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How we build relationships
At BestStart Palmerston North building a strong relationship and trust with children is emphasised as being super important but what does this look like in an early childhood service and why is this important?
Our specialist teachers work hard to get to know your child, what really makes them tick, including what they like and don’t like, this gives your child the message that they are important. As a result, they start to trust the teacher and their relationship develops. Why is this important? Simply, children struggle to learn if they feel uncertain or unhappy in an environment.
From here our teachers can strengthen your child’s social competence through intentional teaching, meaning that they purposely think about what different strategies that they will use during an interaction with your child based on what they know about them and how they think. For example:
- We give your child specific feedback about their positive interactions with other children e.g. “Wow Bianca, Sam really looked happy when you shared the bike with him. That’s very kind”
- Our specialist teachers also identify and name how your child might be feeling such as, “That’s a bit tricky, I can see you’re feeling a bit frustrated. Can I help you?”
- We also help children to understand how they are feeling. For example, “I can see you are feeling angry. Sometimes when you’re angry, your chest gets really tight or you get a yucky feeling in your tummy. Let’s calm your body by having a drink or we could sit together and have a cuddle.”
This emphasis on strong relationships is reflected in our current teacher led and innovative research project where we have partnered with Massey University to explore the world of Social and Emotional Competence. We believe this will lead us to discovering and increasing the learning for our teachers and support your child’s health and well-being.