Making Sense of Quality as Babies Do: Loving and Learning Together

Peter L. Mangione, Ph.D.

Advanced Training 2014

WestEd.org

Partners for Quality (PQ)

Goals:  Improve the Quality of Care for Infants and Toddlers  Advance the Profession of Early Care and Education Strategy: Provide Training and Technical Assistance to Infant and Toddler Programs and Care Teachers WestEd.org

Technical Assistance (TA) . . .

is the provision of targeted and customized supports by a professional(s) with subject matter and adult learning knowledge and skills to develop or strengthen processes, knowledge application, or implementation of services by recipients.

Early Childhood Education Professional Development: Training and

Technical Assistance Glossary. A joint project of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA). WestEd.org

Technical Assistance (TA)

 Supports the reflective processes that professionals need to translate the theories and information learned through education and/or training into best practices.

Early Childhood Education Professional Development: Training and

Technical Assistance Glossary. A joint project of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA). WestEd.org

Technical Assistance (TA)

 Most TA methods are relationship-based; they benefit from the building of positive, trusting, and respectful relationships.

 May be delivered by an individual or a team, to one individual or a group.

Early Childhood Education Professional Development: Training and

Technical Assistance Glossary. A joint project of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA).

WestEd.org

Technical Assistance (TA)

 May include combinations of information and resource dissemination and referrals, coaching, mentoring, consultation, and professional development advising, peer-to-peer TA, as well as other forms of support.

Early Childhood Education Professional Development: Training and

Technical Assistance Glossary. A joint project of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA). WestEd.org

Technical Assistance (TA)

 May be provided face-to-face or through distance, technology-based, or hybrid methods.

Early Childhood Education Professional Development: Training and

Technical Assistance Glossary. A joint project of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA). WestEd.org

Mentoring . . .

is a relationship-based process between colleagues in

similar professional roles, with a more-experienced individual with adult learning knowledge and skills, the mentor, providing guidance and example to the less-

experienced protégé or mentee. Mentoring is intended to increase an individual’s personal or professional capacity, resulting in greater professional effectiveness.

Early Childhood Education Professional Development: Training and

Technical Assistance Glossary. A joint project of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA). WestEd.org

Coaching . . .

is a relationship-based process led by an expert

with specialized and adult learning knowledge and

skills, who often serves in a different professional role than the recipient(s). Coaching is designed to build capacity for specific professional dispositions, skills, and behaviors and is focused on goal-setting and achievement for an individual or group.

Early Childhood Education Professional Development: Training and

Technical Assistance Glossary. A joint project of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA). WestEd.org

Consultation . . .

is a collaborative, problem-solving process between an external consultant with specific expertise and adult learning knowledge and skills and an individual or group from one program or organization. Consultation facilitates the

assessment and resolution of an issue-specific concern or addresses a specific topic.

Early Childhood Education Professional Development: Training and

Technical Assistance Glossary. A joint project of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA). WestEd.org

What does quality mean to babies?

Nurturance that helps them:    to feel secure to feel confident in who they are to do and learn what they’re able to do and learn WestEd.org

California Infant/Toddler Learning & Development Program Guidelines

“Family relationships have more influence on a child’s learning than any other relationship he has.” (p. 10) WestEd.org

Learning

begins in relationships, is informed by relationships, and is stimulated by relationships

WestEd.org

Loving and learning are not separate.

Carlina Rinaldi WestEd.org

The Importance of Daily Interaction

Through cultural learning children gain:  A feeling of belonging   A sense of personal history Security in knowing who they are and where they come from WestEd.org

What the Baby Learns about Self from Interaction

     I am listened to or not. What I choose to do is valued or it isn’t.

How I express my emotions is accepted or it isn’t.

I am allowed to explore or I am not.

Mostly my needs are met or they are not.

Ron Lally WestEd.org

Family and Home: The Starting Point

Children build their basic sense of trust, security, and stability on cultural foundations learned at home. Therefore, continuity, consistency, and respect in the early care environment for cultural foundations are essential to children’s growth.

Carol Brunson Day. 2013. “Culture and Identity Development: Getting Infants and Toddlers Off to a Great Start.” In Infant/Toddler Caregiving: A Guide to Culturally Sensitive Care, Second Edition.

WestEd.org

Culturally Responsive Services

The goal of culturally responsive care and education is to create and foster an equal playing field for all the infants and toddlers in a program. Louise Derman Sparks. 2013. “Prejudice, Bias, and Inequity in the Lives of Infants and Toddlers.” Edition.

In Infant/Toddler Caregiving: A Guide to Culturally Sensitive Care, Second

A culturally responsive program is committed to open, respectful conversations with each family and ongoing changes to create continuity between the family’s home and the program.

