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Emotional availability, attachment, and intervention in center-based child care for infants and toddlers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2012

Zeynep Biringen ,
Shannon Altenhofen ,
Jennifer Aberle ,
Megan Baker ,
Aubrey Brosal ,
Sera Bennett ,
Ellen Coker ,
Carly Lee ,
Beatrice Meyer  and
Albertha Moorlag
...Show all authors
Zeynep Biringen*
Affiliation:
Colorado State University
Shannon Altenhofen
Affiliation:
University of Colorado at Denver
Jennifer Aberle
Affiliation:
Colorado State University
Megan Baker
Affiliation:
Colorado State University
Aubrey Brosal
Affiliation:
Colorado State University
Sera Bennett
Affiliation:
Colorado State University
Ellen Coker
Affiliation:
Early Childhood Council of Larimer County
Carly Lee
Affiliation:
Colorado State University
Beatrice Meyer
Affiliation:
Colorado State University
Albertha Moorlag
Affiliation:
Early Childhood Council of Larimer County
Randall Swaim
Affiliation:
Colorado State University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Zeynep Biringen, Family and Developmental Studies Program, Colorado State University, 413 Behavioral Sciences, Fort Collins, CO 80523; E-mail: [email protected].
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Abstract

According to data from the 1997 NICHD Study of Child Care, center-based child care can have deleterious effects on children's social–emotional development. We hypothesized that training child care professionals to develop positive relationships with children in their care would improve the quality of center-based child care. Thirty-three professional caregiver–child pairs participated in the intervention group and 24 professional caregiver–child pairs were assigned to a care as usual comparison group. The intervention consisted of an informational and a practice component with an emotional availability (EA) coach. The infants and toddlers (ages 11 to 23 months) in the classrooms were enrolled in the project only if they spent at least 20 hr per week in center-based care. The measures included were (a) the EA Scales, (b) the Attachment Q-Sort, and (c) the Classroom Interaction Scale. The intervention group professional caregiver–child relationships showed improvements on the EA Scales, Attachment Q-Sort, and the Classroom Interaction Scale from pre- to posttest, compared to the comparison group, who showed some decrements over a comparable period of time.

Type
Special Section Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 24 , Issue 1 , February 2012 , pp. 23 - 34
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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