Menjelaskan isi buku Creating Child-Centered Programs for Infants and Toddlers

2. CONTENT OF BOOK
 Introduction
 The research base for the methodology
 How infants and toddlers learn
 The environment for learning
 Program staffing and evaluation

3. OVERVIEW
Throughtout their lives, regardless of where they live, today’s
children will have to face change. Step by step program is a
program that provided for prepare children to builds a foundation
for the attitudes, knowledge, and skills that will be needed in
rapidly changing times. Among these are the ability to:
 Think critically
 Make choices
 Identify and solve problems
 Care about individuals, community, country, and environment
 Be creative, imaginative, and resourceful

4. PHILOSOPHY AND THEORITICAL FOUNDATION
 Step by step program is based on the belief that
children grow best when they are involved with
their own learning. The learning environment
encourages children to explore, initiate, and
create, and the teaching team has a sound
knowledge of child development
 This program encompasses the major early
childhood educational theories of constructivism
and developmentally appropriate practice (DAP)

5. CONSTRUCTIVISM
 Believe that learning occurs as children strive to make
sense of the world around them
 Children construct or build their own understanding of the
world
 They make sense of what is happening around them by
synthesizing new experiences with what they have
previously come to understand
 Learning becomes an interactive process involving the
child, adults, other children, and the environment

6. Developmentally Appropriate Practice
 DAP curriculum is one that based on knowledge of
child development
 Understanding that all children progress through
common development stages and, at the same time,
that each child is a unique and individual being
 Teaching team must know about typical child growth
and development; differences between the skills and
special interests of same-age children
 Activities are based on children’s interest, their
cognitive level of functioning, and their social and
emotional maturity

7. CHARACTERISTIC
 Individualizing the learning experience
 Learning through play and making choices
 Family participation
CHILD-CENTERED ENVIRONMENT
Is based on two core principles:
 Children create their own knowledge from their
experiences and interactions with the world around them
 Caregivers foster children’s growth and development
best by building on the interests, needs, and strengths of
the children

8. HOW INFANTS AND TODDLERS LEARN
 Infants and toddlers’ capacity for learning is truly extraordinary. In
order to exercise their ability to learn, young children must:
– Be ready to learn
– Be interested and focus on the activity
– Have chosen to engage in that activity
 Young children learn best by doing
 They need to play with the object they are focused on—exploring
it by pushing, pulling, twisting, tasting, etc.
 The best way to encourage learning is to follow their lead, talk
about what they are doing, and help them expand their exploration
 Caregivers need to expose infants and toddlers to a full variety of
experiences that will help them learn

9. SUPPORTING EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
 Acknowledge children’s fears; do not force
children when they are fearful
 Acknowledge children’s emotions; do not deny
them
 Talking to children about their emotions
 Use a variety of “feeling words”
 Help children recognize other people’s feelings
 Helping children express their emotions to others

10. GUIDING SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Strategies that support early childhood
socialization:
 Modeling
 Substitution and redirection
 Rules
 Appropriate consequences

11. GUIDING COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Activities that foster cognitive development:
 Problem-solving activities (block, puzzle, etc)
 Pretend play
 Sensory experiences (sand play, water play,
textures, musical instruments, etc)
 Early “science” experiences
 Helping activities
 Cooking experiences
 Outdoor experiences

12. GUIDING EARLY LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Strategies that promote language development:
 Speaking slowly and clearly
 Parallel talk and labeling objects
 Explaining why
 Using language in daily routines
Activities that promote early language dev:
 Reading and looking at books
 Chanting and singing
 “Hands-on” activities

13. GUIDING PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Indoor activities for large motor development:
 Floor time
 Massaging and stretching
 Grasping and manipulating objects
 Pulling up and bearing weight
 Crawling
 Climbing
 Walking
 Balls

