The Importance of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Nurseries

An Interview with Vanessa Chandler – Head of Polylino UK and Lauren Murray – UK Marketing Manager

 

Earlier this summer, our very own Vanessa Chandler – Head of Polylino UK attended the Nursery Managers Show at NEC, Birmingham to discuss the crucial issues around equality, diversity and inclusion that nursery managers are facing on a daily basis.

Vanessa has worked within Edtech, as well as having almost a decade of experience as a primary school teacher (EYFS and KS1), giving her a unique perspective on the topic.

Following the event, Polylino UK thought it would be a great opportunity to interview Vanessa and get her thoughts.

 

Lauren:

“Hi Vanessa, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule of showcasing Polylino to do this interview.”

 

Vanessa

“Thank you! It’s a pleasure to be here and to be able to share and give greater insights into Polylino and how it supports the Early Years (EY) settings in the UK with equality, diversity and inclusion. This is an area that I am hugely passionate about, as I believe every child matters and every child should be treated equally. The more people that are aware of Polylino as a resource that supports children and families, the better!”

 

Lauren:

“You previously attended the Nursery Managers Show in Birmingham to speak about equality, diversity and inclusion. How was the show?”

 

Vanessa:

“Firstly, I was very grateful for the opportunity to speak at this event. The atmosphere on both days of the show was amazing. Meeting like-minded EY practitioners and sharing thoughts and ideas was fantastic!  Being part of the panel session, together with my industry peers from Kidsus, resulted in an excellent interaction and communication with the audience. I attend many events across the UK sharing the story of Polylino. This event, in particular, had excellent footfall and is unequivocally an event for nursery managers and certainly one for the diary!”

 

Lauren

“Your session on the day focused on equality, diversity and inclusion. Is this a new issue in nurseries?”

 

Vanessa:

“No, sadly this is not a new issue. However, in today’s world, it is more relevant than ever. Never before have we faced the unprecedented demand to ensure that children within the Early Years setting are given every opportunity to feel safe, secure and supported. We want children to learn and grow, and it is important that environments are inclusive and welcoming to all children, regardless of their background or circumstances. Offering Polylino to children and families enables practitioners to break down barriers, and make the child feel supported through the medium of a story using our platform. Polylino offers 65+ languages as well as supporting disadvantaged children who don’t have access to books, and SEND children who are usually not able to be included in whole-class storytelling. Polylino is passionate about inclusion, it’s at the heart of everything that we do - striving to create a resource that supports all children.”

 

Lauren

“Why is equality, diversity and inclusion important in a nursery setting?”

 

Vanessa:

“Early years settings provide a safe and supportive environment for children to learn and grow, and it is important that they are inclusive and welcoming to all children, regardless of their background or circumstances. Attending a high-quality inclusive setting can help support young children who are at risk of, or have faced inequality and discrimination. An effective, inclusive practice provides all children with access to opportunities and support during the earliest and most influential years of their learning and growing. Putting my teacher hat on, I know only too well that we strive as practitioners to ensure we support every child within our setting/classroom and having resources available to us is crucial in supporting this. A resource such as Polylino would have supported my teaching with both the children and families on a vast scale.”

 

Lauren:

“What are some practical issues nurseries are seeing?”

 

Vanessa:

“The dynamics of the world are ever-changing. Settings are exposed to countless differing family environments including children with 2 mummies, 2 daddies and parents that have changed gender, to name a few. The Polylino platform embraces all of today’s dynamics and so much more. We have a myriad of award-winning children’s publishers that embrace these dynamics through the power of storytelling. Ensuring that all children can assimilate the story whether their mother tongue is English or not, with over 65+ languages on our platform we want languages to be shared to show a true understanding of the world.

 

Just recently I have supported many EY settings across the UK who have accommodated Ukrainian families. These families are just one example of how Polylino can change a non-inclusive setting, enabling it to become fully inclusive overnight by offering children and their families the opportunities to read and listen to books in both Ukrainian and English as well as the other 65+ languages.

 

How wonderful it is to share books and storytelling with the children, listening to the books in their mother tongue, instantly breaking down barriers, forming relationships and creating an inclusive environment that is safe and secure. I can tell you many stories where parents, grandparents, carers and guardians are able to share books with their children that they would ordinarily find hugely difficult to get hold of. Polylino has over 660+ books for children from 0 – 7 years, with this number continuing to grow.

 

I feel privileged to be able to share the story of Polylino in the UK. Our successes as a resource that has seeded from Scandinavia and is hugely successful in Europe. To have this unique resource in the UK is a huge advance for all early years settings to ensure that we support equality, diversity and inclusion!”

 

Lauren:

“What would you suggest to nurseries to ensure equality, diversity and inclusion are prioritised?”

 

Vanessa:

“I think it is important that EY settings try to incorporate using the child’s home language as much as possible.  The Polylino platform makes it easy to find a selection of books in a chosen language. Additionally, if a practitioner selects a book in English, they can see other languages the text is available in at a glance.  Another way to prioritise equality, diversity and inclusion is to select texts which relate to children within the classroom.  For example, if you are aware of a child who comes from a home with a disabled parent, why not read “My Must-Have Mom” or perhaps there is a child who is about to become an older sibling, but is not coping so well with the news? “You're Going to Get Porridge and a Little Sister” is a lovely story that allows teachers to highlight the topic within the class environment.”

 

Lauren:

“Thank you so much Vanessa for taking the time to discuss these important issues with us. I am sure our readers will find this extremely valuable”.

 

Vanessa:

“My pleasure.  I hope the information will be beneficial to our readers and I am always happy to discuss Polylino further with anyone interested in the platform.  At this moment, we are offering a free trial so that EY practitioners, as well as parents, can experience the benefits of Polylino for themselves.”

 

Polylino is available to try for free at www.ilteducation.com/uk/free-trial-sign-up/