Infant caregivers have many different roles.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2011, child care jobs are on the rise. Of these jobs, many positions include working closely with infants in daycare, child care and early education center classrooms. The role of the teacher, or caregiver, in the infant classroom presents unique challenges in creating an appropriate environment, caring for the young child and designing daily activities.
Creating the Environment
Although at first it would seem that the role of the caregiver starts when the infants are brought into the classroom, in reality it begins much earlier. Preparing or setting up the classroom environment is a preparatory step that any infant caregiver can not ignore. Whether it is on a daily basis before school starts or it is at the beginning of the year, setting up the classroom is key to providing a nurturing, beneficial environment. Organizing a play or exploration space for the infants to crawl or toddle through, strategically placing age safe and appropriate toys within infant reach, creating a welcoming feeding area and designing a nap-time/rest space all contribute to the overall success of the caregiver and the child.
Care Giving
Depending on the length of the class or center day, many infants in early childhood education environments spend the majority of their time with a primary teacher or caregiver. Unlike older children in elementary or high school, the infant teacher plays a substantial role in actually caring for the child. This includes feeding, changing and soothing the infant. Additionally, the caregiver's role extends into carrying, holding and even rocking (in a glider or rocking chair) the child.
Child Development
Infants develop at a rapid pace. By the end of the first three months most infants can grasp at a toy and smile intentionally at a caregiver. Over the next few months, infants begin to improve fine motor skills by holding small toys, sit up and crawl and start to babble and speak. Caregivers in an infant classroom can assist in these types of developmental milestones by providing an array of play options and activities. The infant teacher/caregiver designs activity plans that encourage development across all of the domains (i.e., cognitive, physical, social, emotional) through play and exploration. These may include free discovery periods in which the child can try out new toys, organized activities such as finger painting with pudding or quiet book reading times.
Cleaning
A clean, sanitary environment is crucial to keeping kids healthy. With frequent in-room diaper changes, spitting up and the ever present threat of sickness, maintaining a clean classroom is a daily task that the caregiver must face. Although many schools and centers employ a maintenance staff or have a designated employee who provides major clean up services such as mopping floors, washing walls and vacuuming, the classroom caregiver may be in charge of emptying diaper pails, sanitizing a changing area, washing high chairs and trays, washing bedding and spot cleaning.
Tags: teacher caregiver, child care, infant classroom, infant teacher, play exploration, setting classroom