Loving
Care
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Loving
care defined:
Loving care is based on the belief that early education should
be based first and foremost on the human rights values of love, respect
and dignity, and the sanctity of human life.
Loving care treats children as human. Loving care is what families instinctively
provide for their children.
It is nurturing and selfless.
Loving care
provides direction for early childhood educators by
requiring that all our practices be loving first - above
all other considerations. Loving
care also sets the tone for early care and education. Loving care is nurturing,
joyful and home-like. Loving care goes beyond bottom-line justifications.
Instead of treating children as human capital and vessels
for achieving future
economic growth, loving care treats children as persons worthy
of love, respect and dignity.
Loving
care and the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights:
- [The]
inherent dignity and . . . the equal and inalienable rights
of all members of the human family is the foundation
of freedom, justice and peace in the world. (first
line of preamble)
- All human beings are born free and equal in dignity
and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and
should act
towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. (article
1)
- Everyone
has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
(article
3)
Call
to action:
Loving care is advanced by both what we do and what
we don't do. By what we do, loving care is advanced each time
we reach out and hold a child's hand, each time we hug a child,
each time we laugh with a child, each time we set out toys and
provide fun and games for a child, and each time we teach a
child an important lesson. Loving care is advanced by sharing
the cultural
riches of humankind. Loving care is advanced by creating joyful
places for children to be. Loving care is advanced by involving
families in early care and education, by listening to and responding
to the needs of children and families. Loving care is advanced
through home-like settings.
We also
advance loving care by not justifying our work through bottom-line
calls that treat children
as commodities and vessels
of human capital. We advance loving care by telling policy
makers that providing loving and nurturing places for young
children
should be reason enough to add public dollars for expanding
and improving early education and child care.
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