14. Observing
What we observe?
 Developmental progress
Caregivers need to know the social, physical, cognitive, and emotional characteristic of each child
so they can plan and respons in ways that promote the development of the whole child
 Temperament
Children’s temperaments influence what they do, what and how they learn, how they feel about
themselves and others, and how they react and interact
 Interaction with other children
In addition to understanding each child’s individual characteristics, caregivers must also understand
the dynamic of the group
 Family and cultural influence
Caregivers are careful to understand and respect the culture of each child family
 Schedule
Children of different ages and temperaments need different schedules. Through observation,
caregivers identify the best time for quiet activities group play, rest time, and private play
 Physical environment
The environment meets the varied needs of infants and toddlers (clean, pleasant, comfortable, and
suitable for a variety of activities)

15. Recording
 Anecdotal records
These are brief written “snapshots” that describe specific
actions and events. They tell a “picture in words” at a
particular moment. They are useful for child assessment
and individualized planning
 Observation media
Some of the best ways to capture complex interaction of
young children as they play and interact with each other
and the caregiver are to use videotape, audiotape, or
photographs. Each can be used to document individual
development and group interactions.

16. Families and Caregivers
 Getting to know families
Give families specific information when they enroll their child.
Invite them to visit the center for a tour and introduction to other
staff members. This visit will establish the connection for
continued partnership.
 Communicating with families
Communicating with families about their children is a fundamental
part of the teaching team’s responsibilities. Since infants are
totally dependent on caregivers to meet their basic needs, it is
essential for teachers and parents to communicate daily about
the infant’s well-being, health status and comfort level

17.  Strategies for communicating with families
– Drop-off and pick-up times
– Written communication
– Parent bulletin boards
– Videos
– Newsletters
– Home visits
 Involving families
There are many ways families can be actively involved in the program.
Some families may attend meetings, others may send materials from
home, others may offer to work on the playground or be on the advisory
committee
– Family room
– Community room
– Lending library
– Family meeting and gathering

18. Health Environment
 The physical surrounding
Buildings, grounds, and equipment should be clean, repaired, and
maintained to protect the health of children. Lighting, ventilation,
and heat must be adequate. Both natural and artificial light should
be used in classrooms, halls, and stairways
 Sanitation
Sanitary classroom surroundings and materials are extremely
important because infants and toddlers investigate toys, furniture,
pets, and each other by touching and tasting. Careful sanitary
practices reduce the spread of infections and diseases

19. Safe Environment
Characteristics of a safe environment
In a safe environment children are free to
move and explore their new and
interesting
world without the constant worry of
caregivers. Because the environment is
safe,
the word “no” does not have to be used
often and caregivers can relax as they talk
and
play with the children

20. Responsive Environment
 Physical climate
 Temperature
The environment should be neither too warm nor too cold,
particularly at floor level, where infants and toddlers spend most of
their time
 Lighting
Lighting needs vary by activity. Play areas should be well lit.
Natural light is pleasant for young children
 Moisture
In areas of high humidity or heavy rains, it is important to minimize
moisture, a favorite environment of molds and bacteria
 Noise level
There are should be adequate space between noisy and quite
areas so that the needs of infants and toddlers in each area can be
met

21.  Emotional and developmental climate
The childcare environment must be planned carefully. The environment
must be cheerful and inviting; it must be adequate for solitary play, play
with or next to peers, play with the caregiving adults, and quite time
alone with an adult
 An inviting environment
An interesting and colorful environment “invites” children to explore,
investigate, and play. Bright colorful pictures, posters, photographs, and
children’s art should be hung at the children’s eye level
 Outdoor spaces
Most children love to be outdoors. Although the environment is less
restrictive and activities tend to be more spontaneous, outdoor spaces
can have enormous learning value if they are carefully planned. Unlike
the fixed indoor environment, the outdoors is forever changing. The
outdoor play area provides rich opportunities for social, emotional,
language, cognitive, and physical learning

22. Evaluation
 Staff evaluation
Each teacher’s work should be reviewed on a regular basis, at least once a year and preferably
every six months. Evaluation should be a constructive process, supportive of the needs and
strengths of the person being evaluated
 Program evaluation
Program areas to be examined usually include:
– Service to children
– Administration
– Family involvement
– Community involvement
– Learning environment
– Staff development
– Staffing
– Health and safety
 Process Evaluation
– Factual questions
– Subjective questions