When I first started my internship, there was a little boy named W who had just joined the daycare. He was still adjusting to the new environment and was often upset. He had trouble sleeping during nap time and would cry when he woke up. Since he didn’t speak English, he seemed lonely. The teachers worked with his family to create a personal care plan for him, which included using picture cards to help him communicate his needs and feelings. Even though I was only there for ten days during my first internship, W still had a lot of frustration when I left.
But when I came back for my second internship, a few months later, I was amazed at how much W had improved. He was calm and could interact with the teachers and other kids. He had really become part of the daycare. Even in just the first week, I saw more progress. One of the first things I noticed was how he played with J, a new girl who had just moved up from a toddler room. J seemed to be in the “terrible two” stage, often saying “no” and crying. I saw that W and J became playmates. They would invite each other to play and respond to each other. For example, W would make a hand gesture, which seemed like an invitation to play, like saying “What are you doing? Will you play with me?” While other kids didn’t respond, J would smile and play along, making W happy. This seemed to help him a lot.
I also saw W playing with other kids, like K, who is from Africa, and M, who is from Mexico. They could play together for a long time. Sometimes, he even played with native English speaking kids. W started to feel more confident. He even shared things in English with his teacher, Natasha!
W’s progress made me really happy. As a student from China studying early childhood education, I was curious about how children from different countries adjust to life in Canada. What made W change so much? The answer was that the teachers updated his care plan to help him more. For example, they changed his nap schedule and gave him outdoor free play time, which helped him. His family also came an hour early every day to pick him up, and we all watched him run happily to his father. His happiness made all of us smile.
I asked Natasha if all children had a care plan and why some needed one. She said that the teachers’ goal is to make sure every child has a positive experience, and that’s why care plans are made.
When I talked to Mary about the topic, she shared how their approach to care plans for specific children. First, an educator thinks about what he/she can change in their own actions, then they look at what changes the team can make, and only after that, they think about what the child might need to change.
Some children, like E, don’t need a care plan because they adapt very well when they first start daycare. E, for example, understands boundaries well.
Looking at our daycare’s approach to care plans, I realized it’s a great example of equity in early childhood education. It’s all about making sure every child has the best experience, no matter their background or needs.