Louise Derman-Sparks, 2013 WestEd.org

Cultural Communities and Cultural Practices Framework

The cultural practices, or routine ways of doing things, define the cultural context in which humans develop. Using this approach, practitioners can explore how culturally based practices drive children’s developmental outcomes .

Wishard Guerra, A., & S. Garrity. 2013. “A Cultural Communities and Cultural Practices Approach to Understanding Infant and Toddler Care.” In

Infant/Toddler Caregiving: A Guide to Culturally

Sensitive Care, Second Edition.

Culturally Consistent and Culturally Responsive

When you understand different values and beliefs, you will be able to collaborate with families to develop harmony between what happens at home and what happens in the program. It may not always be culturally consistent, but if you are at least as responsive as possible, the care you provide for infants and toddlers is more likely to support the culture of the home.

Janet Gonzalez-Mena, 2013 WestEd.org

Importance of the Home Language

Knowing the family language facilitates cultural learning, smooth emotional communication, and the establishment of the relationship between teachers and families in early care settings.

Jia, G. & A. Wishard Guerra. 2013. “Creating Collaborative, Reciprocal Relationships with Linguistically Diverse Families.” In

Infant/Toddler Caregiving: A Guide to Culturally Sensitive Care,

Second Edition.

WestEd.org

The Role of Nonverbal Communication Early in Life

Whether learning one language or two languages, infants and toddlers rely greatly on nonverbal means—such as face-to-face contact, gestures, posture, and body contact—to communicate with their caregivers.

Collaborating with the family is essential to learning about an infant’s or toddler’s experiences with nonverbal communication at home.

Gisela Jia & Alison Wishard Guerra. 2013.

WestEd.org

California Infant/Toddler Learning & Development Program Guidelines

Activity 1:

Watch DVD Clip “Providing Family-Oriented Programs” and Discuss How to Use in Providing PQ Technical Assistance

WestEd.org

California Infant/Toddler Learning & Development Program Guidelines Activity 1: Questions for Small Group Discussion

 How might you use this clip in providing coaching?

 How might you use this clip as a springboard for further immersion into parts of the infant/toddler learning & development guidelines?

WestEd.org

   

California Infant/Toddler Curriculum Framework Perspectives to Explore:

 Overarching Principles The Infant/Toddler Learning Process Contexts for Infant/Toddler Curriculum The Reflective Curriculum Planning Process Learning and Development Domains WestEd.org

California Infant/Toddler Curriculum Framework: Overarching Principles

        Family at the core early learning & development Early learning and development relationship-based Emotions drive early learning and development Responsiveness fosters learning Individualized teaching and care benefits all children Responsiveness to culture and language supports children’s learning Intentional teaching and care enriches learning Time for reflection and planning enhances WestEd.org

California Infant/Toddler Curriculum Framework: Infant/Toddler Learning Process

1. Infants follow their own learning agenda.

2. Infants learn holistically.

3. Infants experience major developmental transitions in their first three years.

4. Infants are in the process of developing their first sense of self.

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California Infant/Toddler Curriculum Framework: Contexts for Infant/Toddler Curriculum

1. The play environment as curriculum 2. Interactions and conversations as curriculum 3. Caregiving routines as curriculum WestEd.org

California Infant/Toddler Curriculum Framework: The Reflective Curriculum Planning Process

WestEd.org

California Infant/Toddler Curriculum Framework: Learning and Development Domains

 Social-Emotional Development  Language Development  Cognitive Development  Perceptual and Motor Development WestEd.org

California Infant/Toddler Curriculum Framework

Activity 2:

Using Activity 2.3A from

Infant/Toddler Program

Guidelines Workbook to Explore the Context of Caregiving

Routines as Curriculum

WestEd.org

California Infant/Toddler Curriculum Framework

Activity 2:

Small groups discuss Activity Activity 2.3A from Infant/Toddler

Program Guidelines Workbook

WestEd.org

California Infant/Toddler Curriculum Framework Activity 2: Questions for Small Group Discussion

 How might you adapt this activity to use in coaching focused on the principle of family centered curriculum planning?

 How might you use this activity in coaching focused on caregiving routines as curriculum? WestEd.org

California Infant/Toddler Curriculum Framework

Activity 3:

Watch the Curriculum Planning Video Clip from the California Early Childhood Educator Competencies Online Video Resource and Discuss

WestEd.org

California Infant/Toddler Curriculum Framework Activity 3: Questions for Small Group Discussion

 How might you use material that addresses practices across the birth-to-five age range for coaching focused on curriculum planning for infants and toddlers?

 How might this video clip be used to explore quality from the babies’ point of view? WestEd.org

What does quality mean to babies?

Nurturance that helps them:  to feel secure   to feel confident in who they are to do and learn what they’re able to do and learn WestEd.org

We Must Remember . . .

“ How you are is as important as what you do….

”

Jeree Pawl, 1998 WestEd.org