Dedicated Caregiving

Some call it key caregiving or primary caregiving. I prefer the term dedicated caregiver or dedicated teacher. Whatever you choose to call it, it is the critical element to forming the relationships that are pivotal to a Piker approach.

Pikler herself had something to say about day care centres in an interview that she gave in 1981. In her own words: “Day care can be made much better all over the world if we learned from the experiment of Loczy. At most day care centres, children are cared for randomly, picked up by one person and fed by another. Children are cared for as objects. What the child needs is relationships with the least possible number of stable adults.

“We have to play, to invest – both at home with the child and in day care centres. Infancy is a very complex time. But the one thing we seem to not want to give is time. If you are really there, you become quite vulnerable, because infants touch the infant within us. That can be quite scary.”

Dedicated caregiving is not an exclusive relationship but rather a team approach. A dedicated teacher is appointed to a child before they start. It is their role to build relationship with the child and family through respect and trust. A secondary teacher is also important - someone who provides consistent care to the child when the dedicated caregiver is absent or busy. Children know and trust their caregiver. They look forward to those care moments when they have one-on-one time – i.e. full attention – with their caregiver.

Occasionally both dedicated and secondary teachers could be absent. This is when you’ll discover how well your team works. Children observe and download information so while they have been cared for by their dedicated caregiver they have also built an overall picture of the team. If they see teachers engaging respectfully, then they learn that they can trust all teachers. When their caregiver is away, they usually settle quite well with another teacher, even if they rarely have much to do with that teacher on a daily basis. It’s sometimes cited as one of the reasons for not adopting a primary caregiving approach – that children will be too attached and become unsettled if their teacher is away - but we’ve not found it to be the case. What we have discovered is that if the child’s teacher is present, then the child usually chooses that teacher – sometimes letting you know in no uncertain terms that they want “their” teacher – but if the dedicated teacher is away, the child will settle quite happily with another teacher because they have learnt to trust all teachers.

Recently I have been working in a room not my own, where a child had transitioned from my usual room. I was not his dedicated or secondary teacher in the old room. In fact, I wasn't even his tertiary teacher! He would never voluntarily choose for me to change his nappy or put him to bed. But in the new area, I am the familiar face, the one he has seen week in and week out since he was three or four months old, the one whose voice and ways he has become accustomed to. In his early weeks in this new area, I am his teacher of choice because he trusts me. This does not in any way diminish the work of the other teachers in the new area who are building a relationship with him but from the child's point of view, I am someone he has known and has observed working with those teachers who are his dedicated or secondary. They trust me, so therefore he knows he can too. On the other hand, when either his dedicated or secondary teacher visit the new room, he immediately gravitates towards them. He trusts me but he has a relationship with them.

Never underestimate the power of relationship.

Do we ever change caregivers? Sometimes it's unavoidable as when a child's hours might change and no longer fit with a teacher's working hours. Or sometimes the child shows a preference for another teacher. Occasionally a family might request a change (often because a certain teacher cared for an older sibling). As adults we accept this and don't allow hurt feelings. We respect children's preferences and, as much as possible, family preferences, since dedicated caregiving is not just for the child but the whole family.

What Does This Look Like In Practice?

It's all very well discussing peaceful curriculum, respectful curriculum, and natural curriculum. But what does this really look like in practice? And how do we practice these ways of being in a busy centre?

How can teachers provide a peaceful curriculum where respectful relationships are central and children are encouraged to develop according to their own timetable when there are already so many demands on their time and resources?

I would like to suggest three simple strategies:

Throw away the timetables and rosters;

Dedicated caregiving; 

Create a home-like environment.

Natural Curriculum

He has made everything beautiful in its time”. Ecclesiastes 2:14

“… I am fearfully and wonderfully made …” Psalm 139:14

Do we trust that the Creator knew what He was doing when He created infants - when animals are mobile virtually from the moment of birth but human babies are not? Do we need to “teach” children to move or are they so intricately and wonderfully made that these skills will develop in their own time?

Pikler believed that babies and toddlers who are allowed to move according to their own developmental timetable display increased balance, coordination and physical skills. Thus babies and toddlers are not put into positions they cannot get into by themselves. They are allowed to move naturally, at will, and freely, and to learn and move according to the unfolding of their own timetable (known as "Free Movement"). So you will not see walkers or highchairs, infants being placed on their stomachs for “tummy time”, or babies being propped up into a sitting position. If they cannot get into a position without adult assistance then they are not yet ready to be in that position.

