Infants, Toddlers, and Caregivers [Paperback]

Janet Gonzalez-Mena (Author), Dianne Widmeyer Eyer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0767416848 | ISBN-13: 978-0767416849 | Publication Date: June 30, 2000 | Edition: 5

This text is a very practical introduction to the principles and practices of caregiving for infants and toddlers. It combines a child-centered philosophy with problem-solving strategies, and provides a thorough discussion of gender role stereotyping and multicultural issues in childcare. The philosophy of caregiving that underlies this book comes from Magda Gerber and Tom Forrest, M.D., as well as the earlier work of Emmi Pikler. These pioneers of the field stressed the need to integrate (1) knowledge of play as curriculum, (2) concepts of child development with caregiving, (3) the physical and social environment, and (4) adult relations.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Janet Gonzalez-Mena started her early childhood career in a cooperative preschool as a parent volunteer back in 1966. She then became a Head Start volunteer and ended up as a teacher in a preschool for Spanish-speaking children and their families in 1970’s. She has also helped open several pilot programs including a therapeutic child care program and a home-based bilingual preschool program. When Magda Gerber came into her life in the mid-1970’s, Janet signed up for an internship with her at the Children’s Health Council in Menlo Park, California. As a result of that experience, later, when she became a child care director, she was able to incorporate much of what she learned into her work and was influential in expanding that program to include an infant center. Training and teaching adults has always been sideline, even when she was working with children and families. She worked as a Head Start trainer and as adjunct faculty in 4 community colleges plus the University of California Santa Cruz credential extension program. She taught for 15 years as full time faculty at Napa Valley College in the Child and Family Studies Program. Since 1991, she has been part of the faculty for WestEd’s Program for Infant-Toddler Caregivers (PITC) Training of Trainer Institutes. Janet has been writing along with teaching for all these years and is author of numerous articles and 13 books related to early childhood, including Foundations of Early Childhood Education; Infants, Toddlers, and Caregivers (with co-author Dianne Eyer); and Diversity in Early Care and Education: Honoring Differences (Formerly Multicultural Issues in Child Care). She wrote Dragon Mom about herself as parent to help early childhood professionals alleviate guilt when their parenting doesn't live up to their high standards. Her latest passion is understanding more about the Pikler Institute in Budapest, Hungary, where Magda Gerber came from. It took her 30 years to get there after she first heard of it, but her first trip to it in November of 2003 merely whetted her appetite. She has made two more since and is planning for another one. She is fascinated by the approach and is convinced that this residential nursery is a model for the world. She is continuing to learn more about how this approach can be used to improve infant-toddler care and education programs in the United States. She is also working with a group in Mexico to explore how the approach might fit into their models of residential care for infants and toddlers. Janet has a Master of Arts Degree in Human Development from Pacific Oaks in Pasadena, California.

Tenured Professor of Early Childhood Education / Child Development at Canada College since 1970, Department Coordinator since 1978 (and author of 30 courses within the ECE/CD Department). Dianne has served on various college committees during the last few years including the Articulation Self Study Committee and the Chairperson for the College Council from 2002 to 2004. She received specialized diversity training under Title V in 2002. In the late 1990’s she was a presenter at the Annual Conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children in Atlanta, GA and Washington D.C. respectively. She is the co-author of Infants, Toddlers and Caregivers, sixth edition, McGraw-Hill, released in 2004. Her community experiences include: Task Force member for the Advancing Careers in Child Development Project (Pacific Oaks College, Pasadena CA); San Mateo County Consortium for Quality Programs; SMC Partnership Council; and membership in SMAEYC. She has been responsible for several grants within the ECE/CD Department including: Foster Care Education, SAFE START/Violence Intervention in ECE (Centers for Disease Control); and the Family Support Program (a PSP and The Council collaboration). She is currently coordinating a grant with First 5 San Mateo County to recruit and retain quality ECE/CD teachers and providers in the field. She is also a Professional Growth Advisor for the Child Development Permit.

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages; 5 edition (June 30, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767416848
• ISBN-13: 978-0767416849
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #875,101 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A guide to infant/toddler educaring, March 20, 2000

By 

Phyllis Porter "Baby Lady" (Eden Prairie, MN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Infants, Toddlers, and Caregivers (Paperback)

Janet Gonzalez-Mena and Dianne Widmeyer Eyer have developed a precise method of working with groups of infants and toddlers based on the relationship principle. Their philosophy is one of respect for the child. I have recommended this book to many new educarers and they all have thanked me, saying it was the best guide they had come across. It is a "must read" for all who work with infants and toddlers in group care as well as for the parents of those children.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Word: MAGNIFICENT!, July 26, 2006

By 

Reginald Williams (Orangeburg, SC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Infants, Toddlers, and Caregivers, 7th Edition (Paperback)

Rarely...very rarely does a book approach this kind of perfection...every once in a while.

I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Gonzalez-Mena, so I realize the depth of her wisdom on babies and toddlers. This book incapsulates all of her ideas with vivid color and comprehensive, but brief, chapters. She even includes tons of citations and research to solidify her points.

It's the natural companion for the WestED Program for Infant Toddler Caregivers (PITC). The champion guidebook bar-none for infant/toddler caregivers.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Book, February 12, 2010

By 

Susie Snider (Southern Illinois) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Infants, Toddlers, and Caregivers (Paperback)

Although dated (1989), this book offers practical information for operating an infant and toddler program.