Early Head Start 

Program Strategies:

Early Head Start 

Program Strategies:

Socializations for Infants and 

Toddlers in the Early Head Start 

Home-Based Program Option

Prepared by Early Head Start National Resource Center @ ZERO TO THREE

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families

Administration on Children, Youth and Families

Head Start Bureau

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EARLY HEAD START NATIONAL RESOURCE CENTER
Early Head Start Program Strategies:

Socializations for Infants and Toddlers

in the Early Head Start Home-Based

Program Option

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Prepared by the Early Head Start National Resource Center @ ZERO TO THREE

Washington, D.C.
Early Head Start Program Strategies:

Socializations for Infants and Toddlers in the 

Early Head Start Home-Based Program Option

This document was developed by the Early Head Start National Resource Center (EHS NRC) @ ZERO TO THREE in

collaboration with the Head Start Bureau. The contents of this paper are not intended to be an interpretation of policy.

The information is offered to assist programs in the effort to develop and implement high-quality services for pregnant

women and families with infants and toddlers.

Cover photos: Monongalia county EHS; Morgantown, WV; Laconia EHS, Laconia, NH; and Cesa 11 EHS, Turtle Lake, WI

Early Head Start National Resource Center @

ZERO TO THREE

2000 M Street, NW, Suite 200

Washington, DC 20036-3307

Phone: 202-638-1144

Fax: 202-638-0851

Web site: www.ehsnrc.org

Funded by contract #105-98-2055

U. S. Department of Health and Human Services

Administration for Children and Families

Administration on Children, Youth, and Families

Head Start Bureau

© 2001

ISBN 0-943657-10-5

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing, January 2001
Socializations for Infants and Toddlers in the Early Head Start Home-Based Program Option

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Acknowledgments.........................................v

Introduction ....................................................vii

Principles Guiding the 

Socialization Experience...........................1

References ........................................................20

Selected Resources....................................20

Appendix A:

Early Head Start 

National Resource 

Center Questionnaire...............................21

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

iii
v

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Socializations for Infants and Toddlers in the Early Head Start Home-Based Program Option

The Early Head Start National Resource Center

gratefully acknowledges the staff at the Early Head Start

grantees who responded to our questionnaire on

socializations for infants and toddlers. While we were

not able to include all of the programs that responded

to the questionnaire in this publication, we recognize

and appreciate their effort and interest in participating

in this project.

The following Early Head Start grantees shared their

approach to socializations in this publication:

Astor Early Head Start

Jennifer Krokey, Infant Toddler Specialist

50 Delafield Street, 2nd Floor East

Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

845-452-7726

Bear River Early Head Start

Valerie Darley, Child Development Coordinator

95 West 100 South, Suite 100

Logan, UT 84321

435-755-9180

CESA #11 Early Head Start

Suzanne Schultz, Early Head Start Coordinator

225 Ostermann Drive

Turtle Lake, WI 54889

715-986-2041

Community Action Program Belknap-Merrimack

Counties, Laconia Early Head Start

Allison Sullivan, Home Visitor

O’Shea Industrial Park

56 Primrose Drive

Laconia, NH 03246

603-528-5334

Community Improvement Council 

Early Head Start

Tovah Schild, Social Services Coordinator

1 Washington Avenuew

Spring Valley, NY 10977

914-354-4118

Gum Springs Children’s Center

Janice Im, EHS Education Coordinator

8100 Fordson Road

Alexandria,VA 22306

703-799-5760

Mid-Cumberland Community Action Agency 

Early Head Start

Barbara Betts, Early Childhood Education Specialist

219 South Maney

Murfreesboro, TN 37130

615-259-3630

Monongalia County Early Head Start

Suzanne Smart, Community Liaison

1433 Dorsey Avenue

Morgantown, WV 26505

304-291-9330

Rosemount Center Early Head Start

Karen McKinney, Early Head Start Director

2000 Rosemount Ave., NW

Washington, DC 20010

202-265-9885

Shasta Early Head Start

Shawn Henson, Home-Based and 

Social Service Specialist

1620 Market Street

Redding, CA 96001

530-241-1036

continued

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
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Early Head Start Program Strategies:

Southern Oregon Child and Family Council,Inc.

Early Head Start

Talley Dunn, EHS Program Coordinator

1001 Beall Lane

P.O. Box 3819

Central Point, OR 97502

541-774-1346

Southwest CAP Early Head Start

Judy VandenBrook, Education Coordinator

138 South Iowa Street

Dodgeville, WI 53533

608-935-5422

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (continued)

Many thanks to the following individuals who served on the Work Group that contributed to the questionnaire

review and selection process.

Brooke Foulds, Infant/Toddler Specialist

Region 5a Head Start Quality Improvement Center

1123 Hillgate Way

Lansing, MI 48912

517-353-5194

Suki Graves, Infant/Toddler Specialist

Region 9 Disabilities Services Quality 

Improvement Center

California Institute on Human Services

Sonoma State University

1801 East Cotati Avenue

Rohnert Park, CA 94928

800-987-8711

Lisa Leifield, Senior Early Childhood Associate

Administration for Children and Families, Region 3

150 South Independence Mall West, Suite 864

Philadelphia, PA 19106

215-861-4019

Rhodanne M. Schiller, Infant/Toddler Specialist

Region 7 Head Start Quality Improvement Center

416 South Leonard

Liberty, MO 64068

816-781-0784
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Socializations for Infants and Toddlers in the Early Head Start Home-Based Program Option

E

ach year the Early Head Start National Resource

Center (EHS NRC) invites Early Head Start

(EHS) grantees to share their experiences in

meeting the challenges of planning and implementing high-quality services to expectant parents and families with infants and toddlers. This report highlights

the experiences of 12 EHS programs as they plan and

implement group socialization experiences for infants

and toddlers. Each of the programs featured in this

publication responded to a questionnaire (see

Appendix A) that was mailed to every EHS grantee.

The programs were selected based on the depth and

breadth of their response, and to illustrate the diversity of EHS programs as they strive to meet the unique

needs of families in many different communities.

This document opens with a definition of group

socialization experiences from the Head Start Program

Performance Standards, and a discussion of socialization

experiences for infants and toddlers in contrast to

preschool socialization experiences. In the next section,

we identify five principles of high-quality socialization

experiences for infants and toddlers. Each principle is

followed by excerpts from several EHS programs

illustrating how they have implemented the principles

in their socialization experiences. The publication

concludes with some questions to consider as EHS

grantees plan and implement socialization experiences;

a list of selected resources; and a copy of the EHS NRC

questionnaire on socializations for infants and toddlers.

This publication is the second volume in the 

Early Head Start Program Strategies series of reports

illustrating the diverse and unique approaches of EHS

programs around the country. The EHS NRC provides

this unique opportunity for EHS programs to learn from

each other on an annual basis. Each publication in this

series focuses on a different aspect of high-quality

programming for expectant parents and families with

infants and toddlers. For more information and to

download additional copies of this and other EHS NRC

publications, please visit the EHS NRC Web site at

www.ehsnrc.org.

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INTRODUCTION
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Socializations for Infants and Toddlers in the Early Head Start Home-Based Program Option

What Are Socializations?

Group socialization activities means the sessions in

which children and parents enrolled in the home-based

or combination program option interact with other

home-based or combination children and parents in a

Head Start classroom,community facility, home, or on a

field trip. 45 CFR 1306.3(f)

T

he phrase “group socialization activities” was

originally used to define the group experience of

preschool children enrolled in the Home-Based

Program Option of the Head Start Program. The goal

of socializations for preschool children is to emphasize peer group interaction through age-appropriate

activities. Thus,the “socialization” focus is on the relationships that children are building with each other.

