Wellbeing from Birth Book

List of Figures ix

Acknowledgements x

About the Author xi

Foreword xii

Introduction xiv

Prologue xvi

Part 1 Introducing Wellbeing 1

1 Early childhood matters 2

Messages from Research: Research reviews

Mother-baby interaction

Children's needs

Policy and Practice for Wellbeing: From birth to three at home

UK Labour's decade of reform

The need for integration

2 Wellbeing themes 14

Four recurring themes: Early relationships

The ecology of early childhood

Being resilient

Wellbeing

Part 2 The Theory of Wellbeing 27

3 The ABC of wellbeing 28

A new model: Defining, determining and ascertaining wellbeing

A new wellbeing model

The four constructs: The construct of 'physical wellbeing'

The construct of 'communication'

The construct of 'belonging-and-boundaries'

The construct of 'agency'

Putting the constructs together

4 Companionable learning 53

Companionable learning: the mechanism of wellbeing: Babies' and young children's companions

Five companionable learning principles: First principle: companionable attention

Second principle: agency in companionable play

Third principle: 'anchored' children

Fourth principle: companionable apprenticeship

Fifth principle: children's personal time and space

Part 3 Everyday Wellbeing 71

5 Children's wellbeing 72

The four 'A's of everyday wellbeing: Anchored attention

Authority

Apprenticeship

Allowing children time and space

About food: Shopping

Growing things to eat

Preparing for meals

Companionable meals

Picnics

Lost 'food' opportunities

Old friends: Companions

Books and stories, songs, rhymes and music

Pets

Odd jobs and fixing things

Lost 'old friends' opportunities

Going out: Getting around

Everyday expeditions

Lost 'going out' opportunities

6 All to play for 96

What sort of play?: Wellbeing play

Freedom to play

Progression towards play: The first level of play: exploration and struggle

The second level of play: achieving competence

The third level of play: imagination and creativity

Thinking patterns in play: The idea of thinking patterns

Making the most of thinking patterns

What children need for wellbeing play: Anchoring

Authority (their own)

Apprenticeship materials

Allowed time and space

Companions supporting wellbeing play

All to play for: Anchored play for wellbeing

Authority in play for wellbeing

Apprenticeship play for wellbeing

Time and space to play for wellbeing

Part 4 Investing In Wellbeing 117

7 Observation, assessment and planning 118

Observation for wellbeing: Purposes of observation

Principles for observation

Doing observations

Recording observations

Word notes

Organising observations

Using still and video cameras

Assessment and planning for wellbeing: Assessing observations

The need for conceptual structure

Introducing wellbeing codes

A reductive process

Connecting observation and assessment with planning for individual children

Wellbeing assessment sheets: what to do: Version 1: 'Child wellbeing' assessment

Version 2: 'One-week special' assessment

Version 3: 'Wellbeing provision' assessment

Pebbles records and charts: what to do: Pebbles records

Pebbles wall charts

Purpose and value

8 Being key companions 146

Being key companions in settings: Impact of companions' wellbeing on each other

Being a child's key person

Supporting companions at home: The main players

Key messages for wellbeing at home

Wellbeing words

Key companions' professional development: Key people's own professional wellbeing

Further sources of professional development material

9 When things go wrong 161

Whose problem? Towards what works: What's the problem? The missing link

Stages of knowledge, understanding and creativity

Taking action: The Four 'A's

Out of balance

Quick fixes: Keeping going

10 Wellbeing and integration 171

An integrating model: Aspects of integration. The three projects: Wellbeing Project 1: action research by groups of practitioners

Wellbeing Project 2: exploring uses for the Wellbeing Framework

Wellbeing Project 3: piloting Pebbles training packs

What we found: About the Wellbeing Framework itself

About using the Framework

Investors in wellbeing: One Children's Centre's journey to integration: first steps

Exploring new paths

Recurring integration themes

Epilogue 182

Appendix to Chapters 9 and 10 185

Glossary 188

References 192

Index 197