Together in Care Meeting the Intimacy Needs of Infants and Toddlers in Groups.
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Transcript of Together in Care Meeting the Intimacy Needs of Infants and Toddlers in Groups.
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Together in Care
Meeting the Intimacy Needs of Infants and Toddlers in Groups
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Together in Care
Three program policies that lead to responsive, relationship-based care:
• Primary Caregiver Assignments
• Small Groups
• Continuity of Care
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Why Primary Care?
• The development of a loving relationship between a child and caregiver is at the heart of a high quality infant care.
• Infants thrive when they share a strong bond with a person who cares for them day after day.
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What is Primary Care?
Each child is assigned to one caregiver who is principally responsible for that child’s care.
Primary care is not-exclusive care. Other caregiving team members provide support when needed.
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Primary Care:
• Works best when caregivers function as a team.
• The primary caregiver does most of the caregiving routines & communicates with the parents.
• Other team members step in when the primary caregiver is busy with another child or when the primary caregiver is out of the room.
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Benefits of Primary Care:
• Primary care benefit both children and caregivers.
• The deeper the relationship between caregiver and child, the more enjoyable their time together will be.
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Small Groups:
• Simply stated, the total number of children in one caregiving space should be limited.
• Recommended group sizes:– young infants groups should not exceed 6 – mobile infant groups should not exceed 9– toddler groups should not exceed 12.
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Small Groups Promote:
• Personal contact between children.
• Quiet exploration and one-to-one attention from a caregiver.
• Children being able to focus because there are fewer distractions.
• Caregiver flexibility to manage the needs of all children.
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Group Sizes(same-age groups)
Age Ratio Total Sq. Feet
0-8 1:3 6 350
8-18 1:3 9 500
18:36 1:4 12 600
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Mixed-Age Group Size
Age Ratio Group Size Sq. Feet
0-36 1:4* 8 600
* Of the four infants assigned to a caregiver, only two should be under 24 months of age.
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A critical aspect
In child care, much more attention has been given to ratios than to group size or space requirements, but appropriate ratios alone will not ensure quality.
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Strategies to Support Small Groups
• Redesigning space to give small groups of children their own space while still sharing plumbing with another group.
• Build 4-6 foot walls to divide a large room into smaller rooms.
• Using furniture or room dividers to keep children in separate small groups.
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More Strategies…
• Use small tables at mealtimes with three or four seated with one caregiver.
• Follow individual schedules.
• Use developmental barriers to divide up outdoor areas.
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Continuity of Care
“Whatever stage the child is in is important and exciting. If caregivers follow a child from the beginning to the time the child leaves the child care program, the job is much more complete, both for themselves and for the child.” - Yolanda Torres
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Continuity of Care
• With continuity of care, the child stays with the same caregiver and peer group for the first three years or the full time the child is enrolled in the program.
• Continuity allows children to experience a stable, long-term relationship not only with their caregiver but also with each other.
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Continuity of Care
• Requires planning and can be implemented in three possible ways:
Same Age Continuity Mixed Age Continuity Family Child Care
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Management Strategies:
• Schedule overlapping shifts in order for caregivers to communicate with each other.
• Organize staff schedules to allow primary caregivers to meet with parents and each other on a regular basis.
• Building in time for caregivers to prepare and plan their work with children.
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The combination of…
“… primary care, small groups, and continuity of care will go a long way toward making child care the intimate place it should be.”