The importance of secure attachment in children is receiving increasing attention. Fortunately! At Kideo, we believe it's crucial that children develop strong attachments.A securely attached child is healthier, happier, and has both feet firmly on the ground.
What is secure attachment?
A secure attachment refers to the relationship between children and their parents and caregivers. This relationship begins during pregnancy, when parent and child can already connect. At birth, the attachment bond receives a huge boost from the hormone oxytocin.Subsequently, both hormones and instincts of parent and child foster a healthy bond. A child with a healthy attachment is socially and emotionally stronger!
Child-caregiver ratio at Kideo
The Childcare Innovation and Quality Act (IKK) has been in effect since January 2018. Secure attachment is a crucial topic within this act. Because of this act, we at Kideo Childcare have adjusted the child-caregiver ratio for children aged 0-1. Previously, this ratio was 1 to 4, or 1 caregiver for every 4 children. Now, it's 1 to 3. A child also sees a maximum number of different faces per week in childcare.Ourgroup structureis designed to create the healthiest possible environment for the children.At Kideo, we recognize that healthy attachment is the foundation for the rest of our children's lives. The book "The First 1000 Days" by Tessa Roseboom provides solid scientific support for this. It describes how important this foundation is for the development of children's autonomy and health later in life.
Coaching on healthy attachment
We believe that the family forms the foundation for healthy attachment. As co-parents, we strive to create an optimal,home-like atmospherefor the children. Recently, all the childcare staff at the Babyhuis took a course on attachment with childbirth coach Leonie Winkel. Among other things, we learned how important conscious one-on-one time is for each child in the group.
Interaction and attachment
Interaction is important for healthy attachment. A newborn baby already tries to communicate with their caregivers. Through body language, eye contact, and crying, your child tries to make things clear to you.
One-on-one contact
At Kideo, we work according to Emmi Pikler's vision . We strive to give children our undivided attention during one-on-one contact. We explain to the child, no matter how young, what we're going to do. Sensitive responsiveness is crucial.By sensitive responsiveness, we mean how a caregiver or co-caregiver reacts to the child's behavior, how the childinterprets this behavior , and how they react.As you can read in our previous blog post, we've also started carryingbabies. The baby sling provides a calm, safe, and low-stimulus environment. Babies enjoy themselves, discover the world, and can truly relax! Besides carrying, conscious physical contact also fosters healthy attachment. For example, a baby massage releases the happiness hormone oxytocin from caregivers and children.At Kideo, we understand the importance of a secure attachment. We create an optimal environment and act accordingly. We talk, carry, cuddle, and enjoy all the beautiful children. Together we're building a solid foundation. That's important for now and especially for the future!
