together we can make a difference in Manchester
**Please register by 13th June**
Guest Speaker: / Helen Moylett, Early Years Consultant:
Parents for Quality
Practical
Workshops: / Led by providers of quality Early Years practice in Manchester
Delegates select two workshops / 1)Practical ways to support parents to choose quality provision – one provider’s way of working / 2) Developing the Key Person approach
3) Principles for engaging with parents / 4) Supporting parents to influence quality provision / 5) The importance of attachment
6) Engaging parents in their children’s learning / 7) The Playclub Project - bags of family fun to develop speaking and listening skills / 8) Let’s get healthy with Henry (LGH Henry)
Key messages from research: / Una Hanley: Walking the line’ between ‘care’ and ‘authority’
Mark Peace:Reaching out to communities; interfaces between the ‘official’ and ‘unofficial’
Venue: / Geoffrey Manton Building
Manchester Metropolitan University
Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6BH
Price (lunch included): / £30 (or £25 if you register on or before 6th June)
Parents as Partners in the Early Years
P R O G R A M M E
9.00 amTea/coffee and registration
10.00 amIntroduction ‘The nature of the challenge’
10.10 amHelen Moylett: ‘Parents influencing quality: a step by step approach’
10.50 amMMU research update, John Powell
11.10 amWorkshops Round 1
12.15 pmL U N C H
1.15 pmKey messages from research – Una Hanley, Mark Peace
2.00 pmWorkshops Round 2
3.00 pmTea/coffee
3.30 pmPlenary: The next steps
3.45 pmC L O S E
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WORKSHOPS: all workshops run twice (am and pm). Please choose three workshops by number for round 1 (am) and three for round 2 (pm) in order of preference and we will try to accommodate your first choice where possible.
am:pm:
first choice:first choice:
second choice:second choice:
third choice: third choice:
Access/dietary requirements: ……………………………………………………………..
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Guest Speaker: Helen Moylett is an independent early years consultant. She has been a junior, infant, nursery and home school liaison teacher, a local authority senior advisory teacher and a senior lecturer in primary and early years education at Manchester Metropolitan University. She was chair of a local authority Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership from 1998-2000. In 2000 she left academia to become head of an early years centre. In 2004 she joined the National Strategies. She was on the national steering group for Birth to Three Matters and was centrally involved in developing the Early Years Foundation Stage as well as many of the National Strategies materials associated with the EYFS. She was also the national lead for the Every Child a Talker programme. Recently she was an expert adviser to the Tickell EYFS review team.
She has co-edited three early years books and contributed to several others as well as contributing articles to various early years journals. Helen is currently President of the British Association of Early Childhood Education (Early Education)
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Key messages from research, additional information:
Una Hanley will discuss findings from the Outreach Project which illustrate the ways in which workers negotiated the difficulties of providing both care and support whilst representing for some parents, aspects of ‘authority’. The discussion draws on the problematics raised by workers around an ethos of care.
Mark Peace will explore some of the key findings and questions generated through the evaluation of Manchester’s BME project – drawing out some of the lessons that might be learnt, and tensions which need to be faced, in working with ‘hard to reach’ minority communities.
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Manchester Early Years Conference: Thursday June 23rd 2011
Workshop outlines
Workshop 1
Practical ways to support parents to choose
quality provision- one provider’s way of working
presented by staff from Tiddlywinks nurseries
Choosing the right childcare can be a daunting and emotional experience for parents and many can be baffled by the choices on offer. The workshop will look at how settings can promote a family friendly environment whilst creating an ethos for playing to learn and how involving parents has a positive impact on children’s development and learning. It will focus on successful strategies for engaging parents in every day practice; effective communication, the key person role, respecting diversity, evaluation and reflection all of which will improve your practice to achieve better outcomes for children and families, where parents know how to spot quality and settings know how to provide it.
Workshop 2
Developing the Key Person Approach
presented by Mary Lestrange
This workshop will share ideas of good quality practice in developing the role of the Key Person. It will look at the role of the Key Person, giving consideration to the theory that underpins the approach while defining terminology and reflecting on roles and responsibilities in practice. The Key Person workshop will reflect on why the Key Person relationship is a vital role in supporting children’s emotional well-being and the importance of working with parents.
