Nursery World - Opinion: In my view

Of course I feel sad to learn of Elinor Goldschmied's death, but it is also an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate her great contribution to early years practice, particularly work with children under three.

In an age where so many words are published, much of her work can be summed up in the three-word title of her book with Sonia Jackson, People Under Three. Indeed, the first word of these three tells the story of her work and contribution, to see and respond to babies and the youngest of children as 'people' with minds, feelings and viewpoints of their own.

I owe a considerable personal as well as professional debt to Elinor. While Dorothy Selleck and I developed our original study of children under three and their experience in nursery, it was Elinor who supervised and nurtured that work. Her rigour and clarity was uncompromising but she never lost her humanity and capacity to tune in to our feelings as we struggled to tune in to the feelings of the babies and young children we were observing. In that respect, she was a brilliant model of a 'key person' for us.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included