Typical development
Adults working with pre-school children need to have a knowledge of child development and what is expected at each level of development, for example approximately what age babies start to walk, talk etc.
Children develop at different rates and at different times so comparing children in nursery is not always helpful and can lead to unnecessary anxiety. What is 'normal' for one child can be very different to what is 'normal' for another. It is important to observe children over a period of time so their rate of progress can be assessed as well as their developmental level.
More information on typical development can be found in the following books:
Early Years Foundation Stage
Development is assessed in nurseries using Statutory Guidance for Early Years Foundation Stage (2017). This states that 'each child’s level of development must be assessed against the early learning goals. Practitioners must indicate whether children are meeting expected levels of development, or if they are exceeding expected levels, or not yet reaching expected levels (‘emerging’). This is the EYFS Profile.
2-year Developmental Check
Childcare providers and health visitors are promoting the use of 'Integrated Information Sharing Reviews' to assess the development of all 2-year-old. You can find more information about the 2-year checks in Staffordshire on our integrated reviews page.
Other Checklists
There are many checklists available that can help give more information about the child's stage of development. Examples of these are given below:
- Stoke Speaks Out has a brief summary of 'What to expect' at different ages for pre-school children.
- The NASEN website has lots of useful information (NASEN requires membership - which is free - to access these materials).
Checklists can be really useful in assessing and arranging support for children but if settings are using checklists, it is important to consider how they are completed as this will affect the conclusions that are made from the information, for example:
- make sure your judgements are accurate by ensuring results are based on a number of observations, do not tick off statements based on seeing it happen once. It is important to ensure that achievements are seen over time.
- ensure that children are observed completing the activity independently without adult support and this is explicit on the checklist.
- be cautious of electronic checklists and the conclusions they make about children.