Baby Talk: Resources to Support the People Who Work With Infants and Toddlers
Issue No. 29, October 2013
Math Talk With Infants and Toddlers
Children develop math concepts and skills very early in life. From the moment they are born, babies begin to form ideas about math through everyday experiences and, most importantly, through interactions with trusted adults. This NAEYC article highlights activities and interactions that can build early math concepts and capabilities.
Creating Healthy Attachments to Babies in Your Care
This 2011 Young Children article by Linda Gillespie and Amy Hunter explains the importance of very young children’s attachments to caregivers. The authors share strategies for how infant/toddler teachers can create healthy attachments with the children in their care as well as support the attachments those children have with their families. A companion resource from NEXT for Young Children offers ideas for how to explore these topics as part of professional development or reflective practice.
http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/201109/Rocking%20and%20Rolling_Online_0911.pdf (article)
http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/201109/NEXT%20YC0911.pdf (NEXT for Young Children)
What’s the Link Between Breastfeeding and Cognition?
While previous studies have drawn a link between breastfeeding and cognition, it’s never been absolutely clear whether the connection was due to 1) the breast milk, 2) the bond that the practice builds between mom and child, which can itself enhance brain development, 3) each mom’s (or dad’s) education and social status, as filtered through in their parenting, or 4) something else entirely. To learn more about the latest thinking on this topic, go to http://healthland.time.com/2013/07/30/breastfeeding-and-other-early-influencers-on-childrens-iq/#ixzz2cXyc5xg9
Are There Significant Differences Between Segregated and Integrated Infant and Toddler Child Care?
To learn about environments that are more conducive to the needs of very young children, researchers in South Australia replaced some segregated age groupings (infants with infants, toddlers with toddlers) with integrated groupings (infants and toddlers together). The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of the change by comparing the two types of infant and toddler groupings. The evaluation focused on three areas considered to have most impact on children’s development: the overall length of time educators and children spend together, the depth of documentation and assessment of children’s learning as evident in learning stories, and the quality of interactions between educators and families during drop-off and pick-up times. Statistically significant differences were found for the first two areas and higher frequencies in the third area, showing overall improvement in the integrated groupings. Family members’ and educators’ perceptions about the advantages and challenges of integrated infant-toddler programs were also included in the study. Additional details may be found in the published study: Rutherford, L., & Whitington, V. (2013). A comparison of segregated and integrated infant and toddler programs in one childcare center. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 38(2).
Baby Talk is a free, one-way listserv that is distributed each month. Each issue features one or more resources, the majority of which are available to download at no cost. To join the listserv, send an email with no message to subscribe-babytalk@listserv.unc.edu. To suggest resources, please contact Camille Catlett at camille.catlett@unc.edu or (919) 966-6635.