Being Intentional with Babies

In her Exchange article, "More Purposeful and Intentional Infant and Toddler Care," Pam Schiller described the characteristics of an intentional caregiver:

• An intentional caregiver focuses on what is developing with specific outcomes or goals in mind for children’s development and learning. For infants and toddlers, she focuses on each of the developmental domains: cognitive, social-emotional, motor, and language.
• The intentional caregiver possesses a wide range of knowledge. She knows and follows the “windows of opportunity” from early brain development research. She understands how to accommodate individual differences among little ones with different temperaments, personality styles, and learning styles.
• An intentional caregiver provides a balance of classroom experiences so that children and caregiver take turns leading activities.

Being with Babies: Understanding and Responding to the Infants in Your Care is a great resource for both beginning and experienced caregivers. Each chapter describes an issue that caregivers face daily, offers scenarios that illustrate the challenge, suggests solutions caregivers can use to address the issue, and concludes with a review of key points. Chapters include information on:

• Developing relationships with babies
• Using observation to understand babies
• Communicating with babies
• Selecting appropriate toys
• Setting up safe and effective learning environments for babies

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.

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