Attachment
Attachment relationships form the basis for children/tamariki thriving.
What is attachment? Attachment develops through one-to-one interactions between adults and infants. Early interactions shape the wiring in the brain and establish patterns for how the child will develop relationships as they grow older. Nurture@Home Childcare and Education provides the opportunity for children/tamariki to form a bond with their Educator/Kaipoipoi which is vital for emotional development.
Children depend upon the adults in their life to provide a consistent, loving environment that promotes healthy attachment. The environment must be predictable and nurturing and must support exploration.
In positive Educator-child interactions, educators:
- are emotionally and physically available
- are sensitive and responsive to each individual child”s needs
- respond promptly and appropriately
- provide opportunities for exploration
- gently guide children’s behavior
- provide a secure base of love and protection
Consistency in Child Care Settings
Consistent, dependable relationships are the foundation of children’s secure attachment to adults in their family and stable, predictable relationships are just as essential to children in child care settings. Smaller child to adult ratios support attachment relationships. Changing staff and changing environments too often is disruptive for a child. Children should be in the same child care setting with the same adult caregiver for as long as possible in order to build the sense of security and trust that leds to secure attachment. Children in child care need familiar routines to encourage learning and provide a sense of control.
Some parents worry that children who form secure attachments with their regular child care provider will not love their parents as much. This is not true. Each attachment relationship is different, and children are very capable of forming several attachments. Having a secure attachment to a reliable, trusted Educator/Kaipoipoi strengthens the connections in the brain, and gives children an even stronger foundation for later relationships. To develop a sense of their own identity and the strong sense of self-worth necessary for them to become confident in relationships and as learners, infants must experience physical and emotional security with at least one other person within each setting” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p 22).
At Nurture@Home we believe At Home Childcare and Education forms the basis for attachment relationships and our practices encourage the process allow each child’s development to thrive.