What is a Key Person?

Each child at Beehive is assigned a key person – a named member of staff who has special responsibility for their key children.  A key person builds a nurturing, positive relationship with their key children, getting to know them well and aiming to meet their needs at all times.  The key person system gives parents and carers a point of contact with someone who can share information about their child’s day/session.  Children spend time with all adults in their room while at nursery, and you might not be able to see the key person system in action, but children know who their “special person” is and that they can go to them for comfort, reassurance or just a chat.

The Role of the Key Person

At Beehive, the role of the key person is to

• Ensure a smooth settling-in time for new children, getting to know them and their families, showing children everything on offer to them at nursery and offering reassurance and information to new parents/carers
• Sharing children’s achievements with parents/carers, both verbally and via Tapestry
• Carrying out, when possible, care-giving routines such as nappy changing, toileting and feeding.
• Planning appropriate, stimulating activities based on key children’s interests and stages of development.
• Making observations and assessments of key children based on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
• When children are ready to move, ensuring smooth transitions between rooms, working with the child’s new key person and school staff when the time comes for children to move on to school