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Key Practices For High-Quality Early Childhood Inclusion
The inclusion of children suffering from disabilities in early childhood programs is associated with positive outcomes for both the children and their families. When done well, inclusion provides opportunities for all children to learn and grow together in the least restrictive environments.
There are some critical practices for high-quality early childhood inclusion that researchers have identified. These practices are the core of the Inclusive Classroom Profile (ICP), which is a field-tested observational tool for children ages 2-5.
Today’s article is adapted from the ICP manual and will introduce you to some of the 12 practices with real-world classroom examples.
Adaptations
Irrespective of disabilities, children can gain access to physical space, materials, and equipment. Through adult scaffolding strategies, children are assisted in gaining access to and using materials in purposeful ways when required. For example, teachers and assistants arrange classroom areas and materials in ways accessible to all children. However, the physical space, materials, and equipment are organized dynamically to encourage children’s social interactions and independence intentionally.
Adult Involvements
The classroom allows children to take part in activities and routines with peers while the adults can plan and implement social plays or other learning activities. They also provide scaffolding strategies to support positive, reciprocal, and sustained peer interactions between children.
Adult Guidance
Children watch adults exhibit fun while engaging with children during activities, and the children can decide on activities and playmates while adults observe children’s engagement in activities and support them.
Conflict Resolution
Adults have to set boundaries and strict rules and have to consistently communicate about the rules with the children to encourage good behavior. Sometimes adults may need to intervene and resolve conflicts among children while acknowledging their views and feelings.
Community
Adults must work together to create a classroom community where every child feels like they belong regardless of their differences; this can be accomplished by creating opportunities to assume equal roles and responsibilities.
Adult behavior
Adults must seek out opportunities to interact with the children enthusiastically and cater to the individual child’s needs to the best of their abilities. Adults should maintain a positive attitude toward children and avoid showing any negative emotions directed toward them. Adults should also avoid favoring any specific child and maintain equality among children.
Adaptation of group activities
Adults should plan more group activities to engage children as a group, which further promotes socializing behavior and allows the children to learn to work as a team and cooperate when needed. Group activities should be light, fun, and adults must adapt to the unique needs of children when planning said group activities. Each child should feel like they are a vital aspect of the team.
Family and staff partnership
Procedures should be implemented daily to create valuable communication with the parents about their children.
The Advantages of Daycare centers for Parents and Children
Parents are always skeptical of sending their kids to daycare or childcare centers. They often feel guilty about leaving their kids under others’ supervision. If you’re one of those parents hesitant to put your children at daycare, you ought to understand the benefits it offers to the kids and how it can positively impact their mental and physical development.
Before knowing the benefits of daycare centers, let’s first dive into the topic of understanding what daycare centers are and how they work!
What exactly is a daycare center?
Daycare is a place that takes care of children and toddlers who are left unattended or in the absence of their parents and guardians to revise early physical and mental development. It is one of the best options which help parents manage their work and personal life effectively.
Advantages of a daycare center for children
During the early stages of a child’s development, children are filled with energy and enthusiasm, which, when not utilized effectively, can hamper their development. Therefore, on the surface level, sending your kids to daycare centers can help them build emotional, mental, social, and cognitive skills. Other benefits are mentioned below:
- Developing love for learning: Daycare centers are filled with fun activities, including hanging out with other children of the same age group and learning to develop the kind of friendships. They are also constantly engaged in activities that help them in learning.
- Socialization and interaction: Since a child gets an opportunity to interact and communicate with other kids and teachers, they will develop the skills of learning to interact and socialize without hesitation.
- Routine and discipline: There is no denying the importance of routines and discipline. If there is a disturbance in their routine, it will disturb the entire family. Hence, by admitting them to such centers, parents will be sure to create a routine or a timetable for them and follow it throughout the week. This will also help them predict what’s next and give them enough confidence.
- Better communication: A channelized environment in a day center with educated and trained teachers will help them understand the proper use of formal language. A survey conducted on sending their kids to daycare centers reveals that they were better at communicating words like please and thank you!
- Self-engagement and independence: Most toddlers and children are clingy to their parents in their early years. Although the child is never left unattended in a daycare center, it still changes their brain ability. It gives them the freedom to manage things independently, even without their parent’s help. Such children become highly independent in the future and can develop better decision-making skills.
Indoor & Outdoor Child Care Center Safety Checklist
Providing a safe environment for kids is one of the most challenging jobs. Children are scientists in creating danger out of nowhere. We have conducted deep research and have come up with ways you can protect children both inside homes and schools and outside.
