I recently wrote a blog article entitled “Not Every Teacher Belongs with Early Learners – Preschool to 3rdGrade Should Not Be a Dumping Ground.” That article expressed my frustration at schools putting substandard teachers or extra staff in early childhood classrooms because there is a myth that they cannot do harm there. The article got a lot of attention on social media. A number of people commented that the same is true for staff members in early childhood settings who work with infants and toddlers. They are right… and then some. I have seen infant-toddler rooms used as the place to put people rather than fire them. I have seen that and worse. Of all of the early childhood professionals and support staff, it is my experience that the people working with infants and toddlers are the most undervalued, unsupported and disregarded group. How can that continue when we now know the lasting impact of interactions from birth on the developing brain?
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The healthy development of the brain is dependent upon nurturing and meaningful interactions. Stimulation, exploration and the development of an understanding of self and the world takes place from birth. The brain doesn’t suddenly turn on when a child is 3 or 4 or 5 years old. Infants and toddlers depend on the people who help care for them and who are responsible for introducing them to their world. The people they interact with literally set the architecture of their developing brains and that foundation plays a tremendous part in determining who they will become. Today, more and more families need to seek child care for children from the time they are 6 weeks old. To create a society filled with people who have social-emotional intelligence, a positive sense of self, an understanding of compassion, a sense of their own value and a love of learning, we have to place great value on the role of infant-toddler staff.
Yet….
The truth is that there isn’t enough education and Professional Development focused on the infant-toddler age group. There aren’t enough advocates for supporting the work and the need for properly compensating infant-toddler staff. And people still say, “Just put that person with the infants because there’s less harm that can be done there” and “It doesn’t matter if the infant-toddler teachers go to conferences” and “Pull someone from the infant room if the PreK teacher needs help."
My first job in early childhood education was in a toddler room. It is many years later – a lifetime ago – and I can still clearly remember the experience. Fifteen toddlers all curious about their world, running in different directions and quite needy. There were diapers, runny noses, toys flying in the air. They have to learn to notice one another, how to be part of a group, do things together and try to stay a little safe. I distinctly remember going for my professional development hours and having one sentence in two hours be about the age group I worked with – and many people tell me that has not changed.
If we want to do what is right for infants and toddlers and give them the best foundation possible, we need to:
- Provide people who work with infants and toddlers with educational options that focus on that age group
- Develop a system by which infant-toddler staff members are compensated at a rate that would attract the best people and be in line with the very hard work they do with children who need so much care and attention
- Hire people who want to work with infants and toddlers because they enjoy nurturing and teaching that age group and not put people there simply because they are a warm body – it’s an insult to people who love that work and an injustice to the children
You may also want to read this and other articles:
Our Communication with Children Can Lift them Up…Or Not
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This post first appeared on Helping Kids And Families Achieve With Cynthia Ter, please read the originial post: here
