Beginnings Workshop - Child Care Exchange
www.ChildCareExchange.com
Beginnings Workshop
INFANTS MARCH/APRIL 2012
EXCHANGE
Responding to the Challenge of Providing Continuity of Care in Multi-Age Classrooms by Kaitlyn Hunter As a former school teacher and fairly new child care director, I was eager and fully committed to providing a physically and emotionally healthy environment for children. However, I was hesitant when I applied for the director’s job in a program just being established that would implement continuity of care with multi-age groupings. I knew a little bit about the concept but was in no way knowledgeable of how to implement it. I quickly learned that I had to make supporting my teachers and staff a priority, and that I had to understand and embrace the concept myself. We were a new team learning to work together, and we were all intrigued, yet intimidated, by the idea of continuity of care with multi-age groups. While the teachers had experience working with young children, few had worked in multi-age groups, and none had been involved in programs that implemented continuity. Further, children were enrolled and attending so we couldn’t stop moving in this direction. At the same time, we wanted to move in the right direction.
The First Question I Asked Was “Why Not?” n Why not build ‘school families’ where teachers are given the opportunity to invest in the lives of children in their classrooms and connect with families for a longer period of time? n Why not expand the teachers’ expertise in child development to a longer timespan than the typical 8-12 months that is standard in our geographical area? n Why not support social and emotional development by having children of multiple ages in each classroom environment? We began with relationship-building among the adults: learning to trust, value, and support one another. This orientation was the most important factor in our success: n We began depending on each other for positive support and for creative challenge. n We spent time discussing and defining our core values and mission. n We worked hard to avoid rigid rules and instead adopted a commitment to what was best for the children and families. I began one staff meeting like this to start the conversation about transitions in the lives of children:
“I know you have just started working here and we’ve only been together for a short time, but I have seen your work and you are really starting to ‘get it.’ So I have this incredible opportunity for one of you. You get to move to ‘Smithville,’ only 2 hours away by car. You get to have new friends, new furniture, and a whole new world. The rules might be slightly different, but not too much. Who wants to go?” Can you imagine the conversation that ensued? We had rich, meaningful exchanges about relationships, established rituals, accepted routines, and fears. As adults, most of us would not like to move to a new place, start a new job, and make new friends every 8-12 months. Yet, we had been doing just that to the children in our program, with good intentions. Discussing this provocation helped us realize that we had never considered what would happen if we didn’t change children’s teachers annually. As a result, our new question became, “What if each teacher stayed with a child and his or her family for a longer period of their life — up to three years?” We became excited about what we were doing and how we could make a difference in children’s and families’ lives with the change. We faced many challenges and made many discoveries along the way. Let me tell you about these now.
Environments ARE Different in Multi-Age Classrooms Using Continuity of Care Classrooms reflect each teacher’s personality and style. I trust in the teachers to support our mission and the expectations we have for our classrooms. Then I step back and let them figure out how to do this by using their imagination, knowledge, and understanding of the children in their care. Teachers’ knowledge of where children are in their development dictates what curricular elements look like and how they are used. The teachers are thoughtful about their choices. For example, the teacher of a high-energy group is going to build elements into the room that reflect the need for Kaitlyn Hunter is the Executive Director of Family and Child Services at INTEGRIS Health in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She serves on the board of the Early Childhood Association of Oklahoma and is a member of the Oklahoma Professional Development Workforce Workgroup. She was a collaborator on the professional development DVD, “Collaborative Supervision: Accompanying Teachers on the Professional Development Journey.” She presents workshops at the state and national levels on the topics of continuity of care and collaborative supervision.
Copyright © Exchange Press, Inc. Reprinted with permission from Exchange magazine. All rights reserved. Visit us at www.ChildCareExchange.com or call (800) 221-2864.
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Beginnings Workshop
physical development and is also going to find intriguing ways to offer quiet and calm activities to the children who want and need these. Supplies and materials are shared throughout the building, and teachers enjoy sharing their ideas and seeing their colleagues build upon these ideas. Families are now involved in lending or donating objects to classrooms, and agespecific toys are no longer hoarded in individual classrooms.
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challenged by what to do when she has a sleeping infant during outdoor play time for older children, the conversation we have about whether to skip outdoor time includes questions like these: n “What do you think?” n “What else might work? n “Have you thought about taking the infant’s crib outside with you?”