In sharp contrast, infants and toddlers are only

beginning to build the first and most important

relationship in their new lives:the relationship with their

parents. Therefore, “socializations” for infants and

toddlers are concerned with the relationship between

very young children and their primary caregivers, as

opposed to the relationships between infants and

toddlers and their peers. Socializations for infants and

toddlers have a very distinct purpose: to support child

development by strengthening the relationship between

parent and child. This relationship will provide the

foundation from which children will then be able to

develop close,trusting, and respectful relationships with

peers and other adults later in life.

Five Principles 

T

he following five principles are reflected in the

Head Start Program Performance Standards and

Guidance1

, and are based on best practices in the

field of infant and family programming. Following

each principle, a number of Early Head Start programs

illustrate how they have incorporated these ideas 

into their approach to socializations with infants and

toddlers.

I. There is something that is particularly

unique about the group experience 

that makes it a valuable strategy for

delivering EHS services.

The benefits of focusing on the parent-child

relationship in the context of the group experience occur

on many levels:

• Children: The group setting provides children with

new learning opportunities and experiences that

they wouldn’t otherwise have. For young infants,new

sights, sounds, textures, and sensory experiences

provide numerous learning opportunities. Older

infants and toddlers gain access to novel equipment,

crafts, foods, or experiences that build upon their

emerging developmental capacities. Infants are

interested in each other and as early as 4 months of

age observe and learn from their peers. For example,

a child may observe another child pulling on a

mobile and then try pulling on one herself. Infants

also exchange smiles and vocalizations. The “play

group” aspect of socializations emerge during simple

activities such as sharing a busy box or clapping hands

in unison. Older infants and toddlers take pleasure

in each other as they sing songs, build structures with

blocks together, and begin to engage in pretend play.

• Families: Parents may benefit in numerous ways. For

some families, simply getting out of the house and

decreasing their isolation is of tremendous value.

Many parents appreciate the opportunity to develop

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1 The Guidance materials, published alongside the mandatory regulations found in the Head Start Program Performance Standards, provide examples of how agencies might

opertationalize the Standards. The Guidance also provides a rationale for the related Standard, and is designed to stimulate ideas about how the Standard could be implemented.

The Performance Standards and the Guidance are available through the Head Start Publications Management Center on the Internet at www.hskids-tmsc.org or by calling

202-737-1030.

Principles Guiding the 

Socialization Experience
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Early Head Start Program Strategies:

friendships with other parents and broaden their

system of social support. Families also have the

opportunity to learn new ideas about parenting from

other parents, EHS staff, and community partners.

Parents learn from each other as they see other

adults take pleasure in their own and other infants and

toddlers. This quality of “admiring” is a significant

element of successful group experiences.

• Staff: By bringing families together,EHS staff gain new

perspectives on the families outside of the home

environment. As a result,staff are better prepared to

understand and address family strengths and needs.

Home visitors are able to gain the support of their

colleagues, share insights into family strengths and

challenges, and find opportunities to build on the work

they do in the home setting.

• Program: The EHS program benefits as a whole

through team building opportunities that occur

when staff come together to support each others’work

with families. The socializations also provide

opportunities to increase collaboration with other

community organizations and programs, and

increase the visibility of the EHS program in the

community.

The following EHS programs share how they have

developed group experiences to enhance the services they

offer to families in the home-based program option.

These ideas range from something as simple as the title

of the experience, to the complex notion of an

“emotional tone” that a program strives to create.

Astor Early Head Start:

We use the title of “playgroups” for our 

socialization experiences to emphasize our

philosophy that the experience is childfocused, supports each child’s development,

and enhances the parent-child relationship.

Socializations last for 90 minutes and a maximum of six parents and children attend.

Socializations are staffed by two home visitors.

Bear River Early Head Start:

The focus of our socializations is on the parent/child relationship. We call our socialization experiences Baby Buddy Groups. For

each group we have two Baby Buddy Group

leaders and a Male Involvement Specialist. We

are able to offer Baby Buddy Groups with

facilitators who speak fluent Spanish for our

Hispanic families. Spanish-speaking families

have the choice of attending groups that are

offered exclusively in Spanish.

Community Action Program 

Belknap-Marrimack Counties, Laconia 

Early Head Start:

We have been strongly influenced by the key

principles of the schools of Reggio Emilia2

,

and high-quality infant/toddler programs in

Milan, Pistoia, and San Miniato, Italy.

Specifically, these principles include documentation, collaboration, utilizing the environment (home and center), and understanding

the role of social relationships in learning and

development. During socializations, parents

are encouraged to be involved in journaling,

videotaping, and photographing their child as

they are interacting and learning. This allows

parents to actively participate in documenting

2

2 The Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education refers to the early care and education practices in Reggio Emilia,Italy. Visit the Web site of the ERIC (Educational

Resources Information Center) Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education at http://ericeece.org for a variety of articles,multimedia resources, and reports

on the unique aspects of this approach to educating young children. ERIC can also be reached by phone at 1-800-583-4135 or by email at ericeece@uiuc.edu.

Laconia EHS, Laconia, NH
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Socializations for Infants and Toddlers in the Early Head Start Home-Based Program Option

their child’s growth and development. The

photographs are used to create portfolios or

scrapbooks illustrating the learning and

growth that has taken place for both the child

and the parent(s). These documentation

procedures have proven to enhance the 

parent-child-staff relationship and increase

the understanding of child development and

developmentally appropriate practices.

Mid-Cumberland Community Action

Agency Early Head Start:

Infant and toddler socializations build on the

goals and objectives of responsive home visitation. Socializations offer greater opportunities

for parents and children to build relationships

in group settings. Socialization experiences

focus on both parents and children. The staff

person becomes the coach and facilitator,

nurturing and empowering parents, which will

ultimately bring out the best in their children.

The staff uses “teachable moments” to support

family and child development. Creating socialization experiences that are developmentally

appropriate for newborn to 3-year-olds requires

staff who are able to create a setting that is

responsive to each child and who will allow

infants and toddlers to develop through natural

play experiences. One of our main goals is to

help parents see how special they are to their

children.

Rosemount Center Early Head Start:

The philosophy that guides our approach to

socializations is that the parents are a child’s

first teacher and that the family is integral to

the child’s success and growth. Therefore, our

group socializations offer a forum where 

families can learn from interacting, training,

modeling, and support from others. We create group socializations that are comfortable

and supportive for the entire family. To reflect

our supportive approach, we refer to our

socializations as “family day.”

Southern Oregon Child and Family

Council Early Head Start:

A sense of belonging is an important need we

have identified and addressed in our environment. Having a feeling of belonging in a place

and/or with a group of people takes time.

Facilitating this requires careful attention to

details in our space, actions, and attitudes.

What creates a feeling of belonging? Being

welcomed warmly. Being accepted and understood. Being visually represented in some way.

To encourage a feeling of belonging and a

sense of community we have integrated the

following practices:

• We personally greet each parent and child

as they arrive for group.

• We practice using and repeating names

both verbally and in writing as much as

possible in various places in the building.

Using names represents to parents and

children that they are known and that they

are part of a group. We use name tags

when new staff or visitors or families are in

the center to assure that parents and children are addressed by their names by

everyone. Recently, we created felt stars

with each child’s name, and hung them in

our entry. As soon as parents arrived, they

looked for the star with their child’s name

on it, and pointed it out to their child.

One excited parent said, “look, everyone’s

here!” Each of our five groups has a 

version of a name song, where everyone 

is greeted by name. We make a point to 

mention the names of anyone who is 

not present as well.

