Issues Relating to Collaborative Working Within a Childcare Setting

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Introduction

Childcare has increasingly grown popular in many countries across the world. United Kingdom in particular, has developed mechanisms that would ensure that it has a system that would support children from very tender age. Nussbaum (2002, p. 28) says that for a long period, the position held by children in the society has been regarded as a concern for individual families.

Although families have cherished their children, the society has not been able to look at the issue of childcare as a responsibility of the entire fraternity of the community. Childcare centers offer a forum where different parents come together, in collaboration with teachers and other professionals, to take care of children in a community setting.

Inasmuch as many families protect and care for their children at family level, there are families that have shown lack of concern to their children. Morrison (2008, p. 45) notes that parents who are drunkards, drug addicts or are just social misfits have abused their children in various ways according to the report by UK Department of Education 2004 (Morrison 2008, p. 64).

This has seen many children go without the basic needs of food shelter and clothing, not to mention education. This happens, not because the parent is not in a position to provide for this, but because in one way or the other, the parent is irresponsible (Darder & Rodolfo 2003, p. 39). The need to form a communal approach towards handling children has developed.

In United Kingdom, many Childcare institutions are developed to help in caring for children on various bases. There are orphanages for the orphaned and childcare institution where families drop their children in the morning and pick them in the evening.

This essay is based on the latter. The author seeks to investigate issues relating to collaborative working within a childcare setting. The research seeks to investigate ways through which a child moving from one institution to another can be helped to ensure a smooth transition.

It seeks to investigate the role of teaching assistant, and the collaborative role of the parent, the teacher, and other responsible stakeholders in enhancing the general welfare of the child.

Planning and Preparation

Nardi (2001, p. 24) stated that failing to plan is planning to fail. Every successful activity must be carefully planned for success to be achieved. In a childcare institution, the management needs to plan for the various activities in order to have smooth running of such institution.

The planning and preparation stage should entail how children would be taken care of when they are within the facilities, clearly outlining individuals who will be performing different activities at various stages. The institution would need to assign teachers and other staff different duties as far as the management of these children is concerned.

Panning is very important because through it an individual or organization is able to focus ahead on what needs to be achieved within a specified period. In any given childcare institution, there should be a proper blue print on how various activities would be carried out and the specific individuals who would be carrying them out.

In this regard, there should be a clear definition of duty at hand. Morrison (2008, p. 35) asserts that no one can claim to perform a duty he or she does not properly understand. It is through planning that an individual would comprehend the magnitude of task ahead of him or her.

The planning process should incorporate all the stakeholders within the childcare facility. According to Hurst (2007, p. 36), planning is a very important stage that requires effort of every stakeholder in an organization.

This idea is supported by Hurst (2007, p. 36), who says that when the junior employees are incorporated in the process of planning, they would be motivated as they would feel their contributions are appreciated by the management.

As this is a collaborative work that involves teachers, parents and other professional individuals within a childcare set up, all of them should have specific duties clearly drawn in the original plan. The parents have a role to play. Besides bringing the child to the center, the parent should meet the financial obligations that may be necessary to ensure smooth running of the institution.

The parent should also be in close touch with the teacher and share information about the child. Other professionals concerned in this process should also have their duties clearly defined. According to Bush (2003, p. 48) collaboration requires that all individuals concerned appreciates their respective duties and shows commitment towards performing such duties.

The administration should lay a plan on how all the concerned parties are going to relate to one another in the quest to achieving collective goal of ensuring the well being of the child. As Hurst (2007, p. 36) observes, this would make the follow-up process much easier.

The parents are very important part of this collaboration because of their financial and moral support to the institution. There should be a clear communication between the childcare unit and the parents. The parents should be involved in the activities of the childcare center and the management should always respect their wish.

Bottery (2001, p. 43) notes that in the plan, there should be a statement defining how the institution will relate to the national, state and local government. According the Children’s Act 2004 of the constitution, the role of childcare units within United Kingdom is clearly defined (Morrison 2008, p. 28).

