Our philosophy

Through our approach, which honours infants and young children as equal members in relationships, we are dedicated to creating a culture of people who are authentic, resourceful, and respectful.

Being

It is about the present. Children knowing themselves, building and maintaining relationships with others, engaging with life’s joys and complexities, and meeting challenges in everyday life.

Belonging

Knowing where and with whom you belong is integral to human existence. At Educoe, everyone belongs.

Becoming

Young children learn and grow. This is one certainty in life.

RIE: THE EDUCARING APPROACH

Our work is inspired by Magda Gerber’s respectful approach, Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE). RIE incorporates a deep respect and appreciation of the child as more than a helpless object, and encourages children and adults to trust each other, learn to problem solve, and embrace their ability for self-discovery.

In order to foster quality care, RIE encourages:

Basic trust in the child to be an initiator, an explorer, and a self-learner.

An environment for the child that is physically safe, cognitively challenging, and emotionally nurturing.

Time for uninterrupted play.

Freedom to explore and interact with other children.

Involvement of the child in all care activities to allow the child to become an active participant, rather than a passive recipient.

Sensitive observation of the child, in order to understand his or her needs.

Consistency, clearly defined limits, and expectations to develop discipline.

The goal of RIE is to demonstrate RESPECT for the CHILD every time we interact with them

Respect for their confidence and competence,

Respect for their authenticity,

Respect for their moods and feelings, whether positive or negative,

Respect for their stage-appropriate competence in all areas of development, based not on age but on readiness,

Respect for their need for self-expression and communication,

Respect for their style and tempo,

Respect for their age-appropriate choices, and

Respect for their uniqueness in perceiving and interacting with the world

— The wise words of Magda Gerber

The Primary Caregiver

The Primary Caregiver at Educoe is your child’s own special person – their safe person, the person who takes primary responsibility for meeting their needs while in our care. Primary caregiving is derived from attachment theory, and founded on the principle of a relationship-based philosophy, which is built on mutual trust and respect for each individual. Your child’s Primary Caregiver cares for and interacts with your child in a way that communicates:

“I want to know and understand who you are, and I’m prepared to help you understand and know who I am.”

Your child’s first three years of life is the time in which they make connections, and they discover their capabilities. Your child’s natural response will tell them to attach to the most responsive person, and this relationship will be the most important factor in fostering your child’s wellbeing.

“When we help a child feel secure, feel appreciated, feel that somebody is deeply, truly interested in me, by the way we just look, the way we listen, we influence a child’s whole personality, the way that child sees life.”

— Magda Gerber

Research has found that for children to become resilient, persistent, and independent, they must first be able to depend on the primary adults in their life.

Dependable adults build independent children.

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Circle of Security

A child’s world depends on being in a relationship with somebody that cares about them.

Secure attachments foster security, which gives children the freedom and confidence to go and explore their world, always knowing there is someone safe and responsive for them to return to.

The Circle of Security philosophy is a behavioural translation approach that supports 3 key messages:

Children have legitimate needs
Behaviour is how children communicate
their needs
“Behaviours are feelings that are meant
to be heard” — Jesse Ragan

At Educoe, your child’s Primary Caregiver is attuned to them and their needs. They will look for the message underneath the behaviour, to identify the real message. We get to the bottom of things in a way that is both respectful to your child, and empathetic.

What is the Circle of Security?

I promise to hear you and not try to fix you. I will embrace your feelings and hear them. Feelings are visitors, let them come and go. I drive to understand and empathise.

— Educoe philosophy