Blog – Page 11 – Dr. Thomasa Bond

Mobile Infants and Toddlers

Room Arrangements

The equipment in the infant and toddler classroom should be arranged so that the quiet activities are grouped together and the more active and noisy activities are grouped together. Each area should be inviting and contain enough space so that one activity does not interfere with another. The toys can be stored in individually marked containers on marked shelves. Having the shelves labeled will allow the children the opportunity to find the equipment easily, as well as, learning how to return the toys to their proper place. The classroom should be organized with clear paths and defined areas. This will reduce the amount of time children are redirected. Infants should spend the majority of their day exploring their environment. This will allow the children to develop their independence. This cannot happen if the children are continuously place in areas that restrict their movement like high chairs, bouncer, saucers, and cribs.

Make sure that all of the areas of the room are visible and free from obstacles that can cause harm. There should not be any blind spots in the classroom. Create a room that is child friendly and a safe place for the children to move freely. The classroom should have ample space for mobile infants and toddlers to crawl around and safely explore their environment. Make sure that the areas in the classroom provide a variety of opportunities for children to explore different textures and tactile (sense of touch) experiences. Infants and toddlers also require opportunities to climb to develop their gross motor skills. Monitor the classroom and adjust the room based on the successes and weakness of the room arrangement and adjust the room accordingly. Proper utilization of the equipment and space within the classroom will reduce discipline issues.

The Lead Caregiver

The lead caregiver should oversee planning, implementation and evaluation of the classroom program and child assessment. Set the tone and manage the classroom. Create individual lesson plans for the children to address their growth and development. The lead oversees the assistant caregiver that works in the classroom with them. The lead caregiver should work full-time to provide continuity of care for the children.

Primary Caregiver

Primary caregivers provide continuity of care for the infants and toddlers. Each child’s assigned primary caregiver should be documented and provided to the parents. The children should have as few primary caregivers each day and week as possible. This includes the early hours and late hours that the center is open. If a child has more than one primary caregiver assigned throughout the day or week the caregivers should ensure that they share information about the child with each other. The infant and toddler daily logs provided to the parents should include: food intake-time eaten, type of food, and the amount (not some or little), sleep patterns, when and how long a child slept, diaper changes, developmental milestones, and changes in a child’s usual behavior. Providing continuity of care, allows the children, and their primary caregivers the opportunity to develop a nurturing relationship. Infant and toddler appropriate interactions include: holding, rocking, talking to the children, making eye contact, cuddling and interacting, providing guidance to develop social skills, and emotional well-being.

Motivating Your Employees

Motivation is encouraging someone to accomplish something that they may not have the desire to complete. Center directors have to recognize when employees require motivation or in some cases additional motivation. There is not one form of motivation that is appropriate for all employees. The workforce is comprised of various form of diversity: race, gender, age and physical abilities to name a few. However, generational diversity is creating new challenges for today’s employers with Baby Boomers, (born 1945-64), Generation X (born 1965-80), and Generation Y (born after 1980). The Generation X and Baby Boomer populations make up the majority of the seasoned workforce. However, the Generation Y population is changing the work force. Because center directors are faced with a diverse population they are forced to become creative with the techniques used to motivate their employees. Directors should be flexible and generate programs that attract the Generation Y population while enticing the Baby Boomers and Generation X populations to stay with the organization.

The key to motivating individuals within the early childhood field is to understand and acknowledge their differences. Center directors should not assume that the same techniques will motivate all employees. Motivational concepts are not universal because all staff are individually unique. With that being said, recognize that the same techniques utilized to motivate a college student would not be the best technique for a seasoned employee. It would not be beneficial to place these individuals in the same category or motivate them in the same fashion. To motivate a diverse population, first recognize the differences between the generations, and alter interactions to meet their individual needs.

Baby Boomers can be motivated by being told that they are competent and doing a good job. They should be provided with regular feedback on their job performance. Where Generation X population wants to be allowed to complete tasks in their own way and they tend to think outside of the box. They do not enjoy too many rules and regulation because they make them feel trapped in a box. The Generation Y population can be motivated by being part of a team. They like to know how they fit into the overall goal of the organization. They like to know the part that they play in the completion of the task and the timeline for the task. This provides them with a sense of belonging. Center directors have to recognize that no matter which generation they have employed at their center the individuals will, appreciate an employer that provides accommodations that motivate them to achieve greater success in their personal and professional lives.

People Skills

Individuals that are in a position of power must have the proper people skills. People skills are when individuals have the ability to communicate effectively in a positive fashion with their employees. People skills are very important because as we all know it is not what you say that matters all the time, but how you say it, that makes the difference. All employees want to be treated fairly and want to be respected by their supervisors and the leadership.

