Ahakoa iti, he pounamu
Although it is small, it is of greenstone
This paper was prepared by Judith Duncan, University of Canterbury, 2009.
Key question
What does it mean to become a 'kindy kid' for a toddler in an environment more familiar to ‘big kids’ and their teachers?
Introduction
Every transition into an early childhood setting involves more than simply beginning to attend that setting. It’s also about 'becoming a ECE kid'. This 'becoming' involves new understandings around the child for the parents, the teachers and the child him/herself. These 'becomings' involve learning 'what it is we do here', 'what I (and others) can do here' and 'who I am in this place' (people, places and things) for the child and their family and whānau.
Is this your image of a toddler?
Toddler Creed
If I want it, it's mine.
If I give it to you and change my mind later, it's mine.
If I take it away from you, it's mine. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
If it's mine, it will never belong to anybody else, no matter what.
If we are building something together, all the pieces are mine.
If it looks just like mine, it is mine.
(Author unknown)
This ‘becoming’ can position the child from the first day as either a capable and competent child who is becoming an active ECE participant in the community OR as a child lacking in skills, development and abilities. Which child is the one entering your setting?
In a research project undertaken in Dunedin and Wellington, funded by the Teaching and Learning Research Initiative, Duncan et al. (2006) examined the experiences of 18 two-year-olds who were attending four different kindergarten settings. This research challenged some traditional understandings and images around transitions into early childhood programmes, in terms of how capable and competent the very young child in an ECE environment can be (for full details see Duncan et al., 2006; Duncan, 2005, 2009). Kindergartens, as an ECE setting, are more familiar with over three-year-olds, so the recent introduction of relatively large numbers of two-year-olds has introduced new understandings of what a ‘kindy kid’ can be.