B is for Building Relationships

(Love + Trust = Learning)

When we reflect back on or inwards to, the people that we love and trust the most in life, they are the people with whom we have built the best relationships. Without these people, we would not be who we are today.

The National Quality Standards and the Early Years Learning Framework (guiding documents for Education and Care) are literally overflowing with descriptors that focus on relationships between Educators and children that are;

warm positive collaborative respectful reciprocal secure supportive trusting

Building these relationships is the bedrock on which all other things are built and without them we would not be able to help children to develop;

warm positive collaborative respectful reciprocal secure supportive trusting (1)

How do we trust someone we don’t really know, or feel secure with someone who does not invest the time in getting to know who we are? How can we be comforted by someone who does not understand our needs, or get excited by someone who does not receive us with warmth and joy?

Relationships are not just confined to those between Educators and Children either but also built between;

warm positive collaborative respectful reciprocal secure supportive trusting (2)

These other relationships provide the support children need as they develop their sense of Belonging, Being and Becoming. Without these other relationships, we could not provide care that cultivates a culture that is equitable, inclusive, responsive and meaningful, with each child. Relationships are at the heart of everything that we do in our daily practice. They inform our actions, interactions and reactions. They are central to our communication and decision making and are reflected in our outcomes.

Research shows relationships are central to children developing acceptance, self-esteem and higherfunctioning thinking skills that contribute to positive learning and life outcomes
(KidsMatter Early Childhood).