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From The Eunice Kennedy Schriver National Institute of Child
Health & Human Development,
Study of Early Child Care and Youth
Development, pages 36-37
Download the entire report as PDF
"Many features make for quality child care. Some of these features
include adult-to-child ratio, group size, and the language a caregiver
uses with a child. among predictors of child care quality, one of the
strongest and most consistent predictor of children's development is
the extent and the degree to which caregivers provided positive
caregiving. NICHD SECCYD researchers looked at all the different
caregiver behaviors that make up positive caregiving and found that
these behaviors were linked to features of quality care that can be
regulated, such as adult-to-child ratio.
Using a checklist... similar to the measurements used by NICHD SECCYD
researchers, parents and families can focus on their children's
experiences in the child care setting (either the one they are
considering or the one their child is currently in).
To use this checklist when visiting your child's child care location:
- Talk to your child's caregiver to let him or her know that you will
be stopping by sometime during the week to watch your child in the
child care setting. If your child is not yet in the child care setting
you wish to observe, contact the child care provider and ask if you
can visit the child care setting; then select one child to watch
during your visit.
- Sit off to the side of the setting and let the child and the
caregiver go through their day as they normally do. Don't interrupt
the play or change the situation in any way, if possible.
- Use a watch or timer to keep track of a set amount of time for
watching your child and the caregiver together. Try an hour, or maybe
30 minutes.
- Mark the sheet each time the caregiver does one of the actions on the list.
- When time is up, go back through your record sheet and add ratings
for each behavior the caregiver completed. Use the ratings provided on
the next page.
- Add up how often the caregiver did each of the items on the list,
and then get an overall total.
If the caregiver does many of the items on the checklist, or does them
often, then the caregiver is probably providing a more positive
caregiving environment, which suggests that your child is getting
higher quality child care. this type of environment encourages the
child to grow and learn and can help him or her build important
skills.
If you counted the caregiver doing each action only once in a
30-minute period, or if you rate the caregiver as doing one or more
behaviors hardly any of the time, you may want to talk to the
caregiver about including positive interactions with your child more
often.
Note: The positive caregiving checklist is not meant to be the
only measure of quality care, nor is it intended to take the place of
other guidelines or standards for quality care."
The Positive Caregiving Checklist
Date:______________ Set Amount of Time: (for example, 30 minutes) ______________
Rating:
1 = Hardly any of the time
2 = Some of the time
3 = a fair amount of the time
4 = a lot of the time
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How Often Does the Caregiver...
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How Often?
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Rating
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Total
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Show a positive attitude - is the caregiver generally happy and
encouraging in manner? is he or she helpful and upbeat? Does the
caregiver smile often at the child?
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___________ |
_________ |
_________ |
| Have positive physical contact - Does the caregiver hug the
child, pat the child on the back, or hold the child's hand? Does the
caregiver comfort the child?
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___________ |
_________ |
_________ |
| Respond to vocalizations - Does the caregiver repeat the child's
words, comment on what the child says or tries to say, or answer the
child's questions?
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___________ |
_________ |
_________ |
| Ask questions - Does the caregiver encourage the child to talk
by asking questions that the child can answer easily, such as "yes"
or "no" questions, or asking about a family member or toy?
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___________ |
_________ |
_________ |
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Talk in other ways
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- Praising or encouraging - Does the caregiver respond to
the child's positive actions with positive words, such as "You
did it!" or "Well done!"?
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___________ |
_________ |
_________ |
- Teaching - Does the caregiver encourage the child to learn or
have the child repeat learning phrases, such as saying the
alphabet out loud, counting to 10, naming shapes or objects?
for older children, does the caregiver explain what words or
names mean?
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___________ |
_________ |
_________ |
- Telling and singing - Does the caregiver tell stories, describe
objects, or sing songs?
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___________ |
_________ |
_________ |
| Encourage development - Does the caregiver help the child
to stand up and walk? Does the caregiver encourage tummy time
activities with the child? for older children, does the caregiver help
finish puzzles, stack blocks, or zip zippers?
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___________ |
_________ |
_________ |
| Advance behavior - Does the caregiver encourage the child
to smile, laugh, and play with other children? Does the caregiver
support sharing between the child and other children? Does the
caregiver give examples of good behaviors?
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___________ |
_________ |
_________ |
| Read - Does the caregiver read books and stories to the child? Does
the caregiver let the child touch the book and turn the page? for older
children, does the caregiver point to pictures and words on the page?
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___________ |
_________ |
_________ |
| Eliminate negative interactions - Does the caregiver make sure
to be positive, not negative, in the interactions with the child?
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___________ |
_________ |
_________ |
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Overall Total
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_______ |
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