EXPLORING TEACHER-FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS: AVENUES FOR INCREASING THE QUALITY OF CARE IN INFANT-TODDLER CLASSROOMS

Infant and toddler learning and development depends upon relationship-based interactions with responsive caregivers. The study has three goals. The first goal is to examine the relationship-based family engagement practices currently enacted in infant-toddler ECE in North Carolina. To achieve this goal, a measure of relationship quality will be administered to a sample of infant-toddler teachers, program administrators, and families in programs that were recently assessed for the state’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). The second goal is to elucidate the relation between relationship-based family engagement practices and the quality of infant-toddler classrooms participating in the QRIS. To achieve this goal, the scores on the relationship measure will be compared to scores on the QRIS classroom quality measure. The final goal is to identify opportunities and barriers to incorporating more robust standards for teacher- and program-family partnerships in the system. To achieve this goal, qualitative interviews will be conducted with a sample of infant-toddler teachers and program administrators who participated in the relationship quality survey process.