'What to Expect, When?' vs. EYO

[moggy]

I have my paper copy of WtEW now ('What to Expect, When?' by 4Children supported by DforEd), £2.99 posted for a single copy, discounted for 10+ copies.

What to expect, when? A parents' guide | From pregnancy to children aged 5

Wow, what a breath of fresh air.
I have compared it side by side with EYO...

My conclusions:

• WtEW takes each EYO statement and arranges them by Age rather than by Area.
• You can open the page on an Age (like 22-36mths) and have all 7 Areas' statements in front of you.
• WtEW re-writes each EYO statement in plain English and in an 'I can...' format, from the child's point of view. This is also a direction some schools are taking for their assessment systems for KS1/2/3.
• EYO is used by Inspectors so we had better know about it, but...
• WtEW covers all the same content as EYO (as far as I can see so far) in a much easier-to-use way.
• WtEW is written for parents, so is easy to have on the table and read together when parents come in for a chat
• WtEW includes a double page per Age of Next Step and activity ideas 'How Can You Help Me With My Learning'

I am going to start using if for my termly progress reviews and I have recommended it to all my parents by sharing the link with them.
Any one else?

I hope any new CMers who are struggling to get to grips with EYO or DM get this new document, it is worth every penny of £2.99 (or read online or print yourself). And even as an experienced CMer I think this is going to make my life easier.

It gets a thumbs up from me.

[Mouse]

That sounds interesting and a much better document to share with parents.

[lollipop kid]

I have my paper copy of WtEW now ('What to Expect, When?' by 4Children supported by DforEd), £2.99 posted for a single copy, discounted for 10+ copies.

What to expect, when? A parents' guide | From pregnancy to children aged 5

Wow, what a breath of fresh air.
I have compared it side by side with EYO...

My conclusions:

• WtEW takes each EYO statement and arranges them by Age rather than by Area.
• You can open the page on an Age (like 22-36mths) and have all 7 Areas' statements in front of you.
• WtEW re-writes each EYO statement in plain English and in an 'I can...' format, from the child's point of view. This is also a direction some schools are taking for their assessment systems for KS1/2/3.
• EYO is used by Inspectors so we had better know about it, but...
• WtEW covers all the same content as EYO (as far as I can see so far) in a much easier-to-use way.
• WtEW is written for parents, so is easy to have on the table and read together when parents come in for a chat
• WtEW includes a double page per Age of Next Step and activity ideas 'How Can You Help Me With My Learning'

I am going to start using if for my termly progress reviews and I have recommended it to all my parents by sharing the link with them.
Any one else?

I hope any new CMers who are struggling to get to grips with EYO or DM get this new document, it is worth every penny of £2.99 (or read online or print yourself). And even as an experienced CMer I think this is going to make my life easier.

It gets a thumbs up from me.

Totally agree - and they've sorted out the gobbledygook that used to pass for "Speaking" - have a look at the different entries side by side (EYO and WtEW) in each of the age bands and you'll see what I mean.

I'm using Tapestry to do my LJs, but have already started to refer to the new document in my summaries (in the bits where you just type in your summation against each of the areas). It's a real breath of fresh air.



All the best,

L

[natlou82]

Fab news I ordered some copies the other day and just waiting for them to arrive. I've ordered I copy for me and one to put in each child's learning journey. It sounds like it's going to be much easier to discuss with parents using this booklet. :-)

[sarah707]

I was reading through it earlier and I thought I might scan pages for parents and send them through when they change age / stage to make the information relevant ...

It doesn't replace EYO though - it's for parents not providers - it's important that is remembered

[moggy]

I was reading through it earlier and I thought I might scan pages for parents and send them through when they change age / stage to make the information relevant ...

It doesn't replace EYO though - it's for parents not providers - it's important that is remembered

I would not say it is 'not for providers'.
It was not written 'for providers' but I think we can judge for ourselves whether we feel it is the right document for us to use in our own practice to refer to. Just as we can choose to use DM or any other child development resource.
That is why I have been quite carefully comparing the content - statement for statement - EYO vs. WtEW and I can not see anything lacking from WtEW... what have other people found?

Yes, we need to be aware of EYO as that is what Inspectors use, and use it as we feel best.

But, I am interested in opening up the conversation about why/if we can/can't use WtEW? and would we use it in isolation? or along side DM or EYO?

It certainly allows parents and settings to be 'singing from the same hymn sheet' rather than practitioners having these documents and 'holding the knowledge' (DM and EYO) that parents don't/can't access or understand easily.

A parent who has read WtEW can come into a progress review chat with a practitioner as well-informed as the practitioner on the expectations of an age/stage (experience aside), with the knowledge of how we split the ages/stages in to 0-11, 8-20mths etc and what the ELGs are- that is new, is it not? That could change how we approach these conversations...

It is going to take time for us all to digest this and see how/if we adapt to use WtEW.
Interesting times.

[mama2three]

I got my copy yesterday and am certain it wll be a much used resource here. Im happy using Develpment Matters , but this is a refreshing view and much easier to share with parents , and for me , students.

[hectors house]

I emailed a copy to all my mindees parents (and my pregnant daughter) as soon as I got it by e-mail - why can't the EYFS be written in plain English, I will certainly be referring to my copy for ideas, it's brilliant.

[Simona]

I would not say it is 'not for providers'.
It was not written 'for providers' but I think we can judge for ourselves whether we feel it is the right document for us to use in our own practice to refer to. Just as we can choose to use DM or any other child development resource.
That is why I have been quite carefully comparing the content - statement for statement - EYO vs. WtEW and I can not see anything lacking from WtEW... what have other people found?

Yes, we need to be aware of EYO as that is what Inspectors use, and use it as we feel best.

But, I am interested in opening up the conversation about why/if we can/can't use WtEW? and would we use it in isolation? or along side DM or EYO?

It certainly allows parents and settings to be 'singing from the same hymn sheet' rather than practitioners having these documents and 'holding the knowledge' (DM and EYO) that parents don't/can't access or understand easily.

A parent who has read WtEW can come into a progress review chat with a practitioner as well-informed as the practitioner on the expectations of an age/stage (experience aside), with the knowledge of how we split the ages/stages in to 0-11, 8-20mths etc and what the ELGs are- that is new, is it not? That could change how we approach these conversations...

It is going to take time for us all to digest this and see how/if we adapt to use WtEW.
Interesting times.

I agree with you ...singing from the same hymn sheet...is so appropriate just as you say.
Getting parents to input into the progress check etc will be a lot easier...The minute I saw this new doc I thought LJs would be a lot easier for us to work Next Steps and get parents input!

The only thing I worry about is that providers will probably buy the doc for parents...so adding to our expenses but it may be a good investment.

If this helps parents why not give them a copy when they are first seen by their health Visitor and put in in their child's Red Book?

[sing-low]

Best bit about this: under 'where to go to learn more' it lists childminder alongside other professionals