While nurseries are beginning to reap enormous benefits from the internet, they are also having to get to grips with its challenges. At one end of the spectrum are ethical challenges surrounding Facebook and staff usage. On the other are the illegal activities of cyber bullying, grooming and child pornography.
Nursery managers have an important role to play in ensuring that young children learn safely and effectively about new technologies, both in the setting and at home.
There are simple steps that nurseries can use take to protect staff and children:
- - Draw up an Accessible Use Policy which covers all areas of technology that can be used and accessed on the premises, including social networking sites.
- - Ensure you have up-to-date parental controls set on all computers and that you regularly run your anti-virus programme. Ensure filters and firewalls are efficient.
- - Identify a staff member who is technically able and can find a number of stimulating and appropriate websites, and display these near the computers that children can access. Explore new technologies with children, and don't confine these to electrical technologies - what about clocks, typewriters and engines?
- - For children who have a strong interest in computers, teach them about the internet and how to use e-mail and software; how to upload and download photos and files. Above all, teach them how to stay safe and protect themselves on the internet.
It is also vital to develop a strong relationship with parents to support a child's safety when they are not in your setting. Parents are often less technically confident than their children and do not know where to look for information and help. They may welcome some guidance from you as to how to keep their PCs secure and their children safe. They may not understand the risks until it is too late and think that there is nothing wrong with allowing their child access to a laptop privately in their room, or not installing adequate parental controls.
Developing trusting, open relationships with vulnerable families is especially important. A good idea would be to run a training session with parents, identifying and explaining the risks the internet poses, and then helping them to use and apply tools that will protect their families.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Thinkuknow (www.thinkuknow.co.uk) has useful resources for children
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre (www.ceop.police.uk) has a large amount of information and useful ideas for safer policies and using new technologies
Wendy Whittaker-Large was named Trainer of the Year at the Nursery World Awards 2010.