The New Year heralds the next phase in bringing the Birth to Three Matters framework to life. The under-threes framework to support children in their earliest years was launched in November 2002 and distributed to all registered childminders, day nurseries and Early Years Development and Childcare partnerships in England. This January and February, training is being rolled out for representatives from EYDCPs. This training will be a pivotal step as those attending are due to cascade the information on to practitioners who directly work with babies and young children.
For those who have been working in the early years sector for some time, the framework is a welcome step forward, bringing recognition and status to working with the very young child. Rosemary Gibbins, early years development officer for Sefton Early Years and Childcare service, is one of those who is pleased to see its arrival. She explains, 'Working with babies and toddlers is a demanding role requiring the skills of perceptiveness and responsiveness. The spotlight is widening now on to the under-threes and this is extremely positive for the early years sector. In Sefton, we have put together a pilot programme to support the introduction of the framework. The development team have been visiting settings and encouraging practitioners to build a portfolio of good practice so that they can evidence their work to parents and OFSTED inspectors.'
For Pat Everett, regional manager of Bright Horizons Family Solutions nursery chain, the Birth to Three Matters framework is an exciting development. 'For years, the profile of those working with the under-threes has been low. Training has often been focused on the Foundation Stage and while this has been excellent, it was time to look at the needs of babies and toddlers. This framework is important because it emphasises the holistic nature of working with babies. It sends out a signal that working with the under-threes is not simply about meeting their physical needs. It emphasises the importance of recognising that their development is fast and critical in these early years.'
Pat also sees how the framework might help practitioners with their planning. 'This framework should eventually provide a good way of planning to meet babies' and toddlers' needs and build practitioners' confidence in providing developmentally appropriate activities. There was a danger before that the absence of a framework made evaluation and evidencing work with babies difficult. This in part was probably the cause of some inappropriate activities as the fear of not having evidence led people to feel that something had to be produced or shown.'
As well as raising the status of those working with babies and toddlers, the framework also focuses on looking at the achievements of young children. This is one of the aspects that has pleased Tarina Bowring, network co-ordinator at Hull Childminding Network. She explains, 'Birth to Three Matters raises awareness of how much young children can do and how capable they are. We are delighted that the framework has been distributed to registered childminders and we will be providing support and training.
'For many children, childminders are a huge part of their lives. As parental involvement is an essential part of our work, it is good to have a framework that we can share with parents which looks not just at what a child has done, but the development progress that has been made.'
