Early years practitioners are increasingly looking for ways to support children and families from a distance as lockdown continues. At Longstanton Pre-school in Cambridge, manager Shelle Stevens was among the first to complete a CPD-certified Well-being During The Coronavirus Outbreak online training programme.
Launched by the Early Years Alliance in April, in partnership with online training provider EduCare, the course is available for free until 30 June. It covers five areas: understanding anxiety, low mood and depression, self-harm, online safety and child neglect.
Ms Stevens, who is working from home supporting children and families while the pre-school is closed, said the course on self-harm was more relevant than she anticipated. ‘It opens your eyes that self-harm isn’t just cutting,’ she says. ‘Some children might bite the side of their finger, or sometimes you get head banging, to help process those feelings of being out of control.’
She is keeping a lookout for signs of distress among families by encouraging parents to share photos of children via a secure childcare app and making regular calls to families.
Online safety
The section on online safety has encouraged Ms Stevens to share advice for parents about discussing positive internet use with their children. ‘Show children what to do if something pops up that shouldn’t be there,’ she says. ‘Teach children to talk to somebody if you see something you don’t like.’
Ms Stevens says that while the course is relevant to the current pandemic, it does not mention coronavirus directly. ‘They’ve repackaged the content,’ she says. ‘It would have been really lovely to have something about the virus and being in isolation. But it would be difficult to say what is the right way right now. None of us really know what we’re doing.’
To access the course, visit: https://bit.ly/3dQyUWC