Consistency, communication and collaboration in early years services

It is always a privilege to provide an editorial comment which acknowledges the significant contribution made by those who guide and inspire our youngest children and support their parents. This series of articles covers a range of topics, from the impact on parents and children of having to wait for a diagnosis and services for autism, to the importance of engaging with parents in effective strategies to prevent and tackle bullying as well as the positive impact of training for parents of youngsters at risk of developing conduct disorders. A number of themes arise, including the importance of consistency, communication and collaboration between parents, early years providers and other professionals working with children.

Young children learn and develop best and to their fullest potential when they experience consistent approaches, whether that relates to respecting boundaries, taking exercise or eating healthy meals and snacks. Achieving consistency between standards in the learning/caring environment and the child’s home can be a challenge and is promoted through effective collaboration and meaningful communication between early years providers and parents. It is easy for communication to get overlooked or be tokenistic at the time of drop-offs and busy handovers. To ensure information about both the individual child and the broader context—the policies, strategies and culture of the centre—is captured and communicated to parents, early years providers need to have effective systems in place. When parents are actively engaged in the development of policies and in collaborating with staff to create and promote the culture of the centre, this can have a positive impact on consistency and communication, which in turn builds trust.

Such collaboration is particularly important when dealing with challenging issues such as bullying behaviours among preschool children. Lansing Cameron and Kovac consider the perceptions of 141 parents and 81 preschool workers with respect to staff competence, collaboration and strategies for addressing bullying, in six centres in Norway catering for children three to six years old. They found considerable similarities, with both groups having generally positive views of both collaboration and consistency. However, when it came to strategies for addressing bullying, findings suggest that preschool responses were largely reactive and there was an absence of proactive anti-bullying strategies. The most effective strategies were those delivered in collaboration with parents. While research on bullying in this young age group is limited, there is growing evidence of incidences of bullying in early childhood centres, making this an area requiring further research and more proactive approaches.

Morpeth’s study of the effectiveness of the Incredible Years Preschool Parenting Programme, for parents with three and four year olds at risk of developing conduct disorders, supports the potential for wider implementation of the Incredible Years Programme. The goal of the 12-week parenting programme conducted in Birmingham, England was to increase positive parental communication and limit-setting skills as well as problem-solving abilities and anger management, in order to encourage children to develop social competence and reduce aggressive behaviours. Using a randomised control trial with parents of a group of ethnically diverse children in an inner-city setting, the findings reveal significant differences between the intervention and control groups. Intervention children showed reduced intensity of problems and improvements in peer and family relationships relative to the control children. Consistency between studies in Wales, the USA, Ireland and England suggests that the Incredible Years Programme can be effective in different cultural contexts.

Sisson considers the perceptions of 28 child-care providers, working in child-care centres in Oklahoma, about their role in promoting healthier behaviours among young children in respect of physical activity and nutrition. The potential positive impact on lifestyle of providers as role models is discussed in the context that more than 60% of children in the USA younger than six years of age spend time in day-care arrangements. Findings suggest that while children in day care tend to be physically active, this is not consciously promoted by staff; and while staff do encourage children to eat healthily, many do not see this as their specific role. Carers expressed frustration that parental expectations as to what children should eat in the centre are not followed consistently at home. Some carers acknowledged their own challenges with eating healthily, suggesting that greater focus and awareness could be beneficial for both children and carers.

Swedish studies of long-term sick leave due to psychological ill health identify preschool teachers as having the fourth highest risk factor after health-care services and some industrial workers. Sjodin and Neely compare the individual and work-related factors of teachers in four departments with high average levels of stress and in four departments with a low average level of stress. The results suggest that teachers with greater responsibilities, as well as those with their own children at home, experienced higher levels of stress. It is interesting that the direct contact with children was not identified as a stressor, but rather the planning elements of the role and the higher levels of communication generated by colleagues were factors for those reporting greater stress.

Wong, Keyes and McGraw report on parents’ perspectives of the process of receiving a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) for their child. Their study of 78 parents in Indianapolis, USA supports existing research that language/communication delay was the most frequently reported concern and that most parents’ first point of contact was with the child’s physician. The lengthy process of obtaining a diagnosis, averaging almost 2.5 years, left parents feeling dissatisfied and frustrated with the lack of communication and failure by professionals to agree a diagnosis. Many felt their concerns were ignored. Failure to make a diagnosis impacted on delays in children’s access to available treatment. Recommendations include the need for better training in ASD for general practitioners and better collaboration among diagnosticians as well as easier access by parents to reliable information about ASD. The potential for educational centres to be a vehicle for communicating information about ASD to parents is considered, and the important role of early educators in collaborating with parents and diagnosticians in early identification of symptoms is also discussed.

By comparison, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines in the United Kingdom (NICE, 2011) already acknowledge the importance of taking account of parental concerns and the need for accessible referral pathways, with effective coordination of input from multidisciplinary specialists. NICE also recommend a single point of contact for parents and the need for prompt and sensitive feedback to parents about the diagnostic process and outcome.

Finally, the two book reviews that complete this issue are complementary and both deal sensitively with communicating with the adopted child. A Place in My Heart by Mary Grossnickie explores the topic of adoption in an illustrated book for use with two to five year olds at home and in early years settings. This valuable tool for parents and educators deals with the complex questions that arise for very young children in a gentle and honest manner.

Forever Finger Prints: An Amazing Discovery for Adopted Children by Sherrie Eldridge continues the adoptive story for the four to nine years age group, a time at which children begin to develop a greater understanding of self and to be more inquisitive about their origins. This book encourages exploration of the child’s own birth story in a safe way using fingerprints to establish the unique identity of the child. It helps to build the “circle” of family to include birth parents even if they are no longer involved. Both books include age-appropriate tools and activities to support the ongoing conversation between the adoptive parent and child, and would be practical aids within early learning environments, helping to ensure communication and collaboration between providers and adoptive parents, so that the child receives consistent information and support.

This issue features studies in the United Kingdom, the USA and Scandinavia, demonstrating the international reach of the journal and the benefits of sharing experiences.