Role of the Key Worker

 The key person is a named practitioner who is responsible for a small group of children. The key person is there to ensure that the child feels safe and secure. They are not there just for the child but also for the parents, for many parents sending their child to nursery can be an emotional time, it may be the first time that their child is away from them. This is why at Little Green House Childcare we ensure that parents are involved in all aspects of nursery life.

All nursery practitioners are there for all the children but the key person is the member of the team who has a special bond with their key children. The key person will respond to the children’s needs and help them to settle into a new environment, they are also responsible for creating invitations of learning that will encourage their key children to develop in all areas of their learning and development following the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Through the year the child’s key person will produce observations on each child, which can then be seen by parents on our Parent Zone App. These observations are then used to form an assessment that outlines all areas of the children’s development. From this assessment the key person will be able to assess that the children are developing at the expected rate and if the child may need extra support in a certain area. They will be able to plan appropriately to ensure that all children are developing at a rate that is suitable ssessment the key person will be able to assess that the children are developing at the expected rate and if the child may need extra support in a certain area. They will be able to plan appropriately to ensure that all children are developing at a rate that is suitable for them.

When it comes to deciding who may be the key person for your child we watch and see who they show strong bonds and connections with. We want to ensure that children have a key person that they have a strong bond with. Each child’s key person will change when they transition through the different rooms at nursery.

When a child’s transitions between rooms the key person will work closely with the new key person to ensure they know each child and their family well. This includes discussion about their learning and development, preferences, and particular details such as if they have a comforter at sleep time or when they are sad they like a cuddle.