Reflection on Daycare Experiences and Child Development: Education

This reflection assignment details the student's observations and reflections on experiences within a daycare center environment. The assignment contrasts two scenarios: a 'bad' situation highlighting insufficient attention due to budget constraints and the subsequent negative impact on children's cognitive and emotional development, referencing the 'Science of Neglect' video. The assignment emphasizes the importance of caregiver responsiveness and the potential of childcare settings to influence children's developmental trajectories. Conversely, the assignment presents a 'good' situation, depicting a teacher's dedication and positive interactions with children, including diaper changes and engaging activities, underscoring the joy and positive impact of attentive care on toddler well-being and development. The reflection incorporates video links and references to support the arguments, emphasizing the critical role of caregivers in shaping children's early experiences and development.

Running Head: Reflection 1
Assignment: Reflection
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Department
Date

Reflection 2
Bad situation
During one of the experiences of working in a daycare center, I witnessed a certain lack of
attention given to the children. I was surprised and also curious behind the reasons that cause this
inadequate one-on-one attention given to children in preschools and day care schools. On asking
the authorities for the reason behind this problem, they informed me that the tight budget given
to day care centers and preschools make it difficult to attract the best teachers and also retain
them, causing inefficiency in the way they operate and provide attention to children. I believe
that this lack of attention and care to children is probably one of the worse scenarios that most
social care and daycare centers face today, owing to monetary budgets and financial limitations
in procuring the best resources, i.e. teachers. It is imperative and non-negotiable for teachers to
provide utmost attention to each and every child at such schools because lack of responsive can
have a negative impact on the cognitive and emotional development of a child. For example, the
video below demonstrates the importance of one-on-one attention that caregivers must focus on,
and how the Science of Neglect works in shaping the functioning and development of a
toddler/child. When caregivers are unresponsive to the child, the child automatically starts crying
(Badanes, Dmitrieva & Watamura, 2012). Therefore, childcare settings and environments must
be improved as caregivers and child care institutions have tremendous potential in changing
children’s developmental trajectories (Datta Gupta & Simonsen, 2010). Hence, paying attention
to children is probably the least that caregivers can do to ensure that the child’s development
process is in the right direction.
Video link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF3j5UVCSCA

Reflection 3
Good situation
Having had an equal share of both good and bad experiences and witnessing both kinds of
situations at day care centers, one specific experience that I will never forget is how some
daycare teachers go out of their way and get involved with diaper changes, if and when the
situation calls. I believe that this is an extremely positive attitude and outcome of day care
centers, where teachers are taking care of the children in the best way possible. I can recall my
experience of witnessing an experienced teacher who did not just love children but tries different
ways to keep them active, scheduling their nap times, and focusing on diaper changes to keep
toddlers happy (Mortensen & Barnett, 2016). More than for the children, it was the teacher who
received immense joy and pleasure in taking care of the toddlers, instead of looking at the duty
as an obligation or a burden. Because that teacher loved children and her job of taking care of
them so much, which made it easier for her to handle the toddlers and understand their needs
with minimal fuss. Additionally, toddlers and children need something to keep them engaged
with all the time, else they easily start frowning and crying after a point (Gunter, Rice, Ward &
Trost, 2012). Thus, the teacher’s love and dedication helped her join the children in their games
and activities, where she changed their diapers herself, fed them herself, and attempted to build a
rapport and friendship with the children.
Video link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZciBATQnjDY

Reflection 4
References
Badanes, L., Dmitrieva, J., & Watamura, S. (2012). Understanding cortisol reactivity across the
day at child care: The potential buffering role of secure attachments to caregivers. Early
Childhood Research Quarterly, 27(1), 156-165.
Datta Gupta, N., & Simonsen, M. (2010). Non-cognitive child outcomes and universal high-
quality child care. Journal Of Public Economics, 94(1-2), 30-43.
Gunter, K., Rice, K., Ward, D., & Trost, S. (2012). Factors associated with physical activity in
children attending family child care homes. Preventive Medicine, 54(2), 131-133.
Mortensen, J., & Barnett, M. (2016). The role of child care in supporting the emotion regulatory
needs of maltreated infants and toddlers. Children And Youth Services Review, 64, 73-81.