Here’s how:
Checklist for Indoor Child Care Safety
- Train yourself with CPR and first aid training. Prepare yourself for all kinds of emergencies.
- Keep an eye on children even while doing any household or personal work.
- Teach children what goes inside the mouth and what doesn’t. You can’t always be around to check on them.
- Teach them how to use objects that can hurt. This step includes scissors and their toys. Always keep things that could act as weapons out of their reach.
- Hide any cleaners, paint removers, polishing agents, or bleach agents. Better hide your cosmetics too. We know cosmetics such as nail polish removers contain alcohol for astringent properties, and we don’t want to risk it with children.
- Check the clothing of your children. They might contain strings or attachments that could hurt. It is better don’t buy such clothes. Drawstrings are a no-no too. They could pose hazards of strangulation.
- Teach children dos and don’ts with pets. Not all pets are harmful, but it is best to be safe.
- Make their cribs and furniture safe by ensuring their working condition.
Room Access
- Don’t give access to rooms children shouldn’t enter.
- Place blocks in staircases and attach childproof gates.
- Make sharp ends of objects in a room and even possible doors childproof with protective shields or tapes.
- Place banners or sticky notes to instruct children on handling things in the room or immovable objects.
- Always close doors and cupboards.
- Keep the dishwasher, refrigerator, or washing machine closed; if they could be a threat, make sure your child can’t open them.
Play area safety
- Clean your play area always and remove any spills at once.
- Don’t clutter the play area. Involve children as you tidy up. This idea can help them learn organizational skills.
- Check your play area for possible choking toys.
- Make sure the toys are not peeling or rusting. These chemicals can hurt children. Old or damaged toys can even sport cuts and sharp edges, endangering children.
- Sanitize toys daily to prevent illnesses and odors.
- Clean their toys often. Wash stuffed animals and safety blankets often.
Checklist for Outdoor Child Care Safety
- Fence the outdoor area to prevent outside access into the yard. Make sure the fence is not climbable. Remove any equipment that can help climb and ensure there is no tree around to help.
- Check the play area for sharp objects, dirt, trash, objects that could hurt, and animal waste.
- Make use of shock-absorbing surfaces to prevent injuries from falls. Keep sand, mulch, and rubber mats handy for this purpose.
- Check for any blind spots a child can hide or get lost when you don’t notice.
- Lock away lawn and garden equipment and chemicals. Remove branches or dangling cords in the garden or anywhere.
- Make children use helmets when riding wheeled toys.
- Place slides in a shaded area or under trees to avoid heating and burning on sunny days.
- Place guard rails on any elevated platforms to prevent falls.
Careers in Child Development
Child development is necessary to ensure a better future for children and society. It needs a person who is responsible as well as efficient. To become an efficient child development worker, you should first have an interest. This job is for service-minded individuals only.
Skills and requirements
There are a lot of career options to help children. Being a school teacher is one of many options available. Soft-skill requirements require communication, creativity, patience, problem-solving, compassion, and empathy. A B.A. in Child Development is the educational qualification requirement.
Career options
Social worker
A social worker helps people face a variety of problems in everyday life. In particular, child development help children and families adjust to children-related challenges like illness, adoption, child abuse, and mental health changes. They also help parents and children to overcome the effects of divorce, addiction, or unemployment. Social workers also refer clients to other resources or intervene during emergencies like neglect and abuse. In addition, clinical social workers have special licenses to diagnose and treat mental and behavioral disorders.
Librarian
A librarian should conduct in a way the child likes to be in a library and start loving books. What may seem like a simple job is easily the job that could change the future of humanity. Hence a librarian should know how to help children in their way.
Preschool teacher
A preschool teacher helps children by teaching and caring for students of age five and younger. They need extreme patience and social skills to help children so young. They are also creative in teaching and problem-solving. They also need to identify individual child needs and address them.
Special education teacher
Special education teachers need to understand the differences between children needing special care and those not. In addition, they need professional education to deal with children having learning, mental, emotional, or physical disabilities. Therefore, the job description is to develop and adapt Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for each student. These IEPs help them track their performance and progress.
Speech pathologist
A Speech pathologist diagnoses and treats communication and swallowing disorders by helping children improve their vocabulary and sentence structure. This career needs special education to identify the causes of language and swallowing disorders. These professionals should also work with physicians, surgeons, or psychologists to help children.
Occupational therapist
An Occupational therapist helps treat people with injuries, disabilities, or certain illnesses. This professional should assess a child’s home environment and provide improvement suggestions to help. In addition, they have to work alongside family members to develop the required models of development for the child.
