Learner Record 1

Learner Record: Entry Number 1

PLACEMENT AND EXPERIENCE: Introduction to work placement plus details on previous work experience with children.

The place is a registered Childcare provider primarily run with Government funds.  Currently there are 100 children attending its services and employ 21 staff.  There are 2 employees through the CE Scheme and 2 TUS employees.  This Childcare provider run a Creche, Toddler Room, Junior Pre-school Room, 2 Pre-School rooms and a Montessori Room.  Also, it runs an Afterschool Club from 1:30 – to 5:30 which caters children from all local primary schools.  Children attending the Afterschool service have 1-hour supervised homework, assisted by the staff.  They also have a hot and home cooked dinner daily.  The Breakfast Club is open from 8:00 to 900 and is open to all school going children as well as children already attending the Childcare.

       I was brought by the Manager to the Pre-school room and was introduced to two staff.   The room holds 5 children, 4 girls and a boy ages 3 to 4.  Entering the room there are a lot of stuff on the wall, like certificate from Tusla, combined CCS and ECCE fees policy, ECCE letter to parents/guardian, reminders of Healthy Eating policy, staff support and supervision time table, lunch rota, First aid, emergency contact, persons in charge.  In the children room, there are 3 tables, and 8 chairs, on the wall you will see a colorful cut out colored paper with the shape of beehive and with the picture of every child and their birth date.  It is a colorful room, with a lot of toys, like dolls, fancy dress, clay, colored pencil, colored paper, scissors, etc.  All activities done by the children were posted on the wall and some were displayed on top of the press.  Sink area and bathroom are clean and accessible with complete toiletries.

            Since I have no experience in childcare, I talk to staff and ask what routine do they do.  One girl looking at me and I say hello to her and ask her name and gave my name at the same time shook hands.  Entering the room, I greeted them with a smile, “Hello good morning” waving my hands.  There are busy playing, one by one I shake hands with them. I sing a song to them, like “Hello, hello, hello, Hello how do you do, I’m glad to be with you and you and you and you.”  This will help the kids to be at ease to a stranger like me.   Another girl asks me, is your skin brown? She was curious, and I said yes, it is.  Another girl me ask too, why are you here?  And I reply with a smile, to do my assignment, because I am doing a course.

            I carry out my observations, on the middle side of the room the is a floor mat, a girl sitting in there playing with her doll.   She was wearing a pink long sleeve top and her hair is tied like a pony tail.  On her right hand was a girl doll and on the left hand was boy doll.  She plays alone until a boy join her with doll on his hand.  The boy using his right hand lifted the dress of girl’s doll while his left hand was holding a doll.  They were there sitting for 10 minutes and the boy left and join the other children.   Other children play toys like kitchen stuff, wearing superheroes clothes among others.  After that, the staff got a box of dough and give it to the girl, it’s their time to play with dough.  One kid asks me to help her open the box, and inside the box was a pink colored dough.  While playing, the staff play the music with a Christmas tune.  After 15 minutes the staff told the kids, that they are going to eat their snacks in 3 minutes. She played the music “It’s time to tidy up”, it was a nice and cheerful song.  I help tidying up and I sing along.  They individually went to the sink to wash their hands and the staff put a table place mat on the table.  These table place mats are laminated in A size bond paper with the art work of kids and their name in it.

Reflection

It was a good learning experience, the 2 staff were very good and very accommodating.  I greeted and smile to kids and sing children song I know.  This will help them to be comfortable to a stranger like me, since they only meet me for the first time.   They are all looking at me and I feel I need to do more to make them comfortable, so I sing more children song.  That really helps since one by one started to approach me and ask questions.

I learned that on her age she can focus on something with attention without distraction when she stays in one position or in one place for 15 minutes. I learned that her physical, emotional, language and social development was evident when she converses and interact with the boy with few words only and uses her imagination when she let her female and male doll embrace.

            I notice that the rights of each child are met and they were able to exercise choice and initiative for their own development and learning.