About the Center

The Virginia Marx Children’s Center’s preschool program follows a philosophical guideline known as the Developmental Interaction Approach.  This is a concept that revolutionized early childhood education when it was first introduced more than seventy years ago.  The basic tenet of the developmental-interaction approach is that the child needs to explore and then express his or her ideas through a variety of channels: imaginative play, discussion, art, or block building.

Play is seen as the child’s work.  It is the means by which the child re-examines and re-creates again and again, everything which they have experienced and observed.  Play is purposeful, exceedingly important, and serious.  Activities chosen by the child are treated as important explorations.  The developmental-interaction approach emphasizes the inseparability of the child’s emotional life from his or her intellectual and physical development.

Social interactions are of major importance.  We consider it vital that children learn to be aware of their emotions, to identify and talk about them, to express their needs and problems and to become able to negotiate their resolution with other children and care givers.  The teacher’s role is to facilitate the formation of friendships by encouraging and helping to negotiate interactions between children.

The preschool program abounds in open-ended material: water, sand, clay, blocks, puzzles, art materials, and the like.  Children use the same materials at different ages in increasingly elaborate ways.  Free play time is generous, and even planned activities may sometimes give way to the children’s spontaneous interests.  Teachers assess children’s growing and changing levels of skill by materials they choose and how they incorporate the materials into their play.  Individual portfolios, which document children’s work over time, will be created as a means of assessment.

Group size is limited to no more than eight babies, with at least one caregiver for every three children. Each infant is able to form a bond with a primary caregiver, and each caregiver can get to know a few babies very well.

Caregivers show warmth and support to infants throughout the day, making eye contact and talking to them about what is going on.

Alert to babies’ cues, adults hold infants or move them to a new place or position, giving them variety in what they are able to look at and do.

Caregivers pay close attention and talk to children during routines such as changing diapers, feeding, and changing clothes.

Caregivers talk, sing, and read to babies, enabling infants to become familiar with language and ultimately to recognize words and sounds.

Babies eat and sleep when they are most comfortable doing so. Caregivers consider infants’ individual preferences for food and styles of eating.

Caregivers follow standards for health and safety, including proper hand washing to limit the spread of infectious disease.

Caregivers can see and hear infants at all times.

Parents and caregivers share children’s activities and development on a daily basis, building a mutual understanding and trust. Caregivers welcome parents to drop by the Center.

Caregivers have too many children in their care to respond to infants individually. Infants are moved from group to group or cared for by whatever caregiver is available at the time, preventing babies and caregivers from forming important one-to-one relationships.

OR

Poor salaries and benefits or working conditions cause high turnover in the program, depriving babies of the security that comes from bonds with adults who care for them

Adults handle children in an impersonal or hurried manner, without responding to babies’ sounds and letting them know the adults are listening to them.

Babies are left in one position for too long or moved around abruptly at the convenience of the adults.

Adults are inattentive to children’s needs or carry out daily routines without warmth, not making a habit of playing with or talking to babies.

Babies spend long periods of time in cribs, playpens, or seats without adult attention. Instead of responding to babies’ coos and sounds, caregivers ignore and talk over them.

OR

Adults are careless about their words and tone around infants, or they use limited language. Too much or too little chatter by caregivers discourages babies from staying alert and interested.

Caregivers hold babies to rigid schedules of sleeping and eating with concern only for the convenience of adults.

Specific procedures for diapering (including hand washing), cleaning cribs and play areas, and food storage and preparation are not clearly thought out or written down. Caregivers do not consistently maintain safety conditions.

Infants are left unattended at nap time.

Instead of affirming the central role of parents in their children’s development, caregivers dismiss or ignore parent concerns and observations. Parents feel as if they are in the way and only hear about the conflicts or problems of the day.

Children remain with a primary caregiver over time so they can form a strong relationship with him/her. The caregiver learns to respond to the toddler’s individual temperament, needs and cues, and builds strong communication with the child’s family.

Caregivers praise children for their accomplishments and help them to feel more confident and in control of themselves.

Caregivers, recognizing that toddlers are not yet able to communicate their needs through language, promptly respond to children’s cries or other sighs of distress.

