Effects of the Caregiver Interaction Profile Training on Caregiver-Child Interactions in Dutch Child Care Centers: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies underscore the need to improve caregiver-child interactions in early child care centers. OBJECTIVE: In this study we used a randomized controlled trial to examine whether a 5-week video feedback training can improve six key interactive skills of caregivers in early child care centers: Sensitive responsiveness, respect for autonomy, structuring and limit setting, verbal communication, developmental stimulation, and fostering positive peer interactions. METHOD: A total of 139 caregivers from 68 early child care groups for 0- to 4-year-old children in Dutch child care centers participated in this RCT, 69 in the intervention condition and 70 in the control condition. Caregiver interactive skills during everyday interactions with the children were rated from videotape using the Caregiver Interaction Profile (CIP) scales at pretest, posttest, and follow-up 3 months after the posttest. RESULTS: Results at posttest indicate a significant positive training effect on all six caregiver interactive skills. Effect sizes of the CIP training range between d = 0.35 and d = 0.79. Three months after the posttest, caregivers in the intervention group still scored significantly higher on sensitive responsiveness, respect for autonomy, verbal communication, and fostering positive peer interactions than caregivers in the control group with effect sizes ranging between d = 0.47 and d = 0.70. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the quality of caregiver-child interactions can be improved for all six important caregiver skills, with a relatively short training program. Possible ways to further improve the training and to implement it in practice and education are discussed.

Infants in group care: their interactions with professional caregivers and parents across the second year of life.

Seventy children were observed during structured play with their primary professional caregivers and three peers in the child care center and with their primary caregiving parents at home at 15 and 23 months of age. The same structured play tasks were used in the two settings and the quality of the children's interactions with caregivers and parents was rated using the same 7-point scales. As expected, the quality of caregiver-child interactions significantly increased between 15 and 23 months. At 15 months, the quality of caregiver-child interactions was significantly lower than the quality of parent-child interactions, particularly with regard to caregiver supportive presence and respect for the child's autonomy. At 23 months, however, the quality of caregiver-child interactions was no longer lower and in some respects even higher than the quality of parent-child interactions. At both ages, the children expressed more negativity towards their parents than towards their professional caregivers.