The Strength-based Approach is a meaningful and real style of writing about children in a way that starts with what they can do. A strength-based approach is not about describing a child’s learning and development in a positive light and neglecting to identify areas for further development or areas of concern. Instead it starts with where the child is now, not with what is absent, and highlights where the child can go with additional support. This makes it a vital pedagogical skill for early childhood educators to practice and develop which can be used for transition reports, learning stories or snapshot reviews. The Strength Based Writing programme consists of 4 short components that support Educators to focus on your writing techniques when compiling Learning Stories, Transition Reports or Snapshot Reviews.  

The Enabling Transition Programme will provide the Early Childhood Educator with practical, jargon free guidance on how to compile Transition Reports that are unique to each child. The programme consists of 4 short components for you to digest, discuss with colleagues and use to inform your practice. If you are a parent, looking to understand a little more about preparing your child for primary school, this programme will also provide you with lots of useful information. 1. The Importance of Positive Transition from Pre-School to Primary School 2. A Learning Partnership – the child, parents, previous and new educator 3. Good Pedagogy Practice to enable Smooth Transitions 4. Compiling Transition Reports

From the very first time I discovered the work of Dr Margaret Carr and the Learning Story Approach – I have loved it and advocated for it as the most effective means of documenting the assessment of young children’s learning and development. I admire the way a child’s strengths are highlighted in a way that is very personal to the child – regardless of their abilities or stage of development. A learning story is an engaging story of a child’s achievements, abilities, interests and viewpoint as an active learner. Learning Stories can focus on everything from a baby noticing himself in a mirror for the first time to a pre-school child creating a model from junk materials or helping a friend. I like to think of learning stories in this way – an assessment report or developmental checklist show you a black and white snapshot of the child, cold and frozen in time. However, learning stories are vibrant, engaging, funny, full colour mini-movies that parents can keep forever.  They give a rounded, holistic view of who the child is as an individual and as a learner. This is, after all, what early childhood education is all about! ‘Creating Learning Stories’ will provide Educators with practical guidance on this wonderful pedagogical technique for early childhood education. The programme is presented in 5 short components - each one building on the learning from the one before and packed with practical examples. Participants will discover how to structure, compile, and use learning stories as a meaningful assessment tool, to engage parents and to showcase children’s individual strengths, interests and needs.  Avril 

Fortunately, some children will take the events of COVID-19 in their stride.  The unexpected disruption to their usual routine, the loss of established attachments to key adults and an increase in home stress may result in changes in children’s behaviour and stress responses. Sensitive responses from Educators are essential to enable children to adapt to the next phase of change when either re-joining the early childhood service or starting for the first time. 'Settling in Softy' will support Educators to focus on the important role of supporting children’s emotional well-being through a curriculum of care. This practical e-CPD programme is a must for all staff to ensure children’s emotional well-being is front and central to the emergent curriculum when early childhood settings reopen. Components include: Educator self-care – you can’t pour from an empty cup. Child anxiety as a response to change   The Relationship Response  A Curriculum of Care Communicating with Parents Each section will contain practical activities for the Educator to incorporate into the daily routine.

  'MOSAIC is an electronic storybook (leabhar scéalta) that captures and documents the magic of early childhood learning and development. MOSAIC is a professional system that focuses on the child as an unique individual. This innovative early education tool addresses educator recording requirements and  creates a snapshot in time that parents can treasure for life'. Mosaic is an online and mobile platform designed for early childhood services. Mosaic uses the Learning Story Approach to early childhood assessment and is linked to the Aistear curriculum framework.  The platform is utilised through two separate Apps 1. ‘MOSAIC Educator’ and 2. ‘MOSAIC Family’.  Mosaic is a quality educational tool for Educators to support their daily work with children around the documentation of children’s early learning and care. It is designed to enhance parents as partners in the child’s learning through timely two-way communications and information sharing. The mobile and web based platform will allow Educators to compile and share with parents and wider family members, a progressive record of children’s learning and care. Unique learning stories framing the child’s achievements during their time in the early childhood setting will enable a meaningful and effective partnership with parents. This presentation will take you through the main functions of Mosaic and how the platform is used to create an electronic Storybook for each child in the early childhood service.  Information leaflets and costs are included in your reference documents section. 

It can be all too easy to fall into the practice of planning predictable curriculum themes year after year. However, despite the learning opportunities that seasonal and celebration themes can present, they may not interest all children and can inhibit children from following their own natural learning interests. Repeated themes can also become monotonous for Educators where it may be difficult to feel enthused and excited by a particular topic, if repeated on a continuous basis. Emergent curriculum is a way of planning curriculum that focuses on being responsive to children's interests to create meaningful learning experiences. It can be used with any age group from babies to pre-school children. Emergent curriculum is based on the idea that children have a voice in their own leaning choices and that children learn best when curriculum experiences represent their interests, strengths, needs, and lived experiences.  This continuining professional development programme by Meantóir, will enable the educator to understand what emergent curriculum is and how to implement this pedagogical strategy when working with babies, toddlers and pre-school children.  Components include: 1. The background to emergent curriculum and how does it link to curriculum and quality frameworks? 2. What is emergent curriculum, what it is and what it isn’t! 3. What do I need to think about when implementing an emergent curriculum? 4. Planning an emergent curriculum for babies, toddlers and pre-school children 5. The role of the skilled early childhood educator. * The resource documents section contains 7 printable handouts including sample inquiry-based activities, planning templates, a sample curriculum statement  and further information to support the programme content.