Transitioning a new child into an early childhood centre can be a difficult and stressful time. Ensuring teachers have a range of tools to support the child and their whānau is key for this to be successful. 

Ripeka and the team at Kids’ Domain describe how they engage in a range of strategies to support each other, the child, and their whānau through this transitional time. One example of a transition support tool is the use of a settling teacher, and they describe why they start a child with a settling teacher before transitioning to a whānau approach to care. 

Glossary:

Kaiako: teacher 

Kotahitanga: unity, solidarity

Mana: prestige, authority, control, power, influence, status, spiritual power, charisma – mana is a supernatural force in a person, place or object.

Whānau: family

Whanaungatanga: relationship, kinship, sense of family connection – a relationship through shared experiences and working together which provides people with a sense of belonging