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Description
This report discusses a combined professional development/exploratory research project focused on how to support relationships between early childhood educators and children. The project piloted the Teacher Reflection Tool (TRT), a very brief reflection tool, paired with a community of practice approach with 19 early childhood educators across 10 classrooms. Among the lessons learned were that the participants:
- Viewed positive relationships with children as family-like and individualized
- Observed that their relationships with parents influenced relationships with children
- Found that the TRT helped them to notice and reflect on their interactions with children in new ways
Among the recommendations that emerged were:
- Designing and evaluating staff-led professional learning, including differentiated learning for directors, PD specialists, etc.
- City and state leaders should consider ways to support reflection and peer-to-peer learning as a part of PD (e.g., providing PD hours for reflection-based learning) and program operations (e.g., incentivizing adequate time for planning discussions)
Publication Date
7-2025
Publisher
Bank Street College of Education
City
New York
Disciplines
Early Childhood Education | Other Teacher Education and Professional Development
Recommended Citation
Smith, S., Granja, M., Medellin, C., & Nagasawa, M. (2025). Methods for Meaningful Connection: Supporting Teacher-Child Relationships in Early Care and Education. Bank Street College of Education. https://educate.bankstreet.edu/sc/16
Included in
Early Childhood Education Commons, Other Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons