Developmental Infant Care [Video]
Christi Szakaly-Meredith, Resa Matlock, Ball State University
Part of a series of 16 broadcasts, this videotape is designed to help child day care workers provide developmentally appropriate child care. Rules for providing quality child care are discussed and include: (1) respecting the child by interacting and responding to cues from the child; (2) providing an appropriate environment that has different areas for different types of activities; (3) providing developmentally appropriate activities for infants ages 6-14 weeks, 14 weeks-6 months, 6-8 months, and toddlers; (4) positively interacting with infants by making eye contact, considering individual feeding and sleep needs, and allowing each infant to develop at his/her own rhythm; and (5) interacting positively with parents by means of open and continual communication. Guidelines for characteristics of quality childcare providers are also addressed.
Christi Szakaly-Meredith, Resa Matlock, Ball State University. Developmental Infant Care [Video] (1995). Ball State University: Muncie, IN.
Sponsoring Agency: Ball State University
Language: English
Reading Level: Average
Formats Available: Printed Material, Videotape
Ball State University
The Child Care Collection
c/o Christi Szakaly-Meredith
BSU TC 1008
Muncie, IN
46306
Phone: (877) 550-4455
Fax: (765) 285-4045
Email: cszakaly@bsu.edu
Languages Available: English, Spanish
El desarrollo del cuidado del infante [Spanish][Video] [Developmental Infant Care]
Intended User Audience:
Early childhood care and education professionals can use this material, including child care providers, preschool personnel, K-3rd grade teachers, preservice students in ECE, ECSE, and those working toward CDA (Child Development Associate) certification.
Product Development:
Two co-directors oversee development of the videos in this collection. Both have backgrounds in early childhood education and one of the co-directors is bilingual in Spanish and English. Each video is developed using a multi-step process. First, state level personnel decide on the content areas for new videos (once each year). Second, a team of experts is gathered representing higher education faculty (mostly in-state), state personnel, child care providers from home and center-based settings, and other disciplines as needed for specific topics (e.g., physical therapist). Based on input from the team, a script is developed. Then in-state sites are chosen for filming. A production crew and members of the expert team as well as state level personnel often accompany staff to the sites. Edits to the scripts and video segments are done as a group. The process takes approximately six months to complete.
While the cultural and linguistic diversity portrayed in each video is primarily European-American and English-speaking, an effort is made to film at sites representing diversity in both children and staff (e.g., home child care, preschool center in the inner city, university lab schools).
Product Evaluation:
As noted above, informal evaluation is done during the development of each video. The team reviews the script and footage in an ongoing manner. There are plans for focus groups and surveys to collect data concerning the effectiveness of the videos (presentation and content). The complete set of videos (N =23) are also used as part of CDA certification in Indiana.
Product Dissemination:
As of December 1999, 50 copies of Bienvenidos a todos los ninos: Cuidado inclusivo, 300 copies of Welcoming all children: Creating inclusive child care, 1436 copies of Cooing, crying, cuddling: Infant brain development, 1473 copies of Toddler brain development, and 534 copies of The B.U.S.I.N.E.S.S. of family child care have been disseminated throughout the United States.
Additional dissemination figures:
Developmental Infant Care = 1129 copies;
Dilemas Diarios Manejando Difficultades = 200;
Pintando un Cuardo...= 200;
Daily Dilemmas - coping with challenges = 1166;
Planeando dias apropiados = 200;
El Desarrollo del cuidado... = 200;
Quality Family Child Care = 1357;
Designing developmentally appropriate days = 1980;
Painting a positive picture...= 2720;
Cuidado de calidad para los ninos..= 200
Review #1
About the reviewer:
The reviewer is originally from a Native American reservation in the
Southwest. She is currently an administrator for an early childhood
intervention program operated by an Indian tribe. This program
coordinates closely with the Head Start programs and early
intervention providers, as well as the state pre-school programs.
The program has also helped to establish a Parent Training and
Information Center which serves Native American families; therefore,
much of her interest lies with parent involvement and collaboration
with professionals. Many of the children are from rural and remote
reservation areas and are from lower SES backgrounds.
Audience:
This video/companion guide is one of a video series developed by the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Bureau of Child Development. The intended audience of the video is childcare providers. The video is intended to develop the skills of childcare staff to understand the importance and definition of quality infant care, and to develop and practice skills and attitudes that enhance childcare workers in providing quality childcare. Pre-service students in early childhood education and those working towards a CDA (Child Development Associates) certification could also benefit from these materials.
Strengths of the Material:
Indiana recognized the important of quality childcare and developed the series of videotapes and guides to help childcare providers in their state develop the skills necessary for providing quality childcare. The video and guide provide good information that introduces childcare providers to developmentally appropriate activities and typical developmental milestones for infants. These areas of growth and development are clearly presented and provide strategies for childcare programs to follow.
The segments on Caregiver Interaction and Parent-Caregiver Interaction are crucial to every childcare center and are highlighted well in the video and guide. The video is of high quality and includes staff and children from diverse backgrounds. The material recommends that staff keep a journal to reflect on what they saw or heard and how this might affect their work with children and families. While the videotape and guide succinctly provide information necessary for childcare providers, related activities and resources are provided for use by trainers or childcare administrators to augment their training sessions. The quality of the videotape is excellent.
Limitations of the Material:
The material provides good introductory information for childcare providers, but does not provide the in-depth information that is needed to provide quality childcare. The segment on environment is very general in terms of health and safety but does not identify the need to provide stimulating sensory environments for infants and children. In addition, while this section emphasizes the uniqueness of each infant in care, it does not address activities that are appropriate for children from diverse cultures or languages. The suggested music, language, and book centers and other areas throughout the center should support children with materials and interaction strategies appropriate to their culture and language.
