For the Cass Child and Family Centre, situated in the heart of the City of London, visits by the children to other children's houses have proved hugely meaningful and satisfying for children, staff and parents alike.
This is an activity which delights children to lead the way. The series of memorable visits has not only involved children in planning, discussion and much revisiting, but has also led to a rich cultural exchange between parents and staff.
As centre head Joanna Seymour says, 'This positive parental engagement is the role model that other parents have needed to empower them to take their first steps towards active engagement, not only with the centre, but also with the wider community.'
OPEN HOUSE
The Cass Child and Family Centre currently provides a total of 76 places for children from three months to five-and-a-half years. In the nursery, 91 per cent of the children have English as an additional language, and the centre as a whole has a diverse ethnic mix, including Bengali, Turkish, Chinese, Albanian, French and Afro-Caribbean children.
Developing the children's use of English is therefore a priority, as is maintaining respect for, and use of, their first language.
The team of practitioners, which includes Ethnic Minority Achievement teacher Alice Taylor-Rugman and bilingual early years practitioner Ambia Khatun, have developed a programme designed to open up a dialogue for both children and parents.
'We wanted to encourage children to chat and we recognised that they needed something really interesting to talk about,' says Alice. 'The idea for the home visits came up and we quickly realised this was something that the children would remember forever!'
Parents have been keen to be involved in the home visits from the outset. Alice says, 'The fact that Ambia is able to engage with many parents in their first language helps to cement good relationships. We have never had a negative reaction from a parent to the prospect of a home visit. Mostly, parents are grateful that they are getting extra support, particularly where language development is needed.
'Due to careful preparation, parents are not nervous about the visits, although they might have to do a bit of tidying up afterwards. They want to help their children enjoy their time at school and they are prepared to to do anything they can to help.'
Usually a home visit group is made up of six children. 'We choose the child in consultation with the parents, depending on their linguistic needs or whether we feel they need to be more integrated in the class,' says Alice. 'First, of all the child is asked whom they they would like to invite, and from that point we try to give them as much control over the visit as possible. We give it a big build-up.'
After inviting his or her friends, the child thinks about what sandwich they would like to make at home, and they write a shopping list.
'There is no pressure to make healthy choices for these visits, accentuating the feeling of it being a special event,' says Alice. 'We go to Tesco, the children pick out what they would like, pay the money and give the receipt to Kirsty, our PA.'
WELCOME TO MY HOME
On the big day of the visit, the child is responsible for leading the group to his or her front door. On entering, the visitors then do what a member of the family is always expected to do, such as removing shoes, hanging up coats and putting belongings in a certain place.
'Being in control in such a way places the child in quite a powerful position. They are an expert on the family routines and habits,' Alice says. 'Usually the first thing they want to do is show the visitors their own room and often they will have some of their favourite possessions set out for everyone to look at.
'They will then do a bit of playing while we talk to the mums or dads. Then we set up the sandwich-making activity, and it's a bit like a party.'
Many photographs are taken throughout the visit and these are used to create picturebooks afterwards. The content of these is guided by the child, who will choose the photographs and decide what they want to say about them. Often the team will use speech bubbles with comments such as, 'I liked going on the bus best'.
'The books help to recall the high points of the visit and we use them a lot for discussion afterwards,' says Alice. 'The children can also take them home with them if they want to. Eventually they go home and don't come back, but that is fine. They have a limited shelf life and they have served their purpose.'
An important aspect of the books is that they value languages other than English, and feature other scripts.
Parents are often enlisted to write their own accounts of the visits.
'One of our children is Albanian and with the help of the mother, the home visit book was written up in Albanian as well as English,' says Alice. 'The mother also came in to read the book in Albanian to the whole class.'
Alice says that she and Ambia have worked hard to the create the right perception of their relationship. 'We wanted to co-construct a relationship which the children perceive as an equal one. We work together closely and often Ambia will initiate the activity. I will follow her lead rather than the other way around. This gives a subtle message to the children about what is important.
'These kinds of issues are significant. We want the children to have positive images of diversity that reflect back on the way they see themselves in the world.'
The home visits have worked magic in getting children talking. Children's friendships have been cemented, and Alice and Ambia have become closer to parents.
'These home visits have given us all something to talk about,' says Alice.
'It's all about recalling all the funny and significant things that have happened on particular visits. Remembering mishaps and adventures is something that all the children love to talk about for a very long time afterwards.'
NURSERY WORLD AWARDS
Cass Child and Family Centre won the 'Inclusive Practice' category of the Nursery World Awards 2009. To enter this year's awards, go to www.nurseryworldawards.com
