Psychological Health Education in Nurseries: Off to a Good Start in the Psychic Development of Children Aged Zero to Eighteen Months

Abstract

Nurseries are a reality in the lives of present-day babies and modern families must count on them. In Brazil, nurseries are nowadays called Centers for Childhood Education so as to emphasize their role in education. Even though it is necessary to consider childhood education as a valuable tool in psychic or mental health development, efforts in training professionals involved with child care have been few and far between. Psychic development is taken as a dimension in the child’s development responsible for the establishment of the subjectivity, as it is conceived by psychoanalysis. Subjectivity supports affective relationships and desires directed at others. It is already known that attention to this dimension in development can significantly reduce the incidence of mental disorders both in childhood and adult life. This study aims to validate a methodology to train teachers and monitor the psychic development of nursery children aged zero to eighteen months. The methodology was applied by psychologists and was based on the IRDI instrument, which is composed by clinical indicators that monitor risks to child development. The indicators were adapted to the nursery environment. Early results indicate that the IRDI Methodology is effective in monitoring and promoting mental health in early childhood.