How research into
attachment and day
care has influenced
childcare practices
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
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
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.
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