Kaitlin Jenkins

November 29, 2013

Issues & Challenges in ECE
Final Project
For my final project, I chose to observe an infant room at Mount Olive Childcare and
Learning Center in Budd Lake, New Jersey and interview teachers Bea Rosales and Paula
Atkinson. Before I visited Mount Olive Childcare and Learning Center, I read Being With
Infants and Toddlers to gain a better understanding of how to care for and educate infants.
Through the knowledge I gained from reading Being With Infants and Toddlers, I observed the
infants and teachers to examine the similarities and differences between Being With Infants and
Toddlers and the infant program at Mount Olive Childcare and Learning Center.
From the moment I entered Mount Olive Childcare and Learning Center, I saw multiple
signs that read we are NAEYC accredited. According to Being With Infants and Toddlers,
when developing curriculum and environments based on the growing needs of infants, it is
important to follow the Standards for Developmentally Appropriate Practice developed by the
NAEYC (Kovach & Patrick, 2012, p.13). When I asked one of the teachers, Bea Rosales, about
some of the standards of the NAEYC, she mentioned how the teachers must be able to hear and
see the infants when they are sleeping. For this reason, a two-way mirror divides the infants play
space and sleeping area. In accordance with the NAEYC standards, the infants and teachers can
see and hear one another in either room.
Being able to hear and see an infant at all times, is important when establishing a
caregiving relationship and curriculum between teachers and infants. When a teacher uses a
caregiving curriculum, the infant is included in his or her care by being treated as a unique
individual, instead of an object (Kovach & Patrick, 2012, p.15). In order to follow the

caregiving curriculum, a teacher must: relate, observe, read, respond, and wait for an infant
(Kovach & Patrick, 2012, p.14). For example, one of the infants, Jaslyn, was playing on the floor
with one of the teachers, Paula Atkinson. While playing, Paula began to notice that Jaslyn was
tired because she wasnt playing as rough as she was when they first began to play. After a few
minutes, Paula recognized Jaslyn was rubbing her eyes and yawning. Upon seeing these actions,
Paula said to Jaslyn, I see you are rubbing your eyes and are yawning, you must be ready for a
nap. Paula waited for Jaslyn to respond and when Jaslyn put her arms up to be picked up, Paula
said, I see you are ready to go to sleep now, I am going to pick you up and place you in your
crib. Through Jaslyns nonverbal cues and Paulas verbal communication, there is a clear
exchange between the caregiver and infant that demonstrates the caregiving relationship and
curriculum.
In Bea and Paulas infant room, although they have caregiving relationships with the
infants and use the caregiving curriculum, there is not always one-to-one attention for each
infant. When I talked with Bea and Paula they told me on most days there are three infants in
their room. On the day that I observed, there were three infants in their room and most of the
time one of the infants was not given complete attention because Bea had one infant and Paula
had another infant. As pointed out in Being With Infants & Toddlers, infants need one-to-one
individualized attention (Kovach & Patrick, 2012, p.18). Fortunately, another caregiver came in
shortly after I arrived, so each infant had his or her own caregiver. Although it is difficult to have
a 1:1 ratio of caregiver to infant, when providing an infant with undivided attention, the infant
feels special, worthy, and deserving of having his or her needs met when he or she is ready
(Kovach & Patrick, 2012, p.18). By providing an infant with complete attention, he or she is
regarded as an important individual.

Although Bea and Paula sometimes struggle to provide each infant with complete
attention at all times, when an infant is being fed, changed, or put to sleep the infant is always
given one-to-one attention. When Bea and Paula are caring for the infants, they use their hands to
demonstrate what they are going to do with the infants. By Bea and Paula showing an infant their
hands before caring for him or her, the infant can process the information about what is going to
happen and learns to trust the adult who cares for him or her (Kovach & Patrick, 2012, p.21).
Through Bea and Paulas hands, the caregiving relationship continues to build between the
caregivers and the infants.
One of the ways Bea and Paula use their hands and also verbal language to strengthen
their relationships with the infants is by changing their diapers. Based on observing Bea and
Paula diaper the infants, I saw both positive and negative experiences. When changing an
infants diaper, both caregivers held a conversation with the infant about the diaper, the wipes,
and the parts of the body being cleaned (Kovach & Patrick, 2012, p.22). Through the dialogue
exchange, overtime the infant will build language and knowledge about the process (Kovach &
Patrick, 2012, p.22). While diapering, Bea and Paula looked directly at the infant and used their
hands to show the infant what was happening and language to reaffirm their actions.
Although the process of diapering fit the description in Being With Infants and Toddlers,
Paula did not choose positive words to say to an infant when changing her diaper. As Paula was
changing Marias diaper she said, What a stinky diaper! and then proceeded to cover her nose
for a moment. As stated in Being With Infants and Toddlers, caregivers enhance the experience
by using positive words rather than referring to the diaper change as dirty, smelly, or messy
(Kovach & Patrick, 2012, p.22). Since Paula did not choose positive words to say to Maria,

