Toddlers and Their Families
Toddlers and their families also benefit from ongoing efforts at good communication. The continuity between home and center provides the stability that youngsters need as they navigate between the highs and lows of their emerging, but still shaky, steps toward independence. The toddler’s conflicting emotions during this period can better be interpreted and dealt with when parents and caregivers share their observations and responses. Although toddlers need continuity between home and center expectations and responses to emotional needs, this is not, of course, always possible. As long as they see the adults in their lives working smoothly together to iron out the differences, however, toddlers can handle such minor difficulties. To the suggestions listed for families of infants, NAEYC adds others for toddler families such as “potluck suppers, special celebrations, parents’ nights out, and family reading parties” that “help build a community that enjoys their young children together and supports them as they grow” (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009, p. 73).