How research into attachment and day care has influenced childcare practices

Bowlby's research
1. Bowlby suggested that infants are innately programmed to attach for their survival.
  1. E.g. crying, smiling- social releasers to encourage attachment between child and carer
  2. Not a learned response but instinctive to enable a child to survive
2. Influence on child care practices
  1. This has led to a low staff/ child ration in daycare settings. The government specify the following adult-child ration
    1. Age 0-2: 1 adult to 3 children
    2. Age 2-3: 1 adult to 4 children
    3. Age 4-8: 1 adult to 6 children
  2. Nurseries also operate a key worker system, where each child has one adult assigned to them who tracks the child's devlopment
  3. The key worker also engages with the primary caregiver to ensure the child settles into nursery and follows their home routines as much as possible
    1. This ensures quality attachments are formed at a young age because the child can form one attachment and feel comfortable
Bowlby's idea of the internal working model
1. Suggests that in the first attachment , the child is said to build up a model of themselves, a model of their caregiver and a model of the relationship between the twp
2. Influence on child care practices
  1. This has lead to standard put into place to ensure that staff at day care facilities are well trained
    1. For example a childcare provider on Early Years Register must have a manager with a full and relevant level 3 qualification
    2. Someone with a full and relevant level 3 childcare qualifications to work directly with the children and at least half the rest of the staff must have a minimum of a relevant level 2 qualification
Robertson and Robertson
1. Carried out research lookin at the short term effects of separation from an attachment figure
  1. They found that it causes distress for the child when they were seperated
    1. Protest
    2. Distress
    3. Despair
    4. Detachment
    5. They suggested the following ways children's experiences of separation can be improved
      1. Looked after by same carer each day
      2. Cared for in home environment
      3. Children ate well while staying in foster care
      4. Children visited mother and brought things from home
2. Influence on child care practices
  1. When Robertson and Robertson started their research in 1949 the visiting if children in hospitals was very restricted
    1. E.g. At London hospital, under 3 year old-no visits but parents could see children through partions
      1. Government policies and hospital attitudes and parents expectations changed
        Now parents are encouraged to stay with their children for as far long as possible
        The hospitals can even provide an extra bed in the child's room so the parent can stay overnight
        Some hospitals have family accomodation at the hospital and parents are actively involved in planning and implementing their child's care.
EPPE
1. Looked at large numbers of children in different types of pre-school
  1. They found the following about high quality care had greater sociability with other children
    1. This was particularly important when they formed educational and social developmental
2. Influence on child care practices
  1. This has impacted the development of an approriate curriculum in childcare settings
  2. In 2008, the government introduced the Early Years Foundation Stage, which gives child care providers a structure of learning, development and care for children from birth to 5 years old

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How research into attachment and day care has influenced childcare practices

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	Created by zeenakerai almost 10 years ago