Caregivers communicate their warmth through pats on the back and hugs, or holding toddlers in their laps.

Caregivers set good examples for children by treating others with kindness and respect.

Recognizing that frequent testing of limits and saying ‘No’ is part of a toddler’s healthy development, caregivers minimizing their restrictions unless children are in physical or emotional danger. Rather than merely refusing and restraining children, caregivers offer a few options and emphasize what the child is allowed to do.

The setting is ‘inclusive’, that is, physical space and activities allow all children to participate. For example, a child with a physical disability eats at the table with other children.
Caregivers frequently read to toddlers, individually on the adult’s lap or in groups of two or three. Caregivers sing to toddlers, do finger-plays, and acts out simple stories as children actively participate.

Every day tasks such as eating, toileting, and dressing are opportunities for toddlers to learn new skills and better control their own behavior. Caregivers support toddlers’ attempts to take care of themselves and provide items that are easy for toddlers to use.

Children have many opportunities for active, large-muscle play both indoors and outdoors. Play equipment is safe and challenging for toddlers. Their outdoor space is separate from that of older children.

Adults follow health and safety procedures, including proper hand washing methods and universal precautions. Each area has clearly written procedures for waste disposal.

Caregivers directly supervise toddlers by sight and sound, even when they are sleeping.

Caregivers see parents as the primary source of affection and care for children. Parents are always welcome to the Center.

Caregivers have training in child development or early education specific to the toddler age group. They are warm and responsive to children’s needs and patient in supporting children as they become more independent.

A maximum group size of 12, with 1 adult for no more than 6 toddlers allows for an intimate atmosphere and the high level of supervision that toddlers require.

The staffing schedule allows for each toddler to develop a close relationship with a primary caregiver. Toddlers stay in the same group for many months to ensure close relationships.

One-to-one relationships between children and caregivers are not top priority. Toddlers are shifted from group to group or cared for by which ever caregiver is available at any given time.
Toddlers are criticized for their clumsy attempts to master skills.
OR

Caregivers are overly protective, making toddlers feel that they cannot do things for themselves.

Crying is ignored; caregivers do not respond consistently to children; only at their convenience.

The home or center has “no-touch policies” that ignore the importance of touch to children’s healthy developmental needs.

Adults are harsh to children when under stress. Their attempts to punish or control aggressive toddlers only cause more hostility.

Caregivers constantly say ‘No’ to children even when there is no threat to their well- being. Children are punished for asserting themselves.

OR

Caregivers ignore children and allow aggressive behavior to escalate.

Caregivers do not include children with special needs in everyday activities such as eating or playing with other children.

Caregivers expect children to sit in large groups and watch activities, having little opportunity to participate.

Children feel dependent and incompetent because caregivers do everyday tasks for them. Eating utensils, for instance, are not designed for children’s easy use.

Indoor space is cramped and unsafe for toddlers who are just learning on how to move their bodies and need to run more than walk. Caregivers spend time trying to control toddlers’ movements.

Health and safety procedures have not been clearly thought through and are not written or displayed. Consequently, adults forget hand washing or other essential precautions.

Caregivers leave children unattended when they are playing or sleeping.

Caregivers make parents feel in the way or isolated from their child’s experience. They may demonstrate competitive or patronizing attitudes towards parents.

Caregivers have little training with toddlers. They expect too much or too little of toddlers and view working with this age group as a chore or merely as ‘babysitting’.

Both group and the child-staff ratio are too large to allow for adequate supervision and individual attention to each child. The staffing schedule results in toddlers relating to several adults over the day

Caregivers shift often from child to child or group to group.

OR

Poor working conditions and/or compensation cause a high rate of turnover among staff.

Teachers providing meaningful classroom activities that challenge children to move forward. At the same time, children are able to successfully complete many of the tasks encountered so that they gain self-confidence, feel proud of their accomplishments, and learn to love learning.

Teachers planning a curriculum that engages the children. The classroom is arranged to give children easy access to toys and other materials. Children have the space to interact with their peers and adults.

Teachers maintaining a safe, healthy environment and carefully supervise the children.