Respect the child’s own developmental timetable.

Teachers also respect the child’s ability to resolve their own conflict. Obviously if a child is about to be hit over the head with a metal bucket, the teacher intervenes, but generally teachers wait and allow children time to solve their own interpersonal problems. And they can! At times a teacher might guide, for example, “Are you able to find another toy the same for A?” or “C was playing with that. Do you think she might like it back?” Teachers removing a toy from a child who has taken it off another and returning it to the first child does not build the necessary skills for resolving conflict.

Teachers slow down and observe more. This is one skill new teachers or students on practicum often find most difficult. It can feel as if we’re “doing nothing” but this is not the case. Often a teacher is waiting for a sign from the child that they are being invited into the child’s world to wonder and explore. The natural environment is the perfect place for this to happen, but it can happen anywhere. This slowing down goes hand-in-hand with providing a calm and peaceful curriculum.

Any discussion of Natural Curriculum would not be complete without mentioning the natural environment. Use it. Enjoy it. Make the most of mud and bugs and wind in the hair and rain on the face and sun on bare skin. Turn over every stick and rock and rotting log and search for worms and creepy crawlies. Observe the clouds, and leaves moving in the breeze, and raindrops on glass. Explore. Get dirty. Have fun.

Respectful Curriculum

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others”. Philippines 2:3-4

“Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 6:14

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12

“Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honour giving preference to one another.” Romans 12:10

As Christians we know and understand that what makes our religion different to all other religions is that we can have a relationship with the Living God. Jesus Christ modelled relationship based on respect and value for the other person. It should be something that we strive to do every day with every person with whom we come into contact.

The Pikler approach strongly emphasises the importance of a respectful relationship between teacher and child. When teachers intimately know the child and his needs, they are able to respond to those needs in a sensitive and respectful manner. Teachers do all in their power to build, nurture and protect the relationship between a child and his/her key teacher. Caregiving moments are not seen as routines or chores to be gotten through quickly but as opportunities to build trust and relationship.

Infants and toddlers are respected as individuals who are able to communicate and understand. Teachers do things with the baby or toddler not to them. Teachers tell children what they are about to do, rather than rushing in and doing to the child. Teachers look for and respond to children’s cues, and invite children to be active participants in their care. Teachers use an open hand invitation and wait for a response. An example of this might be “Do you want to be picked up?” “Do you want a cuddle?” Teachers never pick up a child without first asking and receiving a response.

[And when you consider that most adults don’t like it when someone comes up and grabs them unexpectedly from behind, why would we ever consider doing this to children?]

Teachers tune into children’s cues and respect the messages that children convey. If adults only paid more attention they might be surprised at how much even a very young baby communicates. Full attention or engagement shows children that they are valued and that they have importance as individuals. For teachers, it requires being fully present, slowing down and engaging in sensitive observation. Care routines are times of full attention, but there will also be other times when teachers sit back and observe and wait for the child to invite them to participate in their learning. It is preferable to give full attention for a small period of time, than divided attention for a longer period. Divided attention brings confusion and gives the child the message that they are not important enough to have your full attention.

Respectful curriculum is not just for children. In fact, respect is for every individual. Thus teachers show respect to other members of the teaching team. Teachers show respect to parents and families and whānau. Teachers show respect to every person – young or old – who comes through the door.

Respect. It’s for everyone.

Peaceful Curriculum.

In an earlier post I mentioned that to keep things simple we could define Pikler as Peaceful Curriculum, Respectful Curriculum and Natural Curriculum. This post will examine Peaceful Curriculum.

Psalm 34:14 says “Do good; seek peace and pursue it”. Another verse we could apply is from James 3:17-18: Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

Piker believed that adults need to create a safe, quiet and peaceful environment where infants and toddlers can move and play in their own way. To provide such an environment, teachers are not to appear rushed, must keep their voices at a low level, and plan ahead to ensure that things don’t turn to custard all while putting the needs of the child first! It takes a lot of team work, a lot of planning, and a lot of communication.

Teachers need to provide time for undisturbed play – play that is not interrupted by the routines of the day. Children need time to explore at their own pace – to examine and taste an object; to play without teachers’ input – which, however well intentioned, can interrupt the learning process.

Teachers need to slow down and observe more. Take. Your. Time.

