Nursery World - In it for the long haul

Thinking back to my early parenting experiences, one of the hardest parts was the first time I left my children at an early years setting.

Although I knew they would be well cared for while I was away, that wasn’t the point. I was strongly attached to my babies; in my heart, I didn’t really want to leave them behind. It reminds me of the sticky plant cleavers, which can get caught on you when you’re weeding the garden – no matter how hard you pull, it is hard to let go.

In our setting we let parents and carers stay to settle their children for as long as they would like. For some parents, the easiest way to deal with the settling in process is to leave as quickly as they can. For others, the separation takes much longer. But this is not just about the child’s needs, it is about the needs of the parent as well.

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