Little Stars Day care is a home from home setting based in the schoolhouse at Star Primary school. Little Stars aims to offer outstanding care and education to star school staff, newham school staff and the wider community. At Little Stars we believe young children live in the here and now. If adults are to make a real difference to children’s learning they need to seize the moments when children first show curiosity, and support their next steps immediately. We follow planning in the moment through identifying teachable moments. We assess and move children’s learning on in each moment.
The 7 areas of Learning:
We focus on the prime areas of learning: 0-3 years
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Personal Social Emotional Development (PSED)
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Communication and language (CL)
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Physical Development (P)
We incorporate and include the specific areas of learning when age appropriate and relevant to a child’s interests and learning.
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Literacy (L)
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Mathematics (M)
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Understanding of the world (UW)
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Expressive arts and design (EAD)
Characteristics of Effective Learning and Teaching: (COEL)
In planning and guiding children’s activities, we reflect on the different ways that children learn. The characteristics of effective learning and teaching and learning are:
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Playing and exploring – children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’;
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Active learning – children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements;
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Creating and thinking critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links, and develop strategies for doing things.
How we promote planning in the moment:
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We provide opportunities and environments that stimulate all children’s curiosity.
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We observe and listen closely to follow a child’s lead.
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We identify the item/place/person/idea that has sparked a child’s interest.
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We identify the teachable moment where we can extend children’s interests and thinking by asking open ended questions, such as, what/how/why.
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Some of the strategies we use to build upon a child’s interest include: drawing attention to the wider environment, engaging the child with additional resources, following up with stories/songs, setting challenges, promoting problem solving, recalling past events and engaging a child in play with their peers.
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We praise children and encourage them to persevere and keep on going.
How we promote teaching:
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We model language, show, explain, demonstrate, explore ideas, encourage, question to extend children’s thinking and we recall past events.
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We provide a narrative for what children are doing, facilitate and set challenges.
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Staff assess what children already know, understand and take account of children’s interests and dispositions to learn (COELT). Staff use this knowledge to plan next steps in learning and monitor progress.
Rights Respecting Day care
At Little Stars our curriculum is based on our central value to uphold children’s rights at all times. We aim to deliver this by our belief in these guiding principles:
Inclusion: We believe that every child must access a curriculum that enables them to succeed and grow to their full potential, whatever that may be.
Happy-centred and holistic: We focus on giving children key life skills in order to be resilient, cope with life’s challenges and solve problems independently as age appropriate.
Growth Mindset: We support children to expand their critical thinking skills to see beyond what is to what can be.
Topic Based: We use stimulating and relevant topics to develop children’s understanding of our local community and their knowledge of the world.
Success: We strive to prepare all children for lifelong effectiveness and success: for all children to feel triumphant in their achievements.
Aims:
Safe Environment
We will create and build an exciting, stimulating environment where children feel safe, secure and happy.
Children’s rights
We will celebrate each child’s individuality, their family make up and build upon them. All children will be represented within the day care through activities, resources, books and celebrations. Each child’s family will feel included, involved, valued, respected and listened to. All children will learn acceptance, consideration and respect for others in line with the British Values.
Learning
We will promote children’s learning through planning in the moment and an enabling environment. Staff will support children to exceed expectations through meaningful interactions, with a thorough understanding of each child’s individual learning needs. Interactions will be tailored to challenge and stretch children’s individual learning. Staff will be highly responsive to children’s communication needs, interests and next steps in learning.
Key persons will promote children’s well being, confidence and self-esteem by celebrating each child’s successes, resilience and willingness to give things a go. Children will be provided with lots of opportunities to practice and learn new skills through the daily routine, the environment and through their relationship with their key person.
Partnerships
Key persons will work with families to build relationships and promote successful partnerships. We will work in collaboration with families to have a shared understanding of each child’s individual needs. We will align home and nursery in each child’s learning to ensure consistency through Tapestry. Each week families will receive a detailed observation and information on how they can continue or extend their child’s learning at home. In addition, we will send out a weekly round up of photos to showcase children’s activities and experiences at Day care each week.
We will work with families to promote positive behaviour, potty training and learning opportunities. We will listen to and value all families’ contributions and encourage families to share their expertise in the day care.
Additional Support
We will complete Early Years support plans for children who require additional support in their learning. We will make referrals with parental consent to: area SEND team, little talkers (speech therapy group sessions), behaviour support, health visitors, dentists and many more professionals.
Vision
To provide a stimulating and motivating learning environment in a home from home setting.
To prepare children to be successful learners, confident individuals and to make good decisions as educated citizens.
To help each child be ready for their future learning and to be prepared for their transition to nursery school.
We will support all families to access the support, expertise and services needed to meet their child’s specific learning, health and medical needs
