They communicate with families and colleagues and explore the community to understand the contexts of each child and to foster each child’s enjoyment of and engagement in learning. [...] Teachers also provide safety, security, and emotional support to infants and toddlers through proactive and responsive caring routines. As you engage with children in these routines, listen to and acknowledge their feelings, using words as well as nonverbal means to reflect what the children are communicating. [...] Recognize signs of stress and work closely with families to be sure children are psychologically and physically safe. [...] Include families’ home languages, cultures, and ways of interacting with their children in the setting to help make it feel familiar and safe, encouraging children to explore and play. [...] How do you include families who are not able to be physically present in the program? [...] How do you show appreciation for the contributions that families make to the program? [...] How can you challenge yourself and think about situations in new ways as you consider what is in children’s best interests? NEXT STEPS You’ll find many ideas and strategies in these chapters that you can integrate into your work to support children and their families. As you read, remember that the caring community you are creating is special and unique to your setting. [...] Identify at least two practices you learn from these chapters that may be most effective with the infants and toddlers you teach. [...] Identify and carry out a new strategy to connect with families and learn about their stories and experiences. Note the ways listening to families challenges your own thinking. [...] How does learning about the contexts and strengths of families help you become more intentional in creating culturally responsive experiences for children?
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- United States of America
