For this discussion read the two paragraphs below:

Tim stood just inside the entrance to the playroom. He was sturdy for one-and-a-half, but short. The noise was jarring, and he looked around for the woman his mother talked to when they came in. She had said to his mother, “He’ll be fine – I’ll get him started,” and she had taken his hand. But now, just as fast, she was gone. It scared him as much as the other time. This was not a good place to be. He wanted his mother and he wanted to go home. A boy bumped him hard, and Tim fell. He crawled over to that woman. He sat down and fingered some colored blocks on the floor. A big boy came and grabbed one and stepped on his hand. Tim yelped and cried and looked around. He held his hurt hand in the other and the tears ran down his cheeks. No one saw.

Two weeks later:

Tim stood just inside the entrance to the playroom. It was very noisy. A boy ran past him and bumped him. Tim lunged for him and pushed him down. The boy cried, and Tim walked over to the blocks. He picked some up, and a bigger boy came and grabbed them. Tim gave them up quickly and then turned and saw a smaller boy who had some. He pulled them away from him. The boy cried. Tim looked at the blocks. He couldn’t remember what he’d been going to do with them, so he threw them down. They made a very satisfying sound. He picked up several other toys nearby and threw them. Suddenly one of the women was there yelling at him and holding his arm very hard. She was saying lots of things to him, and now she said, “time out,” and scrunched him on a stool. He tried to get up but she wouldn’t let him. She waved a finger in his face. He thought about biting it. She went away. He didn’t like this place He wanted his mother. He wanted to go home.

Discussion questions

Infants and toddlers learn, for better or worse, from their environments and experiences. What has Tim learned here? Be specific about what you feel that the effects of these interactions will be on Tim. What concepts/theories from what we have read so far support your feelings? What needs to be different in this day care setting? Be specific as to how you would approach this scenario and what actions you would take if you were the center supervisor/director.

Minimum 250 words answer.

Classmate #1:

Hello Everyone,

Tim had to learn how to adapt after he realized know one cared about his well being. Tim showed signs of the place being a hostile environment with standing in front of the door way before entering the room and with hesitating to speak up for his self but know one paid him any attention and his mother just blew it off with a he’ll be fine.I feel as though the parent should have realized her son didn’t feel comfortable by his actions. If your child doesn’t feel safe and are scared you should know if even your child is to afraid to speak up for there selves. You can tell by the way a person reacts, there body language, and if your child all of the sudden starts acting different. Maybe Tim could also be experiencing neglect and abuse at home is why he was afraid to tell his mother what was going on in the classroom. Children tend to pick up habits from what them see there parents do and since the child was bullying him he maybe thought that was what he was suppose to do. Also, the caregiver should have been more observant. Yes, there are a lot of children you have to watch over but you should always be aware of what is going on especially if you hear a child crying across the room. If I were the caregiver or supervisor as soon as I have heard a child cry the first thing I would have done is stop what I’m doing and tend to the child to make sure they are ok and are not hurt. The school should also have more caregivers in the classroom if children keep acting in this behavior.

Reference:

Quality Infant and Toddler Caregiving CHFD212 LESSON 03. (n.d.). Retrieved , from https://edge.apus.edu/access/content/group/education-common/Universal/CHFD/212/elf/lesson-3/elf_index.html.

Classmate #2:

The first week, when Tim’s teacher had left him alone to fend for himself, Tim learned that he had to fend for himself in this environment where he was often hurt by others. He probably learned that he could not count on his adult to keep him safe or to monitor the other children’s behavior. He does not seem to have a close and warm relationship with his care provider nor is she in-tune with his needs. I don’t believe he can even understand what the time-out was for nor was it working to modify his behaviors or reactions.

Long-term, I think that Tim will continue to develop more aggressive ways of coping as he has already shown by pushing. He has learned that if he does not behave this way that his needs will not be met. For example, if he does not grab a toy first someone else will and he will not receive a turn. He also has learned that adults other than his parents might not cater to his needs, so he might not seek help from them or be receptive.

He isn’t benefitting from someone understanding his development, therefore he is also missing out on learning opportunities. For instance, he might be interested in the cause-and-effect of the blocks. Since his teacher punished him instead of guiding him in this interaction, he might continue the behavior or become less curious due to negative feedback. Certainly care providers cannot let children experiment however they choose, but it’s better to show them how to do it safely while validating the child, making them feel understood.

This daycare needs improvement. First, the teacher needs to be paying more attention to the behavior and needs of each child. She can use running records, notes, portfolios, and daily communication logs (American Public University, 2019) to not only help her observe the children, but also to see the child’s development as a forethought. She can guide children in their emotional regulation and conflict resolution instead of dealing time-outs. In the instance a child is truly being too wild to calm down, hurting others, a time away from others might be necessary. During this time she can help with regulation by empathizing and remaining with the child. When the child is calm, she can then use words the child will understand to solve the problem. For Tim and the blocks, she would have hopefully seen the situation and said “you were sad when ___ took your blocks. We don’t hit we use words.” Then perhaps she could bring out an assortment of options for each boy to choose to play with on their own.

As a daycare supervisor I would provide regular trainings on child development and require the teachers to have college courses completed and updated. Our lessons say that a teacher’s education has positive outcomes for everyone (2019).

References

American Public University. (2019). Infant and Toddler Programs, week 3 notes. [Webpage]. Retrieved from https://edge.apus.edu/access/content/group/educati…

Minimum 150 words answer