Nursery World Awards 2022 - Working with Parents

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Childbase@Home, a password-protected website available exclusively to parents, was launched in January 2021 to enhance existing ‘out of hours’ support and resources available on the website and address the range of issues arising from the Covid-19 lockdowns, such as with children’s communicationand language, physical, social and emotional development.

Weekly newsletters and updates on children’s activities, parent conferences, daily feedback, and general support for all nurseries can also be accessed via the service.

Childbase@Home details the nursery approach and bespoke Childbase Partnership curriculum, and gives parents access to resources at a time that is convenient to them. In addition, there are webinars on evenings and weekends with an external specialist teacher and educational therapist to provide training and strategies on, for example, speech and language development, understanding and managing behaviour, or Autistic Spectrum Disorder. First aid trainers also provide dedicated sessions for both parents and nursery practitioners.

In the vacuum created by a lack of external specialist help and advice, and clear evidence of the pandemic’s impact on child development, all courses are fully booked each month, with nearly 1,500 parents having accessed the webinars and workshops so far.

Childbase@Home’s Parent Library offersa full range of bespoke books relating to milestone events like the introduction of a new sibling, bereavement, separationor divorce and moving house, as well as behaviour related to toilet training, biting, fussy eating, and sleep routines.

The illustrated stories, which can be viewed and downloaded online, or in print form if preferred, are designed to be shared with children and have a ‘parent guidance’ section at the end.

The range also includes two series. ‘Ready, Steady Grow’ details school preparation and readiness, while the ‘Talking About’ books cover topics including ethnic discrimination, gender, families and relationships, disability and special needs, and children’s emotions, well-being and mental health. The latter series helps explain the Childbase approach to helping children appreciate and respect the differences they find in others, together with accurate, age-appropriate answers to questions they may ask their parents.

In addition to the webinars and full range of bespoke books, Childbase has invested in Persona Dolls, and provides training to help every nursery use them to support parents and their children through major life events.

Childbase@Home is evidence of the company’s commitment to go ‘above and beyond’ in meeting the needs of the children in its care and ensuring they not only thrive but reach their full potential.

At a time when many early years providers were forced to retrench, Childbase Partnership increased investment in support services for its nursery families to address issues arising from the pandemic and close the resulting gap in development and learning.

Proactive, flexible, and highly responsive to individual need, Chidlbase@Home has provided a means of further strengthening parent partnerships and tailoring support to individual families.

FINALISTS

Banana Moon Day Nursery Bromley

Traquinas Childcare, Thetford

CRITERION

Open to settings, services or projects that support parents, enhance their understanding of their children’s learning and development, or improve children’s outcomes through involvement and co-operation with families.