As well as working at My Child, I also work 3 days a week in a fabulous centre in the ‘Under twos’ area (also known as a Nursery). Part of my job involves settling children when it is time for Mum or Dad to leave. There can be tears and even tantrums during this time, as children deal with the emotions of having to say goodbye. Fortunately we have a fantastic settling system that generally means the tears don’t last for long or even at all.
I thought it might be nice to share with parents and other teachers/caregivers out there how with some simple steps, you can help settle stressed or upset toddlers into their day with ease, giving parents piece of mind as they say goodbye.
First we encourage parents to start settling their child at least 1-2 weeks prior to their actual enrolment date. We then ask that they stay for an hour during these pre-visits while their child gets to know the environment, staff and other children. The child’s primary caregiver is given time “off the floor” (not included in ratio) to spend time with the child and their parent, getting to know the routines, interests and special requirements.
After several of these visits and after we feel the child is ready to be left we suggest they have a 30 minute to 1 hour stay by themselves. If the child is too unsettled then we will ring the parent to come back early. After at least two of these short stays we be
gin to slowly build the time up to two hours and eventually to a full session. We assure parents before they leave that they can call at anytime and that we will call if the crying persists. We also ask that they make their goodbye short and sweet and that they let their child know that they will always come back, we find lingering can prolong the tears.
During the settling process, we work as a team to ensure that the primary caregiver is able to spend as much times as possible with the child. As we wave goodbye we look to see if the child is feeling o.k, if they aren’t we ensure there are cuddles and a good distraction. This could be a certain toy, a book or going for a walk. If this doesn’t help we sit on the floor with the child on our knee and calmly sooth them with soft words, singing or looking at the resources around us. As the child begins to settle, we place them in between our legs with their bottom on the floor and some toys so they can still feel our embrace but still allowing them to develop independence. The next step we try is moving our body alongside the child so they are almost completely independent. We then finally try to move right away but remain in their view, if we need to leave the room we will tell the child exactly what we are doing and that we will be back very soon. Sometimes we find the child only needs this once to feel secure within the environment before they head off to explore.
If the child does not settle after a several weeks and we feel that they may not be ready to spend long periods of time away from mum or dad we communicate with the parents to work out a plan which best fits the needs of the child.
We are proud of our settling system and work hard to ensure that our little ones feel safe, happy and secure.
If you have some special techniques that you think work and would like to share with others please leave a comment below.
Amy
February 26, 2012 at 10:42 pm
March 28, 2012 at 9:43 am
The staff though are fantastic, and when I walk away, I leave feeling confident that my daughter is going to have a great day. I think Early Childhood Educators should feel proud of the fantastic job they do. 
