise separation anxiety for children aged between two years and six years.

Have a predictable arrival routine and personalised goodbye ritual.

Encourage parents to have a predictable morning routine before the child actually gets to the centre.

Have activities available at arrival that the child particularly enjoys so that you or the parent can settle the child at an activity.

Ensure familiar adults greet both the child and the parent on arrival and are available to assist with settling the child.

Encourage the child to bring a security toy, comforter or photo of their family from home that acts as an emotional link.

Have a personalised space where the child can keep their bag and personal items.

Be involved in the goodbye ritual so you can support both the parent and the child and so that is a positive transition from parent to carer.

Ensure that parents say goodbye. If parents sneak away to avoid the separation ordeal or leave in an abrupt manner the childs trust in them and you can diminish and later separations can become more stressful.

Parents should tell the child they are coming back and indicate, in a way the child understands, when they are returning.

Allow children and parents to develop their own personal goodbye ritual. Cuddles and kisses are usually part of this and children often like to wave goodbye from a window, door or back fence.

Once the parent needs to or decides to leave, dont vacillate and dont prolong the departure. Parents should complete their goodbyes and leave even if the child is highly distressed.

Develop a positive relationship with the parents as well as the child. Children will be far more settled with an adult whom they feel their parents know and trust.

As suggested earlier, parents themselves will often feel anxious and distressed at leaving their child. The above strategies will also help to alleviate parents anxieties as well.

Strategies for parents

Some other things you can do to help parents are:

Explain that separation anxiety and stress are normal and healthy.

Separation and goodbyes need to be as unhurried and relaxed as possible but if the parents or child are anxious tell them to limit their arrival and goodbye routines to about 10 minutes. Dont prolong the agony!

If they are anxious and upset when they leave suggest that they spend some time to calm down. The drive to work, a cup of coffee or time with a friend can put things in perspective.

Discourage parents from returning to their child after saying goodbye. This affects trust and confuses the child.

Encourage them to phone and check how their child is doing later in the day.

Take photos of the child engaged in activities through the day to share with the parent.

Whatever the situation may be carers and parents need to talk about the best ways to settle individual children into the child care or preschool environment. Implementing appropriate arrival strategies and dealing with separation in a calm and reassuring manner will do much to minimise the anxiety of both the children and their parents.

Certificate III in Childrens Services: CHCCN302A: Reader LO 9201

NSW DET 2010

Certificate III in Childrens Services: CHCCN302A: Reader LO 9201

NSW DET 2010