Pre Birth to Three Self Evaluation Toolkit
‘It is through ongoing self evaluation that links are made between practice and what is known about how children develop and learn. Reflecting on practice individually and as part of a team is central to supporting the self evaluation process in order to improve practice and enhance the quality of provision for all babies and young children.’ (Pre Birth to ThreePositive Outcomes for Scotland’s Children and Families)
Using the Toolkit
The Toolkit will support your self evaluation process and enable you to plan for improvements.
The Toolkit should be used to identify -- how well we meet the needs of our babies and young children
- how good is the provision and experiences we provide for our babies and young children
Record particular strengths and areas for development on the summary sheet. / Key -
Fill in the relevant shape
In place and working well /
Partially in place /
An area for development /
1
Observation, Assessment and Planning
‘Practitioners seek to ensure that learning experiences, routines and activities build on information provided by parents and carers and start with the children’s needs and interests. Planning begins with skilful and purposeful observation of children and this enables practitioners to draw conclusions and plan next steps for babies and young children’. (Pre Birth to Three Guidance).
Observation, Assessment and Planning / / / / Comments/What are we going to do now?We have a shared understanding of the purpose and value of observations.
We observe babies and young children as part of our everyday practice
We observe babies and young children exploring and responding to their environment both indoors and outdoors.
Our observations tell us about the baby and young child’s interests, learning and development.
We meet regularly with colleagues to share and reflect on our observations.
We use our observations to plan for and extend babies and young children’s learning and development and help them move forward.
We share our observations and planning with our parents / carers and children.
We plan for individual and small groups of babies and young children.
We plan next steps for the babies and young children that are developmentally appropriate.
We evaluate our planning regularly.
The role of the Practitioner
'Practitioners working with Scotland’s youngest children have a vital and rewarding role in promoting the Rights of the Child, Relationships, Responsive Care and Respect. Understanding these four principles enables practitioners to be more effective in supporting babies and young children as they learn about themselves, the significant people in their lives and the world in which they live. (Pre Birth to Three guidance)
The role of the practitioner / / / / Comments/What are we going to do now?We provide opportunities for babies and young children to bond with consistent, reliable and attuned practitioners.
We pay close attention to the sound and tone of our voice and use of language when interacting with babies and young children.
We are kind, loving and respectful when interacting with babies and young children.
We are responsive to babies and children’s’ needs and give them confidence and security that their needs will be met.
We provide environments which offer flexible, individualised and consistent routines.
We have a consistent approach to the care and well being of each child.
We ensure a well planned transition process from home to setting which includes appropriate support as required.
We are closely observant of gestures and body language of babies and young children and tune in to what is being communicated.
We pay close attention to the different dispositions and preferences of our babies and young children for example how babies like to be fed, what they like to eat and the way they prefer to be comforted
We value the diversity of babies and young children’s families and respond to their needs appropriately.
We listen to our babies and young children and take their views into account.
We know when to intervene and when to step back from babies and young children’s play.
Babies and young children’s experiences
Play is very powerful in promoting children’s development and learning. Babies and young children need the freedom to play, to practise skills, explore and develop knowledge and understanding of the world around them (Pre Birth to Three Guidance)
Babies and Young Children’s Experiences / / / / Comments/What are we going to do now?Babies and young children have opportunities for 1:1 times with a practitioner.
Our babies and young children have opportunities to initiate, direct and conclude their own play.
We have a sound knowledge of children’s developmental needs and provide appropriate opportunities and experiences to meet these needs.
We build in appropriate experiences for creativity, excitement and challenge for babies and young children.
We support babies and young children’s need to explore, experiment and problem solve.
Our babies and young children have daily opportunities for sensory play.
We know how to extend and support babies and young children’s play in thoughtful and imaginative ways.
Our play experiences sustain babies and young children’s interests, helps them make decisions, solve problems and develop independence.
Babies and young children have opportunities to repeat experiences to enable them to gain mastery over concepts and skills and to deepen their understanding.
Our experiences for babies and young children are well matched to their individual developmental needs, interests, and styles of learning.
TheEnvironment
‘The environment both indoors and outdoors, plays an important role in the development of babies and young children. A well-planned and sensitively thought out environment helps to foster and promote a positive sense of self and well being in babies and young children’. (Pre Birth to three Guidance)
The Environment / / / / Comments/What are we going to do now?We plan and organise our space to reflect the developmental needs of babies and young children.
