Pedagogical Implications

Where after all, do universal human rights begin?

In small places, close to home

So close and so small that they cannot be seen

On any maps of the world.

Yet, they are the world of the individual person;

the neighbourhood he lives in...

Unless these rights have meaning there,

they have little meaning anywhere

By Eleanor Roosevelt (Meissner, 2007)

 

Dr Simon Rowley announced in 2009, that infants attending day care, could well be at risk of brain damage (Woodfield). Rowley measured the amount of the stress hormone cortisol present in an infant during a typical day at day care. He then compared them to cortisol levels of infants at home. Cortisol levels in daycare infants were considerably higher (Woodfield).  Infants have no agency, no way of making decisions for their own care, and unlike older children, no voice to convey their opinions.

As infants in our centres are an increasingly reality. Quality care and education centres with caring responsive teachers need to be our highest priority for this age group.

There are at least four key points that I consider essential for quality pedagogical teaching in infant and toddler care and education

 

1) Group size - Infants were never intended to be cared for in large unfamiliar groups of other infants. Infants thrive with a close bond in close proximity to at least one main caregiver. Usually the mother, however good bonds can occur with other adults, as long as that caregiver is responsive, loving and consistent (van Duivan, 2009). Therefore, we need to replicate this in our infant centres using primary caregivers who are passionate about this age group, and not just 'placeholding' positions.

2) Ratios - It is not profitable or possible to provide one to one care in a daycare situation, but we do need to strive to keep low ratios a priority in our infant settings. Research suggests 1:3 is optimal (Ministry of Education, 2015).

3) Teacher Qualifications - We need teachers in infant centres who are qualified and who are passionate about this age group and its specific developmental needs. Teachers need to be responsive to infant needs, and provide developmentally appropriate learning experiences. Specialised teaching strategies need to be used, including in my opinion an adapted version of the Pikler philosophy, which seeks to maximise care moments based on a healthy respect of the individual infant.  

4) Physical Surroundings - An infants environment is extremely important. It should replicate a home environment as much as possible, while providing opportunities for discovery and learning. I personally really like Te Whariki's description that infant care needs to not be "a scaled-down version of the 3- or 4-year-old programme, nor a babysitting arrangement" (Ministry of Education, 1996).

 

In June 2011, the government employed a taskforce reporting on the issues facing increasing numbers of infant and toddlers in childcare in NZ. The resulting report is called Agenda for Amazing Children. The report highlighted the following recommendations:

• 1:4 Ratios
• Special government group set up to advice on under two's
• Further funding: Higher subsidy
• Address toxic stress in poor quality ECE settings
• Ongoing research
• Stringent policy- Standardised care
• Tightening of ERO monitoring & evaluation
• Review of home-based sector
• Staff qualification

(Ministry Of Education, 2011).

BREAKING NEWS 20/04/2015
The NZ Herald today claimed that children in NZ day care services may be at risk of developmental damage in poor quality settings. The investigation by the Herald stated that these poor quality settings can be especially harmful to under two's.
This report stated that the most serious issues included a lack of supervision, poor management, no police vetting of staff, a lack of cultural response, and limited knowledge of the curriculum and child development.

Reference List

Johnstone, K. (2015) Early childhood services red-flagged. New Zealand Herald. Retrieved from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11435235

Meissner, S. (2007). Sticks & stones. Eugene, Or: Harvest House Publishers.
Ministry of Education. (2011). An agenda for amazing children. Retrieved from www.taskforce.ece.govt.nz/wp.../2011/.../Final_Report_ECE_Taskforce.

Ministry of Education. (2015). Education Counts. Retrieved from https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/ECE/Quality_ECE_for_under-two-year-olds/executive-summary.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He Whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o    Aotearoa/Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning media.

Woodfield, M. (May/June). Whats wrong with daycare. Oh Baby, 8(10). Retrieved from             http://www.ohbaby.co.nz/under-5/early-childhood-education/what-is-wrong-with-daycare.

van Duivan, K. (2009, June 20). Choosing Quality Childcare. Retrieved from http://www.brainwave.org.nz/choosing-quality-childcare/#more-4338.