Individuals tend to follow leaders that are more charismatic. Charismatic leaders have the ability to create a work environment where employees are empowered to be innovative in their way of thinking. You can have an individual that has all of the skill set to succeed yet they are not successful. This can be a direct result of their inability to communicate effectively with people in a positive fashion. Whereas, charismatic leaders know and focus on what is important. They care deeply about their work, and learn from their successes and failures. These individuals tend to take calculated risks and tend to be trustworthy. They are often leaders within the organization before they gain the official title. Therefore, these individuals should be allowed to have additional responsibilities whenever possible. The best leader knows and understands their leadership styles and the best style for interacting with their employees.

The Importance of Curriculum

Early childhood centers were developed to provide young children with age appropriate activities to promote their growth and development. Curriculum provides a developmental framework for lesson plans. Curriculum also provides a diagram for early childhood professionals to utilize when interacting with children and families. It is important for educators to recognize and incorporate age appropriate activities into the classroom in order for children to obtain and master the skills necessary for their success. This is why selecting and integrating the curriculum that best meets the needs of the children is so important. When educators are selecting a curriculum they should consider the ages of the children and whether or not the curriculum is appropriate for the children that they service. Remember not all curriculums are created equal. Therefore, when selecting a developmentally appropriate curriculum teachers and administrators have to ensure that the curriculum provides opportunities for the children to learn skills both inside and outside of the classroom.

A complete curriculum should incorporate the following: social and emotional, physical growth (fine and gross motor), cognitive development, and language and literacy development (Bredekamp & Copple, 2009), both child and teacher directed activities, home based activities, diversity, embrace parents, provides a frame-work that guides the teachers, play based activities, the curriculum should also incorporate an assessment tool to evaluate the program (OMEP, 2002). The curriculum must address the whole child or you may have to look at multiple curriculums to meet the individual needs of the children. There are also many curriculums that will just address one or two developmental areas. These curriculums are neither right nor wrong. You want to provide the best overall experience for the children and if you are not able to locate one specific curriculum that meets the individual needs of the children that you serviced than utilizing multiple curriculums is fine. Just remember that your cost maybe higher for multiple curriculums.

The curriculum that is utilized has to incorporate activities that will meet the developmental needs of the children at your center. This will allow children the opportunity to learn and grow while exploring their environment and observing their teacher. Educators utilizing curriculum have to assess the effectiveness of the materials on a regular basis. This continuous assessment will assure that the developmental needs of the children are being addressed and that the children are provided with the appropriate opportunities for growth and development.

References

Bredekamp, S. and Copple, C. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 3. 3rd edition. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

OMEP. (2002). Early childhood education and care in the 21st century. Global guidelines. MD: Association for Childhood Education International

Play Based Programs

The early childhood field provides many avenues for individuals to make a difference in a child’s life. The task of early childhood educators is for individuals in the field to focus on the development of the whole child. They have to understand and recognize the importance of the developmental years in a child’s life. I believe that when play is incorporated into the classroom the children will grow and develop at their own pace. When engaging in play based activities, “children may seem to be momentarily awestruck in their search for meanings, but soon they will approach adults with questions or comments” (Machado, 2007, p. 214). Therefore, early childhood educators have to recognize the importance of a play based environment for young children. Furthermore, a lack of play based activities has the potential to create major issues for children.

Children emulate their environment and seek approval from the adults in their lives. A well constructed program provides a learning environment for young children. It is through play that young children begin to expand their cognitive skills. When early childhood programs decide not to provide children with opportunities for play they are depriving the children from: their natural experiences and hindering their growth and development. “A child who fails to develop play ability may either be tied to the concrete which implies that everything is real or withdraw to a pretend world that has no link to reality”(Hart, 2011, p. 95). Children grow and develop through play that is developmentally appropriate. The desire to learn and grow is very important for children. Proper play within an early childhood program can be achieved through hands-on activities. Teachers implement the hands-on approach for young children to have the opportunity to learn and grow within their environment.

The role of the teacher within a play based environment is to support and guide the children as they grow and develop. Therefore, early childhood educators will provide a play based environment when the following are implemented: The teachers and assistants within the classrooms interacted with the children without completing any activities for them. During free play time the children are engaged in activities within each center area. The teachers are engaged with the children in different areas while observing the other areas of the classroom. The teachers are accessible to the children at all time.

Children that are provided with the opportunity to participating in creative play environment within their classroom will have the opportunity to learn and grow. Play within a hands-on environments was important in the past and play based programs are still of great value today. Therefore, early childhood educators as the teachers in their lives have a responsibility to provide a nurturing environment that promotes age appropriate growth and development through play based activities. Let us not forget that children are our future.

References

Hart, S. (2011). The impact of attachment: Development neuroaffective psychology. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Machado, J. M. (2007). Early childhood experiences in language arts: Early literacy (8th ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning.