COVID_19: A MESSAGE FROM PEN GREEN IN CORBY ENGLAND

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We have continued to open the Centre every day and offered a reduced service to families following government guidance.  Staff have worked on a rota basis and if not in work have worked from home.    Staff have worked tirelessly to support children and families in the best way possible.

What have we done differently?:

•          Setting up the Pen Green Pantry and Kingswood Kitchen to support families who are struggling financially, this allows us to receive food donations and enables staff to distribute food parcels to families in need.

•          Taking food parcels to families homes.

•          Dropping off resource packs, games and books to children’s homes for families to do together.

•          Keeping in contact with children and families through Skype calling and facetime.  For some families (dad’s) this has improved communication.

•          Some parents have asked for a daily phone call, staff are offering emotional support as well as practical ideas for families to do during lockdown.

•          Our on-line platform for sharing children’s learning has been used more frequently by families, sharing video, photographs, observations, learning stories.

•          Staff regularly post ideas and challenges on tapestry (online journal) for families to engage in.

•          We have offered virtual groups for children with special educational needs, this has been supported by centre staff and a music therapist.

•          We have set up regular virtual check-ins for staff to allow them to keep connected with one another.

•          This has been a very challenging time for everyone and we have had to try to find different ways of working that keeps everyone safe.

•          We have continued to offer staff monthly supervision sessions (1:1) with their supervisor this has been done virtually.

•          We have used social media including Facebook and our website to post ideas, staff telling stories, children’s yoga, baking sessions etc. for families to do with their young children at home.

•          We have posted lots of information about safeguarding online to remind parents how to keep their children safe including information about online safety.

•          Our government have continued to pay the Early Years funding for our 2, 3 and 4 year olds, however a real challenge has been the additional income that we generate through selling hours to families.  The lockdown has meant a loss of £19k per month during this time.

Angela Prodger & Tracy Gallagher

Joint Heads of Centre

Our vision is to inspire, challenge and innovate to improve outcomes for all children but specifically the most vulnerable children and their families.

We provide training courses, leadership and research opportunities and bespoke school to school support in all aspects of early years work.

History

The Pen Green Centre was set up as part of a substantive under-fives initiative and is housed in a 1930s former comprehensive school. At the Centre we offer high quality education and care for children and their families. We also offer information and support services for parents through home visiting, group work, health interventions, adult education and training as well as the professional development, training and dissemination of good practice though the Research, Development and Training Base, and the Teaching School. The principle functions of the Centre have remained constant over the last 37 years although we have significantly developed the accommodation. We have maintained our principles of operation; withstood radical changes in local and national government; responded creatively to new legislation and to major demographic changes, and influenced national government policy in early years.

“In every small community there should be a service for children and their families. This service should honour the needs of young children and celebrate their existence.  It should also support families, however they are constituted within the community”

COVID_19 SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: A MESSAGE FROM CATHERINE LEE

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"There are aways many times when we reflect on our philosophy and pedagogy and right now is one of those times.  This global pandemic has seen many of our children staying at home; many of our families working from home; many families becoming unemployed and some of our children continuing to play and learn at preschool each day.  

 This has been a provocation for me and my Educational Team to reflect on kindness, gratitude, connection, and staying true to our philosophy.  We have opened our hearts even more to our children and families to support them during this very challenging time.  And as we have found more ways to celebrate gratitude, we too have found more joy in teaching and sharing our lives with our children and families.  

 One of our acts of kindness was inspired by how the pandemic was impacting and restricting our children's and families' freedom to enjoy their neighbourhood.  In NSW, Australia, public playgrounds are closed and families are only allowed to move around their neighborhood to exercise. I became very aware that during the 2 weeks school holidays our gorgeous nature-filled outdoor learning environment would be empty of children.  So with careful planning, I invited 2 families a day to play and exercise in our playground.  This supported their connection to the preschool and provided our children and their families to have a morning or afternoon outside their homes, knowing they were safe and not breaking any rules. Our families have told us that this very simple act of kindness meant so much to them.

   

Although now my days are filled with more policy writing and implementing new procedures to ensure the safety of my team, children and their families, I am so privileged to be able to continue to teach each day.   This brings me great joy, especially during this time.  

Loris Malaguzzi's words are always in my heart - "Nothing without joy". 

