'Birth to Three: supporting our youngest children' was launched by the Scottish Executive on 18 January and has been distributed to early years settings and organisations across the country.
Alice Sharp, owner of training organisation Experiential Play, praised the document for its language and structure. She said, 'I love the terminology and the way it is based on the three key features of effective practice - Relationships, Responsive Care and Respect. I also really like the guide for parents. It clearly shows parents the benefits of having a document of this nature for the birth-to-three age group.'
Mairi Maciver-Clark, a director for the Scottish Independent Nurseries Association, also praised the supporting leaflet for parents. She said, 'I think it is a really good tool for parents, because there is a mystery surrounding what practitioners do. I see this as a really good starting point to educate parents about the tremendous neurological development that children experience from birth upwards.
'The parents' guide outlines the importance of the early years experience in terms of intellectual and spiritual growth. I was sad there wasn't a little more on the growth of children's spirit in the early years, but that is not to belittle the document at all.'
Ms Maciver-Clark added, 'I have spoken to many SINA members and we thought that the points of reflection were good but could have been expanded upon.
We also felt some of the illustrations could have been improved. But overall I think the new guidance is a wonderful starting point for carers of the under-threes.'
Carolyn Martin, early years officer for Edinburgh education department, said the key to the success of the guidance would lie in the way it is adopted by local authorities. She said, 'The document sets out the fundamental messages very clearly. We must now find a way of using it as a tool to inform people about good practice and encourage them to be the reflective practitioners that the guidance is encouraging.
'The danger is that the new guidance will be seen as an interesting piece of writing but won't be successfully used on a continuing basis to inform practice. We need to prevent this happening. Edinburgh Education Department will be discussing the guidance with early years groups across the city to decide how to roll it out successfully.'
* See feature, page 24
