ABSTRACT
Isabel Menzies Lyth spoke of applying the concept of social defence systems to an "enormous variety" of situations, and these included day nurseries. The original work took the form of detailed case studies of London day nurseries between 1970 and 1979, commissioned by the government and starting with a study of four local authority and three private nurseries. These gave rise to an action-research study to develop an improved model of day care. This chapter reviews the social context of nurseries fifty years ago and the experiences of children and staff. It then describes how nurseries have changed since Menzies Lyth's first research and discusses the different sources of stress now evident and the anxieties they provoke. Finally, the chapter considers the relational dimensions of nursery policy and practice and how the workforce could be better valued and better supported to be more effective.
