Early Childhood Development Education Guidance and Counselling

1. Early Childhood Development Education Guidance and Counselling Dr. Geoffrey Wango Counselling Psychology University of Nairobi

2. Rationale • Teachers and counsellors have a significant influence on the child. This is because teachers and counsellors have an immense understanding of children gained through working closely with each other, interacting with several children, consultations with parents and discussions with a variety of professionals. It is therefore important that teachers and counsellors, especially those working with children in early childhood, gain expertise on working effectively with children at this critical stage. • Teachers and counsellors dealing with children in Early Childhood Development and Education (EDCE) should be equipped with knowledge and skills to assist such children. • Among the essential skills is guidance and counselling, coaching, and mentoring. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

3. Rationale • Teachers and counsellors dealing with children must both understand the child and at the same time assist them along in their growth and development. Children too come from diverse backgrounds. Additionally, children even in early years may experience psychological disturbance as a result of several factors. Guidance and counselling of children is not the same as of adults. This is majorly because the child-counsellor relationship is an interaction with the child; it is even more demanding when assisting a child in utmost need. Therefore, guiding and counselling children is highly dependent on the personality, personal qualities and professional training of the teacher and counsellor. Overall, the aim of guidance and counselling is to enable the child understand self and others, and cope with life experiences and challenges. • This book assists teachers and counsellors, especially those working with children in early childhood, gain expertise on working effectively with children at this critical stage. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

4. Early Childhood Development and Education (EDCE) • Teaching and Learning (Knowledge and skills) • Child Care and Concern Early Childhood Development and Education Guidance and Counselling Guidance and Counselling, Coaching and Mentoring Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

5. Objectives • To establish the difference between guidance and counselling of pupils in school. • To identify some of the issues that pupils face in school. • To come up with an effective way of how teachers, parents and counsellors can effectively assist children in ECDE in a collaborative way so as to produce well rounded pupils and students in school. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

6. Purpose • To provide information and assistance to pupils and students. • To improve the understanding of self. • To help in adapting to life changes or new environment. • To provide efficient use of capabilities and talent. • To produce a well-rounded being. • To assist in psychological and educational needs. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

7. Content Terms Used in Guidance and Counselling Ethics and Principles in Guidance and Counselling Qualities of an Effective Counsellor Types and Stages in the Counselling Process Skills and Techniques in Counselling Management of Emotional and Psychological Challenges Role of ECDE Trainers, Teachers and Parents in Guidance and Counselling Identifying, Counselling and Referring Children with Emotional and Developmental Challenges Identifying, Rehabilitating and Counselling Children with Special Needs Identifying and Counselling People affected by Drugs and Substance Abuse Supportive and Referral Services Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

8. Introduction • Guidance and counselling practice has been part of traditional and modern living. • In traditional society guidance and counselling, teaching, coaching and mentoring was provided by parents, older children, relatives and elders. • They guided and counselled young people in matters of life. • Girls and boys were equipped with life skills. This was to prepare children and youth for adulthood. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

9. Introduction • In the modern world, guidance and counselling is still provided by parents, and in addition teachers and counsellors. • It is important for the teacher and counsellor in Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) to assist children in school, and guide parents and guardians on the various challenges of life. • Modern life is full of challenges. The ECDE teacher requires to identify some of the challenges faced by children, especially in early development, in order to assist them. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

10. Challenges of Modern Living • Challenges faced by children include: • Growing up and challenges of upbringing • Changing social relationships such as family, teachers and community • Starting school • Academic performance • Future career • These challenges need to be adequately addressed so that they do not result in crises such as: • School dropout • Emotional disturbance • Truancy and indiscipline Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

11. Challenges of Modern Living • There are several challenges in modern living. These challenges affect the child and may disrupt their lives. They include the following: • Divorce and separation • Drug and substance abuse • HIV and AIDS • Family violence • Child abuse • Loss and Death, including of parent or relatives • Counsellors must learn how to help children and assist parents to assist children. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

