PRINCIPLE 1 Involve infants and toddlers in things that concern them. Don’t work around them or distract them to get the job done faster. Kaleb is the only dark-skinned child in the toddler center. The director is most worried about his identity formation and has given the staff several antibias trainings. She is pleased to see how the staff is working with their various biases and how equitably they treat all the children. Today, however, there is a substitute who has had no training and while the director watches her she observes what she assumes are some unconscious behaviors. First she notices that when other children need a tissue, the substitute gets one and wipes the child’s nose: that is, until Kaleb needs one. She takes the box to Kaleb, offers a tissue and suggests he wipe his nose. Then she holds out the wastebasket for him to throw the used tissue in. After seeing the tissue episode, the director decides to stay in the room and pay closer attention to the substitute. Diapering presents another scene that disturbs the director. The substitute diapers all of the children she is supposed to, except Kaleb. When it’s his turn she says she needs to take her break. The director asks her to diaper Kaleb first. When she does, she hands him a toy to play with and diapers him mechanically, ignoring the child and focusing only on the task. She doesn’t say a word to him and takes half the time she took with the other children. The director asks another caregiver to take primary responsibility for Kaleb for the rest of the day.

1		What messages do you think Kaleb might have picked up from the substitute?
2		How might the substitute’s behaviors influence Kaleb’s ideas about himself, his body and its products?
3		Should the director have done more than she did?
4		If she had confronted the substitute with her observations, how do you think the substitute might have responded?
5		Do you have some feelings about this scene? Related Web Links