• We plan our schedule to allow unhurried

time for personal connections between

parents, children and staff to occur.

• We set up the physical space to allow for

closeness and conversation.

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4 Early Head Start Program Strategies:

• We display photos of the families who

belong here. We started this as an alternative to the standard purchased posters of

kids. One parent was so thrilled when she

came in to discover an 11” x 13” color copy

of a photo on the wall of herself and her

child at play. “Look at us,” she said. During

that group, she kept going back to look at it.

Her response encouraged us and we began

displaying more and more photos of parents

and kids. Now parents come with their own

cameras and also with photos from home

that they ask us to display.

• We have created a visual space to celebrate

new babies.

• We welcome parent’s donations of items to

the center.

• Parents of children who are experiencing

difficulties or who have special needs are

supported and welcomed. Their place in

the group is not jeopardized.

Southwest Community Action Program 

Early Head Start:

We call our socializations “play groups.” Our

four broad goals for the play groups are to:

foster a strong attachment between parent 

and child; further the parents’ understanding 

of their child’s development; help parents 

better read their children’s cues; and allow 

children an opportunity to practice emerging

skills in a stimulating and safe play environment. The four basic premises guiding our

socializations are:

1) intervention is guided by the family;

2) parent-child interactions are the heart of

early intervention; 3) family rituals, play, and

daily routines are the medium into which

intervention is embedded; and 4) recorded,

ongoing observations and conversations are 

the bases for intervention decisions.

II. Socialization experiences address the

needs of both children and parents and

build on the experiences and goals that

are addressed during the home visit.

Early Head Start is a child development program that

supports parents so that they in turn can provide the

best possible support for their child. Thus, socialization experiences, like home visits, focus on parents as

they engage their children in their first and most important relationships, and through the parents,on the needs

of the children. The Family Partnership Agreement provides a foundation on which to strengthen and support

families. The Performance Standards require that the

Family Partnership Agreement identify the specific roles

of parents in home visits and socializations [45 CFR

1304.40(a)(2)]. This ensures that each family’s goals 

are clearly articulated and provides a mechanism for

assessing progress toward goals. It is important to individualize the socialization experiences so that they are

meaningful for families and help them reach their goals.

The following EHS programs describe the roles of

parents in planning and implementing socializations;

special incentives for families and efforts to involve

fathers; and how socialization experiences and home

visits build upon each other to meet family goals.

Astor Early Head Start:

Socializations are for parents in their role as a

parent. Parents learn from observing their

own children interact with the environment

and with other children. They build positive

supportive social relationships with other parents. Parents assist the home visitors in organizing activities, assembling materials, and

preparing snacks. Parents participate with

their child in reading books, doing fingerplays, singing songs, rolling balls, etc. Parents

appreciate this experience as a time for their

children to experience a safe, predictable,
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Socializations for Infants and Toddlers in the Early Head Start Home-Based Program Option

enriching environment. The group develops

trusting relationships and reinforces what the

home visitor is working on in the home. Our

goal for parents is to support them in understanding and appreciating their child and their

child’s behavior, and to increase parents’ confidence and self-esteem as parents who support

their child in all areas of development.

During socializations, the role of the parent is

to focus on the child and develop trusting

relationships with other participants in the

group. Consequently, other adult needs are

met through other center activities such as

parent meetings, family dinners, craft nights,

or field trips. This allows the socialization

time to be fully devoted to the parent-child

relationship.

Bear River Early Head Start:

The goals for socializations are completely

intertwined with the overall goals of the homebased program. Our main goals at Bear River

EHS are to encourage positive parent/child

interaction and to help our families to develop

a strong support network for when they transition out of our program. Through open communication we work closely with parents and

home visitors to meet family needs. We are

able to organize group activities around topics

that coincide with what the home visitors are

doing on home visits.

CESA #11 Early Head Start:

Our program strives to provide an environment that is set up to meet the needs of both

young children and their parents. Each parent

and child is accepted and respected. The main

focus is always the parent-child relationship.

We have the expectation that each parent will

find support in working out a balance between

his or her own needs and the child’s needs. To

do this we share experiences, ideas, and observation times. Parents sort out what works 

for them and what doesn’t work. Parents also

feel free to share problems because they know

it’s okay to have problems in the big job of

parenting. Our approach is to care for

children with respect, allowing them to grow

as individuals, providing many opportunities

for problem-solving and discovery within a

safe environment.

Community Action Program 

Belknap-Merrimack Counties, Laconia 

Early Head Start:

We recently hired a Male Involvement

Consultant to look at ways of increasing the

involvement of the fathers and male caregivers

in the lives of the children we’re working with.

Through the use of questionnaires, information is actively solicited from fathers regarding

activities of interest and convenient times for

participation.

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Cesa #11 EHS, Turtle Lake, WI
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Early Head Start Program Strategies:

Socialization activities focus on the optimal

development of the child, the parent-child

relationship, and the parent. Development of

respectful, reciprocal relationships with the

families is crucial. We provide families with

the opportunity for both the adults and children to develop relationships within the context of a social environment. It is important

for parents to see their children in a social

environment in addition to their home environment. Children benefit greatly from being

able to interact with other infants and toddlers

in a comfortable, stable, learning environment.

Parents are able to share common experiences

and challenges and can exchange ideas and

learn from each other. They are able to build

networks outside of the Center and form

friendships, which can be the source of a great

deal of support. What is included in the

socializations is very much parent driven.

At Early Head Start, we seek to help parents

enjoy their children and strengthen their parenting skills through education and support. We

recognize that communication and problemsolving skills and an understanding of child

development are keys to good parenting. These

skills, therefore, are the focus of the education

that we provide to parents in our program.

During the socializations, we provide opportunities for the parents to learn through presentations done by the staff as well as inviting outside

agencies or educators to present information the

parents help to identify as being important in

increasing their knowledge about their parenting and about their child.

Community Improvement Council 

Early Head Start:

Parents are active participants in socializations. They are involved in the planning and

preparation, such as generating ideas for

activities, setting up the environment, or

ordering supplies. Goals for parents include:

facilitating developmentally appropriate play;

one-on-one attention to their child; socializing

with other parents; and a safe place to discuss

their concerns, fears, and challenges as a parent. An integral part of the socialization is to

encourage parents to network. This setting

has allowed relationships to form that otherwise would never have existed.

Gum Springs Children’s Center:

Our overall goals for our home-based services

are to build on family strengths and to recognize and encourage parents to be the first and

most important educator of their children.

Our goals for socialization are integrated into

the overall goals of our home-based services

by focusing on the nature of the parent-child

interaction as the key to the healthy development of their child(ren). Most importantly, we

meet our goals for children by helping,

encouraging, modeling and supporting

parents in responding to their child(ren) in

ways that will build positive and trusting

relationships.

Mid-Cumberland Community Action

Agency Early Head Start:

Planning socialization experiences with the

parents is the key to the effectiveness of these

experiences. Planning is an ongoing process

in which parents, staff, and community members participate. During weekly home visits,

parents and the family support visitor explore:

What new experiences do we want for our

babies? How are we going to implement those

experiences? What supplies, materials,

resources do we need? What needs do the parents have? Is there some specific information

that would be helpful? Does the parent need

help with transportation to the socialization?

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Socializations for Infants and Toddlers in the Early Head Start Home-Based Program Option

What nutritional meal or snack will be served?

What did the parent learn about their child

from the last socialization? How is their

infant/toddler relating to the other children in

the group experience?