12. Guidance and Counselling Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

13. Guidance • The term guidance is derived from its root word, ‘guide’, which means to direct, pilot, manage, steer, aid, assist, lead, inform or show the way. The counsellor directs, or steers, the counsellee (client) in a certain direction or path or to a certain course of action. The teacher counsellor is the guide and assists the learner. • When guiding children, you will be helping them to: • Understand themselves • Set realistic goals for themselves • Develop their abilities and talents • Plan a career in the future • Understand their strengths and weaknesses Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

14. Guidance and Counselling • While guidance in its broader usage is strongly established as an educational concept especially in the school, it is not confined to education. • Guidance is also used in relation to good parenting. This for instance is valid in the parental role that educational institutions, especially the school, are frequently linked with, and in the role of teachers as surrogate parents. • The terms guidance and counselling are further linked with the role of teaching and coaching, mentoring and modelling of pupils/students by teachers and other professionals. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

15. Counselling • Counselling is a healing process through which the teacher seeks to establish a relationship in which the child can express his or her thoughts and feelings on the situation. • The counsellor has to have certain skills and expertise. Skills and techniques enable the counsellor to attend to the client with precision and professional competence. • The goal of counselling is to enable the client experience a renewal of energy within the self to enable him/her go on with their lives. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

16. Guidance and Counselling Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

17. Role of Teachers and Parents Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

18. Role of ECDE Trainers ECDE trainers are responsible for the training of teachers. This includes creating awareness on the importance of ECDE. ECDE trainers perform the following roles: Facilitating development to enhance support for child in ECDE. Guiding and directing on the management of ECDE. Collecting data on ECDE for action and implementation. Conducting seminars, workshops and conferences for ECDE. Providing linkages to assist in referral cases for complex issues. This includes counsellors, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, paediatricians, hospitals and other centres. Advocating and sensitizing on ECDE. ECDE trainers also equip teachers and parents with knowledge and skills to: (1) understand children and their behaviour; (2) assist children in pre-schools; and, (3) identify children with emotional difficulty. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

19. Role of ECDE Parents A parent is the first teacher. It is the responsibility of parents to ensure that they provide an opportunity for the child to benefit from ECDE. Parents participate in the development of education of their child by providing a conductive learning environment as follows: Parents take and collect the child from school. This ensures the safety of the child. Provide physical facilities and infrastructure. These include: classroom, toilet, playing ground and kitchen. Parents provide a healthy and nutritious diet for the child. Pay any subsidies to assist in the day-to-day running of the school, including any extra salaries. Parents also take part in fundraising activities. Parents provide background and up-to-date information on the child. This includes medical history and other relevant information such as special diet that is important to the teachers. Parent can help identity certain challenges in a child. They can then discuss with the teacher and counsellor, and thus allow for early intervention. Parents check on homework and other important aspects such as health and nutrition of the child. Parents provide additional support such as technical knowledge in their area of expertise such as construction and as guests. They can also donate materials for teaching and learning. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

20. Role of Teachers Teachers in pre-school are in charge of the child at a tender age. The teacher is therefore an important link for the child as they connect between the home and the outside world. Teachers are surrogate parents and hence offer care and concern for the child. Duties and responsibilities of the teacher include: Facilitating learning. It is the teacher who assists the child to learn. This is by enforcing prior information and creating new knowledge and skills. In addition, the teacher prepares and develops child-friendly teaching and learning materials for use in class. Parenting the child while in school. This requires that the teacher gives attention, care and love to the child. Guiding the child on appropriate conduct. Children at an early age learn several activities including language and how to behave. This requires the teacher to maintain the child’s interests while at the same time enhancing the development of additional skills. These include observation, creativity, turn-taking and reasoning. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

