Extending the Dance in Infant and Toddler Caregiving

Secure attachment between child and parent is one of the most important factors in early learning and development -- and for children in infant-toddler programs, teachers are a critical third partner in this relationship dance. That¿s why child care administrators and educators need this warm and practical program guide to establish relationship-based programs that keep teachers and children together throughout the entire program and encourage strong connections between them; develop respectful, mutually beneficial partnerships with parents of diverse cultural backgrounds; refine teaching practices by carefully observing, documenting, sharing, and reflecting on what happens during the child care day; plan comfortable, engaging physical environments indoors and outdoors that create community and excite children¿s minds; ensure that children¿s individual needs are met by the program¿s structure and routines; promote children¿s social skills and peer relationships; ease transition times and promote continuity by providing sensitive support to children and parents; and improve professional communication and support among teachers and administrators in a community of learning. To help them establish and maintain a relationship-based early childhood program, administrators and teachers will get concrete guidance on every step of the process, plus inspiration and ideas from successful programs in the United States and around the world. Early childhood educators will be full participants in the dance of early attachment -- and promote the healthy emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development of the young children they care for.

Helen H. Raikes, Ph.D., is Professor in the Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Carolyn Pope Edwards, Ed.D., is Willa Cather Professor at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, with joint appointments in the Departments of Psychology and Child, Youth and Family Studies.