Just as hiring staff to your business should be a well planned meticulous process, it goes without saying that the process of hiring staff to your home to care for your children must be even more stringent. We spoke to an educator, who shared her perspective asides from the general considerations. Here are some useful tips to consider:
Language
Young children (0-6) have a particular sensitivity to language. Their minds at this stage are like powerful sponges; absorbing what they need from their immediate environment. As they begin to master speech and develop their vocabulary, they will do so from the impressions around them.
The responsibility of the adult is to support this development by providing a rich language environment. This does not mean your nanny must speak Queen’s English but Pidgin is a ‘no-no’ as is the use of slang language. Children will immediately pick up and repeat this type of language. If your nanny’s English is not up to par, encourage her to speak her native dialect. It is better that your child acquires a different Language rather than ‘bad’ English which can be notoriously difficult to correct.
[Tweet “Best your child acquires a different Language rather than ‘bad’ English “]
If you have a nanny who speaks English at a good standard, do encourage her to always use proper words in naming things for the child; ‘air-conditioner’ rather than a/c, ‘remote control’ rather than ‘remote’.
Proper naming goes a long way in helping the child improve their vocabulary. Children do not need you to mirror their efforts and ‘babble’ back at them or use ‘baby language’ in communicating with them. They look to adults around them to supply them with the enabling environment to develop their skills. [READ: Does Your Nanny Need A Break?]
Remember that if a nanny is to speak a different language, she must be consistent in doing so; otherwise the child will simply pick up the dominant language used.
Culture
As adults many of us work in jobs and offices with our various cultural beliefs and practices. However, adults working with children must be aware of these beliefs and ensure they do not negatively impact the children they care for. One such prime example is phobia; some do not like certain animals such as birds or cats. However, when with children, our reactions to these experiences must be controlled; so that the children do not invariably ‘absorb’ these or have our fears/anxieties immediately ‘transferred’ to them. So you should be sure to check the influence that your domestic staff has on your child.
Action
Majority of early years practitioners are in agreement that children of this age learn best through activity. Any nanny that is with children of this age must therefore be able to promote and encourage a basic level of activity. Some of these include encouraging the child to play outside, paint, colour, help with tidying up, fold clothes etc. Any nanny whose idea of activity is to plonk a child in front of a television or i-pad is certainly not supporting the child’s natural development.
Independence
There are certain cornerstones for learning that children can be encouraged to embrace at an early stage. Children need to learn useful skills such as feeding and dressing themselves to independently using the bathroom. They also achieve immeasurable developmental milestones such as independence, improved co-ordination and even concentration.
A child that is allowed to think through processes, make judgements and calculations based on experience, is developing logical thought; indispensable to learning. Every time a child is deprived of this opportunity, the child is deprived of an invaluable ‘learning’ experience. Right from birth, children yearn for independence.
A good nanny will create supervised opportunities for a child to do as much as they can for themselves. [READ: Consider This When Hiring A Nanny]
Appearance
We are not referring to physical attractiveness, but to a care of self that the child can relate to and be encouraged to mirror. A nanny who is slovenly in appearance, movement and speech does not inspire perfection in a child. On the contrary, one who is neat in appearance and bright in speech and manner encourages the child to emulate these worthy goals.
Social Graces
There are certain rules that are necessary and any nanny that is able to reinforce this with the child, is an asset. Reminders to greet others, show respect for older people, pick up after themselves, encouraged not to hit others and treat others as they wish to be treated is to be commended and encouraged.
The above mentioned tips should guide all adults working with children. While some of these tips are simple common sense, they are also principles that might need to be taught or reinforced to child care providers. A nanny who is able to incorporate all these principles would be a best case scenario. [READ: I Don’t Want A Nanny]
The responsibility of the parent then is to find ways to direct and train; to impress upon their nanny, the importance of these principles and work consistently with them to achieve them. Bring attention to the many developmental aims and responsibilities of the adults.
Contributed by Bola Benson
Bola Benson is the founder of Libra House Montessori Schol, Ikoyi. A graduate of the prestigious London School of Economics, she also has a diploma in Newspaper Journalism. Bola abandoned banking and most recently working in the Trade Development Section on at the British Deputy High Commission, to pursue her true calling and passion as an educator.
She retrained as a Montessori teacher at the premier Maria Montessori Training Institute in the UK in 2003 and is an AMI Certified Diploma holder, with teaching experience in the UK. Bola has a hands on style and runs The Libra House herself supported by her qualified team of teachers. Bola is married with five children.
