The EYE and Tapestry Guide to Communication and Connection

Creating and maintaining effective relationships in the EYFS

2 min read

Not for the first time, the early years sector has been experiencing a time of change and challenge. These come from all angles: social, financial, health, education and care guidance, political policy. And they effect staff, children and families at every kind of setting. These are big issues.

Meanwhile early years professionals are getting on with the vital everyday aspects of supporting, playing, and learning with children and families. They are communicating and connecting with their community, colleagues, and the families they serve. All to make sure children have the best possible outcomes.

The high-quality relationships that are built with all those who participate in a child’s early years are fundamental to children’s learning and development. The education team here at Tapestry set out to design a guide that would be firmly grounded in these relationships, the good practice that they underpin, and how Tapestry can be a tool to help educators and settings with effective communication and connection.

The free EYE and Tapestry ‘Guide to Communication and Connection: creating and maintaining effective relationships in the EYFS’ aims to be both reassuring for, and celebratory of, the early years sector and those who work in it. The guide reminds educators of the good practice they are already doing, and shares the shift in mindset that will help leadership to reflect on showing progress without data. It reflects on the importance of embracing child-centred assessment for all children, not just those who are developing typically.

Central to the guide is the equal partnership between settings and families, the two-way sharing of information, and how this helps educators to know each child. With Ofsted seeking to understand the practitioner’s knowledge of each child (Early Years Inspection Handbook for Ofsted-Registered Provision) the relationship between parents/carers and their child’s Key Person helps to deepen that knowledge.

The guide includes an infographic sharing the story of one child, Akin, and how high-quality relationships support his learning journey. From nurturing parental engagement, building a curriculum, strengthening reflective practice and professional learning, to monitoring Akin’s progress and the setting’s provision; effective communication and connection facilitate Akin’s learning and development.

We hope the Guide to Communication and Connection supports your reflective practice and reassures you in your work with children and families.