21. Role of Teachers • Assisting and comforting the child. The child often misses out on their parents. The child may feel abandoned and/or lonely – the teacher creates a friendly relationship and comforts the child by reassuring them they are safe and secure. • Identifying and assisting children with difficulties. The interaction throughout the day between the child and the teacher enables keen observation of the child. Teachers are able to identify children with adjustment problems or learning difficulty and assist them. The teacher can also discuss with individual parents. • Maintaining up-to-date administrative and professional records. The teacher keeps and maintains records on the child including class attendance (class register) and progress records as well as teaching and learning records such as schemes of work, lesson plans and records of work. • Collaboration with the parent assists the child to adjust to schooling at an early stage and also prepares the child for life in the outside world. This is to enable the development of the child in various ways, that is, physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually and psychologically. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

22. Counselling and Therapeutic Services Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

23. Ethical Principles of Counselling Ethics are sets of rules that influence a person’s behaviour. Counselling ethics refer to the moral standards that guide the process and practice of counselling. The six ethical principles of counselling are: Beneficence. Counsellor must always promote the well-being of the client. Non-maleficence. Counsellor offering assistance to a client must avoid harming the client, in this case the learner. Autonomy. Counsellor must respect the right of the individual person to take responsibility for himself or herself, even if he or she is a child. Fidelity. Counsellor must be trustworthy and committed to the counselling relationship. Justice. Counsellors must treat fairly all clients. This is based on commitments to equal opportunities irrespective of any differences such as gender, ethnicity, religion or social status. Self-interest. Counsellor is encouraged to develop competence through professional knowledge and personal development activities, in order to be able to work effectively with the client. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

24. Counselling Skills and Techniques • Active listening • Use of silence • Probing • Questioning • Confrontation • Self disclosure • Encouraging the client • Reflection • Teaching An effective counsellor makes use of several skills and techniques in order to be effective in the counselling process. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

25. Challenges / Interferences to effective helping • Transference and Countertransference • Cultural and Religious bias (based on differences in traditional / belief (or faith) systems) • Biasness and stereotyping of client • Attachment to client (child) • Sympathy and apathy • Lack of empathy (compassionate fatigue) • Labelling and categorization • Rehearsing (often based on stereotypes and misconceptions) • Obstacles and distractions to active listening. This includes poor listening (inadequate listening, filtered listening, sympathetic listening, evaluative listening) Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

26. Management of Emotional and Psychological Challenges • Loss of interest in class • Poor concentration • Restlessness • Sleeping in class • Destruction of property • Hating and harming other children • Acting out • Isolation and withdraw, including refusal to play with others • Mistrust of adult/s • Emotional and psychological problems can affect a child’s development and in turn interfere with learning. • There are signs that a teacher and counsellor can observe among the children. • It is important for the teacher to identify some of the emotions and assist the child in class. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

27. Management of Emotional and Psychological Challenges • Although fear and anxiety are a normal part of everyday life, these feelings can become intense and disruptive. The child should be assisted to live a normal life. As much as possible, teachers and counsellors should prevent anxiety through assisting the child by imparting coping skills such as communication and assertive skills as follows: • Identifying the cause of the anxiety. • Assisting the child to calm down through relaxation techniques. • Teaching the child to cope with fear and anxiety through frequent exercises. • Showing love and empathy to the child. • Verbal assurances. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

28. Management of Emotional and Psychological Challenges • - Allowing and encouraging the child to share their fears and worries. • Challenging negative thoughts in the child. • Confronting the child’s fears in a safe, controlled environment, for example by keeping things in perspective. For a child who fears insects and animals such as a spider, chameleon or wild animals, let him or her know that they are part of living things and the natural environment. • Ensuring child is safe and secure, for example by changing the environment when this is too hostile, such as when a child is living in an abusive home. • In extreme cases, the child should be referred to a specialist. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

29. Management of Emotional and Psychological Challenges • Children who are emotionally and psychologically disturbed will often withdraw from classroom activities and may have poor relationships with teachers and other children. The counsellor can assist the child as follows: • Relaxation through exercise such as breathing in and out, swimming, games and play, and other activities. • Talking to the parent to find out the cause of the problem and guiding them on healthy eating. • Story-telling to reduce stress. • Allowing the child enough rest and sleep. • Providing a quiet environment for learning. • Allowing the children to share their experiences. • Using other ways such as play, games, songs and dances to sooth the mind. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

