As I get ready to post this latest news blog, I’m in Budapest, experiencing the delights of being at the source of the Pikler approach. Later this year, the Pikler House is going to begin a full refurbishment, meaning that the daycare, parent-child groups and trainings will be finding a temporary new home. I hope you’ll join us at Pikler UK in wishing all our colleagues and mentors at ‘Lóczy’ every good wish for a smooth transition and a swift return home.

Rachel (Ed)

 Pikler UK is Recruiting!

Pikler UK has been going for more than 10 years now and we are proud of the work we have achieved during this time. It’s been a privilege to work with so many people from around the world and especially to see the growing interest in Pikler’s work here in the UK.

And we’re growing, too.

For the last year, we’ve been working on our updated constitution, on our journey to becoming a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). As we move into this next phase of expansion, we are inviting interested parties to join us in moving forward with our plans.

How you can help

There are two ways in which you can help. Our new Pikler UK CIO will follow the Association model which requires a Board of Trustees and a Management Committee. The Trustees will oversee the broader aspects of the organisation’s aims and objectives whilst the Management Committee will take on the day-to-day management of the organisation’s ongoing activities. If you are interested in either of these roles and would like more information or an informal discussion please contact us via email in the first instance.

Trustees

The role of Trustee is mostly one of oversight. We need a minimum of three people to establish this new model and are inviting your applications now. We have put together an information pack that explains the role in detail, including minimum expectations regarding meeting frequency and rules regarding financial arrangements, etc. Click HERE to read more.

Experience is useful but not necessary for this role. The most important attributes will be a keen interest in promoting the Pikler approach in the UK – in as many ways as possible – a willingness to work with others towards our goals, and the ability to access at least the minimum number of meetings required to satisfy the basic needs of the organisation.

Management Committee

Our current association committee consists of six members: Rachel Tapping (Chair), Julia Manning-Morton (Secretary), Tom Sroka (Treasurer), Karolina Joiner, Catherine Mack and Christine Wilkinson. As volunteers with other full-time occupations, we come together on a regular basis to manage events, publicity, forward planning, training, and any other business that arises. But we need to expand in order to maintain and extend our reach and, as we reach the final stages of transformation we would love to welcome at least four more members on board.

The committee currently meets online monthly for an extended meeting, to discuss business and work on current projects. We have a range of experience and skills, and those we don’t have we learn along the way. We also aim to meet face-to-face at least three times a year in various locations. We organise events and training and are currently focused on bringing about this new organisation model with all that that entails.

But we would like to expand our membership to bring in more skills and a wider range of experience. There are no prerequisites for the role of committee member except for an understanding of the Piklerian principles and some ideas about how you would like to see the approach brought into the mainstream of both parenting and practice here in the UK. Our aims and objectives follow.

Pikler UK Objectives

•  To advance the core principles of the Pikler approach which promote:

  • Sensitive and respectful care of babies and young children.

  • Close and trusting relationships between significant and caring adult and child.

  • Self-chosen uninterrupted play for babies and young children.

  • Naturally unfolding motor development through free movement.

  • Children’s autonomy and competencies through careful observation and attuned responses.

• To advance public awareness of the Pikler approach to the care and education of babies and young children through public events, written materials, websites and social media, and direct work with early years settings.

• To provide support and guidance to parents/carers and professionals involved in the care and education of babies and young children through training, community events and written materials that further their capabilities, competencies, skills and understanding.

• To advance research and add to collective knowledge and understanding of play, development and learning in early childhood through engaging in primary research, collating and disseminating existing research, and networking and collaborating with relevant professional and educational bodies.

• To establish community-based regional hubs to promote Piklerian principles that advance best practice in early childhood in partnership with parents/carers, early years settings and other relevant professional organisations.

Thanks and Farewell

The work we have achieved on our new charitable status has been phenomenal. It’s been hard at times, but throughout the process we’ve been guided and led by Gillian Reece-Jones. In February, Gilly decided to take a much-needed step back in order to focus her energies on family and her many other projects.

It’s with enormous gratitude that we say farewell to Gilly as a member of our management committee. She has been an inspiration in this process and we wish her all the very best for the future. We’ll still be seeing her presence in the Pikler UK community, and we look forward to continued connection and partnership down the line.

Nursery World Conference

After last year’s inclusion in Nursery World’s Physical Development Conference in London, we’ve been invited back for their next conference focusing on Birth to Three-year-olds!

This year, on Tuesday July 9th at the Cavendish Conference Centre, London, Julia Manning-Morton, Christine Wilkinson and Rachel Tapping will all be taking part. Julia begins the day as this year’s keynote speaker - What Really Matters for Babies, Toddlers and Two-Year-Olds. Rachel will be ending the day with a presentation on Maximising Unrestricted Movement. In between, Julia, Christine and Rachel will be delivering workshops on respectful care, creating environments for free, self-initiated play, and autonomous free movement. We’re delighted to have this opportunity to reach out to settings and practitioners at this prestigious event.

If you’re in the UK and can attend, we’d love to see you there…

UK Pikler Training

Our programme of Pikler Training in London continues, hosted by us but given by our valued trainers and colleagues from the Pikler House in Budapest. In February of this year we had students from many different countries joining our UK participants, including the United States, Iceland and Israel. The wealth of experience plus the depth of enquiry that each one brings only added to the already full and inspiring week-long course.

Coming up in October 2024, we’ll be doing it all again! This time the focus will be on Self-Initiated Motor Development. Registrations will begin on the 3rd of June. Details and forms will be available on our website.

We’re also asking for you to Register Your Interest if you have finished your Basic Level Pikler Training and are ready to take an Advanced Level course. We are hoping to offer our first UK-based Advanced Level Training in 2025 and will add you to our list to keep you up to date with this new development. All Basic Level courses must be completed before taking this next step.

If there is a course you’d like to take and you want to know when and where it will next be held, you can go to the Pikler House website training pages to find out. You can also find out more about the training system HERE.

New Publications

This spring, we had an article published in Nursery World Magazine - Pikler approach to free movement: Role of the 'care giving adult' - with a follow-up due soon.

Julia has also published her new book - From Birth to Three: An Early Years Educator’s Handbook - which has been nominated for an award… We’ll let you know how it fares!

And Finally…

To all our members, past and present…

Grateful thanks go to our membership for your patience over the last 12 months or so. We’re extremely grateful for your continued support while we navigate the changes to our constitution and organisation. We’re also looking closely at the details of how membership will continue.

Moving forward, membership will be open to anyone who wants to support our work and members will have more say in what we do. This is very exciting for us as one of our reasons for being is to support you in your work and parenting. It also means that we will be able to raise more funds to put our work into practice according to the objectives outlined above.

Once we have finished dotting the ‘i’s and crossing the ‘t’s, we’ll be in touch with you all with further details.

Wishing you all a relaxing and fruitful summer…

Rachel, Julia, Karolina, Christine, Tom and Catherine.

Pikler UK Management Committee