DaycareObservation
DaycareObservation
Aday care center is regarded as a place where children of differentages are cared for. Day care centers offer a very rich and rewardingenvironment where one can observe the behavior of toddlers andpreschool children. Fundamental principles of learning that areanalogous to the psychology of behavior can be studied first handwhen one interacts with kids in such a controlled and lovely setting.The attendants at the day care centers also rely heavily onobservations since it is a very crucial tool in childhood settingapplied in building an understanding into the skills of children,their abilities, and interests. Therefore, focusing on what they cando. This is also important in giving an appropriate response to anychange in behavior.
Irecently visited a group day care home in Hickory Hills and stayedthere for six hours between 10 am and 4 pm. At the center, I had agreat time interacting with the kids and made excellent observationson their behavior in general. My focus was mainly on the childrenbetween the ages of 2 years and 4 years. These combinations of youngchildren are a fascinating lot lovely to study. Their behavior isever changing to the extent that it sometimes becomes tricky toidentify where one ends, and another begins (Sally, 2001).
Thisis the challenge that the first time visitors at the center mustgrapple with from the children who share a feeling of comradelydespite coming from diverse backgrounds and have stayed together forover one year. The day care center has rules and regulations thatmust be uniformly applied to ensure order and continuity given thefact that both the children and staff are subject to change. Thecaregivers at the center are very friendly, attentive, caring andloving to the children from the way they interact with them. Thecaregivers also play with the kids creating that parent-childrelationship.
Thechildren freely engage in organized games, as opposed to followinginstructions because most of them are at the preschool level. Theplays are organized in agreement with the principles and values ofpreschool learning with the supervision of the caregivers. Each ofthe games held for children is purposely meant to foster theirdevelopment in one way or the other. The center has also availedseveral toys for children that are intended to entertain them and atthe same time help to learn a few things. These toys are of varioustypes from educational toys to those just meant for fun.
Someof the toys I noticed included Soft Balls and Bean Bags. These areimportant for children since they love throwing around things andthus appropriate for them. Another set of toys were blocks ofdifferent colors, which were meant to help the children identifydifferent colors besides using them to construct some structures.Dolls and accessories were another massive set, especially for thegirls. They pretend to be mothers and therefore take care of theirbaby dolls this is important as it teaches them a lesson inresponsibility. The center is also fenced including the areas wherechildren play. The caregivers provide food to the young ones who thentake a nap at around 1 pm.
HalinaLuc manages this day care center as the general manager, Licensenumber 520675 with a capacity of 12. The age gap of their kids isbetween 15months and 5years, and the care operates between 6 am and 6pm with no enrolled subsidized childcare program.
Reference
Sally,S.H. (2001). Championingchild care.New York: Columbia University Press.