SMARTKIDS Setting trends in Child Care

1
SMARTKIDS - Setting trends in Child Care

• Marianne Massa MA(Ed)Soton

2
Smartkids

• The day-care centre for children aged 0-3 years
  and a facility for development for parents
  through family workshops.

3
Child and Family Support Centre

• Smartkids
• reaching beyond child care
• enhancing and supporting the cultural narrative
  of the Cottonera families.

4
Cottonera Cospicua, Senglea and Vittoriosa
5
Aims and Objectives

• The Cottonera Community Team was established
  mostly to work with people in the Cottonera
  Community, to encourage and empower them towards
  a better and healthier life.

6
Characteristics of the area

• the highest population density in the southern
  region
• a steadily ageing population as most young
  couples choose not to remain in the locality
• the highest levels of unemployment
• among the lowest participation rate of women in
  the workforce
• one of the highest percentage of residents living
  in substandard or inadequate housing conditions.

7
Bleak picture for young people

• the lowest academic achievement rates and
  aspirations accompanied by high levels of truancy
  and absenteeism
• Among the highest use of alcohol and illicit
  drugs on the island.

8
Absenteeism from school

• National average 8.85
• Vittoriosa 14.22
• Senglea 11.31
• Cospicua 18.93

9
SmartKids Child Care Centre

• located at the one stop shop for social welfare
  services, better know as ACCESS in Cottonera
• purposely built to high specifications allowing
  space for different age groups as well as ample
  open spaces.
• the Centre is managed by Agenzija APPOGG, the
  Government Social Welfare Agency and manned by
  professional personnel.

10
Activities

• activities which are commensurate to their
  developmental needs.
• Such activities would aim to meet communication,
  language, creative and literacy skills.

11
A holistic approach

• The Child Care Centre addresses the parents too.
• Training sessions cover
• first aid in the home
• road safety
• safety at home
• parental skills programmes

12
Learning environment

• Children are provided with learning opportunities
  to stimulate and enhance their developmental
  needs both in the "classroom" and in the garden
  areas.

13
Playing outdoors
14
Learning experience

• Children are encouraged in the creative,
  mathematical, physical and motor development
  areas as well as a home area, a knowledge and
  understanding of the world area, a communication,
  language and literacy area and a personal and
  social development area

15
Opportunities

• Opportunities for a "headstart" program for
  children under three years of age.
• Opportunities for parents/carers to learn new
  skills to help them become better parents/carers
  and better individuals.
• Opportunities of respite for parents who need
  some time for themselves.
• Opportunities for working parents to ensure that
  their children are looked after in a loving and
  secure atmosphere, which stimulates and
  encourages the child's developmental process.

16
Additional Services

• Under Fives-Drop-In
• On Thursday mornings between 9.00 and 11.45 am
  Smartkids is open to children under 5 years of
  age accompanied by an adult.
• Activities for under Fives include painting,
  construction toys, water and sand play and many
  more.

17
Additional services (cont.)

• Centre Doctor
• A centre doctor carries out regular
  developmental assessments to children attending
  the centre.
• Centre Psychologist and Speech Therapist
• The psychologist can offer advice and assessment
  of children's intellectual, emotional and social
  development whilst the speech therapist can be
  consulted immediately should a language problem
  be suspected

18
Smart kids at play
19
Effectiveness

• Early indications show
• An increase in the number of women who started
  working outside the home
• An easier transition from child care to formal
  school

20
Indicators

• Increase in the involvement of women in the
  labour market
• A decrease in the dependence on social welfare
• A decrease in truancy among school children in
  the area