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Child Development & Early Education vocabulary · Nursery Practice and Routines

Key person

Meaning in child development & early education, with examples

nounCore term

In child development & early education, key person means: The member of nursery staff who has special responsibility for a small group of children, builds a close bond with each child and is the main contact for the family.

In Turkish: sorumlu eğitimci, birincil bakım veren, anahtar kişi

How it is used

A required role in the EYFS in England, so it appears in policies, inspection reports and letters to parents. Each child is assigned a key person, and the idea is called the key person approach. Some settings say key worker instead.

Example sentences

  1. Your child's key person will be Amira, who works in the baby room.

  2. As his key person, I write most of his observations and meet his parents each term.

Common collocations

  • key person approach
  • assign a key person
  • key person system
  • key children
  • attachmentThe deep emotional bond a young child forms with the main people who care for them, which gives the child a sense of safety and comfort.
  • settle inTo become comfortable and relaxed in a new place, such as a nursery or a new room, and get used to its people and routines.
  • partnership with parentsWorking closely with parents and carers as equal partners, sharing information and decisions so that home and setting support the child together.
  • EYFSShort for Early Years Foundation Stage, the statutory framework in England that sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to five.

More terms: Nursery Practice and Routines

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