Work Package 4
4:2 – Case Studies
Promoting the Wellbeing of Toddlers within Europe
Case Studies
Compiled by:
Helen Sutherland and Jan Styman
Kingston University, England
Contribution from:
Annelies Depuydt and Veerle Martens
University College Arteveldehogeschool, Belgium
Julie David
Haute Ecole Libre Mosane and ENCBW, Belgium
Ove Steiner Rasmussen
University College South Denmark, Denmark
Helen Sutherland and Jan Styman
Kingston University, England
Timo Meister and Alexandra Haeckel
University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany
Monika Rothle, Elisabeth Ianke Morkeseth and Sigue Eldoy
University of Stavanger, Norway
Isobel Piscalho, Helena Luis and Marta Calheiros
Instituto Politécnico de Santarém, Portugual
Mona Vintila, Daliaha Istrat and Adiha Radu
West University of Timisoara, Romania
Carme Flores
Universitat Ramon Lull, Spain
Introduction to the Case Studies
The TODDLER Project focuses on one of the EU Commission’s priority themes for
2009-2010 indentified in EURYDICE (2009), by supporting early years’ practitioners,
teachers and students in their understanding of how to promote development of
toddlers (aged 18 to 36 months) from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds.
“The policy challenge, therefore, is to (re)build (current) systems of early
childhood care and education that meet crucial design features as outlined
above, that provide high quality care and education for all children, that are
integrated, attractive and affordable to all families regardless social class or
minority status, yet that is sensitive to differing educational needs and to
compensate early educational disadvantages” (EURYDICE, 2009:39)
The aim of the TODDLER Project is to develop reflective practitioners who can promote
and improve practice to provide effective early years care and education for diverse and
disadvantaged toddlers in reaching their full potential.
The case studies have been compiled using experiences and expertise from each
partner country exploring the different practices and strategies that promote wellbeing
within their chosen setting.
Each partner has been asked to provide a case study of a chosen setting detailing the
specifics of how that setting promotes wellbeing. This information has been compiled
into a case study with story boards which can be used as teaching materials in
conjunction with the PowerPoint.
The case studies consist of:
 Type of Setting / Status
 Description of Setting
 Demographics
o Number of children
o Age range of children
o Ethnic mix of children
o Ethnic mix of staff
o Languages spoken by the children
o Languages spoken by the staff
o Number of children who attend with a disability
o Ratio of adults to children
o Qualifications of the staff
o How is wellbeing identified, measured and monitored?
o What assessment procedures are there for supporting children with
Additional Needs?
 Story Boards
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Copyright
© under licence to Kingston University 2012 (details available on request)
All rights reserved. Except as otherwise permitted under the Copyright Designs and
Patents Act 1988 no part of this work may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any
form by any means without prior permission from the publisher.
Permission for the use of the photographs has been obtained from the families of the
children in these case studies.
Permission has been given to use the children’s photographs for the TODDLER Project
training materials and website only. It is not permissible to use these photographs for
any other purpose than the case studies.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This
publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission
cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information
contained therein.
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Case Studies
Romania
Type of Setting / Status
Pygmalion – Private Kindergarten
Description of Setting
Pygmalion is a private kindergarten, which means that the majority of users come from
families with medium income. Also, the kindergarten supports the low / medium income
families and presently, there are 6 families that freely benefit from the kindergarten’s
services or have lower fees.
60 children aging from 1 to 6 years old attend the kindergarten:
 Age group 1-2
 Age group 2-3
 Age group 3-4
 Age group 4-5
 Age group 5-6
This case study analyses the group of children ageing from 1 to 3, following the way in which early
education is realised at this age.
The name and philosophy of the kindergarten comes from the Pygmalion effect, which refers to
parents’, teachers’ or psychologists’ expectations and influence upon children. High expectations
from people around children are promoted, thus encouraging children and promoting as a result
the children’s behaviour according to expectations.
The kindergarten sets into practice the combination of traditional pedagogy with the ideas of
alternative pedagogies, promoting the concept of global development of the child, meaning that the
child’s preparation for school and for life need to be taken into account to the same extent as the
academic competencies. Alongside these, there are also capacities and skills related to socioemotional, cognitive and psycho-motor development, that the kindergarten puts emphasis on.
For the age groups of 1-2 and 2-3, there is a multi-disciplinary approach (care, nutrition and
education at the same time).
Pygmalion provides a range of services for families with children aged from 1 year to 7 years. At
least once per month, there are sessions for families to attend which include:
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 Play activities for parents with children
 Workshops for parents ( Parenting Courses, Adult Education)
 Psychological counselling for parents
Also, the staff of the kindergarten, the teachers and the babysitters, participate monthly at
workshops with specific themes regarding child psychology, held by the 2 psychologists and
trainers of the kindergarten.