Workshop 3
Principles for engaging with parents
presented by Christine Micallef, Early Years Quality Assurance team
This workshop will introduce the Principles for Engaging with Families booklet which has been produced by the National Quality Improvement Network. There will be opportunity to explore ways in which the principles can be put into practice to sustain engagement with parents in your setting.
Workshop 4
Supporting parents to influence quality provision
presented by Denise Hulme and Deborah Sutton
This workshop will help participants to understand the different values and traditions of families and what quality childcare means to them. It will explore the important role that practitioners play in supporting parents in choosing quality childcare and provide practical first steps to the creation of publicity materials to help parents to judge quality.
Workshop 5:
The Importance of Attachment.
presented by Janet Swanston
Attachment theory has had a great impact on how we view and support young children’s personal, social and emotional needs in early years. This workshop will provide an overview of attachment theory, attachment strategies and their association with different care-giving styles. It will also outline the learning outcomes for children in relation to their individual attachment patterns. During this session we will explore how settings can work with parents and carers to raise their awareness of attachment theory and collaborate as partners in supporting their child’s attachment needs. Links will also be made to the QAF
Workshop 6
Engaging Parents in their Children’s Learning
presented by John Powell, Head of Early Years and Childhood Studies, Manchester Metropolitan University
Engaging with parents about their children’s learning and how they might support it can be challenging but rewarding. The purpose of this workshop is to explore creative ways of engaging with parents. It is based on a series of ‘learning projects’ implemented in a range of communities representing a breadth of diversity, across Manchester. The aim of the projects was for Parents and Early Years workers to equally engage with their own social and cognitive learning arising from their developing insights into their children’s learning. The project also supported the development of close working relationships that included the development of trust as parenting responses to children’s early attempts to make sense of their world was shared. The workshop will explore the key lessons learnt for practice from the project and will encourage practitioners to consider entering into partnership with parents in Early Years settings so that they can play an active role in developing and sustaining innovative ideas with practitioners, parents and children learning together at the centre.
Workshop 7
The Playclub Project- bags offamily fun to develop speaking and listening skills
presented by Ruth Levy
Playclub is a very successful parental engagement project, being used in many settings across the country. The workshop will look at how Playclub 1 can be used to support the development of communication, language and literacy skills, whilst also communicating to the parents the value and potential of quality play. It will provide tips on introducing, managing and sustaining a Playclub Project. The Playclub Project empowers parents to engage positively, as partners, in their children's learning.
Workshop 8
Let’s get healthy with Henry (LGH Henry)
presented by Sharon Rawlinson – Sure Results Limited
HENRY (Health Exercise Nutrition for the Really Young) is a national programme developed to give early years practitioners the confidence and skills to work with parents and carers on sensitive issues relating to childhood over weight and obesity. The HENRY approach is underpinned by current evidence relating to obesity, parenting and lifestyle and adopts a strengths-based and solution-focused approach to behaviour change. The workshop will look at how the 8-week parents’ course (LGH HENRY) follows the HENRY approach, supporting parents and carers of children 0-4 years to develop the tools and skills they need to provide a healthy family lifestyle.
PAYMENT DETAILS:
Please print clearly and post, email or fax to Jean Davidson (contact details below).
Name: ……………………………. …………………………………………………………..
Setting/Institution: …………………………………………………………………………….
Address: ………………………………………………………………………………………..
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Email address: ……………………………………...... Tel no: ………………………
REGISTRATION FEE: the fee is £30(or £25 if you pay on or before 6th June). The fee can be paid by cheque, credit card (all except American Express and Diners Club) or debit card (switch/delta visa only) (please circle)
Amount paid: £………
Card Number:Security Code (last three digits on reverse of card):
Issue No: (Switch): ………………..
Valid from: ………………………Expiry Date: ……………………..
Cardholder’s Name: …………………………………………………………………………
Cardholder’s Signature: …………………………………………………………………….
Please make CHEQUES payable to ‘Manchester Metropolitan University’ and post to: Jean Davidson, Manchester Metropolitan University, Institute of Education, 799 Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, Manchester M20 2RR. (email: tel: 0161 247 2318; fax: 0161 247 6353)
Cancellations:
Cancellations must be received in writing by 10th June 2011. Cancellations after this date will be subject to payment in full.