There are specific expectations that must be met by such institutions for them to be considered to be working within the set standards. The management should therefore lay the program down and set the standards to be met by every stakeholder that would ensure that the institution performs to the expectation of all the concerned parties.

As Cogan and Webb (2002, p. 56) notes, care should be taken to ensure that every individual takes the responsibility meant for him or her, without pushing this duty to another individual. Parent should know what they are expected to do and avoid pushing this duty to teachers.

Teachers on the other hand should not be too assuming as to believe that some duties are automatically performed by the parents. There should be a close communication between the individuals to ensure that they both perform their duties as is expected of them.

Lastly, every childcare institution should appreciate the fact that due to mobility of parents caused by career reasons or otherwise, there would be frequent need to ensure that children who move into the unit, and out of it does so without any adverse effect.

There should be mechanisms that would facilitate a smooth transition of children out of the institution without a strong sense of nostalgia (Austin 2007, p. 51). To the children coming from other institutions, plans are needed to eliminate any melancholic moods that may come out of the memory of the previous institution.

The management should ensure that such children are enough moral support that would help them adapt to the new environment. This would help the child feel more relaxed hence find it easy to adapt to the new set up.

Child Development and Supporting Transition

As stated above, issues relating to job would see parents move from one state to another or from one locality to another, forcing them to move their children from one school to another. Reynolds (2011, p. 19) observes that young children socializes very fast.

He states that this is the stage in life where socialization comes automatically, once two young individuals meet. They would be driven into socializing by the need to play. Save for the few who are extra ordinarily shy, children would take little time to socialize. However, this scholar observes that these children can also develop attachments.

He notes that once they adapt to a given community, they will be affected by any movement from it, just like an adult would. This effect is what should either be minimized or eliminated if possible.

For this to be done with success, Kohl (2000, p. 97) suggests that there should be a corporation between the teaching assistant, the parents and the management of childcare institutions. The discussion below gives a comprehensive analysis of the role of the three named people (teaching assistant, parent, and management).

Teaching Assistant’s Role

The person with the greatest responsibility in the entire system of childcare is the teaching assistant. Gardner (2006, p. 31) noted that at every point in a child’s development there would either be two parents or two categories of parent. The two parent would be the father and mother.

Some children may lack either of the two or both due to death, divorce or any other reason. The two categories of parent are the biological parent (if they are alive) or guardians, and the teacher.

In case the child lives in an orphanage, then a parental figure (a priest, sponsor, a relative) would develop, besides the teacher who in this case would be the immediate parent. A teacher features most in the development of a child from the above philosophy. A teaching assistant role defines the operational activities of the entire institution.

A teacher as a parent

One of the most important roles of a teaching assistant is his or her role as a secondary parent to the child. Children who came to these institutions are always of tender age.

Given the opportunity, they would like to stay with their parents for they still need the care. However, because of commitments of the parent, and the need for them to start learning, these children find themselves in childcare centers.

As a teacher, there is need to appreciate the fact that these children need parental care (Gardner 2006, p. 12). The teaching assistant should make a deliberate attempt to ensure that he or she has a comprehensive knowledge of each individual child.

This involves understanding strength and weaknesses of a given child. With this knowledge, teaching assistant can then device mechanisms, custom made for every child, to ensure that the child feels free within the childcare center. To a new child who has just come to the institution, the teaching assistant should make efforts to ensure that they feel welcome (Lindon 2006, p. 43).

They should be made to feel part of this new family as soon as would be possible. They teaching assistant should be kind to such new students and encourage other students to be friendly to the child too.

In case a child is to leave the unit for another, the teaching assistant should make them feel that the place they are going to is as good as the place they are leaving (Austin 2007, p. 67). Any fear that such a child may be having about new institution should also be addressed before the departure of the child.

A teacher as a motivator and talent developer

Children of this age would need to be motivated in order to be in a position to meet the expectation of the parent, the childcare facility, and the government.

