How should we care for babies and toddlers? An analysis of practice in out-of-home care for children under three

Helen Penn,
Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, London University
Occasional paper 10,
Childcare Resource and Research Unit, June 1999.

This publication makes an important contribution to the understanding of our values and beliefs in caring for our young children. By taking a broad perspective and including historical, psychological and cultural evidence about early childhood, this paper reveals that how we care for infants and toddlers is open to many interpretations, as reflected by the diversity of existing practices. Penn forces us to examine alternative values and practices in caring for infants and toddlers, and to look beyond our own conventional paradigms and understandings. She inspires us to question our conventions and to explore the "arc of human possibilities" in the caring of our young children.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About the Author
Preface

Introduction:
A brief history of policies and practices

Section 1:
The Market Context
Developmentally appropriate practice
The infant/toddler environment rating scale

Section 2:
European provision for under threes
The nature of relationship
Health safety and physical well-being
Education content and styles of instructions
Training and employment of those who work with young children
Ecology and the Environment

Section 3:
Where now?
Summary

Figure 1
Figure 2

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