Children at Risk

For this discussion read the two paragraphs below:

Tim stood just inside the entrance to the playroom. He was sturdy for one-and-a-half, but short. The noise was jarring, and he looked around for the woman his mother talked to when they came in. She had said to his mother, "He'll be fine - I'll get him started," and she had taken his hand. But now, just as fast, she was gone. It scared him as much as the other time. This was not a good place to be. He wanted his mother and he wanted to go home. A boy bumped him hard, and Tim fell. He crawled over to that woman. He sat down and fingered some colored blocks on the floor. A big boy came and grabbed one and stepped on his hand. Tim yelped and cried and looked around. He held his hurt hand in the other and the tears ran down his cheeks. No one saw.

Two weeks later:

Tim stood just inside the entrance to the playroom. It was very noisy. A boy ran past him and bumped him. Tim lunged for him and pushed him down. The boy cried, and Tim walked over to the blocks. He picked some up, and a bigger boy came and grabbed them. Tim gave them up quickly and then turned and saw a smaller boy who had some. He pulled them away from him. The boy cried. Tim looked at the blocks. He couldn't remember what he'd been going to do with them, so he threw them down. They made a very satisfying sound. He picked up several other toys nearby and threw them. Suddenly one of the women was there yelling at him and holding his arm very hard. She was saying lots of things to him, and now she said, "time out," and scrunched him on a stool. He tried to get up but she wouldn't let him. She waved a finger in his face. He thought about biting it. She went away. He didn't like this place He wanted his mother. He wanted to go home.

Discussion questions:

Infants and toddlers learn, for better or worse, from their environments and experiences. What has Tim learned here? Be specific about what you feel that the effects of these interactions will be on Tim. What concepts/theories from what we have read so far support your feelings? What needs to be different in this day care setting? Be specific as to how you would approach this scenario and what actions you would take if you were the center supervisor/director.