…whether we capture and communicate them well or not, these little flashes of magic, where we teach a young child to regain control of their breath and really choose with consideration for others what their next interaction with the world will be, these pieces of the experience cannot continue to slip through the cracks in our current measurements and definitions of quality. Why? Because individuals providing direct care to young children do not have the choice to exclude these ever-emerging and ever-subjective aspects of humanity from their consideration. They must face them head on, with minimal processing time, every single day.

There is a particularly important piece of our humanity that we tend to overlook and thus undervalue in ECE and beyond. I specifically bring it forward today because despite the fact that we ignore it, we expect to see it intact in both children and their caregivers. Though seemingly mystical, it is quite straightforward: intuition.

In this psychological phenomenon–where the lines between thinking and feeling are blurred–our inner world inexplicably tells us something about our outer world. While this shapeshifter might come in the form of an epiphany, a reassurance, a knowing, or a warning, it is a part of our humanity, and thus a part of our children’s experience in this world. As such, it deserves our care, consideration, and valuation.