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The purpose of the training activities contained in this book is to support the work of early childhood professionals caring for young children in a variety of settings. Information contained in these activities is designed to help child care practitioners and educators become more aware of the importance of emotional development for children and the significance of their role in promoting positive mental health in young children. A core philosophy guiding the writing of this training curriculum is that positive mental health is a process that begins in infancy with responsive caregiving by the important people in a baby's life; it proceeds through early childhood with consistent and quality nurturing and caregiving. The role of the child care provider and early educator is a primary one in ensuring the best possible outcomes for all children in their social and emotional health through the developmentally appropriate activities, practices, and environment which they provide to children. Through consistent observation and recording, a child care practitioner may see indicators of risk for a child's emotional development and has a responsibility to refer parents to local early intervention resources. However, the role of the child care provider is not one of mental health professional in the identification or diagnosis of mental health issues but rather in support of a child's overall emotional well-being as it pertains to the child care setting and their practices of responsive caregiving to each child.
Several unique features are present in each chapter, including:
- A Series of Training Activities which may be customized to fit into a workshop by length of workshop, content, delivery method, or other variables as determined by the presenter of the workshop.
- Purpose and Outcomes begin each activity as an adult learning tool for the presenter to use in setting the stage for the transfer of learning.
- Key Points conclude each activity and serve as a mechanism to review learning.
Handouts are embedded within the training workshops and may be reprinted for use with participants.
Caregiver, practitioner, provider, teacher, educator are used interchangeably to refer to the early childhood professional working in a setting that provides early care and education to young children, birth to age eight. This includes family child care, child care centers, nursery schools, school readiness programs, Head Start classrooms and other similar settings. She refers to practitioners since the majority are women. Any names used in Volumes 1 and 2 are fictional and examples are a composite of experiences of the authors. Participant in Volume 2 refers to the persons attending training workshops.
Different cultural approaches to child rearing can impact the relationship of the parent to the early childhood professional when it comes to emotional milestones and development. Attachment, temperament, family systems, and risk factors all need to be viewed with cultural respect and awareness. Ultimately, all children need to feel safe and secure in their early childhood setting and we can assure this outcome if we work closely with families, building a relationship of trust through open and honest communication.
Explanation of Layout of Materials
The Six Keys: Strategies for Promoting Children's Mental Health in Early Childhood Programs Volume 1 and 2 provides support to early childhood practitioners through training and educational opportunities around the emotional development of children. It is a holistic approach that helps practitioners examine their role in children's mental health, as well as the role of environment, temperament, risk factors, and resilience. The Six Keys: Strategies for Promoting Children's Mental Health in Early Childhood Programs is designed in a two volume set. Volume 1 consists of narrative chapters that describe each of the six keys in detail. Research is synthesized into practices using the strategies of child development experts as well as 'wisdom from the field' in each chapter. The training activities that follow each chapter in Volume 2 derive from the key points of chapters in Volume 1.
Volume 1 provides a thorough understanding of the topic area so that trainers and educators can implement the training activities in Volume 2 with a degree of knowledge and expertise. Volume 1 sets the framework for workshops and classes taught from the Volume 2 activities.
In Volume 2, the author uses research-based adult learning methods in the presentation of training including small group work, case studies, and applied strategies. Activity-based, experiential learning is a key component to workshop design. The presentation of workshops is strength-based and builds on what the practitioner already knows and has experienced. This supports the core belief of the author that practitioners already have many skills to provide developmentally appropriate care which supports emotional development; they often need to build on those skills in order to be more effective. Each chapter in Volume 2 contains several training activities that may be combined into a single workshop or a workshop series. Each activity has a purpose and outcome statement and concludes with key points. Activities teach the core concepts through a variety of adult learning methods, such as small group to large group feedback, role play, video presentation, case studies, and strategy building. Workshops may be designed to meet a specific audience's training needs. In addition, workshops can be adapted in their length, scope, and age grouping by the trainer or educator.
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