Children and their families feel a sense of belonging.
Goals
Children and their families experience an environment where:
- connecting links with the family and the wider world are affirmed and extended;
- they know that they have a place;
- they feel comfortable with the routines, customs, and regular events;
- they know the limits and boundaries of acceptable behaviour.
The early childhood education setting should be like a caring home: a secure and safe place where each member is entitled to respect and to the best of care. The feeling of belonging, in the widest sense, contributes to inner well-being, security, and identity. Children need to know that they are accepted for who they are. They should know that what they do can make a difference and that they can explore and try out new activities. They should also recognise that the early childhood education setting includes their whānau and is part of their wider world. The early childhood setting will establish a programme that has meaning and purpose, just as activities and events at home do.
The families of all children should feel that they belong and are able to participate in the early childhood education programme and in decision making. Māori and Tagata Pasefika children will be more likely to feel at home if they regularly see Māori and Pacific Islands adults in the early childhood education setting. Liaison with local tangata whenua and a respect for papatuanuku should be promoted.
Relationships of the Strand of Belonging to the Curriculum Principles
This strand is based particularly on the principles of Family and Community and of Relationships. The curriculum makes links with the everyday activities and special events of family, whànau, local communities, and cultures and welcomes the participation of the child’s extended family in decisions about the programme and about appropriate behaviours and management. The strand of Belonging builds opportunities for social interaction with adults and other children and respects the achievements and aspirations of the child’s family and community. Through these links, families and the community are empowered.
Adults’ Responsibilities in Management, Organisation, and Practice
Children should be accepted and welcomed regardless of their capabilities.
Parents and whānau should be welcomed and be comfortable and involved in the programme in ways that are meaningful to them and their child, with opportunities provided for parents to meet each other.
Acknowledgment of different family styles, and knowledge of the cultures of the children in the programme, are also important.
Appropriate connections with iwi and hapu should be established, and staff should support tikanga Māori and the use of the Māori language.
Children’s confidence in, and identity with, the cultures of both their country of origin and of New Zealand should be fostered.
Appreciation of and respect for children’s social and cultural connections should be embodied in the programme.
Interdependence between children, their extended family, and the community should be supported, particularly for Māori and Tagata Pasefika families and their children.
The programme should provide opportunities for interactions with community groups and services, both by children visiting outside the home or centre and by people from the wider world being welcomed.
Programmes should enable children and their families to be active participants in their communities, particularly Māori and Pacific Islands families, and should enable children to learn and grow as part of a community.
Children should have some space for belongings and be able to identify with the environment and change things. Personal photographs, family names, artwork, celebrations, and so on are significant in establishing a sense of belonging.
Familiar, unhurried, regular routines and rituals that children can anticipate, such as welcoming and farewells, provide reassurance and should be designed to minimise stress on both children and adults.
Adults should take time to listen seriously to the views parents and caregivers have of their children’s learning and development and share decision making with them. For parents and caregivers of children with special needs, adults should share information on available specialist services and support.
There should be clear guidelines on appropriate and inappropriate behaviour, agreed to among parents and adults who work with children and relating to children’s different ages and development. Adults should be consistent, reliable, and realistic in their expectations and responses and should foster harmonious working relationships with other adults.
Continuity Between Early Childhood Education and School
Children moving from early childhood settings to the early years of school are likely to:
- seek opportunities to share happenings and objects from home;
- have some knowledge about the wider community and environment and be able to take some responsibility for caring for their
- own environment;
- want to contribute to decisions about the class programme and to planning their own
- activities;
- enjoy repeating favourite stories and activities and be able to sustain projects;
- be confident in making some new friends as well as working and playing with children
- they know;
- understand basic concepts about rules, rights, and fairness;
- understand the values of reliability, honesty, and courtesy.