Behavioral Specialist
Behavioral specialists are experts in behavioral disorders. They treat problematic behavior and develop treatment plans. Mainly, a behavioral specialist helps children improve their communication and interaction with others. They also have to work with parents to identify the root cause of behavioral problems.
Child life specialist
Child life specialists work at children’s hospitals in particular. They have to be well-versed in finding ways to help children and families cope with their hospital experience. The hospital experience can be frightening and overpowering for children. Here a child needs as much help as they can get.
Children’s ministry leader
Children’s ministry leaders have a religious career path. They provide religious education and support for students. They must know Bible stories and how to teach them. This career helps children in making ethical decisions.
The Impact of Child Care on Young Children’s Development
The rise in a mother’s employment rate has surged the demand for childcare centers. As a result, many toddlers and children are getting informal education on social and other behavior before they even enter a formal education system. According to research conducted in 2018, nearly two-thirds of children aged 3 to 5 should have spent time in childcare centers before kindergarten. The research also states that this experience helps them in developing cognitive abilities and enhances their social and other skills to a great extent.
Detailed research was conducted on this topic. The subject, context of research, and its valuable outcome are stated below in this article.
Subject
It is a no-brainer that a child’s mind is delicate and will be subjected to various changes, impacting their thinking and decision capability. Many types of research have also been conducted on this topic stating the noticeable overall changes in their behavior. These childcare programs make toddlers and kids school ready, thus improving their cognitive skills. The quality of this research subject is scaled based on several parameters, which also involve classroom practices, the relationship between children and teachers, and also the teacher’s qualifications.
The context of research
The research conducted on the impact of childcare on the development of young children was emphasized in two different areas:
- The first phase is the introduction to early intervention programs for children at risk
- The second one includes the community childcare services
According to their study, most of the effects are based on the early intervention programs, as only a few of them moved to elementary school from preschool. However, certain studies have also indicated that these intervention programs have positively affected children’s cognitive development and academic excellence.
The second area of research also highlights the effects of the core quality of preschool development on a child’s thinking ability and emotional development. Many childcare programs were selected instead of the model programs, which were also a part of many intervention studies. Many factors like socio-economic factors, gender, ethnicity, education, maternal education, and the view of differences also affect the quality of childcare education.
The outcome
Many types of research were conducted with preschool and elementary schooling time while keeping the effects of childcare development in mind in countries like the US, Bermuda, Sweden, and Canada. There were positive outcomes in some instances, such as enhancement in social skills, cognitive enhancement, and many more. However, the study also states that apart from children’s quality time in daycare centers, the family background also plays a significant role in their development. By studying these situations, a daycare center will create childcare programs that will help in enhancing their ability to work better for the children’s future.
The Best Craft Tools for Kids of All Ages
Are you a loving parent looking for kid-friendly tools for your children? Using kid-friendly tools is a great way to enhance a child’s hand-eye recognition and coordination. It also helps them to prepare and find a solution to their DIY problems. Since standard tools are heavy for a child’s use, these kid-friendly tools mentioned below are great for a kid’s use.
What to consider before choosing?
Before considering a kid’s tool set, it is essential to know which ones to choose based on the appropriate age. Standard tools are generally too heavy for children. Hence these form an excellent way for them to enjoy and play with! A wide variety of options are available for toddlers and adolescents.
You also need to consider the tool’s functionality – whether you choose it as a play toy or need your kid to learn something from it! Finally, it is also essential to consider the footprint of your tool and its organizing and storing options. While some options include a storage box or toolbox, others might not include the same. Hence, it is always best to consider the storage of bulky sets.
Different types of toolkits
- Wooden storage boxes: They are one of the easiest to find and also resemble a basic tool kit. In addition to this, it will also be lightweight with bolts, nuts, screws, and wheels, which will help build great sets for toddlers and adolescents.
- 16-piece kid’s toolkit: It is made of plastic and metal and has 16 pieces of different kinds of tools that are small for a kid to hold. They also have small compartments for fasteners and accessories. Although the size is miniature, it can also be used by adolescents. Goggles and gloves are also included to help kids stay safe and provide paramount safety.
- Drill and Learn toolbox: This toolbox is made of plastic, hence delivering a lightweight for easy carrying around the toolbox. It is generally made up of light-up buttons and other lightweight components, which works like a regular tool we use in reality. It also comprises several learning cards inserted into the toolbox to teach your children about letters and numbers. Hence, it provides a fun way of getting kids to learn about things.
- Junior kid’s power tools: A jackhammer is one of the best parts of this tool kit which helps in a line of toy power tools. It also comprises leaf blowers, weed trimmers, etc., which are charged by AAA batteries. It is always a nice perk to have additional tools which resemble real-life components.
- Toy workbench: it is a small bench with plastic tools recommended for kids of 3 years, just like a craftsman kit. With various nuts, bots, and other building pieces, it can also be a great option.
How can Daycare Centers Help children succeed?
Childcare centers are also called daycare centers, allowing the kids to play and interact with other kids. For working mothers and parents, it is a boon in disguise, allowing them to spend quality time without the hassle of taking care of the kids. Not only are daycare centers famous for taking care of kids in the absence of parents and guardians, but they are also beneficial in training their minds in the right direction. According to a 1991 NICHD research, over 1,350 children who sought the proper education from daycare centers joined elementary and other schools.
Uninterrupted and focused time dedicated to children will never be a waste. Children learn this as an experience and improve themselves subconsciously, one interaction at a time. In addition, the fastest brain development occurs in a child’s brain for up to five years. Therefore, the constant interaction provided by caregivers in daycare centers has a pivotal impact on their long-lasting development.
How caregivers change children mentality
Children mimic what they see! According to a leading child care center specialist, the interaction of children with caregivers is like building the brain’s architecture. It also shapes their brain development capabilities in the future. For example, they use polite language imbibed in their brain, and children subconsciously start building on the same habit.
The home environment also plays a vital role in helping them succeed. However, challenges arise for kids who have a cognitive disability and cannot connect with other children. When such situations arise, parents and guardians should take the help of daycare or childcare services.
Inside a child’s brain
It is almost impossible for people to guess what’s happening inside a child’s brain. Even if they look you dead in the eye, they might think of cartoons or other galaxies. However, childcare and daycare experts are trained professionals who are able to understand their emotions by reading their facial expressions. Hence, it is a beautiful opportunity, especially for new parents, to get in touch with daycare centers if they find it hard to manage the burden of taking care of them for a couple of hours.
Daycare centers also provide good nutritious food, encourage them to sleep during nap times and also play with a lot of bring colors. These are some of the most critical factors for cognitive brain development.
Conclusion
Today, the daycare or childcare industry is a high-turnover community that helps deliver services to parents struggling with time management. In addition, they also help students gain abilities to succeed in life and pivotally tune their brains even before they enter school. Therefore, if parents are skeptical of sending their kids to daycare centers, they ought to decide to admit them to one!
Why is Childcare Important?
In today’s generation of double income, childcare is necessary for working parents. When both parents work, it can be challenging to provide the proper care and attention required by young children. This is especially true if the working hours are not flexible. Having quality childcare enables parents to work without any guilt or worry. Children are curious creatures; they constantly look for simulation. According to research, the quality of adult-child relationships is vital for proper brain development and cognitive function. Practical limitations of working parents in boosting a child’s cognitive and emotional development can be solved by quality Childcare. If quality childcare is not available or affordable, new parents are forced to stay at home and take care of the children. The burden of household and childcare mainly falls on the female workers, who eventually might never get back into the workforce. Another disadvantage of this option is the increased financial burden on the family. Here are some of the reasons why childcare is important:
Cognitive Development:
One of the significant benefits of childcare is its positive contribution to children’s cognitive development. Quality childcare offers them a chance to engage their brains in a fun and stimulating environment. Birth to the age of three is a critical time for the healthy development of the brain in children. The quality of social interactions during this age will affect the child in how he thinks, feels, or forms relationships with others. Children who receive quality childcare are more likely to develop good learning skills from a young age compared to those who don’t.
Communication Skills and Teamwork:
One of the significant advantages of childcare is the development of Communication skills. Since children interact with others their age in childcare, they develop better social skills. Childcare strengthens their language skills, thus enabling them to communicate more clearly and make meaningful connections. Childcare fosters teamwork among toddlers since they are encouraged to participate in activities with others. It helps form good moral standards of sharing and cooperation. Childcare can help your toddler to form excellent and acceptable social behavior, thus fostering better emotional intelligence and feelings such as emotion and compassion.
Early Education:
Early Education is one of the most valuable advantages of childcare. Learning in humans begins with birth, and quality childcare helps them to develop resilience, creativity, and learning potential. Learning through play can engage a child’s senses and help them develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. An experience with childcare will enable your toddlers to be ready for school. Children who receive quality childcare are well-equipped to do better in school, as they are already trained in Math and Reading.
