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Infant & Toddler Group Care

Social-Emotional Development

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Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

• Identify the social-emotional skills and knowledge typically acquired by infants and toddlers from birth to 3 years.

• Describe with examples how self-regulation begins to develop at birth and, for at least the first 3 years, is a co-regulation process.

• Recognize specific program practices that support the healthy social-emotional development of infants and toddlers in group care settings.

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Social Emotional Development:

“includes the child’s experience, expression, and management of emotions and the ability to establish positive and rewarding relationships with others. It encompasses both intra- and inter-personal processes.”

California Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Foundations, California Department of Education, 2009, p. 7.

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Healthy Social-Emotional Development

Healthy social-emotional development unfolds in an interpersonal context, namely that of positive ongoing relationships with familiar, nurturing adults.

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Social-Emotional Development Foundations (skills & knowledge)

1. Interactions with Adults

2. Relationships with Adults

3. Interactions with Peers

4. Relationships with Peers

5. Identity of Self in Relation to Others

6. Recognition of Ability7. Expression of Emotion8. Empathy9. Emotion Regulation10.Impulse control11.Social understanding

California Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Foundations, California Department of Education, 2009

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An Emotionally Healthy 3- to 4-Year-Old:

• Exhibits a rich imagination, labels feelings, and uses words to express needs, feelings, and ideas.

• Shows empathy and compassion for others, deals with loss and limitations.

• Concentrates, focuses, and plans as a basis for learning.

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How Emotions are Processed:Thinking brain vs. Emotional brain

Adults manage emotions by processing them through the “thinking brain” -- the cerebral cortex. The “thinking brain” is responsible for self-control.

Children process their experiences through their “emotional brain” -- the limbic system.

Limbic System

Institute for Early Childhood Education and Research

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1. Turn to the person next to you and discuss a family/cultural message you received as a child about expression of emotions.

2. Share with the large group a message you received as a young child about expression of emotions.

3. What are some of the cultural differences in the messages your group received as children?

Expression of Emotion: “The developing ability to express a variety of

feelings through facial expressions, movement, gestures, sounds or words.”

California Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Foundations, California Department of Education, 2009, p. 25.

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Foundation: Expression of Emotion

1. With a partner, identify an example of the expression of emotion by 8-, 18-, and 36-month-old infants.

2. Watch DVD clips for Expression of Emotion3. Did you see your examples in the DVD

clips?

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From Neurons to Neighborhoods: Core Concept

3

The growth of self-regulation is a cornerstone of early childhood

development that cuts across all domains of behavior.

Shonkoff, J. P., & Phillips, D. A. (2000). From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early childhood development. National Academy of Sciences.

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Emotion Regulation: “The developing ability to manage emotional responses with the assistance of others and independently. The ability to modify or

change behavior as a result of managing inner emotions.”

California Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Foundations, California Department of Education, 2009, p. 29.

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Activity: Dyad Discussion

In pairs, identify examples of emotion regulation for:

• adults

• preschool age children (age 4)

• toddlers (age 18-24 months)

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Foundation: Emotion Regulation

• Watch the DVD clips for Emotion Regulation at 18 months.

• As you watch the DVD clip, see how many of your examples are displayed by the toddlers.

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Emotion Regulation

Emotion regulation reflects the interrelationship of emotions, cognitions and behaviors.

Young children’s increasing understanding and skill in the use of language is vital to their emotional development.

“Cultures vary in terms of what one is expected to feel, and when, where, and with whom one may express different feelings.” (Chea and Rubin, 2003, p. 3)

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Emotion RegulationConsistent, prompt responses by

caregivers help infants feel secure as well as helps them learn to wait and regulate their emotional responses even though they feel some stress.

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Emotion Regulation

Over time, the infant internalizes the caregiver’s regulation to form a sense of secure self.

To the extent that a child feels connected to his caregiver(s), she feels safe and secure.

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Secure Attachment

The basis for developing a secure attachment is the knowledge that your caregiver is dependable and emotionally available to “be with” you during times of need.

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Emotion Regulation of Toddlers“. . .the adaptation of the toddler period

remains fundamentally a dyadic adaptation. . . . as [is] true for infants, toddlers require responsive and consistent involvement by caregivers to remain regulated. . . . [Toddlers] are not capable of self regulation, but within a supportive relationship, they are capable of ‘guided self-regulation’.”

Sroufe, L. A., Egeland, B., Carlson, E. A., & Collins, W. A. (2005). The development of the person: The Minnesota study of risk and adaptation from birth to adulthood. New York: The Guilford Press.

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Impulse Control: “The developing capacity to wait for needs to be met, to

inhibit potentially hurtful behavior, and to act according to social expectations, including safety rules.”

California Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Foundations, California Department of Education, 2009, p. 31.

• How many of you still struggle with impulse control?

•Examples?

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Impulse Control

In small groups, identify a situation in which you have experienced trouble controlling your impulses.

What strategies do you use to develop the skill of impulse control?

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Foundation: Impulse Control

• Watch the DVD clip for Impulse Control

• What are some strategies you use to support the development of impulse control of the infants and toddlers in your care?

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Supporting Self-Regulation in Group Care

• Young children need caregivers who are consistently, nurturing, responsive to the child’s needs and invested in developing a relationship with the child and his family.

• Each communicated need is a point of potential regulation or non-regulation.

• A primary caregiver learns to consistently read those cues and respond appropriately and empathically.

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Group Care Challenges toSupporting Emotional Regulation

• High staff turnover.

• Large group sizes and high child to staff ratios.

• Different caregivers on any given day.

• Lack of knowledge about the uniqueness of the infant/toddler years.

• Too little emotional support for caregivers.

• A disconnect between the school & home environment and/or care strategies.

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Gentle, responsive nurturing

Promote Child’s Potential:Create Developmental Risk:

Encouraging Connections, 2003

What Research Tells Us: Aspects of Relationship with Caregiver that...

Neglect of physical or emotional needs

Harsh or inconsistent punishment

Little expressive speech; excessive prohibitions

Frequent changes in caregiver, routines

Clear, consistent expectations & supervision

Positive & responsive verbal interaction

Stable environment and caregiver

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Revisiting the Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

• Identify the social, emotional skills and knowledge typically acquired by infants and toddlers from birth to 3 years.

• Describe with examples how self-regulation begins to develop at birth but for at least the first 3 years, it is a co-regulation process.

• Recognize specific program practices that support the healthy social-emotional development of infants and toddlers in group care settings.

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“I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. I've learned that people will forget what you said. People

will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you

made them feel."

Maya Angelou