How research into attachment and day care has influenced childcare practices

How research into attachment and day care has influenced childcare practices

1. Bowlby's research

   • Bowlby suggested that infants are innately programmed to attach for their survival.
     • E.g. crying, smiling- social releasers to encourage attachment between child and carer
     • Not a learned response but instinctive to enable a child to survive
   • Influence on child care practices
     • This has led to a low staff/ child ration in daycare settings. The government specify the following adult-child ration
       • Age 0-2: 1 adult to 3 children
       • Age 2-3: 1 adult to 4 children
       • Age 4-8: 1 adult to 6 children
     • Nurseries also operate a key worker system, where each child has one adult assigned to them who tracks the child's devlopment
     • The key worker also engages with the primary caregiver to ensure the child settles into nursery and follows their home routines as much as possible
       • This ensures quality attachments are formed at a young age because the child can form one attachment and feel comfortable

2. Bowlby's idea of the internal working model

   • Suggests that in the first attachment , the child is said to build up a model of themselves, a model of their caregiver and a model of the relationship between the twp
   • Influence on child care practices
     • This has lead to standard put into place to ensure that staff at day care facilities are well trained
       • For example a childcare provider on Early Years Register must have a manager with a full and relevant level 3 qualification
       • Someone with a full and relevant level 3 childcare qualifications to work directly with the children and at least half the rest of the staff must have a minimum of a relevant level 2 qualification

3. Robertson and Robertson

   • Carried out research lookin at the short term effects of separation from an attachment figure
     • They found that it causes distress for the child when they were seperated
       • Protest
       • Distress
       • Despair
       • Detachment
       • They suggested the following ways children's experiences of separation can be improved
         • Looked after by same carer each day
         • Cared for in home environment
         • Children ate well while staying in foster care
         • Children visited mother and brought things from home
   • Influence on child care practices
     • When Robertson and Robertson started their research in 1949 the visiting if children in hospitals was very restricted
       • E.g. At London hospital, under 3 year old-no visits but parents could see children through partions
         • Government policies and hospital attitudes and parents expectations changed
           • Now parents are encouraged to stay with their children for as far long as possible
             • The hospitals can even provide an extra bed in the child's room so the parent can stay overnight
               • Some hospitals have family accomodation at the hospital and parents are actively involved in planning and implementing their child's care.

4. EPPE

   • Looked at large numbers of children in different types of pre-school
     • They found the following about high quality care had greater sociability with other children
       • This was particularly important when they formed educational and social developmental
   • Influence on child care practices
     • This has impacted the development of an approriate curriculum in childcare settings
     • In 2008, the government introduced the Early Years Foundation Stage, which gives child care providers a structure of learning, development and care for children from birth to 5 years old