The role of the natural environment should not be overlooked. There is something about creation that calms the soul – for adults as well as children. This can be a tricky one as health and safety and also convenience have meant that our outdoor environments are becoming more sterile and less natural but children need sand and water and mud and dirt and bugs and insects.

A Peaceful Curriculum does not mean that children cannot make a noise. Rather, teachers' movements are unhurried, their voices soft, and their overall manner and way of responding one of calm and peace. Nor are teachers the "peacemakers" in the sense that they solve children's conflicts. Children are capable agents of their own conflict resolution if given time and support.

The keys for providing a Peaceful Curriculum? Relationship (and more specifically dedicated or primary caregiving), a daily rhythm that focuses on children’s needs (i.e. throw out the rosters and clock), a home-like environment, respect, and a team approach.

Why Pikler?

As mentioned in my last post, it is essential that we get it right as early childhood teachers of infants and toddlers (and beyond). For us, one of the ways of getting it right has been to provide a peaceful and respectful curriculum that draws on the work of Emmi Piker, a Jewish Hungarian paediatrician who, after World War 2, set up orphanages at the request of the Hungarian government for children orphaned as a result of war, maternal death in childbirth or from tuberculosis. The approach she had used in raising her first child was the inspiration behind the approach she brought to the orphanages. She questioned the “modern” way of teaching infants rather than allowing their development to unfold naturally.

Why do we believe that a Pikler inspired approach providers a blueprint for sustainable practice with infants and toddlers and beyond?

In the words of Toni Christie, from Childspace, Pikler “advocated for infants to be given our highest respect, focusing on the establishment of authentic trusting relationships between adult and infant. Her peaceful approach urges early childhood practitioners to consider infants and toddlers as competent, confident and unique individuals who are focused, self-initiating, involved, resourceful, secure, cooperative and curious” (Christie, 2011, pp. 7-8).

For New Zealand early childhood educators familiar with Te Whāriki this will sound familiar. This is because our early childhood curriculum states that the aspiration is for all children "to grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body, and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society."

Furthermore, the pivotal concepts of Pikler such as relationships, respect and peace sit nicely within a Christian context. Our God is a relational God: consider Abraham, Jacob, Moses, the prophets, Jesus' relationship with His chosen twelve, to mention a few. As Christians we can have a personal and living relationship with Jesus Christ. Relationship is not foreign to us. We all need it.

This is what we value about the Pikler approach: relationship is at the heart of everything we do. It is everything to the child. And as we'll discover later, the relationships we form are not just for the child but the whole family/whānau.

References: Christie, T. (2011). Respect: A practitioner's guide to calm and nurturing infant care and education. Wellington: Childspace Early Childhood Institute, pp. 7-8.

Ministry of Education. (1996) Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media,p.9.

In Search of a Definition

The theme of this year’s CECEAA Conference was “Growing Sustainability: Whakapakari Matatū”. The subtitle was “Ka whangaia, ka tupu, ka puawai: That which is nurtured, blossoms and grows.”

In the light of this we defined “Sustainable Practice for Infants and Toddlers” in this way: “Sustainable” can be defined as “able to be sustained, able to last or continue for a long time", while “sustain” means “to supply with sustenance, to nourish, to give support or relief”. Therefore, “Sustainable Practice for Infants and Toddlers” is practice that nourishes the body and soul, gives support and lasts for a long time, i.e. it has long lasting benefits.

At a workshop I attended last year we were asked to consider a scenario similar to this: if a child enters an early childhood setting at 4 months old and is in care from 8.00 am - 5.30 pm five days a weeks for 48 weeks of the year, by the time they start school at five, they will have spent 10,640 hours in an early childhood setting. That same child, starting school at age five and spending from 9.00 am - 3.30 pm (the typical length of a school day) in the classroom, five days a week for 40 weeks of the year (since there are 12 weeks of holidays in the school calendar), will have passed their thirteenth birthday by the time they have spent as much time in the classroom as they did in an early childhood centre.

Furthermore, brain research shows that in the first three years, relationships are critical. The quality or lack of will determine how the brain develops in the early years. For more information on this visit Brainwave Trust, or better still, attend one of their seminars. What we now know about the brain and how it develops has huge implications for infants and toddlers in care.

We cannot hide our heads in the sand and pretend that what we’re doing is “good enough”. There is no room for mediocrity, or second best. It is critical – absolutely critical - that we get it right. There is too much at stake and we must ensure that our practices meet the needs – physical, emotional, spiritual, and cognitive – of the precious ones entrusted to our care.