The effects of specialized training on caregivers and children in early-years settings: An evaluation of the foundation course in playgroup practice
Section snippets
Caregiver training and behavior
The majority of studies that have investigated training have looked at the relationship between caregiver training and behavior in classroom settings. There is now a growing body of research that indicates that training is related to behavior. For example, training has been associated with caregivers’ social interaction with the children in their care Clarke–Stewart et al 1994, Howes 1983, Ruopp et al 1979; with higher numbers of positive interactions, lower levels of detachment and
Adults
Thirty-three caregivers participated in the study at pre-test, and 29 participants were remaining for post-test data collection. All participants were female. Sixteen caregivers were training participants, all of whom had enrolled in the same Foundation Course. These 16 caregivers came from a group of 19 caregivers attending the course. The remaining three course participants did not take part in the study for reasons other than to do with the present study. All 16 participants successfully
Observations
All participants were observed during morning sessions in the setting in which they were employed. Observations commenced 15 minutes after the facility opened so as to exclude behaviors specific to the arrival of children. Each period of observation lasted for 2 hours. The first round of observations took place in September immediately after the commencement of the training course and was completed over a 5-week period. The second round of observations began during March of the following year
Pre-training measures
A t test was conducted on mean pre-test scores for all participants on each of the instruments. No significant differences were found between the scores of the training and comparison groups (children and adults of both groups) on any of the observational measures at the time of pre-testing. These results indicate that the groups were performing similarly before treatment.
Adult behavior
To test the hypothesis that the participants in the Foundation course would gain in sensitivity after training and when
Discussion
The results showed that the completion of a 120-hour training program resulted in higher levels of caregiver sensitivity and higher levels of play among children cared for by the caregivers that received training. Caregivers who attended the training course made significant gains on a measure of positive relationship and demonstrated a significant reduction in levels of detachment. A comparison group of caregivers that did not receive training showed no change in ratings of sensitivity from
References (39)
Caregivers in day care centersdoes training matter?
Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology
(1989)- et al.
The North Carolina Child Care CorpsThe role of National Service in child care
Early Childhood Research Quarterly
(1998) - et al.
The effect of education on child care teachers’ beliefs and classroom qualityYear one evaluation of the TEACH early childhood associate degree scholarship program
Early Childhood Research Quarterly
(1995) - et al.
Predicting process quality from structural quality in preschool programsA cross-country comparison
Early Childhood Research Quarterly
(1999) Facilitating play skillsEfficacy of a staff development program
Early Childhood Research Quarterly
(1987)- et al.
Child-care quality, family structure, and maternal expectationsRelationship to preschool children’s peer relations
Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology
(1989) Caregiver behavior in center and family day care
Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology
(1983)- et al.
Children’s cognitive and social competence in child-care centers and family day care homes
Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology
(1994) - et al.
The prediction of process quality from structural features of child care
Early Childhood Research Quarterly
(1997) - et al.
The effects of specialized education and job experience on early childhood teachers’ knowledge of developmentally appropriate practice
Early Childhood Research Quarterly
(1990)
Children at home and in day care
Quasi-experimentation design and analysis issues for field settings
The History of the Irish Pre-School Playgroups Association
Stress behaviors and activity types participation of preschoolers in more and less developmentally appropriate classroomsSES and sex differences
Journal of Research in Childhood Education
The impact of DAP inservice training on the beliefs and practices of kindergarten teachers
Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education
A window on early education in IrelandThe first national report of the IEA preprimary project
Early childhood services in Ireland
International Journal of Early Years Education
Head Start Teaching CenterEvaluation of a new approach to Head Start staff development
Early Childhood Research Quarterly
Cited by (15)
Effects of in-service programs on childcare teachers’ interaction quality: A meta-analysis
2023, Teaching and Teacher EducationChild and Day Care, Effects of
2020, Encyclopedia of Infant and Early Childhood DevelopmentDoes training matter? A meta-analysis and review of caregiver training studies
2007, Early Childhood Research QuarterlyReflection on the Professional Development of Early Childhood Education and Care Teachers in Japan Based on Children’s Voices
2021, International Journal of Early ChildhoodChildren left behind by migration: Training their caretakers
2016, International Journal of Migration, Health and Social CareChild and day care, effects of
2016, The Curated Reference Collection in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology