Close encounters

02 June 2004

the team at Pen Green Centre for Under-fives and Families, Corby, Northamptonshire

Relationships with parents must be built on firm foundations At Pen Green, our aim is to build close, trusting relationships with the children and families who use our nursery provision. We achieve this through various methods, all of which are underpinned by the principles of good practice.

At Pen Green, our aim is to build close, trusting relationships with the children and families who use our nursery provision. We achieve this through various methods, all of which are underpinned by the principles of good practice.

* We recognise that parents are their child's first educators

* We share knowledge about an individual child's development in order to provide a rich and challenging provision in the setting and at home

* We engage in a dialogue that is equal, active and respectful

* We get to know each child

* We use each child's interests as the starting point for curriculum planning.

Practices that help us to build relationships with parents include:

* home visiting

* keyworking

* having a settling-in period

* organising daily chats

* having staggered starts each day

* gathering information from home

* making narrative observations in nursery of each child

* sharing narrative observations with parents

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