From this tender age, they should be convinced that they could achieve, if only a little more effort is put in every activity that children perform (Leithwood & Steinbach 1999, p. 34). A teaching assistant can also note a talent in this child at this tender age. This may be a special ability to sing or play, or keen interest in a given art, like drawing or painting.

A teacher as an educator

Education is the main thing, besides proper care, that makes parents opt to bring their children to such institutions, other than leaving them with house helps. Teaching assistant has the obligation to ensure that the child learns the basics of language and mathematics.

According to the report by Effective Provision of Pre-School Education based on the research that they did for the period between 1997 to 2004, pre-school children should be allowed maximum time to play (Austin 2007, p. 78).

However, an ample time should also be allocated to simple leaning of basic Mathematics and English language. In so doing, the teaching assistant should make use of teaching aids to enhance memory of the child.

A teacher as a disciplinarian

Ethics is very important. A child ought to grow up appreciating the fact that some actions are not recommended by the society and that they can warrant punishment. Blank (2004, p. 38) says that this is arguably the toughest duty of the teacher in every learning institution.

This scholar notes that corporal punishment is strictly prohibited in learning institutions and can lead to litigation if committed by the teacher. However, this scholar notes that it is what every child fears the most, and one that can make them act with restraints.

For this matter, teaching assistant must devise ways of imparting discipline in children without inducing pain on them. This may involve making them appreciate the society’s moral standards, and consequences that some actions have (Baum, Viens & Slatin 2005, p. 11).

Teacher as Role Model

As role models to the children, teaching assistants should conduct themselves with a sense of decorum that would make them admirable to children. Their acts should reflect what they expect of the child when it grows up.

Managements Role

The management may not have direct influence on the transition of a child from one institution to another. However, they have strong influence on how new children brought to their institution would easily adapt to the new environment and develop (Strauss & Corbin 1990, p. 73).

It should provide teaching assistants with appropriate teaching materials. It should also ensure the institution is well equipped with recreational facilities for the children. They should also be a link between parents and teachers.

Parents Role

A parent has a major role to play in the development of a child, and supporting transition of the child from one school to another. It may not be avoidable to move from one geographical location to another. However, parents should make an effort to reduce frequency of moving from one childcare center to another.

Aristotle (1998, p. 43) said that it is easier for a child to develop in such aspects as social esteem and knowledge if subjected to one environment without frequent movements. The parents should also provide both moral and material support to their children.

They should constantly make their children believe that they can make it in life. They should also make an effort to follow up the performance of their children in morals and in academics, with the teacher concerned (Cheminais 2006, p. 31).

Managing Parents’ Expectation

The Common Core and State Standards clearly states what a learner should achieve at every stage of education. This is the expectation the parents have; it is the expectation that childcare centers should fulfill.

There are cases where the expectation of the parents is more than what the childcare unit can meet (Griswold 2004, p. 37). The best way to manage such expectation is through effective communication with the parents to keep them informed of the institutions current capacities, plans, and other issues related to expectation.

Keeping Parents Informed

As stated above, childcare is a collective responsibility. Both the parents and the teachers have a great role to play. Bolman and Deal (1997, p. 71) observes that teachers spend more time with the children. A child leaves home early in the morning when the parent is busy preparing to go to work, and come back late at night when the parent is too tired to give it an appropriate.

The teacher spends most of the time with the child. The teacher is also to get to know the child better through reports from fellow pupils. Therefore, there is need by the teaching assistant to communicate effectively with the parents (Austin 2007, p. 31).

In so doing, the parent would get updated on every improvement made by their children. They can help teachers understand their pupils better by informing them of their strengths and weaknesses. This close coordination would increase possibilities of the parent getting satisfied with what the childcare offers (Freire 2006, p. 6).