Our space is planned to provide consistency- babies and young children know where things are and can return to their favourite places.
Our space is light, warm and calmand is welcoming and cosy for babies and young children.
We providedefined spaces where babies and young children feel safe, warm and secure.
There is space for babies and young children to move around safely and independently.
There is space for practitioners, parents and carers to sit with babies and young children.
Our space is planned to support babies and children to make choices and develop their independence.
We provide spaces for babies and young children to be alone and together.
Resources
Our resources are in good condition and are checked regularly.
Our resources are developmentally appropriate for babies and young children.
We provide open ended materials and experiences to give babies and young children opportunities, choice and control over their play.
We provide a good range of natural materials for our babies and young children to explorefor example treasure baskets for babies and heuristic play for toddlers.
Our resources support and promote babies and young children’s need for sensory investigation and exploration in order tomake sense of their world.
We ensure that babies and young children are able to access a range of appropriate resources themselves.
TheOutdoor Environment
‘Early Years settings have an important responsibility to maximise outdoor play experiences for babies and young children as it may be the only time they have to play freely and safely outside’ ( Pre Birth to Three Guidance)
The Outdoor Environment / / / / Comments/What are we going to do now?We have a shared understanding of the central role outdoor play has in the emotional and physical well being and development of babies and young children.
We enjoy being outside with the babies and young children.
There are opportunities for daily access to the outdoors for babies and children
We make the most of our outdoor environment and strive to maximise its potential for our babies and young children.
We have a selection of waterproof gear which enables babies, young children and practitioners to go outside in all weathers.
We plan and organise our outdoor environment toreflect the needs and interests of babies and young children.
We plan our outdoor environment using a range of open ended play materials.
Our outdoor environment promotes babies and young children’s need to investigate, explore, discover and problem solve.
Our outdoors provides space and opportunities for movement- for example clambering up and down, over and under, in and out and through.
Our outdoors includes spaces for babies and young children to sit with adults and quiet places to be alone and relax.
Supporting Early Literacy
‘ The earliest years lay the important foundations for literacy and numeracy development-practitioners can provide environments and opportunities that promote and develop these vital skills’ ( Pre Birth to three guidance)
Literacy is an essential part of our everyday lives. It helps us to understand and interpret our world through what we hear, see, say, write and read. Early literacy skills start with babies discovering that they can communicate their needs through their first sounds, facial expressions and body language. Literacy is also about using and making sense of technology, films and other media.
Supporting Early Literacy / / / / Comments/What are we going to do now?Listening and Talking
We talk to babies and young children about what we are doing in daily tasks, activities and play.
We listen to babies and young children’s babbles and communications, and treat these like a conversation and give them time to respond.
We provide opportunities to develop a wide range of vocabulary through books, rhymes and real experiences.
We offer small group/circle times for children to enable turn taking, listening and discussion.
In conversation we re-cast children’s comments giving correct vocabulary.
We use open ended questions for example’ I wonder what would happen if?’
Reading
We ensure names/photographs of all children are visible and used in a variety of different situations – name mats for lunch, coat pegs, snack, circle time, drawing table and painting.
We develop environmental print – labelling areas, displays and resources, with text and photographs.
We provide visual timetables.
We provide books in play contexts, eg recipe book, bed time stories and magazines in the role play area.
We provide books in play areas around the room to support children’s interests.
We create photo books of shared experiences.
We use pictorial recipes for baking.
We share picture books with large, clear pictures and talk about these with babies and young children.
We provide a wide variety of different types of books including those that have bits for a child to touch and feel, felt books, musical books, big books, story and rhyme books, number and alphabet and information books.
We use facial expressions, eye contact and body language and use different voices to make story time enjoyable and engaging.
Babies and young children have the opportunity to listen and explore familiar stories over and over again.
Writing
We provide a range of suitable materials at the drawing table – crayons, chalk, chunky pencils, felt pens, a range of paper, envelopes, note books and magnetic letters.
We provide shaving foam, gluck, flour, dough, threading and finger painting to promote the development of fine motor skills.
We provide resources in play areas – diaries, clipboards, post it notes, pens to encourage mark making.
We write children’s names and scribe mark making and
drawings.
We encourage children’s interest in mark marking by encouraging, praising and displaying children’s efforts.
We encourage babies and young children to express feelings, thoughts and ideas through mark making and painting
We ensure children see staff writing lists, cards and notices to help them begin to understand the many purposes of writing.
