Child First
Each child needs to be at the heart of the setting.
Every child and their rights must underpin all practice within the setting.
“The United Nation has proclaimed that childhood is entitled to special care and assistance…..Recognizing that the child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding.”
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), 1989.
This means practitioners know each child individually and respond to their needs and interests. Practitioners use this knowledge of each child to understand how they learn, providing them with a unique and meaningful curriculum experience.
Children need to be deeply involved in their learning and seen as co-creators of knowledge and skills.
At Early Level:
- Children need to be engaged, interested and challenged.
- Children must be actively encouraged to question and ask questions.
- Practitioners must provide a supportive, relevant learning environment that supports higher-order thinking.
- The practitioners must know each child as an individual, understanding their needs, interests, and background to tailor the environment, interactions, and experiences to their individual needs.
“A young child’s voice is interpreted by our observations of their actions, emotions and words. These observations are central to assessment and inform us what children need.”
(Realising the Ambition, Education Scotland, 2020, p. 46)
