Program Planning for Infants and Toddlers: In Search of Relationships

Even before birth, the unborn child influences the environment into which he or she will be born. In the later stages of pregnancy the mother may have to give up work, take rests during the day and even change her diet. She may have made some of those changes even before conceiving. These are significant lifestyle changes influenced by the child before birth. Once born, children inevitably influence their parents' behaviour. Altered sleeping and eating patterns together with changed patterns of social interaction are all common for new parents. Similarly, babies' eating and sleeping patterns are influenced by their families. Some parents will feed on demand, for example, while others will have a more structured routine. Thus, even in the early months of life children both affect and are affected by the immediate environment in which they live. As children grow older, their sphere of influence widens to encompass settings beyond the home. These may include playgroups, childcare centres, preschools and schools. While the child's influence is felt in these settings, the settings themselves have a direct influence on the child's own behaviour and development. The two-way influence between the developing child and his or her environment is described by Bronfenbrenner (2005a) as reciprocal. Both children and their environments are in a state of perpetual change, each depending on the other. The aim of this book is to provide a framework for planning programs for infants and toddlers that acknowledges the reciprocal nature of the relationship between very young children and their environments. This framework illustrates the importance of the context of children's development and of building on each child's particular strengths, interests and needs.