Supporting Resilience in the Early Years
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18552/ijpblhsc.v3i2.198Keywords:
resilience, ECCE professionals, developmental psychologyAbstract
Resilience can be broadly defined as the ability to recover from setbacks, having protective qualities that lead to successful adaptation to life events (Mc Grath & Noble, 2011). A review of the literature indicates there are a growing number of programmes available internationally that aim to support resilience in children. However, these tend to be exclusively targeted at children from age 5 years and up. There is an absence both nationally and internationally of such programmes which focus directly on the very early years, i.e. 0-4 years.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ECCE professionals to establish how they nurture resilience in practice. Findings indicate while many of the components that enhance resilience are present in early years settings, they are happening as an indirect consequence of other activities. We conclude that developmental psychology taught to ECCE students should be modified to include a greater focus on nurturing resilience in young children.
References
Barrett, P. ( 2008) Fun Friends: A facilitator’s guide to building resilience in 4 to 7 year –old children through play, Brisbane, Fun friends publishing
Bowlby, J. (1969) Attachment and Loss, New York, Basic Books
Carr, A. (2011). Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness and Human Strengths (2nd edition), Sussex, Routledge
CECDE (Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education) (2006) Síolta: the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education. Dublin, CECDE.
DJELR (Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform) (2002) Quality childcare and lifelong learning: Model framework for education, training and professional development in the early childhood care and education sector. Dublin, Stationery Office.
Erikson, E. (1997). The Life Cycle Completed. New York, Norton
Gaffney, M. (2011) Flourishing, Dublin, Penguin Publications
Ginsburg, K. (2011) Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings, Chicago, American Academy of Paediatrics
Growing up in Ireland (GUI) (2009), National Longitudinal Study of Children, The lives of 9 year olds, Dublin, Stationary Office
Grotberg, E. (1995) A guide to promoting resilience in children: strengthening the human spirit. The international resilience project [online] Available from: http://resilnet.uiuc.edu/library/grotb95b.html [25 May 2015]
Hands on Scotland (2009) How to support children in becoming more resilient [online] Available from http://www.handsonscotland.co.uk/flourishing [25 May 2015]
Hayes, N. (2010) Early Childhood: An Introductory Text. (4th edition). Dublin, Gill & MacMillan
Hooper, J (2012) What children need to be happy, confident and successful. London, Jessica Kingsley
Klein, M. (1957). Envy and Gratitude. A Study of Unconscious Sources. New York, Basic Books
Kane, J & Walsh, O. (2015) Rethinking psychology for ECCE students in the digital era, An Leanbh Óg - the OMEP Ireland Journal of Early Childhood Studies.
Irish College of Psychiatrists (2005): A better future now. Position statement on psychiatric services for children and adolescents in Ireland, Occasional paper OP60, Dublin
Mathers, S., Eisenstadt, N., Sylva, K., Soukakou, E. and Ereky-Stevens, K. (2014) Sound Foundations: A Review of the Research Evidence on Quality of Early Childhood Education and Care for Children Under Three. Implications for Policy and practice, Sutton Trust, [Online], Available from: http://www.suttontrust.com/researcharchive/sound-foundations/ [25 May 2015]
NCCA (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment) (2009) Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework. Dublin, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.
Noble, T. & Mc Grath, H. & (2011) Bounce back, Victoria, Pearson Australia
Positive Psychology Centre, The Penn Resilience Programme Curriculum, [online], Available from http://www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/prpsum.htm [25 May 2015]
Seligman, M. (2007) The Optimistic Child: A Proven Program to Safeguard Children Against Depression and Build Lifelong Resilience, Boston, Houghton Mifflin
Sinclair, A (2007) 0-5: How Small Children Make a Big Difference, Provocation Series, Vol. 3, Number 1, London, The Work Foundation
Walsh ,O.& Kane, J. (2014) ‘Resilience and Flourishing in the early years’. Psychological Society of Ireland, Conference presentation, Kilkenny, November
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons License "Attribution-NonCommercial No Derivs 4.0 International" (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) which permits others to use the publication as long as the authors are appropriately cited.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
- The Author grants to Coventry University an irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide, non-exclusive licence to publish this article in this journal in addition to the licence granted at paragraph 1 of this copyright notice.