Supporting Early Numeracy
Numeracyis about counting and numbers as well as understanding measurement, money, weight, an awareness of time and how to handle information. It is important, from simple tasks like pairing your socks to paying for your shopping.
Supporting Early Numeracy / / / / Comments/What are we going to do now?We encourage babies and young children to be aware that numbers are all around us and we count using number names.
We sing number songs and rhymes together and tell stories that include numbers. We provide props to support number rhymes, for example Five little ducks.
We talk about numbers and look for counting opportunities, forexample when setting the table, counting fingers and toes when putting on gloves and socks.
We encourage children to place their finger on objects when counting out loud to help them count objects only once, without missing anything out.
We give children opportunities to sort and match in a variety of ways, using baskets of small toys,buttons, pebbles etc.
We use everyday tasks such as clearing dishes or sorting clothes to offer chances for children to find out about colours, sorting, matching, patterns and counting.
We talk about what babies and young children are doing when they are organising everyday items by colour, shape, type of toy or clothes into “same” bundles.
We encourage children to match objects that belong together like shoes, socks and gloves.
Children have opportunities to experience patterns and colours in the environment to enable children to make predictions, to understand what comes next, and to use reasoning skills.
Through activities in construction, baking, sand and water, babies and young children are exposed tothe correct vocabulary to describe weight, length and volume.
We talk about time and events using correct vocabulary for exampletoday, next, tomorrow.
We help babies and young children begin to learn about time through daily routines such as snack, outdoor play, singing and story time.
We encourage babies and young children to notice when it is dark and when it is daylight as this increases children’s awareness and understanding of time.
We talk to babies and young children about what they doing, and what they are going to do next. We talk about what happened yesterday and last week as this helps children to begin to understand past, present and future.
We provide a wide range of daily activities to support babies and young children’s learning about numeracy
In play we use position words such as on top of, underneath, below, next to, beside, behind and above to help children learn how to think about and describe where objects are in relation to other objects.
When putting toys away we encourage babies and young children to help as we use words such as in, on top and behind.
We introduce the idea of sharing out and same and different as children help to prepare food.
We take children shopping and encourage them to help as we buy things using money and other methods of payment.
Supporting Health and Wellbeing
‘Staff in early year’s settings are in a strong position to be significant and positive role models for children and parents and they should be aware of their responsibilities in the promotion of health and well being. It is essential that staff are knowledgeable, and able to provide the kind of support, including consistent healthy living messages, that help children and families to achieve the most positive health and well being outcomes’. ( Pre Birth to Three Guidance)
Health and Wellbeing
Is about learning how to lead healthy and active lives, becoming confident, happy and forming friendships and relationships with others that are based on respect. It is also about managing feelings and having the skills to meet challenges, make good choices and manage change.
Supporting Health and Wellbeing / / / / Comments/What are we going to do now?Key persons provide support to parents, carers, babies and young children at times of separation and at transitions within the centre.
We encourage children to get moving indoors and outdoors in all weather.
We look out for opportunities for babies and toddlers to grasp, hold or pick up objects to help to develop fingers and hand movements.
We provide lots of opportunities for larger movements, like crawling, rolling, walking and running to increase healthy development, learning and wellbeing.
Indoors or outdoors we look out for opportunities to stimulate the senses, as children of all ages, especially babies, learn through their senses.
We provide opportunities for children to experience planned risk and challenge through play which encourages children to persevere and gain confidence in their abilities.
We create opportunities for babies and young children to socialise with others to make friendships and to encourage them to become confident and comfortable in different situations.
We encourage walking instead of being in a pram or buggy to encourage young children to become more active and to provide lots of new and exciting learning opportunities to explore the world first hand.
We demonstrate a positive approach to healthy eating and actively promote this to parents/ carers and children.
We value meal and snack times as an important, enjoyable and sociable experience for babies and young children.We sit with babies and young children at snack and meal times.
Babies and young children have opportunities to experience differenttastes andtextures at snack or meal times.
We support babies and young children to recognise and start to manage their own feelings and emotions.
We are positive role models and show self respect and respect to others through what we say and do.
We provide opportunities in daily routines for babies and young children to have fun and laugh such as peek a boo games at nappy changing or getting dressed.
We use quiet times to talk together with children about their feelings and use props, books and puppets to support this.
We use praise and encouragement appropriately tosupport and develop children’s self esteem.
Statements adapted from