Teachers taking adequate safety precautions so that children can take age-appropriate risks. For instance, 3- and 4-year olds can help bake cookies and, with a grownup’s assistance, use pot holders to take the baking sheets out of the oven.

Teachers planning a balanced schedule in which children don’t feel rushed or fatigued.

Teachers nurturing the 3- and 4- year-olds developing language and communication skills by encouraging conversation. They talk to children, listen to their responses, and provide opportunities for children to talk with one another.

Teachers helping children get the most out of every learning situation. They ask children questions about what he/she is doing, offer suggestions about other things to do, and add new challenges as the child is ready for them.

Teachers setting clear limits about acceptable social behavior. At the same time, they know that 3- to 4-year-olds get easily frustrated and are not always able to express their feelings.

Adults reading to the children every day – individually, in small groups, and sometimes even as a whole class. Teachers helping the children talk about what they have heard and help them relate the stories to activities in the classroom or at home.

Teachers making parents part of the community of learners. Parents are welcomed into the classroom, and teachers consult with them about their child’s needs and progress.

Teachers giving children tasks that they find boring or too easy – such as being asked to glue pre-cut shapes onto pieces of paper.

OR

Teachers having expectations that are out of line with the children’s developmental capabilities – such as expecting a 3 year old to write his/her name legibly.

The classroom is disorderly; children wander around, not really becoming involved in activities.

OR

The environment is so rigidly structured that children do not feel free to explore materials or interact with others.

Teachers are inattentive and careless about monitoring the indoor and outdoor safety of the children.

OR

Teachers are so nervous about safety that children feel constrained. For instance, children are not allowed to ride tricycles around the playground although it is adequately padded and free of obstacles.

Teachers saying they are teaching the children to be independent, when in fact they put them in dangerous situations.

Teachers letting an activity go too long, so children either become tired out or bored.

Teachers talking a lot to children, but they are speaking baby talk or asking questions the children can’t possibly answer.

Teachers thinking of themselves as supervisors and not getting involved with the children’s play. Children may repeat the same tasks over and over without the teachers redirecting them to another activity.

Teachers spending a lot of time yelling at the children for breaking rules and punishing troublemakers.

Teachers reading stories only occasionally and always to the group.

Teachers feeling that they are the experts, and discouraging parents from offering suggestions or visiting the classroom.

In this workshop, parents will learn how to effectively and empathically set limits with young children. The concept of mindfulness will be introduced as a tool to help both parents and children work through stressful moments. Parents will leave feeling more confident and with new tools for managing challenging behavior.

Bio: 
Dr. Jeanette Sawyer Cohen, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in Hartsdale, where she specializes in supporting parents of young children. As a child development consultant, “Dr. Jeanette” works to transform child-serving systems to better support social-emotional development. With the New York Center for Child Development, Dr. Jeanette consults to a range of home-based and center-based early care and education settings, where she developed and implemented large-scale screening programs to identify children at risk for behavioral or developmental concerns. As part of her role as Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology in Pediatrics at NY Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College, Dr. Jeanette has also worked to build capacity within pediatric primary care to better support young children and their parents. Dr. Jeanette teaches at Columbia University and has conducted research and published on child development and parenting. She provides professional development and parent workshops across Westchester and NYC and is known for her ability to translate research and theory into everyday language.

The Virginia Marx Children’s Center The Foundation’s involvement in providing on-campus child care stemmed from Dr. Hankin’s desire to offer such a service at the college. Soon after he became president he had asked a faculty committee to study the feasibility of the project. But it was not until 1984, when he invited Mrs. Virginia Marx to join the Foundation Board, that the idea actually began to take steps toward becoming reality. Mrs. Marx was af well-known community leader and a strong advocate of quality child care (often referred to as “day care”). Upon becoming a Board member she quickly agreed to chair the newly-formed Academic Resources Committee, whose function was to assess the resources available at the college and evaluate their effectiveness in meeting existing needs. Mrs. Marx helped focus the committee’s attention on the plight of students who were parents of young children and found it difficult to attend classes because they had no one to care for their children. She was especially sensitive to the problems of single mothers who were attempting to achieve their goal of a higher education without neglecting their children.Virginia Marx championed the cause of quality child care for student-parents.