We all want the best for our little ones and here is one parent’s perspective on Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and why it is so crucial to development.
Those first few years are so important for growth and development. I went into full-on learning mode when my son was born and hit upon the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
It is the English framework that establishes standards for early childhood education and care from birth to age 5.
This article is my opinion, and I will focus on the main ingredients of EYFS and share everything that I have learned as I went along.
What does the EYFS mean exactly?
Effectively, it is a uniform way of working throughout early years settings such as nurseries, child-minders, pre-school and reception class. This means no matter where your child ends up, you can trust that the care and education is of a certain standard.
There are 7 areas of learning and development that the EYFS direct their attention to. It provides a framework for the sorts of activities and experiences children should engage in. There are 3 prime areas:
- Communication and language. Listening, Understanding and Speaking are included in this.
- Physical development. For instance: the ability to transfer, mobility skills (i.e. moving around), gross and fine motor abilities so that they can eat or use a computer at an appropriate rate based on their age group;
- Personal Social Emotional Development. Important things like confidence, emotional control and relationships.
Then there are 4 specific areas:
- Literacy such as reading and writing.
- Mathematics including numbers, counting and shapes.
- Understanding the world. In addition: learning about lives, worlds and people.
- Expressive arts and design. Material, music, dance, artwork etc.
See how comprehensive it is? Our little ones are picking up so many vital skills and foster a love of learning with activities that suit their stage.
This Includes Tracking Progress At Key Times
So, as a parent, you will be thinking- how will I come to know that my child is developing properly or not? No need to worry!
At various points in the EYFS, there are statutory assessments built into this.
The Health and Development Review at approximately Age 2 to 2-and-a-half years is one of them. This overview highlights the early progress in each of the 3 prime areas. Your child’s health visitor/practitioner will fill this in with information and share it with you. I found it really useful to speak about my son’s strengths and possible problems.
And then the EYFS Profile in the summer term of your child’s reception year. This document gives you an overview of how your child has developed and if they are ready to move on into Year 1. When you get it back, you can go over it with the class teacher AGAIN. It was wonderful to see just how much my son had achieved!
Just to note that these are not standardised tests. They just offer a snapshot of your child’s strengths and possible areas where some additional help might be beneficial. What makes the assessments interesting is that you are being involved in it every step of the way.
Safety and Well Being
Safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare is just as important to the EYFS as education. I love that we have solid policies and procedures in place. The licensing requirements have to meet providers on fairly strict rules about:
- Health: This involves mostly stopping illnesses, by this I mean infectious diseases and so on, medical care itself as well as nutrition. Thank goodness, as a mother all his needs were met.
- Safety: To be able to provide a safe and welcoming environment for babies. It will give us some assurance to know they are being watched and taken care of.
- Well-being: Well cared for, with safeguards to prevent harm or neglect I felt so relieved knowing my child was somewhere he would be safe with solid assisting learning.
My son’s preschool is a shining example of all these things. We actually saw real eminence in children’s care, and as parents we were really able to see that the welfare of kids mattered.
Developing a Parent Partnership
The EYFS reminds us that it is we, who are the child’s first and most influential educators. We need settings that help us and point our way at home.
His preschool did all sorts of things to include me: they spoke at pick-up time every day, held regular parent/caregiver meetings about how he was doing and what I could do with him. We were on his team: the same routine in every location was good (for him, consistency and structure = flourishing).
I mean I always knew what he was working on. My input was truly valued. With the parent partnership, I was all in and his learning exploded.
Tailored to the Unique Needs of Each Child
One of the things I love about Early Years Foundation Stage is that it really does understand and think inclusively. These standards should be applied universally for all children in any setting. All children deserve quality care and education, such as:
- Disadvantaged Backgrounds
- For a child with learning difficulties or disabilities
- Children who are EAL (English as an additional language)
- People with medical conditions or higher needs
The EYFS is so holistic in its approach that each child is an individual, with their sets of strengths and support needs. What a sweet treat for our spirits!
My son bloomed those first few years and it was beautiful to watch. That built on the EYFS being there at base level ensured that he was getting all of the extra parts to ensure a successful future.
This awesome framework can be easily filled with hundreds or thousands of things to say. And I hope this gives you a better idea of why it is so meaningful to parents like us.
Hope this helps!
Thank you to Tamsin Lovell for her honest overview of Early Years Foundation Stage.
Early Years Level 3 Course
The Early Years Level 3 course will provide you with a great introduction to the Early Years setting. You might currently be working as a childminder or in a nursery setting and may want to progress onto a more experienced job role.
The course will cover a child’s development along with factors that could affect this. You will cover communication which can sometimes be a challenge but you will learn how to do this effectively with each individual children.
The latest government guidelines will be covered which will provide you with the knowledge and understanding to provide high-quality child care. You will also gain a full understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage whilst achieving a Level 3 Certificate awarded by TQUK.
