Nurture, Recovery and Reconnection in Early Learning and Child Care
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What is Nurture?
Relationships fulfil our most fundamental needs as humans – social connectedness. A nurturing approach recognises that positive relationships are central to both learning and wellbeing. Nurturing approaches are underpinned by an understanding of attachment theory, which recognises the importance of early relational experiences in shaping children’s social, emotional and cognitive development.
A nurturing approach recognises that everyone who works with children has a role to play in establishing the positive relationships that are required to promote healthy social and emotional development. When children experience consistent safety, security and comfort from key adults, they develop the skills and desire to explore their environment and engage in learning opportunities. These relationships should be reliable, predictable and consistent wherever possible. Nurturing settings create positive environments, where the ethos is focused on warmth, empathy and attuned interactions between all staff and children. They provide structure alongside consistently high expectations for all, recognising that all children can reach their full potential when given the right balance between care and challenge.
Given that the majority of our children have been at home with the safest adults they know they will be returning to their early years’ setting a little bit wary on many levels. Rebuilding familiar routines and rituals within the setting will be key. The best way to support children during this time will be through nurturing relationships with key adults. The six nurture principles are a helpful way to consider the needs of all children during this period of intense uncertainty and change. Prioritising these principles and the guidance and activities underlying each will ensure children will begin to recover and reconnect, not only with the staff in settings but with each other.
1. Learning is understood developmentally
The impact of settings closures on children will be extremely individual and will have had a variety of positive and negative effects. Knowing the child and offering them experiences which are appropriate for their developmental level will be essential. Catching up should not be the priority, we need to give children time to made the transition, share their experience and reconnect.
2. The setting offers a secure base
The change, uncertainty and impact of setting closures will have affected children differently depending on the balance of other protective and risk factors in their lives. Now, more than ever, we need to ensure that our settings offer a secure emotional base for children. We need to prioritise and support children’s social and emotional development to enable them to feel safe enough to recover and reconnect.
3. Nurture is important for wellbeing
On welcoming our children back to our settings it will help to demonstrate that we kept them in mind while we were not together. We need to help them see that connections and relationships are still in place and can be renewed and strengthened. We have an opportunity to build resilience by modelling mentally healthy responses to the disruption and change whilst not minimising the adversities faced during this time by some children.
4. Language is a vital means of communication
Children will look to those around them for language to describe our shared experiences and also to understand and put into words their individual experiences. We need think carefully about the words we choose to describe the changes we have all experienced. We need to encourage children to use different ways to explore what has happened to them and how they feel about it.
5. All behaviour is communication
We acknowledge that how children behave is communication and we are used to asking ourselves “What is this telling me?”. We may observe some confusing or concerning behaviours from children when settings return. It is important to remember that any behaviour makes sense to the person displaying it given their unique experiences. It is through our relationships with them that we will be able to interpret their behaviour and work out how best to support them with what has happened allowing them to recover and reconnect.
6. Transitions are important
Everyone is making a transition to new circumstances and we need to take time to adjust to our new situation. Some children will cope with these transitions with minimal support and others will find this more challenging and we will need to be flexible and responsive to individual needs. Staff, children and families will need time to meet, share and reconnect. Establishing a key adult, maintaining routines and the use of familiar environments, experiences and transitional experiences will help to support this.