In this context, we have found that challenging behaviors are rarely a problem. We attribute this to the strong, established relationships within the classroom, the teacher’s rich knowledge and understanding of each child, and the varying developmental needs of the children in the classroom. In a mixed-age classroom, children aren’t achieving developmental milestones at the same time. They are at different development stages and are interested in different toys and materials. This may explain, in part, why the children’s frustration seen in same-age classrooms is minimized when children of mixed ages learn together.
Another challenge was, “How do I meet the needs of the older children when I need to feed, diaper, or care for a younger child?” We view these questions as opportunities to model empathy and offer children an opportunity to help us care for the younger child. We found that older children feel empowered when they understand what is needed and can be helpful. Teachers have found ways to allow older children to help with routines such as feeding babies or sharing books and toys. Children in our program love to help with laundry, to wash tables, and to inform the teacher when a baby needs something.
Teachers ARE Different in Multi-Age Classrooms Using Continuity of Care
Teacher turnover has been low. We credit retention to our supportive environment, our deep investment in our children and their families, and the commitment of our staff. When the opportunity arises to make a new hiring decision, we do it collaboratively, involving teachers, administrators, and support staff.
Flexibility is a cherished teacher characteristic in our program. When new issues arise, we look for what we can do, rather than what we cannot. For example, when a teacher is
Tips for Implementing Mixed-Age Groups Using Continuity of Care Staff n Work hard at open communication, first with staff and then with families. n Provide ongoing and continuous staff training to expand teachers’ knowledge of continuity of care and confidence in implementing and talking with families about the practice. n Provide ongoing support to staff as challenges arise. Physical Environment n Assess how well your current facilities support continuity and make changes where necessary: • Are toilets and sinks available for the ages of children you will be serving? • Are any modifications to playgrounds necessary to accommodate multi-age groups? • Does your current equipment need modification to respond to the needs of the children who will be using it? Families n Offer family education sessions to introduce families to the benefits of continuity of care in multi-age classrooms. n Consider placing siblings in the same classroom, when appropriate, to foster family relationships. n Encourage families to participate in the transition process by collaborating with teachers in various ways, including hosting ‘Class Family’ meetings, lunches, and outings. Transition/Implementation n Consider transitioning ‘naturally’ by allowing children to stay with their teacher for a longer period of time rather than setting a centerwide transition date. n Expect your first groups to be of similar age; phase into multi-age grouping over time. n Be flexible and creative in considering ways to support your goals of implementing multi-age classrooms using continuity of care in innovative ways that work for you and your program.
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Beginnings Workshop
We also recognize the importance of getting new staff off on the right foot. In our program, new staff members participate in a 12-month orientation. We hire new staff into supporting roles rather than directly into primary teaching roles in the classroom. This gives new team members the chance to get to know our culture and expectations first. Then they work closely with a mentor for another year. When teachers and children stay together for three years, it gives us the time we need to make sure there is a good fit between new teachers and the classroom they ultimately join.
Families Have Different Experiences in Multi-Age Classrooms Using Continuity of Care From the moment a family enrolls, true partnership is our goal. We want families actively involved in their child’s early care and education experience. We start talking to families about the continuity of care and family grouping approach before they enroll. The teacher and director work as a team to orient the family and child, and to encourage a gradual transition to build trusting relationships for all. We believe that we are caring for the child and for the child’s family. If a parent has anxiety about leaving his or her child to go to work, the child feels that anxiety. It is our job to help the family feel safe, understood, and involved. From the start we discuss why we implement continuity of care, why we only have two multi-age groups in our program,
INFANTS MARCH/APRIL 2012
EXCHANGE
and how this structure fits well with age-appropriate expectations and materials and avoids transitions around the typical separation and stranger-anxiety stages of development.
Leadership Roles Are Different in Multi-Age Classrooms Using Continuity of Care I am a different leader in this environment. I am more reflective and view myself as a mentor and coach of a team. The team has the talent and skills; it is my job to help develop that talent and to challenge teachers just enough to keep them operating at their peak. Temperaments, personalities, and professional development needs are different for each of my teachers. It’s my job to capitalize on their individual strengths and to meet their individual needs. But I also have to be able to see the needs of the program as a whole and to see where strength can be leveraged to grow teachers or to support children and families. This takes intentionality on my part. It is more than knowing what kind of beverage each teacher prefers or their birthdates. It is an authentic commitment to and interest in each teacher’s individual success. Building long-term relationships with children and families through continuity of care is a gift to everyone involved in this endeavor. The trust, respect, partnerships, and investment in this practice are like none other I have experienced in our field.
