Swings + Roundabouts Summer 2017

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Change as we know is inevitable, and
often we have little control on the many
changes that occur throughout a lifetime.
Research suggests change is the external
situation while transition is the internal
process people must go through to adapt
to the change. Transition essentially is the
psychological process through which people
come to terms with a new situation and
adjust and adapt. Many think if they just
stay positive and not waste their time being
negative they will manage the change, but
research suggests that if people don’t have
a safe space to express and process their
feelings and only internalise their fears with
clear transparent process people are more
likely to feel a sense of denial, anger, fear,
frustration, which can cause resistance. And
therefore the transition less successful than
it could have been.
So how do we support transition in ECE?
In the early childhood centre environment
children can have many transitional periods
from leaving their early childhood service to
go to school, transition between age-based
classrooms in large ECE centres or even
just the transition between routine and play
times. Also teachers are not immune, such
as when a centre changes hands.
In this issue we have an article from
Nichola Kirkwood who has shared the
findings from a project she was involved
in, the Petone Basin Transitions to School
Project. Nichola shares her own experience
of being part of the project team, which
was a new experience and came with its
own insecurities and fears (and hard work).
Also shared are the findings and guiding
principles from the project. You can find,
It’s a big deal for all of us - Supporting
transitions from early childhood services to
school on page 14.
The opinion piece, How architecture supports
a child transition, on page 17 shares
ideas on how architecture can influence
the behaviour of people and what type of
environments help both tamariki and their
whānau be at ease. The article is also a
good reflection piece for those ECE centres
who are have classrooms based around
age groups with young children having to
transition between classrooms. Is this the
only way?
Childcare centre transitions, page 18, is a
short piece offering advice for centres that
are changing hands with tips on making
the process as smooth as possible and also
shares some processes that are often less
successful!
Three Little Birds Childcare supporting
whānau in Whangarei, on page 20, is an
inspiring and positive read about a new
centre in Whangarei who had a clear vison of
how they wanted to make a difference to the
tamariki and their whānau in Te Tai Tokerau.
Three Little Birds leads with its heart and
sound pedagogy, and after observing and
listening to their community provided a
quality ECE service they can be proud of and
others can learn from.
Another article worth highlighting is The
Magic of Drawing. This article written by an
ECE teacher and artist, Rod Eales, shares
art concepts and the pedagogy involved
during the process of a recent project where
they followed several children’s interest in
planets and space. Another inspiring article
with some great practical advice.
There are also articles about lead in our
gardens/dirt, where ideas can come from
and the importance of networking, how to
develop a performance management plan,
and much more. Something for everyone!
Enjoy!
If you’ve got a story to share with our
Swings & Roundabout readers please get
in touch. Contact Trudi,
To all our readers have a wonderful time with
your whānau and friends as you celebrate
and relax over the following summer month.
Trudi Sutcliffe
Editor
“The secret to change is to focus all the energy, not on
fighting the old, but on building the new.” Socrates
FROM
THE EDITOR
THIRD PAGE
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December 2017 { 7 }