The Nurtured Heart Approach
Creating inner wealth in children and building connected communities
The Nurtured Heart Approach (NHA) is a curriculum for relationship. It supports adults in relating to children in ways that guide them to use their intensity successfully and positively.
NCCP proudly teaches and practices the Nurtured Heart Approach (NHA) in all classes at our preschool.
How does it work?
Children often receive more connection and relationship when things are going wrong. Adults tend to be lukewarm or passive when all is well, but as soon as problems arise, we get interested and vocal.
Above all else, children want to connect. They want to feel seen, valued, and appreciated. And if we respond more energetically to them when they’re misbehaving than when they are acting neutral or good, they begin to gravitate toward negativity in order to engage the adults in their world.
NHA teaches adults how to flip this dynamic, demonstrating to children that they can no longer engage us with a depth in response to negativity. In turn, we adults show them that we are eager and ready to engage them when things aren’t going wrong. We learn specific techniques for seeing far more in the “things going right” category than we ever have — and how to talk about them in ways children can actually hear.
The benefits of NHA
Understanding the unique dynamics of the “challenging” child
Ending the punitive cycle that reinforces negative behavior
Building families and school cultures on authentic connection and trust
Improving performance on everything from test scores to chores
Shifting the child toward using his/her intensity in successful ways
Supporting the child in feeling successful and building Inner Wealth — a term used to describe the child’s inner knowledge of and acceptance of his or her own greatness
Reduction of reliance on psychiatric medications to control difficult children’s behavior
NHA at NCCP
All of our teachers are Nurtured Heart Certified Trainers, and spend every interaction with the kids at NCCP reinforcing best practices from NHA. What’s more, they teach those same skills to each caregiver during parent education sessions. You will learn how to manage the challenging, albeit developmentally appropriate, behavior your kid may present, using proven techniques from the Nurtured Heart Approach. On top of a play-based curriculum, a fantastic community, you are learning how to be the best possible caregiver for your kid. Ready to get started?
