I'm an early years educator/preschool teacher. Ask me anything.

[stagbeetle]

Have namechanged, but am a regular poster.

I've been working in Early Years settings for 6 years and have a degree in early years education, qualifying me to level 6. Mostly I have spent the last 6 years working in preschool - that is, with children aged 2 to 4 - but have some experience with younger groups too.

Ask me anything, and I will try to answer.

I’m curious about the current thinking on behaviour/discipline. Do you use ‘time-out’ or similar?

@PandaPieForTea

No, we don't use timeouts at my setting. We use other methods for managing challenging behaviour, like redirection, or allowing the child some time - whether that means the child moves away from the situation, or the practitioner moves away. When the child is calm, we return to the issue and talk about it, why it happened, what made the child behave that way.

I have worked in settings where timeouts were used, however - "sit here for 5 minutes" etc. I don't agree with it. If it's something you're concerned about, please ask your setting - different places deal with things differently.

What is your approach on loose parts? Do you have education targets for early years?

Why don’t you agree with sitting out for a few minutes?

@TheMonkeyMummy I don't know what you mean by "loose parts". My setting, as all settings, works on the EYFS, which sets outcomes for children up to 60 months old.

@hmmwhatatodo It's not the sitting out - as in my previous post, if a situation is causing a child to become angry or upset, they can be removed from it. It's the terminology of "time out" that isn't necessary.

@hmm Unless you mean it's strange to not want a 3-year-old to be sitting at a table doing nothing. They have their own methods of calming themselves after a problem has occurred and should be allowed to do so, within reason. Often they will take themselves off to a more private area until they are calm.

Of course if the anger is directed towards other children or adults then there will be some form of separation, but there's no reason to make a small child sit doing nothing for an arbitrary time. When they're calm, they can talk it out.

@monkeymamma - having googled loose parts, it's a term that has come about recently, and something that is standard in the settings I've worked in recently without needing a name. In my current setting, all kinds of loose parts are abundant and that type of play is encouraged at all times, but perhaps the term itself and the meaning behind it should be used among the staff, so thank you for mentioning it.

Loose parts is all about creativity with objects. It's been around since the 70s. I'm surprised you haven't heard of it.

I'm surprised too! I guess it just sort of happens in good settings these days and doesn't need a name. Thanks for talking about it.

stagbeetle your comment above should have been directed at theMonkeyMummy. We are different posters. I hadn’t seen this thread though so will read with interest.

How do you prepare children for school? Do you teach phase 1 phonics?

Do you have QTS? i.e are you actually a teacher?

A degree in early years education probably qualifies you at level 3 rather than level 6 - not all degrees count as a full and relevant qualification.
You need teacher status or EYP to count in a level 6 practitioner ratio.

Your basically a Nursery Nurse then as you have a level three qualification in childcare, or EYE.

There was a thread about the same yesterday.

I am a qualified Nursery Nurse, ex Nursery Manager and it is a shit job.

I wouldn’t work in childcare again and am fortunate to now work on the other side of the fence.

I am pleased you enjoy it op.

OP your comments on time out are interesting, I’m not sure I agree though. I also work in an early years setting (School nursery). We use time out as a last option for children who have been presented with other options first. We rarely have to use it but when we do we find it very effective. Not all 2 or 3 year olds know how to calm themselves down, and time out (or reflection time / quiet time) can actually give them the opportunity to do that.

Does EYFS teach about how brain development is impacted if a small child feels alone / not cuddled enough / anxious because their primary carer is not there even if they seem content? And indeed how damaging time out is. I would feel so much better sending DD to nursery if I knew the nursery nurses were all on the same page as me in these regards. Thank you

@stagbeetle loose parts means bits bobs which encourage children to play creatively. Not necessarily things which are designed to be toys. I thought all nurseries would have this sort of play

Are you paid to scale?
I know that some nurseries don't pay to scale like they would for example if you are working as a reception class teacher.

Sorry- should have read the whole thread!

If a Nursery Teacher in a school has QTS (qualified teacher status) they will be paid on the same as any other teacher in the school and could be moved to a different ages group. They are unlikely to be working in a State Maintained school if they do not have QTS.

To get that you would need a BEd degree or PGCE .

I'm not saying the OP doesn't do a good job but it doesn't sound like she is a teacher.

She might have done 'Early Years Professional Status' (now called Early Years Teacher's status) at the end of her degree - I did my EYPS and was qualified to level 6.

My question, If so - do you wish you had done QTS instead? (I do! the pay was terrible in private nurseries so I left)

Re ‘time out’ or whatever you want to call it. If you have a child who is being deliberately silly, say constantly doing things to disrupt a learning session when everyone is sitting together - maybe like making silly noises or doing that really long extended laugh when everyone else finished and trying to get others involved or maybe choosing to paint on other children’s finished work . I’m talking about children you know they know better and are just doing it for fun, or perhaps hurting other children, breaking their models, do you not use time away doing nothing then?