The Importance of Social and Emotional Attachment Tammy Mann, ZERO TO THREE-Early Head Start National Resource Center Tammy Mann is Director of the Early Head Start National Resource Center (EHS HSRC) at ZERO TO THREE, where she is responsible for conceptualizing and developing strategies to provide effective training and technical assistance that supports the overall Early Head Start initiative. Prior to joining the EHS HSRC, she was Adjunct Assistant Professor at Howard University, where she taught courses in prenatal, infant, and early childhood development; and growth and development in childhood through adolescence. Mann was also James Marshall Public Policy Fellow at the American Psychological Association, where she developed and moderated a series of briefings for members of Congress and their staffs on topics related to child and family public policy, presented papers at scientific meetings, participated in coalition meetings related to child and family issues and affirmative action, and prepared quarterly newsletters for publication. Mann has been a public speaker on topics that include public policy, infant mental health, culturally relevant services, and early childhood development. She has authored publications and presented workshops in such areas as African-American fathers and infants, infant mental health, cultural diversity, cocaine and pregnancy, home-based early intervention, screening and assessment, and supervision and mentoring. "What we do as caregivers and teachers to impact [social and emotional] development should naturally be integrated into everyday experiences that young children have in our settings." — Tammy Mann Presentation Highlights This presentation focuses on the importance of reflective practice. Effectively meeting the social and emotional needs of young children through reflective practice is supported by specific strategies that can be employed by teachers and caregivers. Four Key Areas 1. Core Beliefs that must be embraced before understanding reflective practice: Relationships—Development in the early years unfolds in the context of the relationships that young children have with parents, teachers, and other trusted adults involved in their care and education. Behavior—The following framework is useful for helping staff think about the concept that all behavior is meaningful. Developmental Stage: Mastery of early skills provides the foundation for subsequent complex functions and comes with practice. Individual Differences: All children are born with unique characteristics and traits that impact the manner in which they adapt to and adjust to their environment. Early Head Start/Head Start Environment: The physical environment, structure of activities, and the quality of relationships in the environment clearly impact the behavior of children. Home Environments: Children are impacted by the experiences that take place in their homes. Young children are vulnerable to the impact of distress, especially when distress greatly alters the emotional availability of parents to children. Skills and Knowledge: A child may lack the skills and knowledge needed to function effectively in their environment. Satisfying Emotional Needs: Children have basic emotional needs such as security, trust, protection, and a failure to have these needs met can effect a child’s behavior.   2. Understanding reflective practice Reflective practice is the art of stepping back to consider what one is observing and doing. To think about. . . To examine. . . To question. . .   3. Benefits of a reflective environment Allows for individualized care Supports a respect for culture as an aspect of how services are rendered Supports staff in their ability to understand the meaning of behavior Emphasizes ongoing learning is the rule rather than the exception Impacts the overall quality of the child’s experience in Early Head Start/Head Start   4. Strategies to support creating a reflective environment Program leaders must model appropriate practices and principles. Recruitment and hiring practices—Understand the needs of families being served and reflect those needs by hiring appropriate staff members. Explicitly discuss the philosophical underpinnings of the program and its approach to providing services. Assess capacity for working in relationships by questions and through observation. Provide supervision and training supports that create opportunities for staff to experience reflection in action through: Staff meetings; Supervisory experiences; Follow-up training activities; Classroom observations by peers; and Peer/Supervisor shadowing during home visits. Video of Presentation Presentation Highlights No Handout for This Presentation List of Social and Emotional Development presenters/presentations Information on how to view videos and view/download handouts

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