The following are the perspectives of two different teachers and their struggles and triumphs in continuity of care with multi-age groups. Karisa, a novice teacher, explains her first out-of-college working experience. Melonie, an experienced teacher, compares her 17 years of child care experience in both year-to-year classrooms and continuity of care, multi-age group classrooms.
A Case for Continuity of Care: The Teachers’ Perspectives
continuity of care include: understanding the safety and needs as children grow and change, planning and modifying curriculum, and family-child-teacher relationships.
by Karisa Davis and Melonie Collins
Understanding the Safety and Needs of Infants and Toddlers as They Grow and Change
The case for continuity of care is strong. There is no dispute that secure attachment in the earliest years of a child’s life is a priceless gift. By limiting transitions and number of loving, engaged primary caregivers in a child’s life, the child is able to emotionally bond at a deeper level, thus learning to trust and feel secure. Continuity of care is not typically the concern for teachers; the challenge tends to be how to adjust to the multi-age groups that are a result of this continuity. A classroom of infants and toddlers can pose an amazing, yet intimidating experience. Challenges of mixed ages and
A common concern in multi-age groups is the safety of infants. Toddlers express their feelings through behavior before they can successfully use expressive language. Their struggle to communicate often results in hitting, biting, and kicking their peers. Interestingly, this concern has been put to rest for us and, in fact, we see very little of these behaviors in our classrooms now. Karisa: I was excited about having my children for a longer period of time, but I was unsure about having multi-age
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groups. I was concerned that the older children would not recognize the babies as people and would trample them, or would treat them like baby dolls and try to do everything for them. I am careful to pay attention to my tone of voice and body language, as I know they are watching and learning from everything I do. Much to my surprise, they were more aware of the babies than I expected. The older toddlers are attentive when a baby cries, often wanting to help. I serve as a model of appropriate words and actions toward a crying baby and often hear my words come out of toddlers’ mouths. When a baby is crying or fussing, the toddlers try to give the baby a pacifier or pat the baby to sleep. Some of the older toddlers will tell the baby, “It’s okay” or, “I can see you’re sad” or ask “What is it, baby?” They also like to give the babies toys and books and try to distract them or make them laugh. The interactions are kind and soft, exactly as I modeled for them. When I hear a toddler say or do something that sounds just like what I have said or done, it is an instant reminder of why I love working with young children. Melonie: Because I had not much experience with infants, it seemed it was going to be impossible to maintain a safe environment for them in multi-age groups. I quickly found that the older children regularly demonstrated concern for the infants. For instance, the younger toddlers pointed and said, “Uh-oh” as they observed a crying infant. Older toddlers placed one finger over their mouths and said, “Shh” as they witnessed an infant sleeping in his or her crib. Of course, typical toddler behaviors of frustration and high energy still exist, but few incidents of hitting, biting, and kicking occur among children of the same age, and they are much more aware of their bodies and are careful to keep the babies safe.
Meeting the Needs of ALL the Children Over Time Continuity of care provides the children with a consistent environment to foster secure emotional attachment behaviors. Secure attachment to adults is essential to a child’s future emotional well-being. Staying with the same teacher for three years helps both the child and teacher get to know specific needs and practices in the classroom. The children knows what to expect from their teacher and vise versa. The bond that forms between the child, teacher, and family plays an important role in the developmental success of the child. Karisa: Although infants need more one-on-one attention and assistance than a toddler who is learning to be independent, toddlers need that one-on-one attention, too. It is a balancing act that becomes the norm for teachers who
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embrace continuity of care in multi-age groups. Each event that happens in the classroom can be a learning experience that helps foster that balance. Feeding a baby in a highchair becomes a chance to explain to the older children that a baby does not have the muscle coordination to hold the spoon, scoop the food, and put it in his mouth, so I have to show the baby how to do it. And when they were babies I showed them how to use a spoon and now look how good they are at it! As for the food, the babies have to have their food smashed because they do not have teeth to chew it yet. So a meal becomes a lesson in science, one-on-one time with a toddler or two, and meeting the needs of a baby all in one. Melonie: Yesterday, a toddler named Lacey needed a lot of my attention. She wanted me to hold her all the time. I did when I could and when I needed to change another child’s diaper, I got down on my knees and held Lacey’s hands, made eye contact with her, and said, “I know you want me to hold you, but I need to change Catherine’s diaper right now. Take your baby doll and sit right by me while I do that.” Lacey held my leg and followed me to the changing area. I continued talking to both Catherine and Lacey as I completed this routine task. These experiences occur on a regular basis and show how our relationships play a role in the dynamic language, coping, and self-regulation skills of the children. I am constantly modeling and practicing these skills with them throughout the day. Because I am with my children for three years, I get to know their tendencies, cries, needs, and individual differences at a much deeper level. I can instinctively react more quickly because I truly know and understand them.
Modifying Curriculum to Fit Each Child A definite concern for a teacher new to a continuity of care classroom is curriculum. Modifying lesson plans for various ages and stages can be daunting in the beginning. Through training, support from our director, trial and error, reading and research, and tapping other teachers’ ideas and suggestions, we have learned how to think differently about curriculum planning. Over time the planning process became easier, more fun and creative, and much more intentional. Karisa: Planning for infants and toddlers has proven to be easier than I originally thought it would be. Just the idea of including infants in activities was a little bizarre to me, until I did it! The plan for a toddler activity looks quite different than one for an infant. Painting is a good example. Older toddlers can stand at the easel and use a brush making strokes in specific directions.
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Beginnings Workshop
Younger toddlers sit at the table and use a brush and their fingers to paint and make marks on the paper. And infants sit in a feeding chair exploring the texture and feeling the paint in their fingers and feeling the paper. Each child is experiencing the same ‘painting’ activity and learning completely different aspects. A lesson on bugs illustrates this idea further. Infants can explore the large plastic and stuffed bugs and the older toddlers are able to catch and study real bugs. Infants explore the textures of each plastic bug with their hands and mouth, while the toddlers are learning the specific characteristics of the bugs, such as colors or whether the bug flies or crawls. The older toddlers are able to take what they learn at school home with them, remember the bugs they saw at school, and talk about them with their families. For me, planning for infants and toddlers is the same as planning for different children in the same age group. Children’s learning is highly individual, and children have different interests and learning styles. Planning for a multiage group is actually easier because the developmental differences are obvious. I don’t find myself comparing abilities. Individualism shines in our classroom, and I am keenly aware of these wonderful strengths. Melonie: My greatest challenge was implementing ageappropriate activities for all the children. With patience, understanding, and support from my director and peers, I learned how to integrate each child into my curriculum planning. In the dramatic play area, the older children go through role play with specific meaningful tasks. They take paper towels to the table, place dishes with plastic food, and pretend to eat. The infants explore the dishes and food by banging them together. As another example, the older children use measuring cups to pour water in the sensory table. However, the infants work with frozen teething toys and water on their highchair tray. Once the infants are able to pull themselves up, they were encouraged to participate at the sensory table with the older children. I learned that infants can do a lot more than I thought and that I could incorporate learning opportunities into routine caregiving. By singing, reading, talking, and making eye contact, I’m teaching them verbal and non-verbal communication skills, as well as so many other things about their world.
Establishing and Maintaining Family-Child-Teacher Relationships Families benefit from remaining with the same teacher for three years. Families and teachers develop a strong partnership. This partnership encourages families and teachers to
INFANTS MARCH/APRIL 2012
EXCHANGE
work together through every stage of a child’s development and learning. Each partner relies on open communication to make sure our efforts work. As result, we are there by the family’s side through sleepless nights, teething, first steps, and toilet learning. Karisa: Keeping a classroom of children for up to three years makes it easier and far less stressful to build and sustain relationships with the children and their families. The chance to be with the same children and their families for the last three years has given me many learning opportunities. When new families start, I am more comfortable knowing that I have time to establish a genuine relationship instead of feeling rushed and focused only on the school aspect of the children’s lives. In addition, being with the same group of children over time helps them to feel connected and make friends more readily. Melonie: Earlier in my career, relationships felt rushed and unfinished. At the end of every year, children moved from one teacher to another. When the year was over, I always felt that I had only begun to touch the hearts of the families and children in my care; I wasn’t finished. As children transitioned to the next teacher, reactions were intense. They cried and sometimes threw tantrums. Adjustments could take quite a while. Families came back to me for constant reassurance that their children would eventually adjust. Now, when children are ready to move on to their preschool classroom, they tell us by asking questions about preschool and showing outward signs of being ready for the preschool environment and its different activities. We work with the preschool teachers to create a bridge from our infant/ toddler program to our preschool program so that the family and child feel safe and know that they will have the same rich and loving care for this new phase of their development. The transitions to preschool are completed gradually with visitations and shared outdoor time. The goal is to take our time and look for the right time to wave goodbye when the children are ready for their next adventure. With one of us still learning and the other perfecting her craft, we are more understanding of the needs of infants and toddlers, of creating curriculum options for multiple ages, and of developing connected, genuine bonds between children and their families. Besides being grounded in appropriate practice, continuity of care in multi-age groups is a most precious experience for teachers to share with children and their families.
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EXCHANGE
Responding to the Challenge of Providing Continuity of Care in Multi-Age Classrooms by Kaitlyn Hunter As a former school teacher and fairly new child care director, I was eager and fully committed to providing a physically and emotionally healthy environment for children. However, I was hesitant when I applied for the director’s job in a program just being established that would implement continuity of care with multi-age groupings. I knew a little bit about the concept but was in no way knowledgeable of how to implement it. I quickly learned that I had to make supporting my teachers and staff a priority, and that I had to understand and embrace the concept myself. We were a new team learning to work together, and we were all intrigued, yet intimidated, by the idea of continuity of care with multi-age groups. While the teachers had experience working with young children, few had worked in multi-age groups, and none had been involved in programs that implemented continuity. Further, children were enrolled and attending so we couldn’t stop moving in this direction. At the same time, we wanted to move in the right direction.
The First Question I Asked Was “Why Not?” n Why not build ‘school families’ where teachers are given the opportunity to invest in the lives of children in their classrooms and connect with families for a longer period of time? n Why not expand the teachers’ expertise in child development to a longer timespan than the typical 8-12 months that is standard in our geographical area? n Why not support social and emotional development by having children of multiple ages in each classroom environment? We began with relationship-building among the adults: learning to trust, value, and support one another. This orientation was the most important factor in our success: n We began depending on each other for positive support and for creative challenge. n We spent time discussing and defining our core values and mission. n We worked hard to avoid rigid rules and instead adopted a commitment to what was best for the children and families. I began one staff meeting like this to start the conversation about transitions in the lives of children:
“I know you have just started working here and we’ve only been together for a short time, but I have seen your work and you are really starting to ‘get it.’ So I have this incredible opportunity for one of you. You get to move to ‘Smithville,’ only 2 hours away by car. You get to have new friends, new furniture, and a whole new world. The rules might be slightly different, but not too much. Who wants to go?” Can you imagine the conversation that ensued? We had rich, meaningful exchanges about relationships, established rituals, accepted routines, and fears. As adults, most of us would not like to move to a new place, start a new job, and make new friends every 8-12 months. Yet, we had been doing just that to the children in our program, with good intentions. Discussing this provocation helped us realize that we had never considered what would happen if we didn’t change children’s teachers annually. As a result, our new question became, “What if each teacher stayed with a child and his or her family for a longer period of their life — up to three years?” We became excited about what we were doing and how we could make a difference in children’s and families’ lives with the change. We faced many challenges and made many discoveries along the way. Let me tell you about these now.
Environments ARE Different in Multi-Age Classrooms Using Continuity of Care Classrooms reflect each teacher’s personality and style. I trust in the teachers to support our mission and the expectations we have for our classrooms. Then I step back and let them figure out how to do this by using their imagination, knowledge, and understanding of the children in their care. Teachers’ knowledge of where children are in their development dictates what curricular elements look like and how they are used. The teachers are thoughtful about their choices. For example, the teacher of a high-energy group is going to build elements into the room that reflect the need for Kaitlyn Hunter is the Executive Director of Family and Child Services at INTEGRIS Health in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She serves on the board of the Early Childhood Association of Oklahoma and is a member of the Oklahoma Professional Development Workforce Workgroup. She was a collaborator on the professional development DVD, “Collaborative Supervision: Accompanying Teachers on the Professional Development Journey.” She presents workshops at the state and national levels on the topics of continuity of care and collaborative supervision.
Copyright © Exchange Press, Inc. Reprinted with permission from Exchange magazine. All rights reserved. Visit us at www.ChildCareExchange.com or call (800) 221-2864.
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Beginnings Workshop
physical development and is also going to find intriguing ways to offer quiet and calm activities to the children who want and need these. Supplies and materials are shared throughout the building, and teachers enjoy sharing their ideas and seeing their colleagues build upon these ideas. Families are now involved in lending or donating objects to classrooms, and agespecific toys are no longer hoarded in individual classrooms.
www.ChildCareExchange.com
challenged by what to do when she has a sleeping infant during outdoor play time for older children, the conversation we have about whether to skip outdoor time includes questions like these: n “What do you think?” n “What else might work? n “Have you thought about taking the infant’s crib outside with you?”
In this context, we have found that challenging behaviors are rarely a problem. We attribute this to the strong, established relationships within the classroom, the teacher’s rich knowledge and understanding of each child, and the varying developmental needs of the children in the classroom. In a mixed-age classroom, children aren’t achieving developmental milestones at the same time. They are at different development stages and are interested in different toys and materials. This may explain, in part, why the children’s frustration seen in same-age classrooms is minimized when children of mixed ages learn together.
