At PORSE we seek to not only understand the important teachings from neuroscience (the field of research about the brain), but to build our curriculum, training and support around these cutting edge findings. Each educator is part of our vision to bring neuroscience to life in the way we welcome, relate to, support and communicate with each child and family.

Decades of neuroscientific findings have made it clear that the human brain does most of its wiring after birth. Millions of connections in the brain - more than we will ever have or need in adulthood – are formed in direct response to the baby’s environment. It is their experiences that guide this process.

The most important experiences, bar none, are relationships. As experts say, human connections create the neural connections that determine how the brain develops.

Infancy is ideally a time for forming secure attachment relationships , a concept that is intricately intertwined with brain development. As caregivers interact with infants in a caring, committed and sensitively responsive way, the child’s brain, body, mind and spirit can unfold to maximum potential.

At PORSE, we understand how to apply this most important knowledge to our interactions with the children in our care. Our model not only works to offer a warm, nurturing and stimulating environment while a child is with their educator, but supports overall wellbeing of the child and their family - the primary connection we are always seeking to enhance.

How PORSE is Different: The 3 Rs

Relationship

How a baby is cuddled, comforted, spoken to and played with underpins the hard wiring of the brain and sets the stage for interactions to come. The relationship a PORSE educator has with your child is the centerpiece of everything we do.

Creating trust and knowing between the educator and the child allows for a deep understanding and mutual relationship of caring. This trust, in turns, allows children to feel confident to explore, learn and – most importantly - enjoy their time in care.

The educator-child relationship is not the only relationship PORSE holds in mind. The relationship between you and your child, between you and the educator and between the educator and her/his support team and supervisors are all integral to everything we do.

Respect

Respect for children’s needs, their specific developmental stage, age and abilities, their temperament and family situation, their strengths and weaknesses, preferences and fears - this is the full spectrum of consideration.

A PORSE Educator is an educator who is supported to meet the baby on his/her terms, to see the baby for who s/he is and who does not attempt to rush or mould the baby to fit into a prescribed schedule, way of being or environment.

At PORSE we understand that each child needs and deserves a unique balance of social interaction, play and stimulation alongside quite time, uninterrupted exploration, comfort and soothing. We strive for each educator to be highly attuned to your child’s needs throughout the day and to meet those needs with compassion and awareness.

Babies need to have a satisfying experience of dependency before they can become independent and self-regulating. The idea of dependency is often misunderstood, but again neuroscience helps inform us that it is through having our needs met that we learn to meet them ourselves.

To ignore a child’s needs is not to make the needs vanish, it is only to disconnect the child from the relationship. Intentionally leaving a baby to cry, for example, is something that can undermine confidence in the adults caring for him/her and stress both the child and the relationship.

Through meeting needs respectfully – both those of high emotional needs and those for time of exploration - children are supported respectfully.

Regulation

Babies needs are primarily biologically based and their ability to soothe themselves is often limited, especially at times of stress such as leaving loved ones, going to sleep and situations of novelty.

Babies need help with this self-calming and self-knowing, a process generally known as regulation.

Responsive, attuned and caring educators assist babies with regulation by helping babies return to states of healthy calm.

Regulation is a key element of healthy brain development and secure attachment. A baby who is calm and connected to their internal and external environment is able to learn, to enjoy and to be a part of the world in a way that supports optimal development.

• Getting to know the baby well and learning the early and subtle cues that baby is feeling overwhelmed, disconnected or upset

• Letting the baby know s/he is not alone and that her distress is understood
• Assisting the child with the sometimes difficult transitions of saying goodbye to a parent at the start of the day or going to sleep when tired
• Engaging the baby in play or joyful interaction
• Acknowledging the baby’s inner experience and mirroring that knowledge to the child.

Educators who do this important work need to be valued and supported with a highly developed commitment to their job and the ability to self-reflect.

 

Our Commitment to Child Mental Health and Wellbeing

• We offer targeted educator trainings and workshops, support visits and a well thought out programme in order to enable our educators to promote the child mental health and wellbeing of the children in their care,
• Working for our National Support Office are two Child Mental Health Specialists – they ensure staff and educator queries and concerns are addressed and develop our cutting edge trainings and workshops.

Read more about Why In-Home Childcare