Daycare Center Observations This Observation

Daycare Center Observations This observation took place on Thursday, December 6, 2007 from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM at a suburban daycare center for preschool children. The age range of the children was 3.5 years to 4.5 years old. By 8:30 AM, several children were already engaged in individual activities within group being supervised by one adult. The main activity involved pre-computer games using age-appropriate pre-K "laptop" devices designed to teach the alphabet and numbers. The instructor referred to the activity as "computer class" welcoming the newest arrivals to participate.

After each parent (or non-parental guardian) dropped off subsequent arrivals, the caretaker spent a moment with the child before seating him or her within the group with a "laptop" selected by the child from the box labeled "computers." The caretaker explained to me that the few moments spent with each child selecting a laptop were meant to renew the caretaker-child rapport and that the laptops wee all identical, but the selection process developed as a way of allowing the child to express a choice.

Her previous experience had been that children handed a laptop often refused it, preferring to choose their own instead. In general, all the children were occupied in the group activity, but involved in their own laptop manipulations. The caretaker monitored the group, allowing those who seemed independently busy to continue their activity, but she engaged the children who seemed to need guidance or attention, as well as those who seemed to be losing interest in the activity.

She seemed particularly adept at recognizing the signs of impending boredom, interjecting before frustration or distress set in. In each case, she asked the child whether he or she wanted to try something else and asked the child about their preferences before leading the child by the hand to select from other available activities. The caretaker managed to keep all the children actively involved, either in the computer activity or in alternate selections, such as traditional building blocks in one case and a doll-oriented wardrobe game in another.

She ended the activity session by asking the group "OK, who wants to play bouncy ball again?" (referring to inflatable toys with handles meant for riding) and most of the children responded very enthusiastically. At the same time, the caretaker approached the two children who seemed more interested in continuing their computer game activity and gently asked them if they wanted to play bouncy ball again.

At that time, she indicated to me that she purposely tried to end activities (like the computer games) before any of the children bored of it themselves, which she said kept the children in better spirits and also facilitated their cooperation and interest in the computer games on subsequent days. Both children agreed to put away their computers and lined up single file to exchange a computer for a soft protective helmet. The caretaker explained to me that the purpose of the lining up.