Settling

10/4/2012

Today I had the opportunity to meet with some new parents to the centre and guide them through the settling process for them and their child. I was a little nervous as I have never been the sole person responsible for this before, but at the same time I was excited to be stepping up and taking on a new role in the working environment. One of the parents, Megan who was settling her 10 month old, was also settling a three year old, so I gave her time to get her eldest daughter settled in before we went inside to chat. We had a great chat about her daughter Chelsea's routine and I feel that I put her mind at ease about how flexible we can be with all of Chelsea's needs. In the Code of ethics for registered teachers, it states how important it is for teachers to form respectful, honest relationships with parents. They need to be allowed as much input as they would like into the learning and care of their children. This is why we always ask the parents what their child enjoys doing, what their routine is like and any other special things we may need to know. After all, they are the experts when it comes to their own children. I also feel that in order to form a good relationship with a parent it is important to know a bit about them too. I had a great chat with Megan about where she is working and a bit about what her job entails. She also told me about where they live and some of the things they like to do when they are at home like going down to the beach to build sandcastles. This relationship between staff and parents is also very beneficial for the child as it keeps the routine going from home into the centre and provides continuity and stability for the child. This all helps to make them feel safer and have a more enjoyable time while at the centre. Another parent who was settling her 14 week old for the first time decided she would just drop him off and go out for an hour or so. This approach was also fine because whatever suits the child and the parents is ultimately the best approach to settling. This parent was a bit nervous and told me that it would be easier for herself and the child if she didn't stay and make a fuss. The child is not yet at an age where he would be going through 'attachment theory' type feelings and he also should not have developed stranger danger yet, so of course he seemed fine with being left at the centre. Stonehouse (2002) talked about parents feeling like they belong to a community where people care about and care for their child. I am hoping that I helped her to feel this way today and that I built up some trust in her that we can take great care of her child.
Aside from settling, I also ensure that I converse with parents on a daily basis about their child or even about themselves and how their day at work went etc. This morning I spoke to Shannon (a parent), who was telling me about their easter weekend and how they took their daughter Renee to a petting zoo. She said Renee was so keen to pat all of the animals and didn't show an ounce of fear toward any of them. I told Shannon that's exactly how she acted when we went on a centre trip to the farm park. She was right in there trying to pat the huge goats and sheep and feeding pellets to all of the animals. It turned out that when her parents took her there, Renee was bitten by a spotted duck. Shannon said they think it may have something to do with the fact that Renee was wearing spotted pants and maybe the duck thought she was one of it's own kind. This story was humorous but also gave me a bit more of an insight into the things that Renee gets up to when she is at home with her parents. I enjoy conversing with parents in this manner because as well as me learning more, I think it helps the parents to get an insight into my sense of humour and recognise that I am still taking an interest in their child. I think as teachers we can be in a position where we spend more time with the children than their parents at times and I like to remind the parents that they are still the expert on their child and I certainly don't know everything there is to know about child raising. I think if I was a parent I would like to be assured that putting my children in daycare is not a bad thing, (although that is another debate altogether), and I would like to be able to trust that I will still be informed on my child's daily learning and be included in the decision making process for my child.