The Program for Infant/Toddler Care

Making It Happen: Individualized Care & Small Groups

Developed by Janet Poole. © 2012, WestEd, The Program for Infant/Toddler Care.This document may be reproduced for educational purposes

Learning Objectives: Personalized Care

• Describe how young, mobile and older infants all need different caregiving strategies based on their developmental needs and interests.

• Recognize individual needs of infants and toddlers based on their temperament, abilities, interests, and the family’s cultural preferences.

• Analyze how they would modify their caregiving techniques for specific routines based on the individual needs of different children.

What makes us who we are?

Silently reflect:

•What characteristics make you a unique individual?

What kind of feedback have you received about your unique qualities?

Silently reflect:

• Was the feedback--Positive? Negative? Conflicting?

How did the feedback make you feel?

Silently reflect:

• How did you feel when the feedback did or did not support your uniqueness?

• Find one word that describes these feelings.

Share your unique quality & your feelings about the feedback…

In dyads, share your unique quality, the feedback and your feelings about the feedback.

Volunteers share with large group their unique quality and their feelings about the feedback.

What kind of messages do infants get about their unique qualities….

– The highly active child?– The child who bites?– The shy child?– The messy child?– The highly sensitive

child?– The irregular child?

PITC Philosophy is:

Care/Teachers need to:

• Adapt to the child rather than expecting the child to adapt to the program

• Use different caregiving strategies for young, mobile and older infants

• Follow each child’s natural rhythms and styles

• Honor each child’s abilities, needs, interests, family’s home language and cultural preferences

Providing Individualized Care: Matika

• Is 5 months old, lives with extended family and has been in program only 3 weeks

• Her mother brings expressed milk and formula. She asks that Matika be fed every 2 hours and held most of the day

• She is fussy and naps for short periods

• Shows preference for being held in upright position to watch what is happening

Providing Individualized Care: Raul

• Is 14 months old, has been in program for 5 months

• Cannot pull to stand; moves around by using legs to scoot on bottom

• Does not express needs strongly

• Eats only mild flavored, smooth textures foods, has trouble grasping finger foods and using spoon

• Show preference for stationary toys that make sounds

• Naps at same time each day and is not easily distracted

Providing Individualized Care: Chelsey

• Is 30 months old, been in program 24 months

• Is very active, has 2 older brothers, runs everywhere and enjoys rough-house play

• Likes to direct other children and have her own way; her feelings are easily hurt

• She likes large motor activities but avoids puzzles or small toys

• Her father is a single parent and Spanish is the primary language spoken in the home

Break - 15 Minutes

Taking the Infant’s Perspective

Role Play

Learning Objectives for Creating Small Groups:

Participants will be able to:• Describe PITC recommended adult/child ratios, group size

and square foot;• Explain why maintaining infants/toddlers in small groups is

important for their development;• Discuss the positive benefits for on children and adults when

infants are cared for in small groups; • Identify ways in which small group size can be achieved and

intimacy can be increased.

PITC’s Definition of Small Groups

Ideally, a small group of infant/toddlers with their primary and secondary care teachers have fully self-contained indoor and outdoors spaces where the groups contact with other children or adults is limited during the time they are in care each day.

What are Small Groups and why are they important?

• Each group has separate indoor and outdoor spaces• Small groups support development of trusting relationships

between infants, adults and peers• They protect infants from over stimulation• The younger the infant, the smaller the group needs to be• Reduces stress for infants and caregivers• Reduces the size of the germ pool – fewer illness among

staff and children

PITC Recommended Group Size, Ratios & Minimum Space

Same Age Groups

Age Total Group Size Square Feet/Group

Adult/Child Ratios

Birth to 8 Months 6 350 1:3

6 to 18 Months 9 500 1:3

16-36 Months 12 600 1:4

Mixed –Age Groups—Early Head Start, Family Child Care

Age Total Group Size Square Feet/Group

Adult/Child Ratios

Birth to 36 Months 8 600 1:4

Together in Care: Small Group Clip

Activity: Resource Search• In groups of three, identify the 1 or 2 big challenges in creating

small groups.

• After the big challenges have been identified, each of you take one of the following resources to identify potential strategies or solutions for the challenges:

− A Caregiving Guide to Environments, 2nd Edition

− Module II Handouts & Supplemental Resources

− Module II Trainer’s Manual, 2nd Edition

− Together in Care Video Magazine

− Space to Grow Video Magazine, 2nd Edition

• Identify the resources by name, document, and page numbers.

• Identify a reporter to share with the large group.

REMEMBER TO COMPLETE THE SESSION EVALUATION

Thank You!