Discussion: Curriculum * PRE-ASSESSMENT (1/4) - Page 4

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Teaching and Caring Occur Together from the Beginning of Life

Infants learn the rhythms of speech, gestures, social rules, and the meaning of facial expressions from adults during the first months of life. Every moment in which an adult provides care to a young infant is a moment rich with learning. Above all, young infants learn how people respond to their communication and behavior. For example, when an adult responds to a young infant who is crying because of hunger, the infant not only experiences the satisfaction of being fed but also learns that his crying will bring a response from an adult.

“Curriculum for babies?” The answer is “Yes.” The development that occurs from birth to 3 years lays the foundation for all later learning. To ensure an effective foundation for later development and success, infant/toddler experiences should be designed to meet the individual needs of each child.

Infant/toddler learning is also largely relationship and context dependent: the support and interactions of adult caregivers are critical to the growth and learning of these youngest children. Many infants and toddlers spend this important period nurtured in the context of their families.

Because the developmental foundation built during this period has lifelong implications, the responsibility for children’s learning while they are in child care is too significant to be left to chance. An individualized curriculum provides a way for teacher-caregivers to be intentional about the way they support development and learning in children under 3 and ensures that all aspects of development are being monitored and appropriately supported in a variety of ways.

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1)  Explain what is meant by “curriculum” for infants and toddlers. 

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