Relationships: The Heart of Development and Learning

Upon completing this module, child care consultants will be able to:

• Discuss the centrality of relationships in infant/toddler development.
• Describe the impact of relationships on a child’s social/emotional development and learning.
  • Describe how interactions form the foundation of infant development.
  • Describe the importance of caregiver/child relationships to child development and learning.
  • Describe the impact of positive caregiver/parent relationships on healthy child development.
• Describe key concepts of relationship-based practices in child care settings that impact the social/emotional development of infants and toddlers.
• Describe caregiver/child interactions that promote healthy development.
  • Demonstrate ability to coach a director or caregiver on the concept of responsive caregiving.
  • Describe the concepts of continuity of care and primary caregiving as they apply to social/emotional development and infant/toddler child care.
  • Describe what is meant by the parallel process, including the child care consultant’s relationship with the director or caregiver.
• Identify resources for programs or caregivers working with infants and toddlers

Relationships: The Heart of Development and Learning is one of three infant/toddler modules created to support consultants working in child care settings, especially consultants who have not had education or training specific to infants and toddlers in group care. These modules were designed to compliment training offered to early childhood consultants through the National Training Institute at the Department of Maternal and Child Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.