ABSTRACT
When babies or toddlers enter into group childcare facilities, they begin to participate in a social life outside the family. They develop friendships with peers and a sense of belonging to their group. They have conflicts and learn peacemaking strategies (Singer and de Haan 2007). Young children are much more like adults than we thought before. They can react just as strongly to injustice as adults, but their approach is different. They are inclined to slap their opponent instead of using words. If they have hurt someone, the feeling of guilt is often clearly visible on their faces. In fact, young children can do some things better than adults. They are much more forgiving; their quarrels are over much more quickly (Rourou et al. 2006). Even so, we should not overestimate young children. They need their parents and trusted teachers as a secure base from which they can go out into the world. Teachers have to ensure that children feel safe and confident among themselves. A good childcare centre is characterized by positive relations among the children and a happy ‘we-feeling’ in the group (Figure 8.1).
The social life of young children in the group is related in many ways to the surrounding cultural communities. Teachers bring in their experiences of their own upbringing, professional training and belief systems from the particular communities in which they participate. According to Harkness and Super (1999) and Huijbregts et al. (2008) the personal beliefs of teachers stem from two sources: everyday personal experience with colleagues and childrearing in the childcare centre, and socially shared cultural beliefs on childrearing within the particular community to which they belong. Children also bring their home experiences with their parents and siblings, and elements of the cultural community of their family.