Monongalia County Early Head Start:

Parents are expected to be active participants

in the socialization experience. The goals for

parents involved in the infant-toddler socialization include: 1) to share with parents

developmentally appropriate activities for

their child; 2) to reinforce positive parent and

child interaction; 3) to provide parents the

opportunity to socialize with other parents

and share ideas; and 4) to provide parents

information on safety and nutrition. During

infant-toddler socializations parents serve as

the teachers of their children and staff serve as

coaches to the parents. These goals are posted

in the family resource room. The staff

addresses these goals by offering a variety of

socialization opportunities and having

program staff actively interacting and communicating with parents during a socialization.

Rosemount Center Early Head Start:

Rosemount Center is located in Washington,

D.C., in the historic district of Mount Pleasant

which is known for its diverse population. A

unique feature of our program is the bilingual

(English/Spanish) approach to providing services which is also reflected in both program

options. Being culturally responsive is a also a

goal in planning. Since our staff is 50% 

bilingual in English/Spanish, “family days” are

planned to meet the primary language of each

family. For example, some “family days” may

be designated for Spanish-speaking families

with bilingual staff while others are planned

with English-speaking staff. There are also

opportunities for bilingual groups so families

can practice new English language skills.

Goals are met by designing the environment

to be developmentally appropriate and by

planning the activities to support the child

and family in the goals established in the

Child Development Plan and Family

Partnership Agreement. Goals for socializations are integrated into the overall 

home-based service goals by including the

“family day” as an activity in our service plans.

For example, one service area plan objective is

to support the achievement of individual

goals. A Family Partnership Agreement goal

may be to help the parent learn more about

nutrition and feeding skills. A “family day”

may then include a nutritionist who will talk

about the importance of nutrition, finger

feeding, utensils, and serving sizes; include a

hands on recipe; serve a nutritious meal for

parents to practice feeding; provide measuring

cups; and provide hand outs for the family to

use at home. The parents can continue to

build on their individual goals by using the

measuring cups at home and practicing feeding techniques plus discuss these issues each

week during a home visit.

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Monongalia County EHS, Morgantown, WV

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Early Head Start Program Strategies:

Southern Oregon Child and Family Council 

Early Head Start:

In using the Family Partnership Agreements

for planning socializations we begin by assessing the strengths and interests of the parents.

A primary goal is to strengthen and build

family relationships. We use their input to

build upon. We try to encourage parents with

strong interactive skills to partner with less

socially experienced parents for esteem building. Several of our family’s goals are to meet

new people. We ask parents if they would like

to exchange phone numbers. Those who sign

a list stating that they would like other

parents’ numbers and to share their own, are

given a list with all the numbers. They can

then build peer relationships. Children are

grouped according to ages at our center so all

parents have that commonality.

III. Socializations provide an opportunity

to address all of the services required

by the Head Start Program

Performance Standards:

• medical, dental, mental health, and

nutrition;

• child development and education;

• family involvement;

• community partners; and

• effective management systems,such as

planning,record-keeping, and selfassessment.

Socialization experiences are a service delivery

mechanism in the same way that home visits are a

method for delivering EHS services. Thus,socialization

groups provide a venue through which EHS staff

can address, based on family needs, any of the service

areas identified in the Performance Standards through

experiences such as discussion, targeted activities, or

community involvement. The content of the

socialization experiences should be determined by

family goals, and incorporate the EHS services areas in

a meaningful way.

Management systems ensure that the socialization

experiences are meeting the Performance Standards

and achieving the goals of the program. Socialization

experiences are strengthened by the quality of

the planning, as well as the ongoing evaluation of

the experiences. Record-keeping provides essential

information to track progress and effectiveness.

The following EHS programs describe some unique

community collaborations; challenges and approaches

to planning; and self-assessment techniques.

Bear River Early Head Start:

We have a number of ways in which we evaluate

our socializations in order to continually meet

family needs. We are continually being evaluated by our research department. We routinely

provide questionnaires for families to fill out

anonymously and place in a designated spot

called the “birdhouse.” We have a yearly continuous improvement program report that assesses

the goals of our program and how well we have

met them. We have regular debriefing and

8

Southern Oregon EHS, Central Point, OR

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Socializations for Infants and Toddlers in the Early Head Start Home-Based Program Option

feedback sessions among parents and staff to

evaluate the Baby Buddy Groups and what we

can do to improve them. The coordinators and

group leaders must fill out check lists and lesson

plans before and after each Baby Buddy Group

to ensure that all identified areas are being

addressed. We also regularly videotape groups

in order to continually evaluate what positive

areas there are and what we can do to better

serve our families.

Gum Springs Children’s Center:

Community partners participate in socializations by providing training on topics of interest to our families. Socializations are also a

time when community partners can provide

services to our families. For example, therapists have provided early intervention services

to children with special needs during sociaizations, and mental health consultants have

observed children to determine the need for

referral for further assessment or services.

Mid-Cumberland Community Action

Agency Early Head Start:

Mid-Cumberland Early Head Start is part of

the Mid-Cumberland Head Start program

under the umbrella of Mid-Cumberland

Community Action Agency. In the more rural

counties, we offer a home-based program

where four family support workers each serve

five children. In one county we have a unique

linkage with a local early intervention

program (WAVES) where we collaborate for

group socializations. Socializations are held

weekly and last approximately 2-3 hours

depending on the site and age of the children.

The EHS family support visitor, other EHS

staff, and EHS families participate. At the site

where EHS and WAVES jointly offer the

socialization, the WAVES teacher and Jump

Start teacher also participate. The WAVES

program serves as a resource for children with

special needs. We invite community partners,

such as the Health Department, to participate

and share resources with parents.

Monongalia County Early Head Start:

Each week there is an infant socialization

experience for children under 18 months and a

toddler socialization for children between 18

months and 3 years that allows for staff to plan

and to offer age-appropriate activities. Each of

these sessions has established learning objectives with activities designed to increase

parents’ knowledge and understanding of the

developmental experiences that enhance the

child’s potential for learning. The family

resource worker coordinates activities at each

site. She is responsible for the planning and

implementation of socializations and works

with the family service workers, the community

liaison, the family literacy coordinator, and

early childhood students to develop monthly

plans for these groups. Each socialization follows a scheduled routine and offers a series of

activities to meet specific session learning

objectives related to enhancing a child’s social,

emotional, cognitive, and physical skills.

Because each infant-toddler socialization

offers activities planned to meet specific developmental tasks, it is easily adapted to meet the

needs of children with special needs. This

experience also offers a “natural environment”

for children with special needs. At the site

located in Jakes Run, Early Head Start staff

and the local Birth to Three early intervention

program staff cofacilitate this experience to

ensure that children and their parents receive

special support and attention. This shared

programming eases accessibility problems for

families with children who have special needs

and live in rural areas.

9

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Early Head Start Program Strategies:

Shasta Early Head Start:

The challenges associated with providing

developmentally appropriate socializations

have been minimized following changes that

occurred as a result of West Ed training3

.

Environmental changes, such as dividing the

rooms into separate activity areas, having

rooms divided visually with bookshelves, risers, and couches to give visual separation of

areas, have made a huge difference. The most

significant positive shift in our socialization

philosophy was when our program director

facilitated a meeting with home-based staff.

Socialization goals and needs of children were

brainstormed and identified by the group, and

we began to change the socialization structure

accordingly. Prior to that, we had tried to fit

the mold of “traditional Head Start” parent

meetings with separate child care. The parents

and the children were glad with the change,

and we found that we were glad, too. If parents want information about a topic such as

childhood illness, a nurse consultant or other

speaker will come into the socialization and

give information on the topic and answer

questions while children are present. In the

past, socializations lasted 3 hours, but we

found that it is just too long for babies and

toddlers. They would burn out after about 1.5

hours. This encouraged us to provide opportunities for more frequent 2 hour socializations, which includes clean up.