30. Duties and Responsibilities of the ECDE Teacher • Facilitate learning in classroom. • Give children attention guide and assist them while in school. • Assume the role of parents while in school. • Prepare the teaching and learning materials. • Observe the behavior of children while in school. • Identify and nurture the talent in children. • Identify and assist children with special needs, make appropriate referral. • Make and update professional records. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

31. Identifying, Counselling and Referring Children with Emotional and Developmental Challenges • Children, like adults, face several challenges in the growing up process. Some children may experience emotional and developmental challenges. • In school, such children will behave differently from other learners. • Teachers and counsellors should be able to identify behaviour differences to enable them understand why pupils behave the way they do. • Some of the emotional and developmental challenges among children in school are outlined. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

32. Identifying, Counselling and Referring Children with Emotional and Developmental Challenges • Aggression • Bullying • Over - anxiety • Truancy • Rudeness • Lateness • Thumb sucking • Withdrawing • Hyperactivity Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

33. Child Mental Health and Well Being A child's health and well-being includes emotional stability and mental health. The following ten (10) tips are suggested to enhance child mental health: Ensure child is safe, secure and in good health. Always be there for the child, physically present and emotionally supportive. Bend or lean over to offer a listening ear. Keenly listen to the child and particularly their concerns. This includes questions, fears and anxiety. Allow child adequate breaks at home, school, between meals an when feeding. For example, do not confine them to any one single activity for too long no matter how meaningful you consider it as an adult. Ensure child is always supervised by responsible adults in order to feel safe and secure. Model politeness and forgiveness. This shapes child and enables them to effectively regulate their emotions. Allow child active play that includes politeness and turn taking. Also, allow him or her to express their feelings in appropriate ways. Respond calmly and encourage the child when their emotions are involved. Reassure child of their safety and security especially when threatened. Take time with child to reassure them of your support, care and concerns. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

34. Child Mental Health and Well Being If child has committed an offence, take time to guide child appropriately. The following are highly discouraged: Do not quarrel the child. Instead, guide him or her in appropriate ways. Do not ignore the child - pay careful attention including listening to him or her. Do not belittle the child – point out any mistakes, state your expectations and guide child. Do not keep child in (solitary) confinement for unnecessary too long. Do not deny child basic needs such as food and sleep as a punishment. Avoid insulting words and asking hurtful questions – when you are upset, calm down or take a quick break in order to control your anger. Avoid lecturing child, moralizing their issues and offering unnecessary advice – teach, model and shape them. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

35. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

36. Professional Ethics • Counselling is an important and sensitive process that touches on a person’s life. A counsellor performs a special function in the school, especially when working with children. • Counselling as a profession is guided by professional ethics, principles and standards. • The counsellor will observe ethical guidelines to protect both the child and the counsellor. • The basic ethical issues in counselling are: • Beneficence • Non-maleficence • Autonomy • Fidelity • Justice • Self-interest. Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

37. Supportive and Referral Services • From time to time, the counsellor will come across certain cases that they feel are too difficult for them to handle. This may be in relation to any one of the following: • Severe emotional disturbances • Extremely aggressive behaviour • Highly traumatized child • Sexually abused child such as rape, defilement and incest • Learners with learning difficulties • Legal issues • Self injurious behaviour and suicidal tendencies • Depression • Drug and substance abuse • Learners who have suffered or witnessed violence • Family related problems or issues • Other specialized counselling needs Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

38. Supportive and Referral Services • There are several institutions that can assist with various issues. They include the following: • National and County Hospitals • Mathari Mental and Referral Hospital • Kenyatta National Hospital • Nairobi Women’s Hospital • Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development • Kenya Institute of Special Education • School Guidance and Counselling Centres • Educational Assessment Resource Centres • HIV and AIDS Testing and Counselling Centres • Rehabilitation centres • Reputable Children Homes • Hospice and palliative care centres Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

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