Masterful infant educators realize they often cannot fully replicate a baby’ s routines as they are implemented in a family’ s home, but they do not want to force an infant to assimilate to unfamiliar routines. Thus, after the teacher learns the baby’ s at-home routines, the teacher and baby develop a routine that is rooted in home practices. For example, at home a baby may be accustomed to being carried in a mei dai, an Asian baby carrier typically worn on an adult’ s back. In the learning setting, the educator also uses a baby carrier, but one worn on their chest.
Implement a Key Teacher System
It can be overwhelming for an infant new to a program to get to know multiple staff and for staff to get to know the unique preferences of many babies. Designating a key teacher( or primary teacher) allows one member of the teaching team to intimately get to know a specific infant, their cues, and preferences. This facilitates individualized routines.
To implement a key teacher system, teachers and administrators can review work schedules, each baby’ s typical arrival and departure times, the cultural and linguistic assets of the families and staff, and which babies gravitate toward each teacher. Once matched, a key teacher focuses on getting to know, developing strong bonds with, meeting the needs of, and managing the routines of that baby. Ideally, each key teacher develops this kind of relationship with a total of three to four infants( Beck 2013; Recchia et al. 2015; Lee et al. 2016) and develops close relationships with those babies’ families. Educators may identify that they were already using many aspects of the key teacher model without realizing it; for example, each educator may tend to spend more time with, feed, and put the same babies to sleep. The key teacher model builds from what is naturally happening.
Because key teachers are not always available— they take breaks, vacations, and sick days— infant educators and administrators may feel it is important for all the babies to know all the key staff, and vice versa. To address this concern, teachers can share the routines of each infant with the whole team. This enables all of the relevant educators to individualize routines for each baby, even when a key teacher is not available.
Engage Infants During Routines
Another aspect of individualized routines is infant engagement. Babies should be active— as opposed to passive— recipients of care. Engaging in this context means explaining to an infant what is happening, asking for their permission or consent, waiting for and then acknowledging the baby’ s response, and having them assist in the process. These are all opportunities for babies to learn( Gonzalez-Mena 2008; Barbre 2013; Christie 2018). For example, when asked if they want to be picked up, if a baby does not respond, turns their head away, and / or does not lift their arms, they are indicating that they do not want to be picked up yet. The teacher could wait a few minutes and then approach the baby again. When infant teachers respond to a baby’ s communications, the baby learns that they have control over their body. These interactions also help babies acquire self-help, social and emotional, and language skills.
Play is an important routine and provides multiple opportunities for teachers to engage babies. At the heart of playing with babies is engaging in joint attention and following the baby’ s lead. Joint attention is when a teacher notices a child’ s attention on an object and actively joins the child to share focus on the activity or object. Describing what the child sees or is doing is an example of joint attention. Following a baby’ s lead involves a teacher adapting their interaction to what a baby is naturally interested in and allowing a baby to guide the interaction or play. Imitating a child’ s actions or sounds are examples of following a baby’ s lead. Educators respond to the child’ s actions and intentions, aiming to expand and scaffold play rather than direct it.
Ground Routines in Relationship-Based Practices
Individualized routines are grounded in relationships, which are part of high-quality practice when working with infants( McMullen & Apple 2012; Beck 2013; Lee et al. 2016; Sosinsky et al. 2016; Chazan-Cohen et al. 2017; NAEYC 2020). Relationship-based practices are critical for infants’ social and emotional and overall development( Chazan-Cohen et al. 2017; NAEYC 2020). These practices foster trust and attachments with babies and their families through reciprocal interactions that involve mentalization. Mentalization is not often discussed in the field related to
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