The guide provides a summary of the information provided in the videotape. However, supplemental training materials such as transparencies and training activities are not included. The video covers several important areas of childcare and development including environments (positive, safe and healthy), developmentally appropriate activities, developmental milestones, caregiver interactions, and parent-caregiver interactions. All these areas are touched upon in this relatively short videotape. Each of these could be a short video. For example, the developmental milestones and developmentally appropriate activities could be defined in more detail with specific activities that childcare providers can use in their settings. Safety in a childcare program and building a positive environment are crucial to every program. More in-depth information could have been presented in this and other areas.
Adaptations:
Since the video is intended for use as training material, the videotape could be supplemented with more in-depth information. When observing the childcare environment, a checklist could be provided for health and safety indicators and characteristics of positive environments. For the segment on developmentally appropriate activities and developmental milestones, specific activities could be provided for that range of children or children with developmental delays. Also, trainers should be aware of particular policies and practices of the program staff they are training. Strategies for tailoring the learning to specific program staff should be incorporated into the activities.
Generalizability:
The video and guide provide useful and practical information for all childcare settings. As states throughout the United States review the need for quality childcare programs, these materials could be a stepping stone in developing quality practices.
Recommendations:
This material is recommended with adaptations. Although the material was developed specifically for the state of Indiana, the video and guide provide some introductory information that would be useful in other states. Many states could utilize these materials in childcare programs.
Producer's Response:
Not available at this time.
Review #2
About the reviewer:
The reviewer has a doctorate in early childhood special education
from the University of Oregon. Currently teaching at San Francisco
State University, the reviewer has worked for more than 17 years with
young children with special needs and their families in both Taiwan
and the U.S. She has conducted research in Chinese-American parents'
concepts of child development, service utilization of Chinese-American
families, and curriculum-based assessment.
Audience:
This video and companion guide were designed to be used by early childhood care and education professionals, including child care providers, preschool personnel, K-3rd grade teachers, preservice students in early childhood education (ECE), early childhood special education (ECSE), and those working toward the Child Development Associate (CDA) certification. Although written for professionals in the state of Indiana, the video and guide can benefit childcare providers throughout the United States.
Strengths of the Material:
The video addresses the needs of infants from 6 weeks to one year of age. The quality indicators of infant care are presented, focusing on the importance of both physical and social environments, developmentally appropriate activities, caregiver-child interaction, and caregiver-parent interaction.
The Companion Guide allows the training participants to reflect on their own practice and encourages them to use the information given to enhance the quality of care they are providing. Recent discoveries about infant brain development are used to illustrate the need for a responsive, caring, and stimulating environment for the growing young child. Emphasized throughout is the importance of recognizing and respecting the uniqueness of every infant.
Clearly defined are the critical developmental milestones achieved by infants at six to 14 weeks, 14 weeks to six months, six to eight months, and eight months to one year. The language used is free of jargon or technical terms, and a short list of definitions is included at the end of the Companion Guide. Ten concrete guidelines are offered for the care providers to monitor their own attitude and behavior when interacting with both the infant and parent.
The reviewer especially appreciates that the importance is highlighted in a number of places of respecting the individual needs of infants in group care. Six related activities are suggested at the end of the training to help the participants integrate the concepts into their own work
Limitations of the Material:
Although the Companion Guide lists a number of useful reflective activities for the participants to do before and after viewing the videotape, the 20-minute fast-paced video gives little opportunity for people to pause and process information. The trainer would need to judge by the backgrounds and experience of the participants and make necessary adjustments.
The reviewer noticed two questionable child care practices in the video. One shows an infant younger than 6 months sleeping in a prone position. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recommended the back or side sleeping position for all healthy, full term babies, to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and it is a practice that should be observed by all parents and childcare workers. The reviewer also noticed that the caretaker does not wear gloves when changing an infant's diaper. Again, it is highly important for all professionals who take care of young children to follow the universal hygiene procedures to protect the health of both adults and children in their care.
The video adequately points out that it is necessary not to rush a child's development and to allow him or her to explore the environment and grow at his or her own pace. However, to illustrate the point by saying "the infants in your care will not be toilet trained before two and a half years of age" does not recognize the wide range of ability we constantly observe in young children. In fact, parents in some cultural groups initiate the task of toilet training when their children are as young as 8 months, and many children acquire the skill before they turn 18 months. It is inappropriate to expect all children to reach the same developmental milestone at the same age, and it is equally inappropriate not to expect the children to demonstrate a certain behavior.
The need for infants to have a predictable and loving environment is nicely explained, but the importance seems to be overlooked for having parental input in designing activities and providing meaningful experience. Only one of the guidelines mentions showing respect and support for all types of family units, and no examples are given to help the participants explore this highly critical issue. Failure to help the participants appreciate the rich linguistic and cultural experience each family brings to the childcare setting is the main weakness of this material.
Adaptations:
The material would be greatly improved by adding more discussions of different child rearing practices found in families of various cultural groups. Childcare providers need to be equipped with multicultural competency and be well informed of effective strategies when conflicts arise.
Generalizability:
Expectant parents or parents of infants can benefit from the many practical and easy-to-use methods to facilitate the development of a young child. The guidelines can be used to judge the quality of childcare settings.
Recommendations:
This reviewer recommends this video and guide with adaptations. Developmental Infant Care contains useful and practical information about caring for young children from birth to one year of age. The reviewer suggests that issues of working with culturally diverse children and families be included.
Producer's Response:
Not available at this time.
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