Karina is not unlike many other
family childcare providers. She opens her home to care for four
other children in addition to her own four year old son. She
cares for a young infant and his two year sister full time. She
welcomes a three year old on Tuesday and Friday and eight year
old Jalika joins the group every afternoon after school.
Unlike childcare center teachers,
family childcare providers often care for children of many ages.
Family daycare providers may offer services for children as young
as six weeks of age and many provide afterschool or summer care
for older children as well. Caring for a mixed age group presents
a unique set of challenges and benefits for the caregiver.
Challenges
The
caregiver must take extra safety precautions when there
are infants or toddlers in care.
It may
difficult to find snack items that are appropriate for
all age groups.
Planning
structured activities is difficult when there are
children with various ablility levels and interests.
Daily
routines such as nap or meal times may need to be more
flexible to accomodate different aged children.
Older
children may prefer same age peers and resent the younger
child in a play group.
Benefits
Multi-age groups offer
children opportunities to develop and practice social
skills.
There is a wider range of
behavior and performance that is likely to be accepted
and tolerated by the adults as well as by the children
themselves.
There is often less competitive and more cooperative or helpful
behaviors.
Mixed-age group care is
more like a home setting and often a more comfortable and
secure setting for young children.
Siblings are not separated.
By design, mixed-age group
care is geared more to the needs of individuals. Children
in such groups have greater freedom to develop at their
own rate.
Older children learn to
adapt their language and social skills to relate with
younger children, often learning patience, compassion and
problem solving skills.
Younger children are
challenged by older children and often engage in more
complex activities then when they play with same age
peers.
Tips for caring for
mixed-age groups
Provide a wide range of
choices. Most caregivers find that most of the day is
comprised of unstructured "free play" where
they provide a wide range of materials and activities
that are appropriate for various children.
Provide some materials
that are used specifically for an age group. Not all
toys or areas need to be "one size fits all."
It is fine to have some toys that are of specific
interest for only one age group.
Consider ages of
children when you set up the childcare space. Safety
is paramount. Scissors that are used by school-aged
children may need to be stored out of the reach of
toddlers. Materials that are safe and appropriate for
younger children can be arranged in easy to reach bins or
containers. You may want to provide smaller sized
furniture and step stools for younger children too.
Select toys and
materials that are open ended and can be used in many
ways. Balls, art materials, blocks can be used by
children with various abilities, they will use the
material in increasingly complex ways.
Focus on individual or
small group activities. Asking a group of children of
differing ages to participate together may bore older
children or frustrate younger children.
Use the opportunities to
promote cooperation and team work. Encourage children
to help each other and solve problems together.
Accept the fact you may
need to be flexible when scheduling daily routines.
Meeting the needs of individual children may mean you
need to veer from routine. You may find a need to prepare
an extra snack for an afterschool child or set up a quiet
area for the youngster who still needs a nap.
