AD ALTA
JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
middle and large. There are children from 6 months to two years
in the infant department, the middle department is for two, to
two and a half year olds, and the large department is for two and
a half, to three year olds. There are 3 caregivers in each group
and they carry out educational activities. We find that they have
no prescribed plans, methodological guides, or any support
material, that would assist them in their work. They follow the
methodology from 1989., but they are proactive and they look
for inspiration on the Internet. In the facilities, it is up to the
caregivers to agree on what targeted educational activities they
will carry out on a given day; in unfavorable weather they also
implement more targeted areas of education. We assume, that
every day in the nursery, all educational areas are represented.
Children listen to children's songs every day, sing, practice, try
to draw, learn new things etc. The Caregivers approach the child
individually. We have identified an individual approach when
we observed the planning of activities. Each caregiver in the
group offers a different activity with different levels of
difficulty. The child decides on its own, chooses what it wants to
do, depending on the zone of its current and proximal
development. This means that it is essential to choose the
educational activity, when realized what a child can do on its
own and what it can do with help. There are situations where the
child does not have the capacity to concentrate and carry out the
educational activity with the other children in the group. For
example, when it is teething. Then, the caregiver will offer the
child a different activity. It is important to reassurre the child to
feel safe in the facility (some children call the caregiver
grandma).
In good weather, children are allowed to move around in the
school yard and walk around the facility. They observe the
surroundings and the world around them. The caregivers show
them and explain the surrounding phenomena (children develop
speech and explore their surroundings), and patiently answer all
their questions of interest.
Significant Critical Points in the Institutional Educating Process
of Children up to Three Years of Age and Family Educating
In the following section, we present the results of the research
obtained in 4 discussion groups with caregivers in the facilities,
and 4 discussion groups realized with the parents of the children
in the nursery centers. We also present the results of the latest
discussion, at a professional level, with a relatively wide scope
in the field of participant involvement. The involved, are experts
in every early childhood education-centered area, ranging from
academia, healthcare, psychology, up to politics. The discussion
was also attended by the director and selected caregivers from
the establishment, where the last discussion took place. Also 2
parents of the children participated. A substantial proportion of
the experts involved, also play the role of parent or grandparent.
We have subjected the research data to a thorough analysis and
we have identified critical points in the process of education. At
the closing seminar, we briefly presented the results of the
research, where we pointed out these critical points. The
identified critical points became a means of further discussion of
all the experts involved. Our intention was not to influence the
subjects, but to briefly justify our choice of topics discussed.
Promoting the independence / competence of the child
When we talk about supporting the child's autonomy,
competence, it is important to point out the individual
dimension. There are parents supporting independence, but also
parents leaving the development of independence to the child
itself. We note that it is essential to communicate with all the
participants, respectively. By this we mean communication of
the facility with the family and communication between family
members.
Parental congruence and co-operation with the caregiver
We note that there are situations where there is a discrepancy
between the caregiver’s and the parent’s actions, therefore
cooperation between family and facility is important. For
example, in a facility, the caregiver puts the child on the potty at
regular intervals, and afterwards it is given a clean diaper. When
the diaper is dry, it is useless to keep the child in the diaper. It is
essential to maintain the discussion and to cooperate with each
other. Caregivers respect the reservations and needs of parents.
It's as if they were on two poles. On the one hand, there is the
caregiver, who knows what to do with a particular child, on the
other hand, the parent, who refuses the implications. Caregivers
are also encouraged to communicate with a parent who is not
interested in how the child was doing in the facility during the
day. Such parents consider staying in the facility as a key
element in the upbringing, education, and teaching of a child to
act independently and in the home environment the child simply
just goes to bed. On the contrary, there are parents who want to
teach the child everything themselves, and parents who
cooperate. A significant breakthrough for successful cooperation
seems to lie in the success of the child.
In the past, the infant/toddler has learned from diapers
significantly earlier than today. We note that parents had more
children, so they had to be more independent. The diapers were
different, the child felt it was in a wet environment. Nowadays,
children use diapers in which they feel dry. It is important to put
the child on the potty at regular intervals and later, when it can
hold the urine, you should dispose it of diapers. Independence,
competence gives the child freedom. It is happy because it
becomes independent. Independent of adult help. It doesn't have
to be in a dirty diaper anymore, doesn't have to wait for someone
to wash it, change it, because it can do it by itself.
We think communication with the child is beneficial. The child
has to get used to self-help skills activities gradually. It should
gradually learn and be given time to try to dress, wash, eat with a
spoon, etc. We note that children in ECEC facilities have enough
opportunities to progressively improve their autonomy.
Caregivers consider the development of autonomy and
competence a priority.
Love
The basic and immediate phenomenon we have identified in
ECEC centres, as well as in the family, is love. Love has
different forms in the family.
We identify that love is the foundation of education, and we
conclude, that how parents understand and apply it in education,
has a definite impact on parents' constructs in education.
Rejecting an authoritarian approach to education, and seeking for
respect for the child, is a phenomenon on which parents clearly
agree. Their opinions differ in what behaviour they still respect
from the child, and what they cannot, or in no case, will. Every
parent tries to respect (more or less successfully) that a child
needs a mother. She responds to the needs and wishes of the
child - she caries it in her arms, sleeps with it in one bed, the
mother breastfeeds it, etc.
We assume that parents' opinions differ in the following:
Whether a child should be raised/educated within the
boundaries of set rules or not.
Whether, or not, the child should respect the specified
rules. Whether only the child should respect these rules or
the same goes for the parent too.
Whether a parent has enough will and energy to be
consistent. Whether he/she tries to evaluate - to "guard" the
behavior of the child, or is able, and willing, to be attentive
to him/herself (in the role of a parent and human being).
Whether he / she can identify errors only in the child's
behavior or in his / her own.
Whether he/she can admit the mistakes, and stand up to
them, as an opportunity to rectify (behaviour) or failure.
From a rigorous analysis of research data, we have found a clear
match between the interpretations of caregivers and other
professionals which shows that the basic feature of a good
caregiver is to love children, have a positive attitude towards
them. The caregivers simply said, they like children, have the
will to make a child happy, as well as a parent in the question of
raising a child. They ensure it by means of a purposeful
educational activity. They are patient and try to offer new
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