Further to the feature on separation anxiety, 'Don't go' (21 February), to enable a child to settle in without tears could easily take a week of visits to the day nursery by the child's parents. The nursery has to advise parents to build this time in before they are due to return to paid employment and might have to waive fees for this settling-in period. Before 'parents pop out of the room' they must tell their child they are leaving, not just hope the child won't notice. Otherwise, the child will feel they can't trust the parents not to leave them. Finally, the key worker's colleagues will have to share some of the jobs that cannot be done while she is settling in the child.
Further to the feature on separation anxiety, 'Don't go' (21 February), to enable a child to settle in without tears could easily take a week of visits to the day nursery by the child's parents. The nursery has to advise parents to build this time in before they are due to return to paid employment and might have to waive fees for this settling-in period.
Before 'parents pop out of the room' they must tell their child they are leaving, not just hope the child won't notice. Otherwise, the child will feel they can't trust the parents not to leave them. Finally, the key worker's colleagues will have to share some of the jobs that cannot be done while she is settling in the child.
On a different note, may I say I was astonished by the number of readers who have asked me for back issues of Nursery World following the publication of my letter (7 March). I had 16 requests from all over England and Scotland.
So here's a message to other regular readers who keep their magazines but don't actually return to read the back issues. Do what I did and offer your back issues to some of the colleges or students who read Nursery World.
Bernard Misrahi, London N17