Demographics
a. Number of children who attend the setting
28 (average over the week as this varies from day to day)
b. Age range of the children
(1-3 years)
c. Ethnic mix of children
Romanian
25
Serbian
1
Arab
1
Ukrainian
1
d. Ethnic mix of staff
Romanian
6
e. Languages spoken by the children
Romanian, Arabic, Ukrainian and Serbian
50 % of the children who attend have Romanian as an Additional Language
f.
Languages spoken by the staff
Romanian, Spanish, English, Serbian
g. Ratio of adults to children
Age Group
Ratio – Children : Adult
1 – 2 years
14:3
2 - 3 years
14:3
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h. Qualifications of the staff
Staff
i.
Qualifications
2
University studies; Babysitting
classes
2
University studies / bachelor in
Education Science
1
University studies / bachelor in
Clinical psychology and
psychological consultancy ;
Training of Trainers
1
University studies / bachelor in
Psychology, Formation in
systemic family therapy;
Training of Trainers
How are the children grouped - indicate the number of children in each group?
All the 28 children ageing from 1 to 3 years old are divided into 3 groups. In the 1-2 year group
there are 14 children. The group is separated into 2 during some educational activities of psychoeducation with the babysitter and the psychologist. Also, there are 2 age groups for children from 2
to 3 year group, of 7 children each, who participate in educational activities together with their
educators and in psycho-education activities, together with the psychologist.
j.
Is there an identified person, key person, responsible for each group?
For the age group of 1-2 years, there is a psychologist as a key person, while for the other 2
age groups of children aged from 2 to 3, the second psychologist has the role of the keyperson.
How is wellbeing identified, measured and monitored?
Wellbeing is identified, measured and monitored by:
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
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Application of Portage Test
Observing dispositions and attitude of the children
Observing self-confidence and self-esteem
Observing the behaviour of the children
Observing families
Personal attachment
Developmental goals to achieve by children
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What assessment procedures are there for supporting children with Additional Needs?
Children with additional needs
Initial evaluation
Specialized
services
- physiotherapy
1. intervention design
- speech
2. INTERVENTION:
- educational activities
- monitoring
- play activities
- psycho-education
- NPI
- social
activities
Periodic
re-evaluation and intervention
improvement
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Story Board 1
Key Person - Transitions / Settling in
Context of the strategy: Once entering the kindergarten, the child expands his existential horizon and the register of his affective feelings diversifies.
There are 2 stages in the process of entering the kindergarten: 1. Before the placement, the psychologist discusses with the parents different
strategies aimed at supporting the child in the process of accommodating to the kindergarten and contributing to the child’s well-being. 2. The person
who is in charge of the child (the educator or the psychologist) becomes the recipient of any of the child’s feelings but also the person in whom the
child finds comfort and the explanation for the absence of mother and father, and who permanently supplies love.
The girl in the image is 2 years
and 2 months old and this is one
of her first days at the
kindergarden. The transition
object is her blanket, with which
she sleeps at home.
The little girl always carries the
blanket with her.
The first days are very important for
child’s accommodation and the
educator or the psychologist who
takes responsibility of the child, need
to ensure these are going smoothly.
Further description / explanation:
The strategies that are discussed by the psychologist with the parents regarding the preparation for the child entering the kindergarten are the
following: the transition object, representing an object that the child brings along from home and that offers comfort; drawing the most beautiful picture
of the child’s arrival, together with describing the activities that take place in the kindergarten; preparing the parents for different reactions the child
might have, discussions with parents regarding the attitude and behaviour that contribute to the well being of the child; clear and honest
communication with the child etc.
© Permission has been given to use the children’s photographs for the TODDLER Project training materials and website only.
It is not permissible to use these photographs for any other purpose than the case studies.
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Story Board 2
Workshops, counselling and play activities - Programme to support Parents
Context of the strategy: there are 3 programmes that support parents in better understanding the well being of the child:
1. Parents’ psychological counselling: the kindergarten’s psychologist often has meetings with the parents, discussing the developmental level of the
child and about the importance of developing and optimizing the thinking, language, motion, independence but also the social and emotional
abilities of the child.
2. Workshops for parents, where diverse themes are interactively, theoretically and practically presented: Play – the main activity of the first
childhood, the Spoiling – when to say NO; Aggressiveness, the 2 cornerstones in education: cultivating love and discipline. The role of the mother
and the father, parental styles the child’s fundamental needs and the 5 love languages of the child etc.
