Should William and Kate avoid full-time nursery for Charlotte?

• 20 December 2017
• Jane Evans
• no comments

This week I saw media articles proclaiming that 2-year-old Princess Charlotte will be starting at nursery full-time in January, she will be three in May. My first thought was WHY? What is there for her there that would be better for her than being at home with her loved ones?

Its website describes it as “a traditional nursery school which strives to maintain its ethos for high standards, excellence and good manners”.

Source: Guardian newspaper 18 December 2017

FYI she will have already been learning this from her parents’ behaviours! What she might benefit from is a Forest Nursery and a good roll around outdoors for a few hours a week, whilst learning and developing.

It’s tough to be separated all-day

For many, many, many parents and carers being a full or even part-time presence in their children’s daily lives is a very real struggle as there is immense pressure on them to work. This is tough on them and tough on their children. Not because most of the care children are offered is anything other than compassionate and child-focused, but because children generally do better if they have a good part of their early lives with their closest caregivers. We need to create this in our communities.

Nature has a plan

Nature intends children to be surrounded by adults who love them and are there to respond with compassionate curiosity and kindness for all the emotional ups and downs of life, at their pace. This is the foundation for:

• healthy brain and body development
• enabling their curiosity which encourages children to learn by doing and testing out theories
• building their sense of self-worth and ability to feel safe and secure to create and enjoy relationships with their peers and adults around them.

Young children prefer those they know

Babies are born way before they have the capacity for anything apart from the initial survival reflexes and crying for help. This rapidly changes based on the responses they consistently (not perfectly) get from their key caregivers. This is an ongoing process as the brain isn’t fully formed until a child is in adulthood and approaching their late twenties! (The Begining of Life: Brain Connections)

Brains and bodies, especially young ones, love other brains and comforting, regulated bodies they know. They can learn other ones, and do, but on their terms in their time is best.

What are Kate and William thinking?

This brings me back to the question of WHY William and Kate have decided to put their young child into full-time childcare? I’m guessing earning a living (looking at the fees) is not the driving force for them, that it is for so many families. I’d love to see one of them be with Charlotte part-time at least until she goes to school. Another article I saw on it in said, (which may or may not be true!)

Princess Charlotte to attend nursery full time, allowing her parents to focus on royal duties.

Source: the Telegraph newspaper 18 December 2017

Mental health is a bottom-up process starting before birth

The irony for me is that Kate and William do so much work around children’s mental health, which is highly commendable and has done so much good I’m sure. But, it leaves me wondering EVEN MORE, why they have chosen to put their little one in a setting for hours on end a day? I am left to assume they don’t know the impact of our earliest experiences in shaping the stress response system. But I am also wondering if they are daunted at having three young children to care for which is entirely understandable but also possible to support at home.

Of course, Charlotte may learn good manners and to strive for excellence (which her parents both have and do anyway) but she will be away from those she knows, loves and misses most. For many children, research has shown, this is a cause of stress, regardless of the lovely staff, dancing and French. Children love us more than anything or anyone so IF it is possible for Princess Charlotte to do part-time or reduced hours I’d grasp it with both hands; it’s only for a short time but will offer her the best outcomes, especially for her mental health.

Settings as sanctuaries 

It is very important to remember that for some children full-time attendance in early year’s settings offers them emotional and physical safety. Especially if the early year’s professionals understand about trauma and attachment needs so it can eventually become a sanctuary for a child and a place to gently develop in all areas with caring adults. However, this should NOT be an alternative to robust support being offered on a daily basis to enable their caregivers to learn how to fully support their child and to keep them safe.

I say all of this as a parent, former foster carer, and early year’s practitioner in a setting and as a home-based childminder.

Child Care and the Well-being of Children Robert H. Bradley, PhD; Deborah Lowe Vandell, PhD