Denise L.

Hemingway
ECD 200
Observation #4
March 12, 2013
1. Identify:
Toddlers 24 Months to 36 Months. 9 present with two caregivers. Mrs. Tommie appears
to be in her early 40s and Mrs. Amanda in her late 20s or early 30s.
Two Year Old Room, Child Development Ministries, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
11:20 AM 11:40 AM
2. Observation notes:
Upon arrival, children were getting prepared for lunch.
One caregiver was placing down mats and the other was assisting the children.
Children were sitting and eating very nicely.
Caregivers interacted with children and asked questions.
Children seemed very enthusiastic with their teachers.
One child wanted to be a clown.
He put the spoon in his mouth and made silly faces.
I acknowledged him as he wanted some attention.
I asked him a few questions about his lunch and he just made faces and nodded.
He then looked over at one of the teachers to make sure that she was nearby.
The teacher assured him that everything was ok and for him to try eating his lunch.
The atmosphere in the classroom was nice and calm.
The children seemed happy and were very cooperative to be two year olds.
As the children finished their lunch, the caregiver went over to assist them.
She walked with them over to the trash can to throw away any left overs, and then
guided them to the sink to wash their hands.
During this time, she sang to them or talked with them about washing hands.
After finishing up with hand washing, the children went to their mats for nap time.
The caregivers were very informative and they didnt seem overwhelmed at all.
3. Reflect on the observation:
How was the interaction respectful? If it wasnt, what could have been said or done to
make it so? Caregivers did acknowledge the children. There could be more
interaction with questions allowing children to express themselves more with hand or
facial gestures.

Caregiver talks with children as they are eating their lunch.

How was the interaction responsive? If it wasnt, what could have been said or done
to make it so? The teachers were responsive to the toddlers by meeting their needs.
When the children needed assistance, they quickly responded to them.

Child looks to teacher for assistance and she responds in quickly to assist
him. She explains to him how she is going to help him with his lunch.

How was the interaction reciprocal? If it wasnt, what could have been said or done
to make it so? Interaction was reciprocal when the children needed assistance and
the caregiver responded. One child wanted to share his food with the caregiver and
the caregiver pretended to eat and then she reversed the role of feeding to him.
Toddler imitates how teacher models behavior when he tries
feeding her after she has tried to get him to eat his lunch.

4. Connection to Ten Principles for Responsive Care:

Principle #5: Respect infants and toddlers as worthy people.
5. Describe the Principle in Action:
The caregivers/ teachers treated the children as though they were adults. They allowed the
children to do self-feeding and make messes without scalding them. The children sat at the
tables without being restrained and were able to move without being required to sit. I love the
way the teachers were teaching the children how to be independent by showing them how to
discard their leftover food into the trash can. Most teachers hate messes and wont allow or
teach children the proper way, but these caregivers took the time to show them. The teachers
made all of the children feel inclusive during the mealtime by addressing them all. There was no
baby talk involved, strictly language for children to understand and try to verbalize.

Toddler is done eating lunch and looks to caregiver to assist her with clean up. Caregiver turns
from what she is doing and acknowledges child, then informs her that she is on the way to assist
her. Children are sitting at the tables like adults and are free from restraint devices.