Intro to EC Chapter 7

-For children's health and safety needs -A comprehensive array of services that meet children's physical, social/emotional, and intellectual needs -Education and readiness programs and activities that support children's abilities to learn and that get them ready for school -Collaboration with families to help them care for and educate their children

Working parents -More dual-income working families and more working single-parents -Large number of mothers entering the workforce has greatly impacted child care and education and will only increase Public policy -Politicians view quality child care as a way to address many of the country's social problems through early intervention

Relatives and Friends Family Child Care Intergenerational Child Care Center-Based Child Care Employee-Sponsored Child Care Military Child Care Before- and After-School Care Proprietary Child Care

-30% of grandparents care for their grandchildren -Generally, similar values and lifestyle as parent -OK with extended non-traditional work hours -Less costly -Low caregiver:child ratio -Children benefit from familiar environment, continuity, and stability

-Home based care provided by a non-relative outside the child's home. -Most preferred type of care for young children, especially infants and toddlers -Benefits include: Small adult:child ratio, family-like atmosphere, mixed age group, consistency, flexibility to meet family's needs -In Texas = 12 or fewer children; Licensed

Intergenerational child care programs integrate children and the elderly in an early childhood and adult care facility.

-Child care and education provided in a facility other than a home. (Often a specially constructed or renovated building) -15.6% of children attend child care centers - Wide variety in types, offerings, ownership, and levels of quality. In Texas = 13 or more children, less than 24 hrs;

-Care provided by the employer - on site -Considered a "benefit" -Parents can easily drop in -May include other services, such as dependent care, lower-tuition for care, sick-child care

-Some programs are at child care centers. Many are housed within the elementary school. -Some are operated by the elementary schools and some are run by outside agencies.

Some child care centers are run by corporations, businesses, and individual proprietors for the purpose of making a profit.

Licensed Child Care Center -7 or more children for less than 24-hrs a day, in a location other than the permit holder's home Licensed Child Care Home -No more than 12 children aged birth-13 yrs., in the permit holder's name Registered Family Home -No more than 6 children aged birth-13 yrs., plus no more than 6 after-school children, in the permit holder's home Listed Home -No more than 3 children, unrelated to the permit holder, in the permit holder's home

-Low staff to child ratios and small groups of children -Primary caregiver assignments for each small group of children -Continuity of care -Caregivers actively and regularly involve and communicate with families -An emphasis on good nutrition education for both children and parents -Proper health maintenance and safety -Cultural and linguistic continuity -Teachers who are responsive to young children and interact in warm and caring ways -Teachers who know how each child learns, grows, develops, and engage in developmentally appropriate practices

-Provides for children's needs and interests at each developmental stage -Individual children have unique styles of interacting and learning that must be accommodated. -Must feel valued and respected, -Learning how to accommodate your teaching to children's unique learning styles and how to manage their behavior are two important skills for teachers.

- Written developmentally based curricula for meeting children's needs -Specify activities for children of all ages -Curriculum and activities that meet social, physical, and cognitive needs -Use DAP

-Supports children physical and mental health -Should be attractive and pleasant -Clean, well-lit, well-ventilated, well-maintained, and with separate areas for eating, sleeping, and toileting/diapering -Frequent handwashing and healthy habits are taught -Relaxed and happy eating environments -Lead-free and non-toxic pesticides

-Caregivers provide responsive relationships and develop close and nurturing bonds with the children -Helps infants and toddlers to experience trust and feel safe -Supervise children at all times -Strict security measures -Ongoing background checks on every one who comes into contact with the children -Regular and preventative maintenance on all equipment and modes of transportation -Monthly safety drills

-Caregivers deeply care about children and families. -Caregivers listen, observe, and are aware of children's verbal and nonverbal communication. -Arrange classroom to maximize social interactions to promote a safe, supportive, and engaging classroom climate. -Culturally Responsive Practices

-Greet families in a culturally sensitive manner. For example, some Hispanic families prefer the father to be greeted first, then the mother, and the children last. -Provide inclusive artwork. For example, murals include children with different skin and hair colors. -Use linguistically appropriate materials and provide books in English and Spanish. -Adjust teacher-infant interaction style according to culture. Although most infants who are Hispanic are calmed with quick, repetitive, choppy phrases and back patting, infants who are Latin, for example, are calmed through soft, smooth talking, cradling, and gentle rocking. -Apply limits to cultural accommodation when necessary. Discuss compromises with parents. For example, some cultures allow infants to eat items they could choke on such as hot dogs. In this case, explain the dangers of certain foods and ask parents to bring alternative snacks. -Communicate with parents and other family members in your program. You must place a high priority on daily communication about children's progress. In addition, share with parents how your program and community agencies provide information in such critical areas as child development and nutrition.

-Encourage and promote children's routine social interactions. -Accommodates children's individual differences and provides for active play -Offers a range-wide of learning materials -Have written developmentally appropriate based curricula for supporting children's needs.

-Supports children's social interaction and lays the foundation for school readiness and other life skills. -Provides materials and activities that are matched to the needs, interests, and abilities of children and provide for many hands-on activities that support seeing, touching, feeling, and moving. -Supportive and challenging environments complement each other.

-NAEYC guidelines = 1:4 for infants and toddlers, 1:6 to 1:10 for preschoolers -Research shows that programs that meet those ratios and caregiver training and education produce children with better outcomes. -Low quality care of any type is associated with poorer school readiness and performance on test of expressive and receptive language skills. (Can happen when professional has too many children)

-Teachers should be involved in ongoing and systemic training and education. -Program administrators should have a background in early childhood education. -Knowledge of child growth and development is essential. -Need to be developmentally aware and child oriented. -Two-step process: learning and implementation

-Parents and families should have a vast amount of knowledge about the program that their child attends, their child's growth and development, and the curricular program activities. -Important to share with parents how services are provided. -Teachers must place high priority on daily communication about children's progress.

-NAEYC has established a national, voluntary accreditation system to set professional standards for early childhood education programs, and to help families identify high-quality programs. -Approximately 9,000 programs are accredited. -Based on research - Best practices for high quality early care and education programs -Misc. Indicators -Ratio in 4-yr-old room = 1:8-10 -Group size in 4-yr-old room = 16-20 -1.B.02. Teaching staff express warmth through behaviors such as physical affection, eye contact, tone of voice, and smiles. -4.D.07. Teachers talk and interact with individual children and encourage their use of language to inform assessment of children's strengths, interests, and needs.

1. Relationships 2. Curriculum 3. Teaching 4. Assessment 5. Health 6. Teachers 7. Families 8. Community Relationships 9. Physical Environment 10. Leadership and Management

Accreditation is a voluntary approach to providing professional standards for EC programd & helps the family identify these high-quality programs. Minimum licensing provide the Minimum standard needed to help protect basic health and safety

- the MINIMUM standards designed to protect basic health and safety. Have gone a little farther into "quality" realm, but not much. -Adult:child ratios (ex: 4yr = 1:18) -Group sizes (ex: 4yr = 35) -Square footage (inside and outside) -Requirements for staff qualifications -Requirements for enrollment -Requirements for environments and interactions -Requirements for discipline and guidance