The first 1001 days are now recognised to be important for the long-term development of children because of the impact of early interactions with primary caregivers on the infant and toddlers rapidly developing brain, and their growing sense of who they are as a person.
Young children who receive timely and responsive care particularly when they are distressed develop a secure attachment and begin to build up a picture of themselves as lovable and having agency, and of other people as being trustworthy. These children are able to use the adults around them as a ‘secure base’ from which to explore the world. Infants and toddlers who receive caregiving that is punitive, unpredictable or overly intrusive are more likely to be insecurely attached and to develop a less positive picture about themselves and other people. These children are less able to use adults as a secure base from which to confidently explore and learn.
Toddlers can spend much of their early years in nursery settings, and their interactions with nursery staff can play a key role in helping to maintain a secure attachment or supporting children with insecure attachments to begin to feel secure and sufficiently safe to explore and learn.
Nursery workers have an important role in helping young children to feel secure when they are away from their parent or parents, in helping children feel recognised and understood and in supporting the development of young children’s sense of worth and of their world being a safe place.
I have been supervising student observations of toddlers in nursery settings since 2009. While many toddlers receive positive, attuned and attentive interactions, observations show that the emotional experiences and distress of many young children are going unrecognised, leaving them having to bear difficult feelings and experiences without adult help.
As Debbie Brace writes, ‘In a busy, early years setting, receiving young children’s distress can be a noisy, messy, uncomfortable and draining process that without appropriate training and support is likely to be avoided.’ (Nursey World, March 2019).
This can particularly be the experience of BAME children in nurseries, with close observations suggesting that they are more likely to be overlooked than white children. Observation material is worryingly showing children from ethnic minorities as –
- being ignored
- being chosen last
- being forgotten
Even the most well-intentioned staff and engaging nursery settings may be unconsciously perpetuating a system of white privilege (where white toddlers receive earlier and more positive attention simply because of the colour of their skin) and unconscious bias (where young children of colour are being unconsciously neglected or discriminated against).
In a moving article on diversity and inclusion in early years education (November 2020), Alicia Wilkins wrote: ‘The prejudices and presumptions that fester within the seams of our society – whether it’s around skin colour, body size, or religion – can chip away at the confidence of the very youngest children, absorbing everything like a sponge as they do.’
While a secure home environment may buffer some of the experiences of young ethnic minority children, who thrive confidently in nursery, many of these children arrive at nursery with multiple disadvantages and may not have this buffer.
Racism, housing and employment inequalities put an inordinate strain on the mental and physical health of ethnic minority communities and, correspondingly, on infants and young children in these families, who may have experienced generations of inequality. Some ethnic minority infants are arriving as refugees in the UK with experiences of trauma.
Once in nursery, these toddlers may be further disadvantaged by the experience of racism, both conscious and unconscious, which they receive. Liz Pemberton, early years trainer and consultant, writing on inclusion, said in Nursery World, October 2020, ‘Always remember that early years provision is a microcosm of the wider systemic discrimination and injustices that we are experiencing right now in the world.’
Most black and ethnic minority infants will not see themselves reflected in the staffing mix of their nursery. Government data (2021) shows that 88.6 per cent of nursery and primary school teachers are white British. Observations of the experiences of these toddlers show a disproportionate number being excluded by groups of white children and this going unnoticed by nursery workers. These toddlers can also face conscious discrimination from staff and where this happens, it is up to professionals who witness this to call it out.
Laura Henry-Allain, international speaker and author of children’s picture books JoJo & GranGran, writing in Nursery World June 2020 said: ‘The change has to be with educators, starting with themselves and reflecting and recognising their own prejudices and privileges or indeed their unconscious racist behaviour.’
Reflective practice, in which challenges to professional practice can be thought about in a non-judgemental way, leads to personal development and better practice. It can be particularly helpful, if funds permit, for a reflective practice space to be held for staff by an outside professional. Challenges can be thought about in depth. For example, reflecting on what in a nursery worker’s personal history may make it difficult to respond to a young child’s distress. Reflective practice is an opportunity for thinking about truly inclusive practice. In the context of systemic racism, as a staff group, are we – or as an individual worker, am I – unconsciously reinforcing racist-based hierarchies, in which white children are given preference?
It is easy to think that we are not guilty of racial biases, but these biases can be out of our conscious awareness. Let’s take responsibility for addressing unconscious bias. For black and ethnic minority toddlers in nurseries we can ask ourselves not just ‘Am I including you?’ but ‘Am I doing what I can to help you feel included’? And are young ethnic minority children –
- being responded to
- being given opportunities to go first
- being spontaneously remembered
These are important questions.
More information
The Association of Infant Mental Health (AiMH UK) is an interdisciplinary, not-for-profit organisation, promoting understanding about infant mental health (IMH).
The theme of its National Conference, on 19 November, is ‘Taking a Stand, Making a Start: Culturally Informed and Inclusive Practice with Infants & their Families.’
Find out more here
Andrea Katz is clinical director of the Association of Infant Mental Health, Parent Infant Psychotherapist at Enfield Parent Infant Partnership (EPIP) & Clinical Training Lead at Terapia.
With thanks to the following for their valuable feedback and input to this article: Gweneth Kirkwood, Psychoanalytic Parent Infant Psychotherapist and Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist Working in a Specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in East London, and to Jane Barlow, President of the Association of Infant Mental Health and Professor of Evidence Based Intervention and Policy Evaluation at the University of Oxford.
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