Multi-Agency Working

The UK Department of Education, in a report dubbed Every Child Matters: Change for Children, encourages corporation between agencies in a bid to ensure that a child achieves the most of their potential (Hansen 2007, p. 34).

The report encourages corporation between schools, government agencies, sports organizations, GPS, and the entire community. A child needs an all round molding in order to ensure that they develop properly. This would require the above-mentioned institutions to work as a unit to ensure that this is achieved.

The government, as the regulator, should always ensure that all the concerned organizations could collaborate in an enabling environment that would facilitate achievement of the set goals.

Information Sharing Within the Workplace

Zipes (1997, p. 41) said that to information is one of the most important tools in a man’s life. In every organization, there is need to ensure that information flows smoothly from one office or individual to the other. Within a childcare unit, there are a number of officers working in various departments.

All these individuals in various departments work hand in hand to ensure that the collective goal of the organization is achieved. As the parents share with the administration about the child, the administration should in turn share the same with the teaching assistants so that they are duly informed (Leithwood & Steinbach1999, p. 46).

The teaching assistant should also share amongst themselves about any discoveries they might have made about a particular child.

Conclusion

The society has come to embrace the fact that childcare is a role of the entire community other than being the role a parent or a teacher. Childcare instructions play a vital role in offering children related services when parents are at their workplaces.

In order to run such institutions properly, there is need for planning. Such institutions also need to develop ways through which parents’ expectations are properly managed. Also of importance is the need for different institutions collaborating in a bid to have better care for children. Information sharing should be encouraged among such institutions.

List of References

Aristotle, 1998, The Nicomachean Ethics, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Austin J 2007, The Art of Teaching, Noir Publishing, New York.

Austin, J 2007, The Last Snake Man, Noir Publishing, New York.

Baum, S, Viens, J & Slatin, B 2005, Multiple intelligences in the elementary classroom: a teacher’s toolkit, Teachers College Press, New York.

Blank, 2004, “Teaching qualitative data analysis to graduate students”, Social Science Computer Review, Vol. 22, no. 2, pp 187-196.

Bolman, L & Deal, T 1997, Reframing Organizations: artistry, choice and leadership, Jossey Bass, San Francisco.

Bottery, M 2001, “Globalization and the UK competition state: no room for transformational leadership in education?” School Leadership and Management, Vol. 21, no. 1, pp 34-78.

Bush, T 2003, Theories of Educational Management, Sage, London.

Cheminais, R 2006, Every Child Matters: A practical guide for teachers, David Fulton Publishers, London.

Cogan, D & Webb, J 2002, Introducing children’s literature, Routledge, New York.

Darder, A & Rodolfo, D 2003, The critical pedagogy reader, Routledge, New York.

Freire, P 2006, Pedagogy of the oppressed Continuum International Publishing Group, Wiley, New York.

Gardner, H 2006, Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons, Basic Books, New York.

Griswold, J 2004, The meaning of ‘Beauty & The beast’: a handbook, Broadview Press, New York.

Hansen, D 2007, Ethical Visions of Education, Teachers College Press, New York.

Hurst, C 2007, Social Inequality, Pearson Education, Boston.

Kohl, H 2000,The Discipline of Hope: Learning from a Lifetime of Teaching. New York: New Press.

Leithwood, K & Steinbach, R 1999, Changing Leadership for Changing Times, Open University Press, Buckingham.

Lindon, J 2006, Equality In Early Childhood: Linking Theory and Practice, Hodder Arnold, London.

Morrison, G 2008, Early Childhood Education Today, Pearson Education, New York.

Nardi, D 2001, Multiple Intelligence and Personality Type, Telos Publications, New York.

Nussbaum, M 2002, For Love of Country? Beacon Press, Boston.

Reynolds, K 2011, Children’s literature: a very short introduction, Oxford Press, Gosport.

Strauss, A & Corbin, J 1990, Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques, Sage Publications, Newbury Park.

Zipes, J. 1997, Happily ever after: fairy tales, children and the culture industry, New York, Routledge.

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