My Baby

Little Tots is my baby. I currently work for a Family Child Care Provider but will, within the next year, open my own Family Child Care Home called Little Tots Learning Center. I do not know whether I will remain in the Augusta area or migrate to the Houston area where I have family.

I chose family child care because I believe children should be cared for in as close to a home-like setting as possible. I also believe they need to be among their siblings if applicable.

My reason for obtaining my Masters is that I plan to do research in the Early Childhood field. There is much that still needs to be learned about best practices and I aim to get to the bottom of it. One finding I have read up on so far is that mixed-age groupings in child care are beneficial to children and show advantages over same-age groupings. McClellan and Kinsey found that where prosocial, friendship, and aggressive behaviors are concerned mixed-age groupings of children faired better in child care settings. Children in these settings were found to be more prosocial, have better and more friendship relationships and be less aggressive. Research by Bloom found that the "quality of...social competence" was an indicator for academic success in later grades which supports the idea that mixed-age groupings fair better than same-age groupings. More research is needed to substantiate these claims and move professionals in the direction of providing care in the best possible setting for children.

This is why Little Tots is my baby. I hope to advocate for care systems like it-what it will be-and advocate for better care for children from birth to age 5.