Chapter 1 · planning and evaluation
Under three, the plan is one child long
Once children turn three, group planning starts to make sense. Before that, the guidelines say something blunter: each child gets their own plan.
The rule
Individual plans for every child under three
When writing guidance plans, a nursery must take each child’s developmental stage and circumstances fully into account. For children under three, this means creating individual plans that fit each child’s personal history, physical and mental development, and the way they actually spend their days.
But here’s the key
“Individual” here is a requirement, not a nice extra
Under three, children differ enormously from month to month: when they sleep, what they eat, whether they crawl or walk. A single room-wide plan can’t honestly describe that. The guideline asks you to plan around the child’s own history and pace, not around the age label on the door.
In real life
The baby who stopped napping at ten
One of our toddlers moved to a single early nap while her classmates still took two. We didn’t ask her to match the room’s schedule. We rewrote her plan around her rhythm, adjusted her lunch and quiet time, and told her parents why. Within a couple of weeks she was calmer all afternoon.
A common misunderstanding
“A plan for the whole infant room is enough.”
“If the room plan is thorough, every baby is covered.”
“The room plan is the backdrop. Each baby’s own plan is what I actually follow.”
Why this matters to you
If you work with babies and toddlers, this is permission to slow down and follow the individual child. Differences between children are not a problem to smooth over; they are the starting point of the plan.
Your turn
Which child under three has a rhythm that my room schedule is quietly overriding?
Write their plan around their pace this week.
About Bond Japan
NPO Bond Japan
Bond Japan connects international schools so they can learn from one another and deepen a shared understanding of early childhood education and care.
