Making the decision to return to work after having a baby is probably one of the most difficult things that any parent will face. The most important factor is to choose the right early childhood provider that meets your child’s needs. I have set up Nurture - quality home based early childhood care and education in response to this dilemma. I am a qualified early years teacher with over 19 years experience and a mother of 3 grown up girls. I ran a UK childminding business for 5 years when my own children were young, and then studied and worked in the early years sector for 9 years in New Zealand. Since returning to the UK in 2018 I have been a Primary school Nursery/Reception teacher, a Baby room leader in a private Montessori/Forest Nursery and worked as a supply teacher in nurseries around Norwich. I firmly believe that quality home based care is the most natural environment for a child to be in. It enables close and trusting relationships to develop, fostering strong emotional development and attachment. Attachment relationships are crucial in the first three years of a child’s life for ensuring positive mental health and well being, and emotional and social development. Communication and attunement between the child and the carer is key
My role as a home based educator is to support children to meet their fullest potential by empowering them to grow into confident, competent learners and communicators. I value working in partnership with parents/carers and strive to build reciprocal relationships based on respect, trust and open communication. Our days at ‘Nurture’ follow a predictable pattern of play (inside and outside), unhurried care moments, home cooked meals and daily walks. The calm environment allows me to follow the needs and pace of the child throughout the day. I am influenced by the ‘Pikler’ approach in my practise which is based on kind and respectful relationships between infant/child and carer through tender care moments, a naturally paced motor development and uninterrupted play. I am now able to offer small baby massage classes for parents and babies to help and support them through the early stages of infant development. I would love to share some valuable insights and top tips that I have learnt from my many years working and studying early childhood.
