DongDuong
A Nervous Start When I arrived at the service, I was very nervous….
A Nervous Start
When I arrived at the service, I was very nervous. This was the first of three orientation visits over the next three weeks. Harry (10 months) hadn’t slept well the night before. He had been awake every 2 hours, so we were both feeling a little tired and stressed. As I got Harry ready that morning, I kept telling him that we were going to child care and that he would have lots of fun. Even as I was saying this, I felt bad. I was going back to work and Harry was going to be cared for by strangers. He would be at their mercy, and he had no way of telling me if he had been well cared for, if he had been cuddled or if he was scared.
As I walked through the door the Director, Kate, was waiting for me. She smiled and said, ‘Hello you must be Sue, and this must be Harry. Hello Harry, we are looking forward to having you at our service.’ She put her arms out to Harry and he went to her with a big smile.
‘How are you feeling Sue? I know it can be an anxious time when you first enroll your precious baby.’ I nodded, ‘Yes, I must say I’m feeling anxious about leaving him in care.’
Kate: ‘We’ll do our best to care for him and make sure every day is a good day.’
a – Identify two ways in which Kate built rapport with Sue and made them feel welcome.
Orientation I
Kate explained how they have an Orientation Policy and flexible induction process that caters for the individual needs of the family. She said that she would take Harry and I to the nursery and introduce us to the educators and children. Kate asked if I had any questions before going into the nursery. As we walked through, Kate showed me where parents sign in and out using an iPad, the noticeboard and the children’s lockers.
When we arrived in the room, I was introduced to Dana who was to be Harry’s primary educator. Dana then showed me around the room while Kate took Harry to meet some of the children. Dana explained the daily routine and showed me the cot room and the nappy change room. Kate had given Dana my enrolment form which Dana had obviously read.
Dana: ‘I see that Harry usually has a sleep around 9am and then again around 12. Can you tell me about his sleep routine?’
Dana asked lots of questions about Harry’s bottles and food, his typical day, what he liked to do, how he communicated and how he like to be soothed when upset. Dana explained that bottles were given by nursing each child in one of the comfy chairs and then settling them into a cot. We talked about what I did to get Harry off to sleep and Dana jotted down our routine. As we were talking Dana asked if I had any questions. She seemed genuinely interested, she listened closely to me, reconfirming details of Harry’s routines and she even thanked me for sharing. She stressed that her role was to work closely with me to share in decision-making about Harry’s care routines. We then negotiated on a sleep routine for Harry.
Harry and I were invited to stay for morning tea which was wonderful as I got to see how the educators managed this routine.
Before leaving, Kate showed me how to access the service’s philosophy and policies on the website. Key policies for parents are in a parent folder making them easy to access. Kate said I should take my time to read the policies and jot down any questions. Kate explained that the policies are designed to ensure the centre complies with regulations designed to ensure children’s safety and wellbeing. She said the policies were also designed to ensure parents worked collaboratively with the service.
b – List two communication skills used by Kate and Dana when interacting with Sue.
c – What specific policy did Kate refer to at induction and what did Kate share with Sue about policy and procedures.
Orientation II
Today, Dana and I are going to work out a separation routine for Harry. I think Harry will separate easily as he now gets very excited when we approach the service. He squeals and waves his arms.
Dana explained that it was important to always say goodbye to Harry. She said that even though he may become upset it was important for him to know that I was leaving. We decided that I would give him a kiss and cuddle, tell him he was going to have a good day playing with the other children and that daddy would pick him up later and then I would leave. Dana suggested that the educator and Harry could wave to me from the fence. We decided to trial this routine and see how it goes. Dana explained that having a separation ritual would be reassuring to Harry as he would know what to expect each morning.
Dana also picked up on my anxiety and reassured me that parents were often more upset at separation than their child. She said I could call at any time to check on Harry just to reassure myself that he was OK.
d – Explain how developing a separation ritual in collaboration with Sue demonstrates NQS Element 6.1.1 Engagement with the service. Families are supported from enrolment to be involved in the service and contribute to service decisions.
Orientation III
Today, Dana is going to discuss how the centre plans for Harry’s development. I was quite surprised when Dana said that she would like me to help her set some goals for Harry. I didn’t think that I could be so involved! Dana said it was part of the service’s philosophy to work closely with parents when planning for children’s leaning. She explained that sharing information about Harry would help her to plan for his learning and development. Dana also said that the goals were regularly evaluated and could be updated at any time.
e – Which element of NQS 6 is being demonstrated in this scenario?
Day I
Today I went back to work and Harry started his first full day in care. The orientation process has been great for Harry and me. Some of my friends felt that being expected to have a 3-week orientation was too much, but I am so glad we did. Harry is happy, I am happy, and my partner is happy. I was a little teary leaving Harry this morning, but we stuck to our separation ritual and Harry was happy.
When my partner arrived to collect Harry this afternoon, he said Harry was sitting with an educator and a few other children reading picture books. One of the educator’s greeted him and said that Harry had had a good day. The educator showed him Harry’s daily dairy which detailed what Harry ate, his bottles, how long he slept and when his nappy was changed. There was also a delightful comment about Harry squealing when the children have bubbles outside.
When leaving, the educator gave Harry a kiss and cuddle and said she was looking forward to seeing him tomorrow.
I think we are all going to be very happy with this service.
f – Explain how the extended orientation process has successfully built a genuine partnership with the family.