3. Play activities : parents are encouraged to get involved in these creative activities, to play with their children, to interact, offering their attention,
support and love that children need.
Workshop with parents:
CULTIVATING LOVE
AND DISCIPLINE. In this
image, the parents are in
an exercise regarding the
5 love languages of
children.
Family Day: A day of play
with parents and children.
Each family has to blow the
balloon of other families,
while protecting in the same
time their own balloon.
The father and the little boy
from the image are trying to
build together a snow man.
The mothers and their
daughters are in middle of
play activities.
Further description / explanation: The level of the child’s development is identified with the help of the Portage test, which offers an exact image of the skills and the
stage that the child has at the moment of the evaluation, but also upon the areas that are not covered and where further help is needed. The tests cover 5 sections that
include questions about the normal stage of development. These are: socializing, language, independence, cognitive and motion. Following the identification of the
developmental level, the psychologist prepares an individualized intervention plan, where the needs of the child become the developmental and optimizing targets of play.
Workshops help parents focus on the characteristics of the child, and to discover the appropriate strategy for the issues that the child has, but also to help understanding
on how to change different behaviour. Lots of creative activities are being organized inside the kindergarten, which allow the children the opportunity of experimenting, the
stimulation of their intellectual evolution, of playing and communicating with parents and of spending time with parents. Also, parents can observe how children learn by
playing.
© Permission has been given to use the children’s photographs for the TODDLER Project training materials and website only.
It is not permissible to use these photographs for any other purpose than the case studies.
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Story Board 3
Activity / Exploration that encourages Children’s Wellbeing
Context of the strategy: children are divided into 2 groups of age: 1-2 and 2-3. Both groups participate daily in psycho-educational activities
together with the psychologist of the kindergarten. These activities pursue the development and optimization of children’s thinking, language,
motion, independence and emotional and social abilities. The main work method is play.
Each child chooses from the table a
card with a character that represents a
feeling, and gives a name to it.
The little boy is imitating the feeling from the
card he chose.
Further description / explanation: The children played with words and expressions that relate to feelings. The psychologist used cards
in this respect, where different characters expressing joy, sadness, fury, fear, surprise, shame, love through facial and body language,
were portrayed. Children continued to recognize and to verbalize emotions and to imitate emotions. Children from the age group of 2-3
were engaged in a discussion about the negative feelings that they could have in a specific situation and about the solutions that they
can find to help conflicting situations. In this activity, the emphasis was on developing and optimizing the children’s emotional and
cognitive abilities in recognizing conflicting situations and the interpersonal abilities of solving the conflict in a non-aggressive manner.
© Permission has been given to use the children’s photographs for the TODDLER Project training materials and website only.
It is not permissible to use these photographs for any other purpose than the case studies.
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Story Board 4
Enabling Environment
Context of the strategy:
Teaching child from the 2 age groups (1-2 and 2-3) follows a programme that takes place daily and involves several standard stages that offer the
child an efficient geometry of the day and fulfil the need for safety.
Breakfast for age
group 1-2: milk with
cereals.
Musical classes in English
Educational activities for the age group 1-2 years, for
cognitive development : the embedding of the
geometrical shapes (circle, square, triangle) and puzzle
The pediatrician checks if the children brought their
little hearts with them, at the kindergarten. The
medical consultations take place once a week.
Noon sleep is between
13:00 and 15:30.
In this activity, the children are playing
with the permanence of the object
during the psycho-education activities.
Further description / explanation: the standard stages of the programme are as follows:
- For age group 1-2 years old: free-choice games, breakfast, activities for developing independence, medical visit, free-choice of game, psychoeducation activities, lunch, afternoon sleep, snack, free-choice of games.
- For the age group 2-3 years old: free-choice games, breakfast, medical visit, English classes, free-choice of game, psycho-education activities,
lunch, afternoon sleep, snack, free-choice of games.
© Permission has been given to use the children’s photographs for the TODDLER Project training materials and website only.
It is not permissible to use these photographs for any other purpose than the case studies.
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Story Board 5
Social Activity
Context of the strategy: encouraging socialization among children, using different activities aimed at team work and interaction.
Songs from the spring
celebration
The children went to a
bakery and prepared their
own cookies.
Walking through the botanic
park.
Children together cleaned the
courtyard of the kindergarten of
the inappropriately thrown pieces
of papers, thus assuming an
adequate ecological behaviour
Singing happy birthday to a 2 year
old boy with his parents and the
children in the kindergarten.
© Permission has been given to use the children’s photographs for the TODDLER Project training materials and website only.
Feeding animals at the
ZOO
Sand play in the kindergarten’s courtyard.
It is not permissible to use these photographs for any other purpose than the case studies.
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