Southern Oregon Child and Family Council 

Early Head Start:

In Southern Oregon Early Head Start we utilize

many community partners in group socializations. We educate parents during group on a

varying degree of topics from health and safety,

nutrition, to child development. Our

Community Health Nurse Partners, Mental

Health Consultants, Lamaze/CBEs, and many

other key community partners provide this

continuous education to parents. Many times,

informally, these partners take part in the total

group socialization experience and through this

they are able to educate parents more informally through key “teachable moments.” Our

partnerships with individuals in the community

have increased the education of both families

and staff.

An integrated approach to child and family

development guides our process in which

developmentally appropriate socialization is a

priority. In gathering the informal and formal

information that we use in our planning, this

integrated approach links:

• discussions with family;

• observations;

• parent education group;

• results of screenings and assessments;

• goal-setting sessions;

• ongoing curriculum planning; and

• effective strategies in interacting with parents and children.

Rather than separate elements, all of these

parts of the integrated model flow in a purposeful way to ensure that each child and parent are receiving a content-rich individualized

program within the EHS service settings of

center, home, and community.

Shortly after the families leave the center, the

team of staff meet for a very detailed debrief

session. It is during this session that observations of the children and what happened

during the socialization group are detailed in a

notebook specific for that group. Detailed

notes are taken about the course and the happenings of the entire group, as well as very

10

3 This training, developed by WestEd in collaboration with the California State Department of Education, is called the Program for Infant Toddler Caregivers (PITC). PITC

consists of intensive training sessions on four module content areas. The PITC intensive for EHS grantees is held twice each year. Each intensive is one week long and

covers two of the four training modules. For additional information, contact WestEd at 415-331-5277 or visit the Web site at www.pitc.org. ..........................................................................................................
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Socializations for Infants and Toddlers in the Early Head Start Home-Based Program Option

detailed notes about each of the children in the

group. Using all the information shared during this debrief session, as well as the goals for

each individual child, the team then makes

notes of curriculum, activities, set up of the

environment, toys to add or to take away, and

materials to use for the next socialization. A

great deal of time and effort is put into this

portion of the day. It is critical that the observations made during the socialization be

noted, used in the planning, and carefully

detailed and documented.

IV. It is expected that the goals and 

outcomes for socialization experiences

will vary depending on the developmental level of the child, and will

change as a child’s development 

progresses.

Socialization experiences for very young infants will

be different from socialization experiences for older

toddlers. The developmental level of each child, as well

as family strengths, needs, and priorities, should drive

individual goals and will change over time. Some EHS

programs have grouped children of the same

developmental level together for socializations (i.e.,

young infants, mobile infants, and toddlers). Other

programs have designed mixed-age groups that provide

experiences designed to meet the needs of multiple age

groups in one setting. While socialization experiences

have an overarching purpose to strengthen the parentchild relationship, the individual goals of parents and

children will naturally evolve as the child progresses

through new developmental stages. Socializations also

provide an inclusive environment for children with

special needs.

The EHS programs in this section share how they

approach the process of individualizing socialization

experiences and highlight their observations of infants

and toddlers interacting with each other.

Astor Early Head Start:

Many activities can be open-ended enough to

include children who span the birth-to-3 age

range. A standard space in our socialization is a

mat in front of a mirror with sensory toys for

infants and parents to explore together. Moving

to soft music, with parents holding young

babies, is a group activity everyone can enjoy, as

are simple songs and water play.

Cesa #11 Early Head Start:

Our gatherings focus on play as an important

element of developing language, coordination,

creativity, problem solving, and competence.

We allow for lots of exploring and moving

which infants and toddlers need to do. We

design our environments to be safe enough that

the children can have lots of uninterrupted play

time with as few “no’s” as possible so we can say

“yes” to their learning. Information from our

developmental screenings help to determine

individual areas of strengths and needs.

11

Cesa #11 EHS, Turtle Lake, WI

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Early Head Start Program Strategies:

Community Action Program 

Belknap-Marrimack Counties, Laconia 

Early Head Start:

We provide a high-quality environment with a

variety of spaces, equipment and materials. A

variety of experiences are facilitated through

the exploration of natural materials, creative

materials, puzzles, blocks, books, textures,

musical instruments, and other age-appropriate materials. All equipment is safe, age

appropriate, and varied to meet the many 

different activities we provide. Areas for floor

time, exploration of space, crawling, climbing,

hiding, playing alone, and playing together are

arranged to meet each group’s needs and each

child’s needs taking into consideration age and

skill level. A variety of spaces provide for

messy play, table activities, building, and 

riding toys as well. There is a sleeping room

that offers a quiet place for sleeping infants

and nursing mothers. There is lots of room

for infants to experience floor time on cushions and blankets. There are comfortable

rocking chairs and couches for adults to cuddle babies, read stories, and hold children

while interacting with their children and each

other. Families have access to different areas

to experience a variety of activities including

mirrors, climbing frames, tunnels, and water

and sand tables. There are dress-up areas, a

cooking/ kitchen area, and reading areas. We

also have a fenced-in outside play area where

children and families have access to swings,

slides, climbing equipment, sandboxes, and a

picnic table.

Early Head Start parents are encouraged to

work together with the staff to decide what

kinds of learning experiences they want their

children to have. Parents, as primary caregivers, bring knowledge about their child and

their goals for that child to the program, as

they will be the ones who will have continuing

involvement in the child’s life. We encourage

following the child’s lead and observing what

the child is interested in and building upon

that information. This “emergent curriculum”

focus also teaches children that they can

impact their world.

Community Improvement Council 

Early Head Start:

Our primary goal for infants and toddlers is to

introduce them to new and developmentally

appropriate activities. At socializations, parents and children may cook, bake, make a

craft, or participate in movement and music

class. We encourage parents to actively participate with their child by staying nearby and

talking about the activity. Family workers

model how to do the activity with their child,

rather then for their child. There is always

unstructured play time for children to interact

with each other. It is not unusual to see a 

8-to-10 month old baby pointing to a child of

similar age and laughing; toddlers are involved

in parallel play and are beginning to share;

2 and 3 year old children play peek-a-boo or

build sand castles together.

12

Rosemount Center EHS, Washington, DC

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Socializations for Infants and Toddlers in the Early Head Start Home-Based Program Option

We are able to create developmentally appropriate experiences for children who span the

birth- to-3 age range in several ways. For

example, we arrange the room in “stations”

according to developmental level. A carpeted

area with infant toys is available for young

infants. They can interact or observe the

world around them. We have another area for

mobile infants where they can freely explore.

Our toddler area has climbing equipment and

other activities for their developmental level.

Rosemount Center Early Head Start:

Our “Family Day” offers the child with 

special needs and their parent or family the

opportunity to be included in a natural

environment with same age peers. Often a

therapist attends the socializations and assists

the home visitors with group activities which

offers an opportunity for facilitating various

areas of development.

Shasta Early Head Start:

Creating developmentally appropriate activities for infants, as well as 3-year-olds, is always

tricky. Sometimes it is impossible to adapt

one activity to meet everyone’s needs so often

more than one activity will be provided at a

time. Many activities can be adapted. At the

socialization sites the environment is divided

into a quiet/soft area with chairs so that parents can hold infants and enjoy safe and free

exploration of the environment with their

infants. On the other side of the room are

areas where toddlers can have more active play

including dramatic play area. A favorite activity at socials is videotaping and taking

Polaroid pictures of the parents and children.

