About This Blog

In August 2016 a colleague and I presented a workshop on Sustainable Practice for Infants and Toddlers at the Christian Early Childhood Education Association of Aotearoa (CECEAA) Conference in Auckland, NZ. As we spoke about many of the concepts that had become everyday practice for us - so everyday that they were an intrinsic part of who we were as teachers - we became aware that many of these concepts were foreign to our listeners. We wanted to invite them to our centre so they could see how beautifully it worked when teachers tore up the rosters, threw away the clocks, and focused on relationship, relationship, relationship.

This then is the next best thing: a way of sharing information, documenting our journey, and hopefully inspiring other teachers to take a leap into the unknown. Our setting is a Christian early childhood centre with rooms for 0-2 years, 2-3 years, 3-4 years, and 4-5 years. Our work is concerned with the first two rooms: 0-2 years and 2-3 years.

Our approach is inspired by the work of Emmi Pikler, an Hungarian paediatrician and whose respectful way of working with children has been shared with New Zealand early childhood teachers by Toni Christie and the team from Childspace, Natasha Kibble, Kimberley Crisp, and Pennie Brownlee. We must also acknowledge the work of Massey Childcare Centre at the Massey University Campus and their work on Attachment-Based Learning. Had we not visited their centre at the very beginning of our search, and rather nervously implemented some of their ideas, we may never have experienced this amazing journey.

This blog will also be a record of my teacher inquiry: How does a Pikler-inspired approach sit within a Christian context?