While working with children is far from being humdrum, there is a definite cycle and pattern to it. This time of year is the farewell season. Children are moving on and fond goodbyes are said, while at the same time the crucial process of meeting new children may already have begun in preparation for settling-in time in September.
Long gone are the days when two- and three-year-olds were pushed over the threshold, bawling with separation anxiety. Today, careful preparation is the norm and the focus is on building relationships with children before they start. As Katriona Ismael, a childminder in Catford, London, explains, 'One of the things I like to do is to visit the children in their homes before the contract is signed. This way the children get to know me in their home as well as visiting me in mine.
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