Introduce
Inclusion in the Early Years means to create an environment where all children, whatever their abilities, backgrounds, or needs are valued, supported, and can participate fully in learning and play. It means individual differences are recognised and that we work to accommodate these centering equity and belonging. Establishing an inclusive ethos in an early years setting requires us to ensure policies, practices and values are implemented and shared with all children and families in mind.
Watch: Dr Alison Gurney, Senior Educational Psychologist, Trafford Council who has some advice for conversations which will support successful partnerships with families:
Develop
Inclusive practice which helps all children feel valued can be supported by a holistic ethos which embraces the idea that all children have strengths and a focus on individual needs, rather than assumptions.
Inclusive practices include:
- Tasks which develop children’s motor, sensory, and communication skills
- Activities which promote emotional regulation, resilience, and self-expression
- Family-focused initiatives such as parenting workshops, training courses, and mental health support which consider the child in a holistic sense
The approach detailed in “Today Nursery, Tomorrow the World or the Moon!” brings together these qualities in Low Hill Nursery School, Wolverhampton.
Watch: Efrosyni Soumelidis Simms, Early Years Practitioner consider inclusion and her values: