A Developmental-Ecological Approach O’Brien, Chapter 1

Approach is Based on Two Principles Number #1: (developmental) -Infant and toddlers face unique ______________________________ from those of older children. Number #2: (ecological) - ________________________________________ to help children achieve these tasks.

A Developmental Approach Involves defining important tasks for children at particular points in their development. builds on & extends the concept of _________________________ __________________ are the heart of an infant care program great importance is the focus on the ____________________ & providing ________________ need to focus on the very young children psychological and emotional needs. respect ________________________ helps to support infants’ and toddlers’ development of a… secure sense of self ability to communicate effectively and trust in others

Important Goals of Quality Infant Care Give infants ______________________________ Program serving a group of infants needs to be _______________ to anticipate needs and meet them quickly. What characteristics should an infant teacher have as an individual?

How do Infants Differ from Toddlers? Infants are completely ______________ for care and stimulation. Infants __________________________ and desires to communicate them until these needs become urgent. Infants are unaware that they can use their own behavior to achieve social goals particularly in recruiting adult attention. Infants depend upon someone to move them until they become independent. Infants are ______________________ much of what happens in the past. Infants _________________________ what is going to happen in the future.

Important Goals of Quality Toddler Care The toddler classroom must be ____________________ to meet the needs of age groups of one-year-olds and two-year-olds. These needs are guided by the unique developmental needs of the one-year-olds and two-year-olds. What characteristics should an infant teacher have as an individual?

How do Toddlers Differ from Preschoolers? Toddlers are only beginning to be aware of themselves as individuals. Toddlers are unable to organize and maintain extended _______________________ Toddlers are unable to fully understand abstract such as _______________________ Toddlers need play that is ________________ rather than goal oriented. Toddlers are largely _____________________________ of their actions. Toddlers are not aware of _____________________________________ Toddler Creed If it is mine…it is mine! If it is yours…it is mine! If it is hers…it is mine! If it is his…it is mine! Because it is all mine! What is a toddlers’ ”favorite” word?

Learning Self-Regulation Increased _________________ is an important developmental task for very young children, especially toddlers. Toddlers must learn to: __________________ during play so they can stay with a task long enough to extend their knowledge of objects and actions so they can experience success _________________________ to other children in order to participate in joint play _______________________ without becoming upset or aggressive. Remember to have patience and remain calm. ____________________________________

How does a Teacher Support Self-Regulation? All infants and toddlers need a ______________________________ consistency in everyday routines Sensitive teachers recognize that all children, even the youngest child, can truly experience distress and other negative emotions; teachers must accept these as valid feelings. Teachers ____________ and offer ___________________ Repeated experiences of successful self-regulation with assistance of adults who display affection and concern help very young children gain positives attitudes about themselves…practice, practice, practice!

Learning to Communicate During the early months, infants communicate through _______________ ______________________________ By first birthday, most infants say ________________ and understand many more. By three years, most children have extensive vocabularies and have enough grammatical structure to use these words in short sentences. A __________________________ is an important part of quality care for infants and toddlers. –Hart & Risley, 1995

An Ecological Approach ______ activity in which a child is involved in is to be a _________ activity. Four focal points to a practical ecology for inclusive infant-toddler care focus on ________________________ crucial-children get to select what they want to explore adults must help structure the learning environment adults must be responsive activities of daily living ARE the real curriculum considerable time is devoted to them each day provides for greater amounts of imitation & language acquisition adults need to focus on intentional environmental arrangements focus on ___________ (building trust and confidence in parents, families, and other familiar adults be responsive to children’s initiatives, sensitive to their needs, & alert to their attempts to communicate