Catherine Lee

Director/Nominated Supervisor and Early Childhood Teacher  

The Point Preschool

Oyster Bay, Sydney

Australia

Our vision is to continue the dream of the Oyster Bay parents who originally built the preschool to create a preschool that nurtures and values children and brings families and communities together. Proudly providing high quality, not-for-profit, community-based early childhood education since 1956.

We acknowledge the original custodians of this land, the Dharawal people and their language and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the community.

You Will Go To the Party!!!

I was recently reminded of a learning story written a few years ago now about Molly after talking to her mum Raechel.  Molly is now 7 and at school.  Raechel was telling me that Molly still talks about her time at St Peters Childcare and especially about our trip to the material shop.

It all started with Molly’s love of the butterfly wings within the dress-ups.  The butterfly wings were the favourites of many children and we never seemed to have enough.  So we decided to make some more, with our own design. Molly and I walked down to the material shop to buy some material, cotton and elastic so we could start designing and making butterfly wings. 

When we were in the material shop there was a young lady, Kimberly,  30ish, inquiring about the best way to make a Red Riding Hood custom without having to sew anything up.  You see she was going to a fancy dress party as Red Riding Hood and needed a red cape but could not sew.  Standing waiting to be served it was very hard not to over hear the conversation about the need for a cape.

After a quick discussion with Molly we thought we maybe we were able to help.  “Excuse me”, I said, “we could make a cape for you, if you trust us with your material.”  I explained where we were from and told her that we would love to make the cape so she could go to the party.  It was agreed.  Kimberly gave us her material and cotton we gave Kimberly our phone number and address and told her she could collect the cape the next day.

Upon our return to daycare we got out the sewing machine and Molly and I made a plan for the cape.  Together we sewed the cape up before we started on the butterfly wings.  Molly was so pleased to have completed both the cape and the wings.  With the wings sewn it was time to decorate with their own unique patterns.  The butterfly wings were cherished by Molly who often took them home.

Before Kimberly came to pick up her cape the following day we had discussed about what other things  we have at daycare that Kimberly could use to be Red Riding Hood.  It was decided that we could lend her a basket because Red Riding Hood definitely needed a basket when out and about.

So the Red Riding Hood cape was loving placed into a basket and left for Kimberly to collect the next day.  Kimberley loved her cape and basket.  She was so pleased that we had helped her in her time of need.  Kind of like the mice helping Cinderella go to the ball, “You shall go to the ball Cinderella” only wrong fairy story.

Now Molly several years later still talks about the butterfly wings she made and how we went to the shop, met a stranger, did a random act of kindness and made a friend.

Kindness gives birth to kindness gives birth to kindness gives birth to.........

Below is a story written by Lynn (St Peters Childcare). This story is a great example of how one act of kindness can lead to another act of kindness and another act of kindness and...

"Several months ago I was having a conversation with a mother, Nicole, who was lamenting that they had little food this week because she made the choice to get the dog out of the pound rather than get groceries.  Clara-Ann her daughter loves the dog.  More amazingly the dog was not really her dog but a dog adopted from a friend, but still I reiterate Clara-Ann loves the dog. How could you not resist.

So the dog, name unknown, was set free.  That evening when Nicole came to get Clara-Ann we had a meal waiting for her to take home.  “For you from the dog”, I told her.  I think that the dog and Clara-Ann appreciated the sacrifice Nicole made.

There have been many times when the teachers here at St Peters have been able to go to the freezer and take out a pre-cooked meal to give to someone at the end of the day.  Someone who may have saved the dog, had a car accident, we have had a couple of those, have other children home sick, been sick themselves the list goes on and on.  We make the most of every opportunity we get to give a meal when needed to alleviate some of the pressure of our parent’s busy lives.

The teachers’ refill our freezer with the only incentive being that we each know how much it can truly brighten someone’s day when they realise how much someone else genuinely cares about them and their family. 

In Nicole’s case, and many others, it did not take long before kindness was birthed out of kindness.  Although we have no expectation that the kindness would be returned it often is. For instance, we had put in our newsletter that Kerry was taking charge of the library for children and parents; Nicole heard of a huge book sale happening downtown and sought Kerry out with a box of children’s book for the centre to have, which were lovingly accepted and very much appreciated.

Kindness truly does give birth to kindness."