Marias diapering experience did not allow her to connect and further build a relationship with
Paula.
Besides diapering, another way of building a relationship between the caregiver and
infant is through feeding. When I observed Paula feeding Jaslyn, I noticed that although Paula
was holding Jaslyn, the environment surrounding them was noisy from the other infants. While I
was observing, I recalled reading, in group settings, many things distract from quiet, peaceful
time between the caregiver and infant (Kovach & Patrick, 2012, p.24). If the environment was
quieter and had little distractions, Jaslyns feeding experience would have been more pleasurable
with Paula. Unfortunately, not only was Jaslyns environment poor, but also Paulas insistence
on Jaslyn finishing her bottle. Although Jaslyn drank most of her bottle, Paula made her finish
the last drop. Once Paula gave the bottle back to Jaslyn she was cranky and did not want
anymore to eat, but she did finish the bottle upon Paulas demand. When Jaslyn pushed the bottle
away, she was telling Paula that she was finished eating, indicating her ability to self regulate.
For this reason, Paula should have read Jaslyns cues that she was finished and let her eat to her
own satisfaction (Kovach & Patrick, 2012, p.24).
After observing Paula diaper Maria and feed Jaslyn, I asked Bea about putting the infants
to sleep. As I mentioned earlier, Bea and Paula are able to see and hear the infants when they are
sleeping in their cribs. Reflecting on my discussion with Bea and the important points discussed
in Being With Infants and Toddlers, each infant has his or her own crib and sleeping materials, is
supported for his or her sleeping needs, and follows a routine of when he or she typically goes to
sleep (Kovach & Patrick, 2012, p.28). The methods Bea and Paula use with their infants
coincide with the goals of sleep in Being With Infants and Toddlers.

Not only do Bea and Paula follow the goals of sleep, but also the goals of what to do
when an infant is crying. When an infant is crying, the caregiver needs to try and understand the
meaning of the cry and meet the needs of the infants communication in a timely fashion
(Kovach & Patrick, 2012, p.32). One of the infants, Cole, began crying when he tripped over a
toy on the floor. Immediately, Bea took the infant she was holding, Jaslyn, and went over to
Cole. Although Bea did not see Cole trip, she was able to figure out his reason for crying because
he was still lying on the floor from tripping on the toy. Since Bea attended to Cole soon after he
began crying and was able to understand why he was crying, within a few minutes Cole stopped
crying and returned to playing.
The play area for Cole, Jaslyn, and Maria is physically appealing through the yellow
walls, soft carpeting, and natural light from the windows. After noticing the physical aspects of
the area, I noticed there was soft music playing from a CD player. For the two hours I was
observing, the music was continuously playing; interestingly Being With Infants and Toddlers
claims soft music should be played for 20 minutes, 3 times a day (Kovach & Patrick, 2012,
p.41). After reading about infant play, I wonder if Bea and Paula are perhaps playing too much
music for the infants.
Besides the possible overstimulation to music, the environment is beneficial to the infants
because it allows them to learn from one another and explore their surroundings (Kovach &
Patrick, 2012, p.40). The play area consists of a variety of soft toys that are placed on a shelf,
easily within the infants reach. Next to the shelf is a long mirror that allows the infants to look at
themselves, other infants, and their caregivers. Based on the placement and height of the shelf
and mirror and the soft texture of the toys in the play area, the environment is safe and easily
accessible to the infants. Since I only observed the infants play area inside, I asked Bea if Mount

Olive Childcare and Learning Center had an outdoor infant play area, she told me they do have
an outdoor play area, but it is not used in the winter when it is cold outside because the infants
could catch a cold.
Although the weather currently does not permit the infants to play outside, the caregivers
need to be conscientious all year long about keeping the infants various environments as clean as
possible. As pointed out in Being With Infants and Toddlers, when a visitor enters the infant
room, he or she is expected to place booty shoes over their regular shoes and wash his or her
hands (Kovach & Patrick, 2012, p.41). While the importance of a clean environment is stressed
in Being With Infants and Toddlers, even more so is the importance of clean toys. Unfortunately,
I did not see Bea or Paula clean the toys after the infants finished playing. I was particularly
worried that Bea or Paula did not clean the toys during the time I observed because two out of
the three infants were sick. I can only hope Bea and Paula cleaned the toys after I left in order to
maintain a clean and healthy environment for the infants.
Not only is the physical environment and play space important for infants, but also the
learning environment. Infants learn by hearing language, observing verbal and non-verbal cues
and responding to the cues (Kovach & Patrick, 2012, p.42). One of the ways Bea and Paula aid
the infants language development is by having pictures at eye level that depict real and familiar
objects (Kovach & Patrick, 2012, p.42). Bea and Paula have individual pictures of Jaslyn, Maria,
and Cole all playing with toys hung above the play area. Since the pictures are at the infants
level, frequently the infants crawled over to the pictures and pointed to either themselves or
another infant. In this moment, Bea and Paula began to ask questions to the infant about the
pictures and waited for him or her to respond.

Another material that Bea and Paula use to aid the infants language development is life
like dolls (Kovach & Patrick, 2012, p.42). In Bea and Paulas room, one of the walls has a shelf
with four dolls. While observing, Maria was playing with a doll and Bea asked Maria, What is
the dolls name? Where is the dolls nose? and other questions to enhance Marias language.
Although Maria did not verbally answer Beas questions, she did point and smile which are
typical responses for an infant who is between six and twelve months old (Kovach & Patrick,
2012, p.45). Through the individual pictures and life like dolls, Bea and Paula are helping the
infants develop their language.
Based on the knowledge I have gained from reading Being With Infants and Toddlers,
observing the infants at Mount Olive Childcare and Learning Center, and interviewing Bea and
Paula, I understand the importance of building a caregiving relationship and curriculum with the
infants. Although caregivers are responsible for feeding, diapering, and putting an infant to sleep,
they are also responsible for educating the infants, especially in terms of language development.
Even though Being With Infants and Toddlers and the infant program at Mount Olive Childcare
and Learning Center have differences, both focus on caring for and educating infants.

References
Kovach, B. A., & Patrick, S. (2012). Being With Infants & Toddlers A Curriculum that Works for
Caregivers (L. J. Briley, Ed.). Tulsa, OK: LBK.