Fathers often enjoy operating the cameras as

well as posing for pictures with their babies.

Although planned activities and trainings do

occur, free-play and exploration is an important part of every socialization as are routine

activities such as finger-plays, songs, handwashing, and mealtime.

Southwest Community Action Program 

Early Head Start:

Perhaps the most important aspect of infant 

and toddler development is their emotional

development. How children feel about

themselves as they relate to others and learn

who they are affects every area of development. Young infants have physical needs: to

be fed when they are hungry; changed when

soiled or wet; and allowed to sleep when tired.

They also have emotional needs: to be comforted when upset; to have someone to talk

with and interesting things to explore; and to

be held and loved. When you meet these

needs consistently, promptly, and lovingly,

you help infants learn to trust themselves 

and their world.

V. Socializations experiences and activities are based on a curriculum which:

• articulates goals for children and parents;

• identifies the experiences through which

they will achieve these goals;

• determines appropriate roles for EHS staff

and parents;

• provides the necessary materials to carry out

the plan;

• includes all areas of child development –

cognitive, motor, language,social, emotional;

and 

• considers each child’s cultural, ethnic, and

linguistic heritage and experience.

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14 Early Head Start Program Strategies:

The curriculum that guides the socialization

experiences reflects the curriculum approach required

by the Head Start Program Performance Standards [45

CFR 1304.3(a)(5)]. This framework allows EHS

programs tremendous flexibility to develop an

approach that is responsive to program philosophy,

community and family needs, and individual child and

parent goals. Early Head Start programs draw from

many resources to create the most effective approach for

their families.

The following EHS programs describe particular

resources that enabled them to develop a philosophy to

guide their approach to socializations. Other programs

describe how the physical and emotional environment

has been designed to support their curricular approach.

Cesa #11 Early Head Start:

The main focus of our socializations is the

parent-child relationship. The philosophy of

Magda Gerber and Resources for Infant

Educarers

4 has influenced our approach. Magda

Gerber describes a “way of being with children”

which is at the core of our activities and

experiences. As we plan activities for the

gathering we ask: Is it safe? Is it respectful of

self? Is it respectful of others? Is it respectful of

the environment? Is it child centered or adult

directed? What kind of learning is taking place?

Parents play an integral part of the planning

process. Each socialization lasts 2 1/2 hours and

consists of eight children and their parents.

Community Improvement Council 

Early Head Start:

Our socializations are held in the Family Room

of the Early Head Start building. This setting is

licensed by the New York Department of Social

Services and meets all child care licensing

requirements. The Family Room has several

features that help to ensure that the space meets

the needs of both adults and children. There

are both child- and adult-sized tables and chairs

in the room. Children have access to bikes,

indoor climbing equipment, balls, and toys.

Their room is arranged so that adult spaces and

child spaces are integrated and the children

never have to be out of eyesight of their parents.

Children can always come for a hug, kiss, or

encouraging word. Parents can interact with

their child and still feel connected to the other

adults in the room.

Gum Springs Children’s Center:

Our approach to socializations revolves around

enhancing relationships. To ensure that we are

meeting the developmental needs of infants and

toddlers, we have turned to The Program for

Infant/Toddler Caregivers as the philosophical

foundation of our curriculum and have used

materials from ZERO TO THREE, along with

Head Start Program Performance Standards, to

guide developmentally appropriate practices.

We have a classroom, equipped with developmentally appropriate materials, that is used

solely for socializations. Since we believe that

the environment affects building relationships,

we have arranged the space to be both a

comfortable environment for adults, and a safe

and secure environment for children to explore.

However, we know that a comfortable, safe, and

secure environment for parents and children

extends beyond the physical environment.

Therefore, our home visitors and parents work

collaboratively to know each child’s experiences

in learning, temperament, interests, learning

styles, and physical needs. Much of this

information is gathered during home visitations

and is then shared during socialization time.

Our socialization schedule is structured in such

a manner that allows for parents to share

experiences, and to plan for the next week’s

socialization activities. Our philosophy is that

parents and children should guide the content

of each socialization.

4 Educator and infant specialist Magda Gerber and Tom Forrest, a specialist in developmental and behavioral pediatrics, have developed a philosophy and methodology for

working with infants, built upon the pioneering work of the late Hungarian pediatrician, Dr. Emmi Pikler. Together Mrs. Gerber and Dr. Forrest originated and conducted

the Demonstration Infant Program in Palo Alto, California (1972-1977), and in 1978 founded Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE) to continue educating parents and

professionals in their approach. For more information, visit the RIE Web site at http://www.rie.org/.
15

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Socializations for Infants and Toddlers in the Early Head Start Home-Based Program Option

Monongalia County Early Head Start:

Our foundation for planning and

implementing socializations has grown from

staff development and training experiences

which include: the Program for Infant-Toddler

Caregivers from WestEd, Parents As Teachers

5

training, and the Creative Curriculum for Infant

and Toddlers.

Shasta Early Head Start:

Shasta EHS offers socializations in four

different sites that each have unique features

and challenges. Two socialization sites are in

Shasta County, one in Trinity County, and one

in Siskiyou County. Each socialization site is

divided into age-appropriate activity areas. For

instance, there is an area for dramatic play, gross

motor, quiet area, fine motor, and infant area.

While carpet and risers give the room warmth

and a variety of levels and surfaces for children

to play on, linoleum areas are also provided and

maintained for wet activities. Socialization sites

have climbers against the wall with a mirror

behind them so children can look at themselves

while climbing up the equipment. One of the

larger socialization sites is shared by three home

visitors, and is equipped with a toddler loft that

includes a slide and room under the loft for

toddlers to quietly explore. Although the

furniture and equipment at each of the sites

is neutral in color, each site has a character 

of its own.

Southern Oregon Child and Family Council 

Early Head Start:

When designing, planning and settling into our

facilities, we discussed the question of how the

space would best meet the need of both adults

and children. In order to “meet the needs of

adults and children,” as a staff we needed to have

a shared vision of what those needs were.

Through our discussions with each other, dialog

with parents and observations of children, we

have found that parents’ and children’s greatest

needs in regard to our socialization groups are

to feel physically and emotionally safe, to

experience a sense of belonging, and to have a

sense of meaning and purpose about their

experience. To meet these needs, we have

addressed both our physical environment and

the emotional environment that we create by

our actions, policies, materials,room

arrangements, etc.

We place a high value on toys made from found

objects, and attempt to have 50% or more of the

items in use be made of found object materials.

Parents are often intrigued with creative ways in

which cans, boxes, and plastic bottles are used in

the center. This encourages them to replicate

these items at home, and to participate in their

child’s play. We bring in natural materials as

often as possible for the children to explore.

Parents are much less likely to insist that their

children use these kinds of materials in certain,

15

Astor EHS, Poughkeepsie, NY

5 Parents as Teachers (PAT) is a national program for families with young children that provides home visits, group meetings, developmental screenings, and linkages with

other services. The Parents as Teachers National Center offers a training program that leads to a PAT credential as a Parent Educator. The PAT National Center can be

reached at 314-432-4330 or on the Internet at www.patnc.org.
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Early Head Start Program Strategies:

prescribed ways. The play and the interaction

tends to be more relaxed. It demonstrates for

parents that the process of the play is much more

important than the specific materials being played

with. We have also learned that too much “stuff”

detracts from the children’s play and from

parent’s interactions with their child. Having

fewer toys and materials available, and displaying

in interesting ways encourages children to use

objects in new ways and keeps them from being

overstimulated.

