Book excerpt: The Reception Year is a special time for children and their teachers. This text celebrates the uniqueness of the Reception Year and the unique role of the Reception Teacher. This is a book for those aspiring to be reception teachers, those new to teaching in reception and for those with a love for the reception year. This text addresses many key features of working with 4 and 5 year olds in the reception class environment. These include: creating a positive learning environment that values every child involving parents and carers in children′s learning understanding about child development to support your role spreading the word on the importance of early years teaching and learning discovering what works for you and your class creating effective learning spaces and resources harnessing the learning potential of the outdoor environment taking risks and challenging yourself and your class being the best teacher for your class this year and in the years to come Working in Reception you are not just a teacher. You will also be a carer, a collaborator in learning, a partner in play, a creator of magical environments, a leader of your team and an observer of the creativity and skills of young learners. This text will help you to understand your role and be the best Reception teacher you can be.