Childminding UK: Professional Love in Early Years

We all understand children’s need to develop secure attachments with significant adults in their lives, providing the feelings of safety and security that are essential for healthy emotional development. The expansion of what the government calls ‘Free Childcare’ will encourage more parents into work or to increase working hours. Therefore, it is vitally important that children experience caring and nurturing relationships while in early years settings that complement parents love for their children and enable children’s personal social and emotional development that are the foundation of all other learning.

There are regular debates about the term childcare and that it diminishes the perception of the role early years practitioners play in children's learning. Suggested alternatives including ‘early educator’ completely remove reference to the importance of the care element that early years practitioners do every minute of every day.

In 2012, Dr. Jools Page developed the term ‘Professional Love’ after carrying out extensive research for the University of Sheffield, which showed that 95% of respondents felt that showing affection to the children in their care was an ‘important part of early years practice’. However, 10% did voice concerns that some parents may feel ‘threatened or jealous’ of early years practitioners developing a relationship with their children. This worry was more common in childminders at 13%, even though they stated that forming close bonds with children is a vital part of their role. The role of a childminder is very different to that of a nursery practitioner. Childminders often care for children from babies to school age, or often secondary school age, so the relationships have much more time to develop and deepen than in other settings where children may move into different age groups with different staff caring for them.

Gerhardt in 2004 stated ‘to deny the existence of love, particularly when research has already confirmed that love matters is unhelpful’.

And of course, we need to be able to balance providing good quality care and education, including professional love in an environment that also protects the practitioner from allegations.

What does Professional Love look like?

Making sure children are cared for and feel cared for is the aim of professional love. This love is very different to parental love but should complement it. As Dr. Page explains, ‘It’s impossible to love a child in the way a parent would, and professional love doesn’t seek to build that type of bond’. What professional love looks like for an individual child will vary. Comforting touch can help children regulate their emotions and feel safe and secure. Touch is one of the primary ways that babies form attachments with their significant adults. Being held, rocked or massaged promotes relaxation and comfort. Some will need more comforting cuddles than another child, while for others, touch isn’t comfortable at all, so its vitally important to know the child well so we can cater for their individual needs. Holding hands, giving high fives or pats on the back, or a tickle on the tummy all show children that touch is accepted in the setting and will encourage them to show affection through touch as they form friendships and relationships with others. Touch can convey love but also reassurance and comfort, but professional love isn’t just about touch. It is about all the smiles, eye contact, shared funny or sweet moments we share with children every day making them feel important to the practitioner. Making sure children are given a smile and warm greeting each morning, asking them what they have done at home and really showing an interest in their lives outside the setting shows children they are valued. As does telling children you have missed them if they have been off through sickness or holiday shows genuine affection and fondness for them and that you are keeping them ‘in mind’ when they aren’t there.

The benefits of Professional Love on Brain Development

Neural Connections

Cuddling, hugging, and gentle touch, stimulate the release of oxytocin, often referred to as the "love hormone." Oxytocin promotes bonding and attachment between practitioners and children. These positive interactions also trigger the release of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which are crucial for brain development. The repeated experience of love and nurturing creates strong neural connections in the brain, particularly in areas associated with emotion regulation, social cognition, and stress response.

Stress Reduction

Love and affection help regulate the stress response in children. When infants and young children experience stress, such as separation from parents/carers or unfamiliar environments, the presence of a loving and comforting practitioner helps them feel safe and secure. This reduces the production of stress hormones like cortisol, which can be harmful to the developing brain in excess. By providing a supportive and nurturing environment, we help children develop effective stress regulation skills, which are essential for healthy brain development.

Language Development

We all know that talking, singing, and reading, play a crucial role in language development. It also provides important auditory stimulation that helps wire the brain for language processing. Research has shown that babies who are exposed to rich language input from loving practitioners tend to develop stronger language skills later in life, but also the emotional connection formed during these interactions enhances the child's motivation to communicate and learn.

Social and Emotional Development

Love and affection lay the foundation for healthy social and emotional development. When children feel loved and secure in their relationships, including relationships with their childminder or key person, they develop trust and empathy, which are essential components of social competence. Children learn how to recognise and regulate their emotions, which is what we know as self-regulation. These early experiences shape the development of key brain regions involved in social cognition, empathy, and emotional regulation, paving the way for healthy interpersonal relationships throughout life.

Cognitive Skills

Love and nurturing interactions support cognitive development by providing a conducive environment for learning and exploration. When children feel loved and accepted by their practitioners, they are more likely to engage in activities that promote cognitive growth, such as play, problem-solving, and creative expression. Positive relationships also enhance children's motivation to learn and their ability to focus attention, which are essential for acquiring new knowledge and skills.

This blog aims to show how vital professional love is for the children to promote healthy brain development, stimulating neural connections, reducing stress, fostering language development, supporting social and emotional skills, and enhancing cognitive growth.

However, it is wise to recognise that some parents may feel very unsettled at the experience of their child clearly showing love to another person who isn’t close family and to observe that person showing professional love to their child. They may feel that their child will love this other person more than they love their parents or that the practitioner is trying to ‘take over’ from the parent’s unique bond with their child. A parent summed up the concerns of many when she said ‘I want my child to love her childminder- but not too much, and I want my child to love her childminder- but not too much’.

Building good relationships with parents and having sensitive conversations about professional love, what it looks like and why it is essential to their child, while also reassuring that their child will never love anyone as much as s/he loves their parents, will help.

Link to Dr. Jools Page research https://www.eymatters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/pleys-report_singlepages.pdf

Childminding UK has been supporting childminders for over 30 years. Formed in 1991 by and for working childminders in Northamptonshire, we now support childminders across the country. A registered charity, (Charity Number 1182575) we are the only national organisation that solely supports childminders and the only early years organisation that has achieved the Princess Royal Training Award for ‘Ensuring high quality childcare through training and support’. All staff are experienced childcare professionals and have also been childminders themselves and our trustees are working childminders or have knowledge of childminding, so we have an excellent understanding of the sector.

Please note, the information in this article is provided by Childminding UK and does not represent the views or opinions of Morton Michel.