Looking Toward Competencies and Standards in Early Childhood Education

When developing supports and curriculum for very young learners in early childhood settings and at home, it is important to look toward evidence-based practices and professional competencies put forth by your organization and state. The New Hampshire Child Development Bureau, Division for Children, Youth and Families, and the NH Department for Health and Human Services (2013) have written New Hampshire’s Infant and Toddler Workforce SpecializedCompetencies. This document provides core knowledge, components and topics for the infant and toddler workforce in NH. Core Knowledge 4: Promoting Child Growth and Development includes children with special needs. Among the knowledge and skills listed is:

“Skill 4.1T4S2: Participates in multidisciplinary planning teams, and provides input in and follows specific plans for infants/toddlers (Individual Family Support Plan, Individualized Health Plan); incorporates assistive technology as needed.”

The Infant Toddler Credential Task Force developed the infant and toddler competencies to accompany the infant toddler credential endorsement. I have found that self-reflection and assessment of professional skills and knowledge are important for developing the best care and environments for our youngest children, and the task force has laid out particular checkpoints for this evaluation.

How do we select technology that will most benefit children’s diverse developmental stages? According to the National Association for Young Children (NAEYC) and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at St. Vincent College’s (2012) “Selected Examples of EffectiveClassroom Practice Involving Technology Tools and Interactive Media”, infants and toddlers benefit from cause and effect activities, such as push-button switches and controls. The key to using technology with very young children is adult and child interaction where passive activities (e.g., watching videos) are avoided, and familiar images and interesting sounds offer engagement. Screen media that relies on passive interactions (watching the screen) requires infants and toddlers to strain their mental capabilities beyond their physical realities (Robb, 2013). Infants and toddlers are tactile learners. They learn with all their senses, and television images rarely meet their natural inclinations for learning. Robb (2013) adds that “The smartphones, computers, tablets, and digital cameras are already in children’s environments. That is not going to change.”

Recording children’s play using iPad cameras and video devices can also be helpful in screening and assessment. Below is a short list provided by Robb (2013):

• Use a digital camera or computer to show images and video of family, friends, animals, or events to children, especially when children might not otherwise have exposure to them. 
• When reading an e-book, treat the experience the same as if you were using a print book: put the child in your lap, point to objects on screen, talk with the child, and introduce new vocabulary.
• Allow children to play with play versions of technology or old computers or cellphones that don’t work anymore (with the batteries removed).
• Video chat with a loved one.

NAEYC and the Fred Rogers Center (2012) suggest recording infant and toddlers progress using video and photo applications, and to utilize assistive technology when applicable for children with developmental delays or other special needs. Digital technologies and many toys that offer interactive experiences for infants and toddlers can be connected to switches to promote cause and effect play. In a video producedby ATP Denver, two parents reflect upon their three year old son Brian’s, who has an array of disabilities, experiences with assistive technology (AT) and what they have learned. Brian’s mother and father are thrilled by Brian’s advances in language thanks to his Dynavox, and advise other parents and caregivers to experiment with AT, trying high and low tech options. Parent and professional partnerships and the willingness to discover new AT adaptations are essential to finding successful supports for very young children’s developmental needs. Here is a list of resources and journals to consider when searching for information about infants, toddlers and AT.

Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center

National Dissemination Center for Children withDisabilities

Early Learning New Hampshire

Tots n’ Tech

NAEYC Technology and Young Children Interest Forum  

Virginia Early Intervention Professional DevelopmentCenter

National Center to Improve Practice in Special EducationThrough Technology, Media  and Materials

References:

National Association for Young Children and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at St. Vincent College. (2012). Selected examples of effective classroom practice involving technology tools and interactive media. Retrieved [05-January-2013] from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/PS_technology_Examples.pdf.

The New Hampshire Child Development Bureau, Division for Children, Youth and Families, and the NH Department for Health and Human Services (June, 1, 2013). 3^rd Edition. Infant and toddler workforce specialized competencies for teaching and learning, promoting child Growth and development, observing, documenting, and assessing. Retrieved from http://www.dhhs.state.nh.us/dcyf/cdb/documents/infant-toddler-competencies.pdf).

Robb, M. (2013). For infants and toddlers in the digital age: time with adults still matters most. Retrieved [05-January-2014] from http://www.fredrogerscenter.org/blog/for-infants-and-toddlers-in-the-digital-age-time-with-adults-still-matters-/.