KidStart: Nelson Mini Conference

Coping with difficult behaviour and coming up with creative play ideas are challenges for anyone looking after young children.

For Barnardos KidStart caregivers and parents in the Top of the South, help is at hand.

KidStart is the Barnardos care and learning programme offered in caregivers¹ own homes. The service offers full training to caregivers, and later this month a KidStart mini conference in Nelson is offering workshops designed to extend Caregiver knowledge and practical skills.

Barnardos Area Manager, Deborah van Dam says the annual mini conference is an inspirational day for caregivers.

³We cover a huge range of topics that will help in their day-to-day role as caregivers. For instance, we have behavioural specialist John Newton talking about difficult behaviour and how to manage it and Yvonne Dawkins from Blenheim running a Te Reo workshop,¹ she said.

A session run by early childhood specialist, Sandy Cassells, on caregiver/parent relationships will focus on the importance of positive communication and pro-active involvement with parents. Deborah van Dam says that with the recent repeal of Section 59 (known as the Œanti-smacking legislation¹) many of the sessions at this year¹s mini-conference will extend our Caregivers knowledge of positive behaviour management.

Barnardos KidStart offers free training and the mini conference part of the training requirement for caregivers to keep them current with early childhood education trends.

The mini-conference is being held at St Josephs School in Collingwood Street, Nelson 8.30 ­ 3.00pm on Saturday 31st March.

ENDS

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