Berry Street Web Docs Berry Street Early Years Plan | Page 2

• Basing our work on the established knowledge in relation to child
development, trauma and attachment and through our work contributing
to that knowledge.
• Reviewing this plan periodically and reporting to the Berry Street Board on
progress.

Early Years Knowledge
• The early years of life are critical to children’s development and have vital implications
for well-being right through adulthood. The evidence for this comes from a wide range
of research including health, neuroscience, developmental psychology, education,
criminology and economics. Our ability to live life to the fullest - to love and care for
others, to achieve goals in work, family and leisure - is bound up with our foundational
experience in the early years.
• Sensitive, warm, responsive and stimulating care giving is a requirement for children’s
healthy neurophysiologic, physical and psychological development. Children thrive in
relationships with protective, nurturing caregivers. Inadequate, disrupted and negligent
care have adverse consequences for children’s survival, health and development.
• Having secure attachment relationships in early childhood is a major protective factor for
children: children’s best chances for developing resilience - the capacity to bounce back
in the face of a setback or challenge - are the relationships we have with them, beginning
with their family, and spreading to other trusted people in their life.
• Children develop and learn through their relationships with the important people in
their lives. Each achievement - language, learning, social and emotional development,
emergence of self, moral development - occurs in the context of close relationships with
caregivers.
• Play is widely recognised as one of the major ways children can safely explore,
experiment with and practice a whole range of experiences essential to optimising health,
well-being, learning and development. Belonging, Being and Becoming – Australia’s Early
Years Learning Framework stresses the importance of play as follows: “Children’s learning
is dynamic, complex and holistic. Physical, social, emotional, personal, spiritual, creative,
cognitive and linguistic aspects of learning are all intricately interwoven and interrelated.
Play is a context for learning that:
» allows for the expression of personality and uniqueness
» enhances dispositions such as curiosity and creativity
» enables children to make connections between prior experiences and new learning
» assists children to develop relationships and concepts
» stimulates a sense of wellbeing.”
• As the quality of the parenting children receive is by far th e strongest influence on them,
it is crucially important to support vulnerable families in their task of nurturing their
children, and providing positive, stimulating environments for their children’s
development - both before birth and particularly in the early years of life.
• There is evidence that it is often those with the greatest need that are least likely to
be able to access available early years services, universal or otherwise. There is often
a low take-up of opportunities to participate in programs, as well as a high attrition
rate. Universal services have difficulties engaging and retaining all families. To do
this effectively, they need to be willing and able to cater for the needs of all children
and families, identifying ways of creating services that are comfortable, safe,
non-judgemental, friendly and attractive for people who are facing family
difficulties in attending.