Love Led Practice

I visited a nursery in Glasgow yesterday which has fully embraced Attachment Led Practice. I have changed the name of the nursery and the staff to maintain confidentiality, but they know who they are! It was a wonderful example of the loveliest experience that children and families can have if everyone embraces and gets comfortable with loving the children and each other. Here is a short case study of my visit.

Visit to Winkle Street Nursery, which is underpinned by attachment led practice, Glasgow.

Winkle Street Nursery is a 25 place nursery which provides Early Learning and Childcare for 2 – 5 year olds. I visited on a day when there were 12 children present, ranging from 2 to 5 years. What is unique about this nursery is its completely attachment led practice. There was a lovely feeling of love in the room. I spoke with all members of staff about why they felt it was important that they love the children in their care and that the children love them.

Manager,  Rosey*, said “The children don’t see us as doing a job, in fact one member of staff was on a half day and the children asked where she was. Another child replied ‘she must be away to work’. This made us smile as they just don’t see us as being paid to look after them, which is absolutely the way it should be, we should just be people who love them looking after them”.

There was a very calm atmosphere in the playroom. When I visited the children were all sitting around a table just spending time together. Lunch was being prepared but there was no visible routine, or hurry, and the children and staff were just chatting with each other. There was a real feeling of this being like a home. I observed the Modern Apprentice, Keith*, sitting cross legged on the floor with a child sitting in the gap made by his crossed legs, he had wrapped his arms around her and she cuddled in sucking her thumb. Within minutes the child had nodded off and he gently placed a kiss on her head.

This was a lovely natural moment, there was no fear of “not being allowed to do this”, it was right, the child clearly felt safe and comforted enough to drift off into a relaxed sleep. When I spoke to Rosey about this she said that when she interviewed Keith she just had a “feeling” that he would be right for their setting and the children. When I pressed her on what this “feeling” was she laughed and said “oh I don’t know, you just know don’t you?”. Further discussion brought her to saying it was natural instinct, connection, attachment and that he was just kind-hearted. I asked Rosey if she thought that being able to love could be taught. She made the point that you could teach all of the above things to an extent but that love needed to be the starting point and if someone doesn’t have that then they just won’t ever get it. She also said that she didn’t think you could describe it, that she didn’t want to.

Rosey and her staff talked a lot about attachment led practice. One of her staff members said “I think it goes beyond love for the children but love for the staff also. We just all spark off each other, there is a real feeling of love in the staff group and that rubs off on the children”.

With what I observed, I wonder if their practice was simply attachment led or could you go further and describe it as love led practice?

*Names of the nursery and staff have been changed to maintain confidentiality.