Introduction
Social relationships are very important to humans in all levels of interactions. Such relationships promote cooperative behavior and efforts, which are very essential in all sectors of the economy and social life. Good social relationships are also the backbone of harmonious families. Thus, they should be encouraged at all times. This paper focuses on infants and toddlers. However, the intended audience involves teachers, non-teaching staff, other children, government, and community members. As the paper reveals, many factors influence a child’s social life. However, the family plays the major role in molding this life.
NAEYC Standards
This project meets the NAEYC standards that have been established to address the issue of early childhood. The NAEYC standards offer 10 principles for early childhood programs. Firstly, this paper meets the first NAEYC standard that emphasizes relationships (Morrisson, 2015; The National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2008). Specifically, it addresses the establishment of good relationships between teachers and families, especially children. Through regular communication, a teacher can understand a child’s uniqueness and hence realize the needs that infants and toddlers may have. The second NAEYC standard is curriculum. This project emphasizes the development of a curriculum that addresses the needs of every child. The curriculum is tailored to ensure all the development needs of the child, which include cognitive development, physical, social, emotional, and mental are met adequately. The third NAEYC standard focuses on teaching. The significance of teachers and teaching approaches has been considered in this project (Marotz, 2014). The paper encourages teachers to ensure that the learning environment is safe for the children at all times.
The fourth NAEYC standard focuses on measurement and assessment of a child’s progress (The National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2008). This program will use various assessment tools such as checklists, continuous assessment tests, observations, and rating of skills to determine the progress of a child (Lutton, 2015). The next NAEYC standard is health. Since children are vulnerable to illnesses and diseases, teachers should guarantee up-to-date records on the health of each child.
The project also values the importance of nutrition as guided by the NAEYC standards. Children are in a critical stage of development and that what they eat is very important for their health (Couchenour & Chrisman, 2013). The other NAEYC standard is teacher qualification and roles. The project shows how all teachers are discouraged from using physical punishment on children. Other skills and qualifications for teachers include handling of medical emergencies, classroom management techniques, and program curriculum. The eighth standard focuses on families and family roles in early childhood education. Teachers are required to work closely together with parents and their families to understand the unique needs of each child from the time of enrolment (Lutton, 2015). The cultural values and heritage of children are important factors for consideration in early childhood education. The community is an important part and influence on child’s welfare. This project has put in place measures to enhance the link between the child and the community. The ninth NAEYC standard involves setting the minimum requirements for the physical environment (Morrison, 2015). The project emphasizes the importance of ensuring a conducive indoor and outdoor environment for a child’s learning outcomes. Leadership and management skills are an important part of the NAEYC standards. In this case, the children can develop self-esteem and/or have higher social skills that boost their life.
Relationship-Based Care
Relationship-based care focuses on the importance of caregiver-child/family relationships. In this case, the caregiver always concentrates on the kid and the folks. It is also very important for the caregiver to have a good relationship with the ‘self’. In this case, connection is enhanced by self-appreciation and self-attention. It is only by understanding oneself that good relationships can be built (Morrison, 2015). Lastly, relationship-based care requires good rapport between caregivers and all stakeholders such as fellow teachers and the community.
Why Caregivers should build Strong Relationships with Children and Families
In the modern world, parents have little time to nurture and stay with their children. As such, caregivers play an important role in filling the parenting gap. Caregivers establish strong relationships with families and children through communication (Robertson, 2015). Further, strong relationships allow caregivers to understand the cultural values and heritage of the parents and children, thus tailoring the pedagogy to suit the needs of the children. They also ensure that the children’s welfare such as health and safety are handled well to allow the best learning outcomes.
Suggestions about Key Relationship-Based Practices for Infants and Toddlers
The first important relationship-based practice is the qualification of teachers. Teachers should have the necessary qualifications to deliver the expected results in the children’s learning. Excellent qualifications guarantee good relationships with infants and toddlers. There is also the need for the families to appreciate that teachers are not the only stakeholders when it comes to children matters (Robertson, 2015). Besides, families should consider taking their children to schools where the cultural practices of other children are shared. Such an approach fosters identity and social growth. Teachers should advice parents on the nutritional needs of the children. Parents may fail to notice any problems with their children and hence the need for teachers to communicate any concerns regarding children’s nutrition. Lastly, teachers should recognize and promote children’s talents since they interact with them most of the time.
Conclusion
When creating programs that focus on building strong relationships between children and families, it is important to consider the influence of parental care, teachers, non-teaching staff, other children, government, and community members. Teachers and parents should work together to ensure that childhood education is tailored to learning to suit the unique cultural needs and values of the child. This cooperation promotes positive social relationship outcomes among kids.
Reference List
Couchenour, D., & Chrisman, K. (2013). Families, Schools and Communities: Together for Young Children. New York, NY: Cengage Learning.
Lutton, A. (2015). Advancing the Early Childhood Profession: NAEYC Standards and Guidelines for Professional Development. Los Angeles, LA: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Marotz, L. (2014). Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child. New York, NY: Cengage Learning.
Morrison, G. (2015). Fundamentals of early childhood education. Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions.
Robertson, C. (2015). Safety, Nutrition and Health in Early Education. New York, NY: Cengage Learning.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (2008). Overview of the NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards. Web.