Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/adding-infants-and-toddlers-to-your-program/5002501/
Suppose you have decided that you want to add infants and toddlers to your child care facility and to retrain some caregivers to care for children under three. Caregivers formerly responsible for preschoolers will need to learn about developmental goals and tasks for infants and how to optimize infant development. You will need to help staff maximize their personal resources and helping skills so that they can become quality infant caregivers. Following are ten tips for training adapted from the introduction to Honig and Lally's training text (1981).1. Caregivers need to
understand the principles
behind their actions.
Skills in infant interaction grow through practice and through understanding. Make sure that caregivers see that their techniques and activities depend on information about and sensitivity to infant/toddler development.
2. Provide resources for understanding.
Use resources, written, audiovisual, and human (consultants) during training. But stress that no resources are infallible. Few ideas work in every situation with every baby. Caregivers must trust their own caring responses and personal expertise as well. Be sure topics in training cover:
• Cleanliness and safety procedures for diapering and room care.
• Logistical and practical skills in food preparation and serving. Holding of babies for bottle feeding should be stressed.
• Eriksonian theory about ...