Encourages Routine:
Children can be difficult to deal with. They particularly don’t enjoy routine, and childcare can bridge this gap. Children require some form of routine and consistency to grow and learn. Research has proven the benefits of routine among children – they help them build the self-confidence necessary to navigate the world. The schedule and routine of the childcare system can help them anticipate the future and be better prepared for future events.
Four Types of Child Care You Should Know About
Child care is an effective way to care for your children better by getting a helping hand. This is particularly beneficial for working parents who require child care while away. However, parents who want their children to learn more about the outside world from a young age can also use the child care facility. You can find a broad range of child care options. These include daycare facilities, babysitters, nannies, and mothers’ helpers. You will have all the options, whether you only need one for a brief period of time each day or full-time to be with your child.
Nannies
When considering child care options, nannies are the first thing that comes to mind. If you’re a working parent, nannies can be a fantastic option. As they provide one-on-one care and have set aside time for the child, they connect with them on a more personal level. Nannies can be employed part-time or full-time, and as a result, they form a close bond with the family. They cook and perform other household duties besides caring for the child, which increases their cost.
Moreover, they choose child care as a career and receive formal training in it. They accept weekly or monthly payments. If you need one, you can either ask for a recommendation, get in touch with an agency, or search online on your own.
Mother’s Helpers
Mother’s helpers are exactly what they sound like. They offer services even when the parents are at home by providing a helping hand to the parents. They lack childcare experience, however, and are still quite young. As a result, they typically work for nothing or a relatively low hourly wage. You can find these mothers’ helpers by asking your neighbors or other family members if they know any teenagers or preteens who are good with kids.
Babysitter
Babysitters are anyone who looks after your child while you are away and charges by the hour. You can wait for them to drop by your home to take care of the child, or you can drop your child at their home. Babysitters typically work this job part-time to add to their income for living expenses.
Their main responsibilities are to look after the kids, cook for them, help them with their homework, provide them with transportation, and finally tuck them into bed. You can find recommendations from your immediate family members or online. The cost of babysitters typically varies from area to area.
Daycare Centre
Daycare facilities serve as non-residential drop-off locations where parents typically leave their kids for hourly care. Children can interact with other kids and expand their social skills in these settings. These facilities offer services like meals, naps, entertainment, learning opportunities, and excursions. The children can learn in an organized manner at these facilities, which is good for their inclusive growth. They charge monthly fees, and you can find one close to you online or through recommendations from friends.
How Can Parents Choose The Best Child Care For Their Children?
Child cares are people or facilities that allow parents to leave their children and help their children to learn more about the things around them. So whether the parents are working or not, these child care make sure that the children are well taken care of and mingle with other children to understand the world better. However, with so many options for child care, it can be challenging for parents to pick one that is beneficial and secure for their kids. Here are some guidelines to narrow your search if you’re unsure how to pick the best childcare for your kids.
Pay attention to the caregivers
You must pay attention to the caregivers because you will be visiting the facilities where you will leave your child. This is because if you carefully observe them, you will be able to tell whether or not the facility is suitable for your children’s development. You must ensure the caregiver is interacting with the child closely because growing children require interactive and loving relationships. They should receive regular one-on-one time and be treated with comfort and support.
There should be a consistency
Consistency is crucial whether you are hiring a caregiver for your home or leaving your child in a daycarecenter. This is important because it takes time for children to establish strong bonds, and if one caregiver leaves in the middle, it will be challenging for the child and the next caregiver to establish those bonds. Make sure your child agrees to work with you for at least a year before you hire or send them. They should also have reliable performance data and caregiving experience, which will help you decide whether or not to leave your kids with them.
Check their policy
Before you send your child to a facility or a single caregiver, you should be familiar with its policies and expectations. Any sick leave policies, nap times, regular feedings, designated TV viewing times, and other such necessities should be included under basic needs. You can also inquire about the times the caregiver won’t be available due to illness or other circumstances. What will be the alternative for it? You will have more clarity and be able to make better decisions the more questions you ask about their policy.
Make a surprise visit
You never know what might happen to your child, regardless of the type of child care you’ve chosen, whether at home or at a childcare facility. Visit the location unannounced and check to see if the staff is treating your child well. To gauge your child’s safety around a stranger, repeat this procedure several times at various times of the day.
Listen to your inner voice
Everyone has a solid sixth sense when it comes to their family. There may be times when you feel something is off but are unable to pinpoint exactly what it is. If that occurs, pay attention to your inner voice and carry on looking. Babies require and benefit from good care, so it’s best to move on if you can’t find it.