Another challenge was, “How do I meet the needs of the older children when I need to feed, diaper, or care for a younger child?” We view these questions as opportunities to model empathy and offer children an opportunity to help us care for the younger child. We found that older children feel empowered when they understand what is needed and can be helpful. Teachers have found ways to allow older children to help with routines such as feeding babies or sharing books and toys. Children in our program love to help with laundry, to wash tables, and to inform the teacher when a baby needs something.
Teachers ARE Different in Multi-Age Classrooms Using Continuity of Care
Teacher turnover has been low. We credit retention to our supportive environment, our deep investment in our children and their families, and the commitment of our staff. When the opportunity arises to make a new hiring decision, we do it collaboratively, involving teachers, administrators, and support staff.
Flexibility is a cherished teacher characteristic in our program. When new issues arise, we look for what we can do, rather than what we cannot. For example, when a teacher is
Tips for Implementing Mixed-Age Groups Using Continuity of Care Staff n Work hard at open communication, first with staff and then with families. n Provide ongoing and continuous staff training to expand teachers’ knowledge of continuity of care and confidence in implementing and talking with families about the practice. n Provide ongoing support to staff as challenges arise. Physical Environment n Assess how well your current facilities support continuity and make changes where necessary: • Are toilets and sinks available for the ages of children you will be serving? • Are any modifications to playgrounds necessary to accommodate multi-age groups? • Does your current equipment need modification to respond to the needs of the children who will be using it? Families n Offer family education sessions to introduce families to the benefits of continuity of care in multi-age classrooms. n Consider placing siblings in the same classroom, when appropriate, to foster family relationships. n Encourage families to participate in the transition process by collaborating with teachers in various ways, including hosting ‘Class Family’ meetings, lunches, and outings. Transition/Implementation n Consider transitioning ‘naturally’ by allowing children to stay with their teacher for a longer period of time rather than setting a centerwide transition date. n Expect your first groups to be of similar age; phase into multi-age grouping over time. n Be flexible and creative in considering ways to support your goals of implementing multi-age classrooms using continuity of care in innovative ways that work for you and your program.
www.ChildCareExchange.com
Beginnings Workshop
We also recognize the importance of getting new staff off on the right foot. In our program, new staff members participate in a 12-month orientation. We hire new staff into supporting roles rather than directly into primary teaching roles in the classroom. This gives new team members the chance to get to know our culture and expectations first. Then they work closely with a mentor for another year. When teachers and children stay together for three years, it gives us the time we need to make sure there is a good fit between new teachers and the classroom they ultimately join.
Families Have Different Experiences in Multi-Age Classrooms Using Continuity of Care From the moment a family enrolls, true partnership is our goal. We want families actively involved in their child’s early care and education experience. We start talking to families about the continuity of care and family grouping approach before they enroll. The teacher and director work as a team to orient the family and child, and to encourage a gradual transition to build trusting relationships for all. We believe that we are caring for the child and for the child’s family. If a parent has anxiety about leaving his or her child to go to work, the child feels that anxiety. It is our job to help the family feel safe, understood, and involved. From the start we discuss why we implement continuity of care, why we only have two multi-age groups in our program,
INFANTS MARCH/APRIL 2012
EXCHANGE
and how this structure fits well with age-appropriate expectations and materials and avoids transitions around the typical separation and stranger-anxiety stages of development.
Leadership Roles Are Different in Multi-Age Classrooms Using Continuity of Care I am a different leader in this environment. I am more reflective and view myself as a mentor and coach of a team. The team has the talent and skills; it is my job to help develop that talent and to challenge teachers just enough to keep them operating at their peak. Temperaments, personalities, and professional development needs are different for each of my teachers. It’s my job to capitalize on their individual strengths and to meet their individual needs. But I also have to be able to see the needs of the program as a whole and to see where strength can be leveraged to grow teachers or to support children and families. This takes intentionality on my part. It is more than knowing what kind of beverage each teacher prefers or their birthdates. It is an authentic commitment to and interest in each teacher’s individual success. Building long-term relationships with children and families through continuity of care is a gift to everyone involved in this endeavor. The trust, respect, partnerships, and investment in this practice are like none other I have experienced in our field.
The following are the perspectives of two different teachers and their struggles and triumphs in continuity of care with multi-age groups. Karisa, a novice teacher, explains her first out-of-college working experience. Melonie, an experienced teacher, compares her 17 years of child care experience in both year-to-year classrooms and continuity of care, multi-age group classrooms.
