Let’s Talk About Love

08/20/2021

I have never met a person whose greatest need was anything but real, unconditional love.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

On July 26, in ExchangeEveryDay, we posed this question to the early childhood field: Are we afraid to talk about love?

The ensuing conversation in the comments section was rich and valuable. We want to keep that conversation going with a new Exchange Reflections called, "Love as the Core Curriculum." Based on an article by distinguished anthropologist and social biologist, Ashley Montagu, this
Reflections contains a wealth of material that would be so beneficial for early childhood practitioners to discuss together.

Montagu makes statements such as:

"The principal qualification for an early childhood teacher should be the ability to love," and

"An early childhood program with friendship as its core curriculum can enable children in its care to reach their full potential."

And here are examples of the questions the Reflections urges groups or individuals to ponder:

"What responsibilities do you believe early childhood practitioners have for fostering friendships among children?

Is it possible to include love in a ‘curriculum?’ Can, or should, an early childhood program be evaluated on how loving it is?"

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