Inclusive practices in early years

(by www.openanursery.co.uk)

What is inclusive practices in early years?

Inclusive practices refer to all students being able to access and gain equal opportunities to education and learning.

Every childcare provider needs to ensure that all children are included in their setting to help aid their development. That’s why using inclusive practices in early years is so important as it focuses on a child’s uniqueness and their own needs.

Why are inclusion practices important for childcare providers?

Childcare providers need to know what is inclusive practice and they also need to understand that every child is unique. They have to embrace and be aware of the uniqueness of each child. As well as treating every child and also their families with respect.

Making sure that each child is able to participate in activities and provide resources that reflect on the child’s background.

What is covered by inclusive practices in early years?

Understanding inclusive practices is important if you want your childcare business to provide equal opportunities to every child. Inclusive practices are designed to eliminate any sign of discrimination or inequality.

This is great because it allows children to boost their confidence levels. It also offers them a way to aspire towards a specific goal and pursue their dreams and ideas.

Generally, these early years settings are meant to be a safe environment where kids and their parents are able to connect with each other and feel safe. That’s why every childcare practitioner needs to know what is inclusion in early years and adapt it accordingly.

How can a setting become more inclusive and equal?

Maybe the most important thing here is to ensure that any type of inequality is eliminated from the start. Children shouldn’t be judged in a different way, instead they need to be respected and appreciated for their own skills and ideas.

That’s why removing any type of bias or stereotype is an important first step. On top of that, it’s all about bringing in a positive attitude within the entire setting. Then you can nurture the idea of collaboration, having great strategies and always adapting to the uniqueness of every individual.

As long as there are anti-discriminatory attitudes and the focus is on fairness and child development, then we have inclusive practices. Positivity can go a long way and it’s bound to deliver incredible results.

Can children benefit from inclusive practices in early years?

Yes, one of the main benefits is that they get to learn about equality and diversity early on in their lives. This enables them to develop empathy towards anyone that doesn’t fit the norm and is different. It can also be used as a way to boost self-esteem and friendships too.

Thankfully, inclusive practices go beyond that. They offer teachers a great way to add collaboration, teamwork and problem solving into their lessons. It can also be a great way to boost parental confidence as well. Even if we don’t have inclusive practice legislation, there are some publications like the Equality Act 2010 which show it’s unlawful to discriminate in any educational setting.

Conclusion

Using inclusive practices in early years is a great way to help children understand and also prevent any bias or inequality.

There are great activities which add in to these inclusive practices, ranging from musical and sporting activities to role play, story writing, working on computers or in pairs, reading books and so on.