A Case for Continuity of Care: The Teachers’ Perspectives
continuity of care include: understanding the safety and needs as children grow and change, planning and modifying curriculum, and family-child-teacher relationships.
by Karisa Davis and Melonie Collins
Understanding the Safety and Needs of Infants and Toddlers as They Grow and Change
The case for continuity of care is strong. There is no dispute that secure attachment in the earliest years of a child’s life is a priceless gift. By limiting transitions and number of loving, engaged primary caregivers in a child’s life, the child is able to emotionally bond at a deeper level, thus learning to trust and feel secure. Continuity of care is not typically the concern for teachers; the challenge tends to be how to adjust to the multi-age groups that are a result of this continuity. A classroom of infants and toddlers can pose an amazing, yet intimidating experience. Challenges of mixed ages and
A common concern in multi-age groups is the safety of infants. Toddlers express their feelings through behavior before they can successfully use expressive language. Their struggle to communicate often results in hitting, biting, and kicking their peers. Interestingly, this concern has been put to rest for us and, in fact, we see very little of these behaviors in our classrooms now. Karisa: I was excited about having my children for a longer period of time, but I was unsure about having multi-age
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Beginnings Workshop
groups. I was concerned that the older children would not recognize the babies as people and would trample them, or would treat them like baby dolls and try to do everything for them. I am careful to pay attention to my tone of voice and body language, as I know they are watching and learning from everything I do. Much to my surprise, they were more aware of the babies than I expected. The older toddlers are attentive when a baby cries, often wanting to help. I serve as a model of appropriate words and actions toward a crying baby and often hear my words come out of toddlers’ mouths. When a baby is crying or fussing, the toddlers try to give the baby a pacifier or pat the baby to sleep. Some of the older toddlers will tell the baby, “It’s okay” or, “I can see you’re sad” or ask “What is it, baby?” They also like to give the babies toys and books and try to distract them or make them laugh. The interactions are kind and soft, exactly as I modeled for them. When I hear a toddler say or do something that sounds just like what I have said or done, it is an instant reminder of why I love working with young children. Melonie: Because I had not much experience with infants, it seemed it was going to be impossible to maintain a safe environment for them in multi-age groups. I quickly found that the older children regularly demonstrated concern for the infants. For instance, the younger toddlers pointed and said, “Uh-oh” as they observed a crying infant. Older toddlers placed one finger over their mouths and said, “Shh” as they witnessed an infant sleeping in his or her crib. Of course, typical toddler behaviors of frustration and high energy still exist, but few incidents of hitting, biting, and kicking occur among children of the same age, and they are much more aware of their bodies and are careful to keep the babies safe.
Meeting the Needs of ALL the Children Over Time Continuity of care provides the children with a consistent environment to foster secure emotional attachment behaviors. Secure attachment to adults is essential to a child’s future emotional well-being. Staying with the same teacher for three years helps both the child and teacher get to know specific needs and practices in the classroom. The children knows what to expect from their teacher and vise versa. The bond that forms between the child, teacher, and family plays an important role in the developmental success of the child. Karisa: Although infants need more one-on-one attention and assistance than a toddler who is learning to be independent, toddlers need that one-on-one attention, too. It is a balancing act that becomes the norm for teachers who
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embrace continuity of care in multi-age groups. Each event that happens in the classroom can be a learning experience that helps foster that balance. Feeding a baby in a highchair becomes a chance to explain to the older children that a baby does not have the muscle coordination to hold the spoon, scoop the food, and put it in his mouth, so I have to show the baby how to do it. And when they were babies I showed them how to use a spoon and now look how good they are at it! As for the food, the babies have to have their food smashed because they do not have teeth to chew it yet. So a meal becomes a lesson in science, one-on-one time with a toddler or two, and meeting the needs of a baby all in one. Melonie: Yesterday, a toddler named Lacey needed a lot of my attention. She wanted me to hold her all the time. I did when I could and when I needed to change another child’s diaper, I got down on my knees and held Lacey’s hands, made eye contact with her, and said, “I know you want me to hold you, but I need to change Catherine’s diaper right now. Take your baby doll and sit right by me while I do that.” Lacey held my leg and followed me to the changing area. I continued talking to both Catherine and Lacey as I completed this routine task. These experiences occur on a regular basis and show how our relationships play a role in the dynamic language, coping, and self-regulation skills of the children. I am constantly modeling and practicing these skills with them throughout the day. Because I am with my children for three years, I get to know their tendencies, cries, needs, and individual differences at a much deeper level. I can instinctively react more quickly because I truly know and understand them.
