Presenting frameworks for early learning, development and care in an intergenerational care village – position paper

Intergenerational practices are not new yet are growing in popularity worldwide (Fitzpatrick and Halpenny, 2022) in a variety of forms. The benefits of connections between older adults and young children are emerging (Heslop, 2019), yet guiding frameworks for practice are lacking. This paper focuses on the concept of integrated intergenerational educare and offers an example of children in their early years working and playing alongside non-familial older adults who are resident in an intergenerational village in the north of England. The children, aged from birth to five years, attend a charity-led, Ofsted-registered day nursery within the village. Drawing on data from engagement in prior research (Heslop and Caes, under review), and from wider reading, the authors learned of the motivations, expectations, rationalities and experiences of early education and adult social care providers and set out to develop and present a new framework for intergenerational educare. Two innovative intergenerational frameworks, the Attuned Relationships Model and the Mirrored Curriculum Framework, which align to the Early Years Foundation Stage and mirror the needs of older adults, are presented. The development of the frameworks is discussed, key aspects of the frameworks are outlined, and practical implications for practice and research are shared.