After we ensure that the materials, equipment,

etc., in our center are safe, “appropriateness” is

determined by a combination of developmental

appropriateness, space considerations, and

creativity in our thinking about the use and

placement of our furnishings and materials.

We keep our focus on facilitating the 

parent-child interaction. As we make our plans,

we ask ourselves, “Will this item enhance or

detract from the parent-child interaction?” We

consider child goals and developmental stages as

well as individual emergent interests and skills in

assessing which materials will be used (or

removed). Our carefully recorded observations

after each group also assist with this process.

After ensuring that our families consistently feel

physically and emotionally safe, we focus on

how to ensure that parents and children have a

sense of belonging and a meaningful experience

in the Parent Child Groups. This need must be

addressed first. Physical safety is addressed on

daily, weekly and monthly bases. Each day,

before and after Parent Child Group, the center

is cleaned, sanitized and checked for hazards.

Even more thorough cleaning is done at the end

of each week, and a variety of safety features are

checked monthly (such as the fire extinguishers

and smoke alarms). Additionally, we are visited

by the County Sanitarian, the Fire Department,

and the Early Head Start Health Supervisor

periodically to ensure that our center is in

compliance with all local regulations and Head

Start Program Performance Standards. Only safe

and age-appropriate materials are used. Groups

are well staffed to provide adequate supervision

of children at all times.

Parents feelings of trust and safety are

encouraged when they observe the steps we

have taken to assure their physical comfort and

the comfort and safety of their children. These

are small things, but they do send an important

message to families. A few examples:

• We provide a combination of child- and

adult- sized furnishings and materials;

• We provide a quiet area for parents to nurse

or bottle feed their babies, or rock them to

sleep with rocking chairs, cribs, soft lights, and

soft music;

• We offer comfortable places to sit for adults

who prefer not to be on the floor which

enables them to be in close proximity with

their children as 

they play;

• We incorporate natural lighting and materials

into the environment;

16

Bear River EHS, Logan, UT
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Socializations for Infants and Toddlers in the Early Head Start Home-Based Program Option

• We maintain an atmosphere that is as calm

and relaxed as possible; and

• We maintain a policy prohibiting the use of

any kind of corporal punishment as well as

harsh, derogatory, or inappropriate language

in the center.

The steps we have taken to create an

emotionally safe climate for parents and

children in our center may be less obvious but

are equally important. Parents or children who

feel anxious or fearful are not going to be able

to enjoy or participate fully in the group

experience. Sometimes we have observed

parents that are withdrawn or combative and/or

children that are irritable, extremely shy, or have

great difficulty separating from their parent.

Our task then is to see what we may be able to

do to increase their feeling of security and trust.

We do not assume that this is just the parent’s

or the child’s problem. Our actions, attitudes,

and policies greatly influence whether or not

families will experience a sense of safety and

build trust with us and other parents. Some

examples of how this is addressed:

• We have unconditional positive regard and

respect of each person here, under all

circumstances;

• We accept each parent’s unique way of

interacting with and caring for their child;

• We are responsive to parents when they

express concerns or make suggestions, and

utilize input whenever possible;

• We give clear written and verbal guidelines for

families about center policies and practices;

• We keep confidential what parents share with us;

• We provide written materials in both English

and Spanish;

• We provide places for privacy;

• We support parents without judging when

they are having a difficult time with their

child; and

• We are as flexible as possible during the 

group time.

The third need we attempt to meet for families is

to help them have a sense of meaning and

purpose in their experience in Parent Child

Groups. Why are they here? Why do they keep

coming back? Parents have fun with their child

and enjoy getting to know other parents, but we

have found in talking with them over the past few

years that many of our parents are here for

something more. In their words, they have told

us “I want to be a better mother.” “I want to

understand my child more.” “I want my child to

have a better childhood than I did.” “This is a lot

harder than I thought it would be.” We believe

that they are telling us that they want their

relationships with their children to be stronger,

and they want to feel capable and confident in

their role as a parent. They want to know and

connect with their child in a meaningful way.

Our attitudes and actions, and the emotional

environment we create supports this:

• We share with parents the ways in which we

see their child being nurtured and supported

by them;

• We share with parents the enormous impact

their relationship with their child has on their

child’s development;

• We assist parents in articulating observations

about their child on increasingly deeper levels;

• We share information with parents about how

children develop in ways that are understandable and meaningful to them, and

specific to their own child;

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Early Head Start Program Strategies:

• We ask parents to share with us what they

know and understand about their child;

• We speak for the child when helpful, to

encourage feelings of empathy;

• We encourage parents’ feeling of pride and

confidence in themselves;

• We allow time and space for parents to talk

and listen to each other;

• We don’t “take over” or dictate the parents

experience here; and

• We are fortunate to have large and wellequipped outdoor areas. During group time,

when the weather allows, the outside is always

accessible to children. We encourage parents

to participate with their child as they run and

climb and dig, etc. We create safe areas for

infants and crawlers outside by blocking off

special areas for them and bringing out 

age-appropriate materials and equipment 

for them.

Southwest Community Action Program 

Early Head Start:

Our approach to socializations is guided by 

the “responsive approach” as outlined by 

The Program for Infant/Toddler Caregivers.

We believe that the most essential part of

curriculum and lesson planning is the context

for learning. The learning environment is more

important then lesson plans or activities. The

socialization experience for infants and toddlers

should be safe and interesting, materials should

be appropriate to the age group, the groups

should be small, the child’s sense of security

should be maximized, as strong family

connections should occur, and appropriate

cognitive, social, and emotional topics should

be emphasized. With this approach in mind,

we use the Creative Curriculum for Infants and

Toddlers to plan socialization experiences.

Putting it All Together

T

he five principles of effective socializations

discussed above provide a framework for

developing an approach to socializations with

families of infants and toddlers. The excerpts from

the EHS grantees illustrate how each program has 

its’ own unique goals, program philosophy,resources,

and family priorities. The following are some

questions to consider as you plan and implement

socialization experiences to meet the particular needs

of the infants, toddlers and families in your EHS

home-based program:

Questions to Consider

Setting the Tone

What kind of group experience do you want to create

for the families in your home-based option? Consider

how the title of the experience can attract participants

and set an appealing tone. What do you want children

and families to gain from participating? How will your

staff and program benefit from the experience? What

elements of the environment help to “set the tone” you

hope to create in your socializations?

Linking Socialization Experiences to Home Visits

How can you use the Family Partnership Agreement to

support parent roles in both home visits and

socializations? How are parents involved in all aspects

of socializations,from planning to implementation and

evaluation? Are the goals and experiences of the

socializations culturally sensitive and relevant to

participating families? How do you ensure that the

curriculum is individualized for every child? What role

does screening and ongoing assessment have in

socializations?

Management Systems and Procedures

Who is involved in planning socializations? How do you

get family input? What kind of record-keeping

mechanisms are in place? Do your self-assessment

techniques include staff, family, and community

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19 .............................................

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Socializations for Infants and Toddlers in the Early Head Start Home-Based Program Option

partner input? How do you use the information 

from the self-assessment to refine your socialization

experiences? 

Developmentally Appropriate Experiences for

Infants and Toddlers

Is it feasible to offer separate socializations for 

young infants, mobile infants, and toddlers? How 

do you ensure that socialization experiences are

developmentally appropriate for mixed ages? How 

does the environment support the developmental

needs of children and facilitate parent and child

interaction? How does the size of the group

socialization support developmentally appropriate

experiences for infants and toddlers?

