Full Day Pre School Programs

Book review by Serena Johnson

Full Day Pre School Programmes by Tricia S. Kruse is the latest publication in the series 'Building a High/Scope Programme' i.e targeting those practitioners new to High/Scope and full day care. Consequently a substantial percentage of Chapter One and Appendices 'A' and 'B', of the book are devoted to the basics of High/Scope.

Chapter 2 'Special Issues in Full-Day Preschool Programmes' identifies issues which staff in established settings will be well aware of - meeting children's needs, having a flexible routine, groupings, communicating with parents etc.

Chapter 3 provides two sample daily routines encompassing the period 6.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m. and 8.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m. I have reservations about some of the elements of these routines but they could provide an opportunity for readers to review the suitability of their own routine or pick and mix to create a routine which they feel meets their needs.

Chapter 4 responds to sixteen questions from full day care providers. These are categorised into; staffing and scheduling, the daily routine, planning and observing, learning environment and use of space and adult child interaction.

Having been fairly downbeat so far I can say in support of this publication that it contains a number of valuable 'helpful hints'. These include strategies with regard to supporting children who are in the setting for lengthy periods, ( I particularly like the idea of a family photo board where children can 'visit' their family through the day), for children and parents who arrive and leave at different times during the day (leaving available small group time materials or outdoor materials for those children missing those times so that they do not feel left out/providing daily routine plans for parents) and for those parents and children who may use the setting on an irregular basis.

Again, in recommendation of the publication it prioritises the importance of observations of children, planning to meet their individual needs and addressing the need for the emotional security of both children and parents as central to full time provision.

Serena Johnson