Continuity of Care is the title of a classroom for children ages birth to three. At one center that I worked at on the East Coast there were only two different-aged classrooms: O-3/ continuity of care, or 3-5/ preschool. Here in the West my program is just transitioning to continuity of care classrooms and still has a few toddler classrooms as well.
Why continuity of care? From what research says it is best for a very young child or infant to be with the same caregiver for their youngest years. It is believed that if teachers are able to build relationships with children and families for extended periods then they are better able to support them as well as foster the child's ever-expanding development.
However- when you first read this and saw that a continuity of care classroom was for ages 0-3, did you shutter and wonder what the hell? Yeah, well that seems to be what most anyone I know says when I tell them. I've been on at least two interviews where I described my East Coast job as being in a classroom for ages 0-3 and interesting comments are made. One woman said straight out she thought it sounded like a "terrible idea" and that it seemed like it "wouldn't work at all." Strong opinion, but hey, we're all entitled to one. Even my superiors recently admitted to me that they were "thrown into it" because it was the new trend, yet they don't really know what it looks like and what the actual research is showing the benefits are. At least they understand some investigating needs to be done, I suppose! Here are some of my own thoughts and ideas on the 0-3 classroom:
What it looks like:
- One class (mine) has 3 "infants" and 5 "young toddlers" (12-24mths).
- The ratio for our age groups is 1:4 because of the infants, so whenever we want to split the group one of the toddlers must be left with the infants. Usually, this is usually when the toddlers go outside and the infants take a morning nap. Developmentally appropriate?
- This means an area of the classroom is devoted to non-mobile infants, while the rest of the room is designed for 5 active young toddlers (7 out of 8 children are currently boys).
- The design of the actual building was with a small book nook that is all windows, yet has three steps to get up on it. Yes, that's 3 stairs as the centerpiece of the room in a classroom with the above ages.
- In a previous post I showed how infants sleep at my school. Technically I guess they call them "futons", but it's really just a crib mattress on the floor. This area takes up a lot of space, and luckily we just got 5 toddler cots. Before there were eight mattresses taking up valuable floor space. Also, due to regulations, the area cannot have any sort of item blocking it, plus it is suppose to promote "independent sleeping habits" and should be open. Think of what a large open area with bouncy mattresses on the floor looks like to a young toddler.
- Nap time is an all-day affair. The babies sleep on-demand and usually twice-a-day, while the toddlers sleep once after lunch. Think of being in a toddler classroom where you are trying to encourage five young toddlers to sleep while there are 3 babies wide awake, cooing loudly, crying, wanting a bottle, etc. etc. This also means a lot of ticked off teachers who cannot lose their nap time.
- Teachers in this classroom never have a break. You have 5 young toddlers to entertain and teach basic social-emotional skills to, while at the same time you have 3 infants who need bottles, to be rocked, to be spoon-fed and just a slower type of care.
- Try doing art and sensory table activities when there are mobile infants crawling and pulling themselves up onto everything and trying to eat everything. You must challenge and provide for several at one developmental level, but you're not suppose to deny anyone, yet it isn't developmentally appropriate and could be considered a choking hazard or other danger to another. A teacher's daily challenge in the continuity of care room.
- When I watch the young toddlers interact with infants I realize that maybe this classroom does have some great benefits. However, on the same note there are times where the one year-olds want to throw a toy at the baby, or are rough with them because they are crying or taking the attention of the teacher. Without the proper teaching support this can be challenging to deal with.
My questions:
- I've worked at a lot of early childhood programs in the past 10 years and I've never known a center to have minimal turnover. Some centers seem to retain some staff for long periods, but for the most part this field has a devastating turnover rate. With that being said, how is it possible to say that it is best for the children to be in the same room for up to 3 years if the staffing would never remain the same for that long? Especially in this environment where no teacher really wants to be in a room with both infants and toddlers (personal opinion I've gathered from talking to colleagues, especially in the West), is this the most logical idea?
- Although scaffolding amongst ages is important, have there been other research studies to show infants and toddlers interacting for group times or periods throughout the day, while each still having their own respectful classrooms and schedules that they can retreat to?
- Has anyone ever heard of training related to working in a 0-3 classroom? Just thought of that. Because I never have, but people seem to ask me a lot of questions like I know what I'm doing. Because a teacher has to understand how to care for infants and toddlers this job is extremely challenging. Making bottles of formula or breast milk, following EHS regulations when it comes to food and eating for infants, diaper changing, cleaning spit-up daily and other sicknesses as they arise, plus planning daily activities throughout the room to entertain the toddlers including sensory and art. Shouldn't continuity of care teachers receive extra training and even a bit higher compensation?
I don't know. Some days I have pro's for it, but most other days I am just so stressed that I don't see how it can be a prolonged solution to early care. I wonder if the classroom was truly mixed with ages from 0-3, so there are more older, independent toddlers and not so many infants and young toddlers all very close in age. Maybe someday I will meet a teacher in such a classroom and can hear their thoughts. I'll be looking forward to more research and writings on the topic too, thats for sure!
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