8.

Examine Caregiver Routines as Curriculum

As stated earlier, curriculum at higher levels of education can focus on
the mind alone, but that doesnt work for infants and toddlers. There
is no way to separate intellectual needs from other needs at this beginning
level. Caregivers start at the very bottom of the pyramid their basic
needs. Caregivers help provide the basic needs to young children,
and trusting relationships begin here with needs meet including a
feeling of belonging, love, and nurturing. Caregivers need to feel the
connection with children. Through sensitive caregiving interactions,
a t t a c h m e n t g r o w s , e s p e c i a l l y w h e n t h e re i s c o n s i s t e n c y a n d ,
o v e r t i m e , children come to know the person who provides the
care. They respond better to you and to suggestions. When children
have a daily routine they know what is expected of them. They can
help with the transitions when they know what is coming up next.
Observation is key to this idea just like in most other early childhood care.
Promoting childrens individuality is important, but you must know what the
parents needs, and wants are with their child.
Feeding includes providing for breast-feeding mothers, bottle and
spoon feeding, and eventually self-feeding. Developmental appropriateness
is important and at the same time, cultural differences should be discussed
and honored.
Diapering should be done in such a way that the baby is a partner in
the process and learns to cooperate with the caregiving instead of
being distracted with a toy or by other means.
Toilet training and toilet learning are two different approaches. Toilet
learning is developmentally appropriate and happens when the child is
ready. Toilet training is often culturally appropriate and can occur much
earlier than toilet learning.
Washing, bathing, and grooming includes varying practices and
expectations. What satisfies families may not be the same as what
satisfies caregivers. Honoring diversity is important.
Childrens differing needs and disabilities must be taken into account
and accommodated when carrying out caregiving routines.
Dressing, like the other routines, should be carried out so the child is
encouraged to cooperate and eventually learn self-help skills.
Napping varies by age and by individual. Caregivers must know about
and eliminate risk factors for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

In high-quality infant-toddler programs, the interests of the child and

the belief that each child has a curriculum are what drive practice. It is
understood that very young children need to play a significant role in
selecting their learning experiences, materials, and content. Curriculum
plans, therefore, do not focus on games, tasks, or activities, but on how to
best create a social, emotional, and intellectual climate that supports childinitiated and child-pursued learning and the building and sustaining of
positive relationships among adults and children. There are some small, very
simple rules, and, if the caregiver follows them, the atmosphere of being
together will be completely different, and it will be more and more pleasurable
for both the baby and the adult to be together during care. Eventually, with
time, the adult will not have to think about the rules and follow them. It
becomes natural that she approaches the baby as a partner, with personal
interest and tactfulness, and her wiping, cleaning, undressing, and dressing
him and changing his diaper will ultimately be the meeting of two human
beings. A real encounter, when the infant is not only the object of everything
happening to him, but a participant as well. The rules listed for caregivers to
never pick up an infant unexpectedly into your arms in a way that is startling
for him, moves should never be overly hasty, help them with words to prepare
them for what is going to happen, and the baby must be listened to when the
adult is caring for him.
Licensing regulations and laws support childcare services which meet
childrens' psychosocial and developmental needs while providing a safe,
healthy and secure environment. A child care licensing worker is assigned to
monitor compliance with licensing rules for each child care center, home, or
nursery school.