The Totem Pole training and resource centre places the baby room at the centre of its professional development programmes and aims to boost practitioners' knowledge of this crucial development stage. The beauty of the Grantham-based centre is that it provides an environment where course participants can test fresh ideas. The emphasis is on active learning, group discussion and debate.
'Beginning with Babies' has proved one of its most popular courses. Director Mary Barlow had already been delivering this to settings in Lincolnshire before launching the Totem Pole last year. Its courses are influenced by Piaget and David Weikart and Ms Barlow's wide experience as an early years practitioner.
A key feature is that participants can use the nursery area on site, which has a wealth of resources and is set up for role play.
Sally Simpson, early years development officer for North Kesteven Children's Centre, believes the course gives practitioners the chance to view their practice with fresh eyes. 'It was fantastic to see participants understand how important it was for a baby room to have a homely feel, and give deeper thought to resources,' she says. 'Staff took ownership of their rooms, developing them in a way that made them feel they were theirs, as much as the babies.'
Ms Simpson likes the fact that participants can buy resources and have free access to materials at the Totem Pole. 'We had a key worker who brought in a pashmina and suggested everyone allocated one for each baby in their nursery and give it to the parent to take home and wash. The pashmina came back washed, smelling of home.'
Ms Simpson says small things can make a difference. 'Putting in familiar smells, familiar sounds, materials and textures all contribute to a feeling of home. Providing a comfy chair for a baby to snuggle up to its key worker to be fed is also really important.'
Other Totem Pole courses include Attachment and Holistic Development, Managing Behaviour, and Handbags and Glad Rags. Based in the grounds of a hotel, it can offer accommodation deals. It also offers its own 'marketplace' of resources.