Modifying Curriculum to Fit Each Child A definite concern for a teacher new to a continuity of care classroom is curriculum. Modifying lesson plans for various ages and stages can be daunting in the beginning. Through training, support from our director, trial and error, reading and research, and tapping other teachers’ ideas and suggestions, we have learned how to think differently about curriculum planning. Over time the planning process became easier, more fun and creative, and much more intentional. Karisa: Planning for infants and toddlers has proven to be easier than I originally thought it would be. Just the idea of including infants in activities was a little bizarre to me, until I did it! The plan for a toddler activity looks quite different than one for an infant. Painting is a good example. Older toddlers can stand at the easel and use a brush making strokes in specific directions.
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Beginnings Workshop
Younger toddlers sit at the table and use a brush and their fingers to paint and make marks on the paper. And infants sit in a feeding chair exploring the texture and feeling the paint in their fingers and feeling the paper. Each child is experiencing the same ‘painting’ activity and learning completely different aspects. A lesson on bugs illustrates this idea further. Infants can explore the large plastic and stuffed bugs and the older toddlers are able to catch and study real bugs. Infants explore the textures of each plastic bug with their hands and mouth, while the toddlers are learning the specific characteristics of the bugs, such as colors or whether the bug flies or crawls. The older toddlers are able to take what they learn at school home with them, remember the bugs they saw at school, and talk about them with their families. For me, planning for infants and toddlers is the same as planning for different children in the same age group. Children’s learning is highly individual, and children have different interests and learning styles. Planning for a multiage group is actually easier because the developmental differences are obvious. I don’t find myself comparing abilities. Individualism shines in our classroom, and I am keenly aware of these wonderful strengths. Melonie: My greatest challenge was implementing ageappropriate activities for all the children. With patience, understanding, and support from my director and peers, I learned how to integrate each child into my curriculum planning. In the dramatic play area, the older children go through role play with specific meaningful tasks. They take paper towels to the table, place dishes with plastic food, and pretend to eat. The infants explore the dishes and food by banging them together. As another example, the older children use measuring cups to pour water in the sensory table. However, the infants work with frozen teething toys and water on their highchair tray. Once the infants are able to pull themselves up, they were encouraged to participate at the sensory table with the older children. I learned that infants can do a lot more than I thought and that I could incorporate learning opportunities into routine caregiving. By singing, reading, talking, and making eye contact, I’m teaching them verbal and non-verbal communication skills, as well as so many other things about their world.
Establishing and Maintaining Family-Child-Teacher Relationships Families benefit from remaining with the same teacher for three years. Families and teachers develop a strong partnership. This partnership encourages families and teachers to
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work together through every stage of a child’s development and learning. Each partner relies on open communication to make sure our efforts work. As result, we are there by the family’s side through sleepless nights, teething, first steps, and toilet learning. Karisa: Keeping a classroom of children for up to three years makes it easier and far less stressful to build and sustain relationships with the children and their families. The chance to be with the same children and their families for the last three years has given me many learning opportunities. When new families start, I am more comfortable knowing that I have time to establish a genuine relationship instead of feeling rushed and focused only on the school aspect of the children’s lives. In addition, being with the same group of children over time helps them to feel connected and make friends more readily. Melonie: Earlier in my career, relationships felt rushed and unfinished. At the end of every year, children moved from one teacher to another. When the year was over, I always felt that I had only begun to touch the hearts of the families and children in my care; I wasn’t finished. As children transitioned to the next teacher, reactions were intense. They cried and sometimes threw tantrums. Adjustments could take quite a while. Families came back to me for constant reassurance that their children would eventually adjust. Now, when children are ready to move on to their preschool classroom, they tell us by asking questions about preschool and showing outward signs of being ready for the preschool environment and its different activities. We work with the preschool teachers to create a bridge from our infant/ toddler program to our preschool program so that the family and child feel safe and know that they will have the same rich and loving care for this new phase of their development. The transitions to preschool are completed gradually with visitations and shared outdoor time. The goal is to take our time and look for the right time to wave goodbye when the children are ready for their next adventure. With one of us still learning and the other perfecting her craft, we are more understanding of the needs of infants and toddlers, of creating curriculum options for multiple ages, and of developing connected, genuine bonds between children and their families. Besides being grounded in appropriate practice, continuity of care in multi-age groups is a most precious experience for teachers to share with children and their families.
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