AN EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER MOVES FROM DIP TO DAP: SELF STUDY AS A USEFUL RESEARCH METHOD FOR TEACHER RESEARCHER AND UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR COLLABORATION

An evaluation of the impact of training on caregiver responsiveness was conducted to examine changes in caregiver behavior. Six infant and toddler child care caregivers were observed prior to and following a 6-hour statewide training, based on the Right from Birth series (Ramey &; Ramey, 1999 Ramey, C. T. and Ramey, S. L. 1999. Right from birth: Building your child’s foundation for life, New York, NY: Goddard.  Google Scholar]). This training focused on caregiver responsiveness to infants and toddlers that was measured using a multiple baseline design. Observers examined both positive and negative caregiver behaviors that were categorized as either active or passive. Following the training, an increase in positive caregiver behaviors and a decrease in negative caregiver behaviors were observed. These results support the importance of training programs and the requirements of regulations for training of child care providers.