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This article discusses the essential conditions that must be in place in order for a small child to feel at home in an institution, and shows, with examples, how the Pikler Institute (known as “Lóczy”) succeeded in putting them in place, establishing an intimate and harmonious relation between the children and the nurses who look after them, and creating an environment and lifestyle in which its residents – even babies – know where they are. Through organized events in particular, the eldest children get to know everyone in the institution and all the staff, and gradually come to understand the entire functioning of the Institute. In children between 4 and 7 years old we find signs of identification with the habits and educational principles of the Institute.