Equity in early childhood education is enabled by educators who recognise that “… all children have the right to participate in inclusive early childhood settings, regardless of their circumstances, strengths, gender, capabilities or diverse ways of doing and being.” (Early Years Learning Framework V2.0)
In practice, teaching teams need to remove any barriers that might prevent children from fully accessing and participating in quality early years programs. It’s important to start by observing children, gathering rich evidence of their learning and recognising their individual needs.
ECMS Practice Coach Rosemary Monagle gives an example of this recognition at work:
“A child was taking all the pieces out of puzzles and leaving them. He may not have known yet how to put them back.”
Using the teaching strategy of modelling, Rosemary said, “I showed him how to put in one piece to start with. Then I put in the rest and named them just to support his continued exploration. Hopefully next time he can put in one piece and then next time, possibly two pieces. It means meeting children where they are, assessing what they know now and what they’re ready to learn next, with or without my support.”
It’s important to facilitate children leading their own learning, but the challenge for educators is to recognise when children need support to take the next step. This might mean scaffolded learning: recognising that in this moment, it’s ok not to finish an experience, or role modelling: actually doing something with children or for them to support their learning.
ECMS Head of Pedagogy Emma Forsyth relates this directly to the principles of the Early Years Learning Framework, which tells us that children don’t all need to be at a defined place in their learning:
“Differentiation means we take a different approach depending on what’s needed, in the context of place. What do children know, and what are they ready to learn next?”
Recognising this and adapting our approach is critical inclusion at work.
“We understand Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development - the difference between what a learner can do without help and what they can do with support and encouragement from a teacher or educator. These essential teacher judgements mean that the varied trajectories children are on can be nurtured no matter the circumstances.”
It's a vital quality in early childhood educators to recognise where children are. It means seeing past the obvious. ECMS Practice Coach (Social Work) Jemima Christie relates an example of a child in a three-year-old setting who wasn’t connecting with the experiences at kindergarten because they weren’t developmentally appropriate for him at that moment in time.
“Developmentally, this child was sitting at about 18 months. So the teaching team explored experiences that focused on cause and effect. It was about providing varied opportunities rather than the expectation that a child just needs to adapt to the environment.”
It can be a big journey for families. Rosemary says, “some families are not at that stage of accepting that their child may need additional support. We try to get there in the end and help them in ways that meet them where they are.”
Jemima notes that for some children, this is the first time they have had connection outside the family. Just as educators work in small steps with a child’s learning, so it is with family’s acceptance:
“I think that sometimes it's just about planting the seed. Even if you get to the end of the year and the family still aren't quite there, you’ve had the conversation so that maybe next year they're open to what different supports may look like”
Collaborative relationships with families and caregivers, other educators and Maternal Child Health professionals facilitate the sharing of information. In relationship, the more a teaching team knows about a child’s development, the better they can plan for welcoming the whole family.
Emma describes how differentiated learning enables all children:
“We're not only talking about children with a diagnosis, or children who have experienced trauma. We're talking about every single child who may need something a little different to enter into learning.”
Research tells us that the earlier the intervention occurs in terms of a child's age, the better the lifelong outcome.
Rosemary tells a story of a six-month-old child who was non-verbal and needed support. Rosemary began an incremental process of interactive games and through building a nurturing relationship, the child initiated contact with her. Sometimes it’s small tweaks to your curriculum and other times it’s large-scale modifications, but there’s always joy to be had in the moments of discovery.