Staffing Issues

How are your home visitors prepared to work with

parents both individually and in the group setting? What

kinds of professional development experiences build

skills in both of those areas? Would a designated staff

position for the planning and implementation of

socializations be desirable for your program? How

would home visitors remain involved in the

socializations if there were a designated staff position

for this purpose? What caseload size is manageable to

ensure that home visitors have sufficient time to

participate in planning and implementing

socializations? How can staffing accommodations be

made to ensure that older siblings of EHS participating

children are safely occupied so that parents can fully

devote their attention to their infant or toddler during

the socialization experience?

Socialization experiences for infants and toddlers

provide home-based EHS staff the unique opportunity

to support child development by focusing on the

parent-child relationship in the group setting. Effective

socializations build on the content of the home visits

and are individualized to support each child’s

developmental strengths, needs, and goals. The

relationship and interaction between parent and child

are at the heart of each socialization experience.

Strengthening the bond between infants and toddlers

and their parents, their most important “social”

relationship, creates the strongest foundation for social

competence with peers and other adults later in life.

19

Laconia EHS, Laconia, NH

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20

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Early Head Start Program Strategies:

American Academy of Pediatrics.(1997). Safety first on

the playground.Healthy Child Care America, 1(2), 2-3.

Durrett, C. & Torelli, L. (1997). Design process for

children’s environments. Unpublished manuscript.

Available on the Internet at www.ehsnrc.org.

Dombro,A. L.,Colker, L.J., & Dodge,D.T.(1997).The

creative curriculum for infants and toddlers.Washington,

DC: Teaching Strategies, Inc.

Galinsky, E.(1987).The six stages of parenting.Reading,

MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.

Greenman, J. (1988). Caring spaces, learning places:

Children’s environments that work. Redmond, WA:

Exchange Press.

Greenman,J., & Stonehouse,A.(1996). Prime times: A

handbook for excellence in infant and toddler programs.

St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.

Honig,A.,& Thompson,A.(1994).Helping toddlers

with peer group entry skills. Zero to Three, 14(5),

15-19.

Lally, J.R. (1997). Curriculum and lesson planning: A

responsive approach.Unpublished manuscript.Available

on the Internet at www.ehsnrc.org.

Lally, J. R., Griffin, A., Fenichel, E., Segal, M., Szanton,

E., & Weissbourd, B. (1995). Caring for infants and

toddlers in groups: Developmentally appropriate practice.

Washington, DC: ZERO TO THREE.

Miller, K. (1984). Things to do with toddlers and twos.

Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House.

Murphy, L. B., & Small,C. T.(1989). The Baby’s World.

Zero to Three, 10 (2), 1-6.

Segal, M. (1985). Your child at play. New York:

Newmarket Press.

Torelli, L.(1997). Set-up of Early Head Start Classrooms.

Unpublished manuscript. Available on the Internet at

www.ehsnrc.org.

Wieder, S. (1989). Mediating successful parenting:

Guidelines for practitioners. Zero to Three, 10 (1),

21-22.

20

California Department of Education. (1990). The

Program for Infant Toddler Caregivers. San Francisco,CA:

Center for Child and Family Studies, WestEd.

Dombro,A. L.,Colker, L.J., & Dodge,D.T.(1997).The

Creative Curriculum for Infants and Toddlers.

Washington, DC: Teaching Strategies, Inc.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

(1996). The Revised Head Start Program Performance

Standards and Guidance. Washington, DC: Head Start

Bureau.

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REFERENCES

SELECTED RESOURCES
21 .............................................

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Socializations for Infants and Toddlers in the Early Head Start Home-Based Program Option

The Early Head Start National Resource Center

(EHS NRC) collects and disseminates information on issues

of critical importance to the EHS community. Each year

the EHS NRC invites EHS grantees to participate in this

unique opportunity to share their strengths with each other.

As new EHS programs are being developed around the

nation, the knowledge and experience ofexisting grantees

is an invaluable resource for others to learn from.

The EHS NRC will choose, based on the depth and

breadth of the responses to this survey, a selected number

of EHS programs to profile in the second volume of Early

Head Start Program Strategies, a series of reports

illustrating the diverse and unique approaches of Early

Head Start programs around the country. The first topic

for this series focused on staff development. Nearly 50 EHS

grantees responded to the initial survey and five programs

are profiled in the first volume. To view the first volume

and learn more about this project, visit the EHS NRC Web

site at www.ehsnrc.org.

• Please complete the following questionnaire in as

much detail as needed to adequately convey your

approach to providing group socializations in your

home-based Early Head Start program. SUBMIT

ONLY ONE SURVEY PER GRANTEE.

• Write your response on a separate paper and

number according to the question you are

responding to. Please write in complete sentences.

• You may send your response by mail (hard copy is

okay,diskette is preferred) or by email attachment.

Send to the attention of: Stefanie Powers,ZERO TO

THREE, 734 15th St. NW, Suite 1000, 20005. Email

s.powers@zerotothree.org. Phone 202-638-1144 if

you have any questions. RESPONSES ARE DUE BY

MARCH 1, 2000.

• Please include your name,title, phone number,fax

number,name of the grantee, and mailing address.

• If possible, include photos of your EHS program.

You must complete and send a photo release form

for each picture. These photos will be used to

illustrate the EHS Program Strategies publication,

and will be kept on file for future EHS NRC

publications.

Please note: The Head Start Performance Standards 

(45 CFR 1304 and 1306) provide regulations regarding

socialization experiences for the home-based program

option.

1. PROGRAM BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Please describe your EHS program:

• How long have you been providing services? 

• Describe the families you work with.

(i.e. teen parents, pregnant women, etc.)

• Describe the community you work in.

(i.e. rural, urban, etc.)

21

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APPENDIX A

Early Head Start National Resource Center Questionnaire

Early Head Start Program Strategies:

GROUP SOCIALIZATIONS FOR 

INFANTS AND TODDLERS
• Include any other demographic

information/unique features of your program.

2. APPROACH TO SOCIALIZATIONS

• What is the rationale or philosophy that guides

your approach to socializations?

• How do you create socialization experiences that

are developmentally appropriate for birth-to-three

year olds?

• Who is involved in planning?

• Describe the planning process.

3. LOGISTICS 

• How often are socializations held? How long do

they last?

• Who participates in the socializations? 

• Do you include community partners (i.e. maternal

and child health, Lamaze, La Leche League, etc.) in

socializations? How?

• How are the socializations staffed?

• How is transportation provided?

• Describe how nutrition is provided for during

socialization activities? (Please note: EHS grantees

are required to use USDA Child and Adult Food

Program reimbursement.)

4. GOALS FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS

• What are your goals for children during

socializations?

• How do you meet those goals?

• How are the goals for socializations integrated into

the overall goals of your home-based services?

• How do socializations meet the needs of children

with special needs?

5. PARENT INVOLVEMENT

• How are parents involved in socializations?

• What are the goals for parents? How are they met?

• How do you use the Family Partnership Agreement

when planning socializations?

6. ENVIRONMENTS FOR SOCIALIZATIONS

• Describe the locations or facilities for your

socializations.

• How do you ensure that the space for socializations

meets the Head Start Performance Standards and

State child care licensing requirements?

• How does the space meet the needs of both

children and adults?

• How do you utilize both indoor and outdoor areas?

• How do you ensure that appropriate equipment,

materials, toys, and furniture are available?

7. EVALUATING SOCIALIZATIONS

• Please describe your evaluation or continuous

improvement process for socializations.

• Describe the challenges associated with providing

developmentally appropriate socializations and

how you are meeting them.

Please include any other information that you feel is

important to adequately convey your approach to

socializations.

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22 Early Head Start Program Strategies:
NOTES:
NOTES:
Early Head Start National Resource Center @ ZERO TO THREE