Julie Ribaudo, LMSW, ACSW, IMH-E

Attending to the well-being of young children and their caregivers in the transition back to childcare entails attention to the physical, social and emotional health of all of those involved (children, parents, and childcare providers). Developing recommendations for infants and young children must  include strategies to maintain physical health and safety, while also being attentive to emotional health and security.  While social distancingis recommended to mitigate the spread of infection, emotional proximity is developmentally necessary for young children to feel safe and secure, especially in times of transition and uncertainty.  For infants and young children, social emotional health and well-being requires physical safety and the emotional security that comes from being able to turn to their trusted caregivers for comfort and care.

Another consideration is that children will experience the effects of this pandemic differently, and their individual responses as they return to childcare will likely vary. For some children, having more time with their parent(s) may have been a welcome experience, thus making a return to childcare a potential source of stress and sadness. For other children, the disruption of the routine and relationship with their childcare provider, may have been experienced as a loss and trauma, and the reunion with the caregiver who “abandoned them” (in the child’s eyes) may contribute to expressions of ambivalence and anger in some children upon the subsequent reunion with their caregiver/teacher. In addition, some children will have suffered other losses or endured experiences that have threatened their sense of security during the stay-at-home order. These children will require additional comfort, stability and emotional availability of their teacher/caregiver to help mitigate the negative impact of cumulative stress. 

Finally, to ensure the well-being of the children, it is also imperative to ensure the well-being of their teachers and caregivers, and to provide them with the emotional and administrative supports necessary during this time of re-integration, and in the months ahead. As essential workers in the COVID-19 pandemic, child-care providers may have worries  about their own physical or psychological health, and the potential risk to their family members at home. Because young children internalize stress vis-à-vis the adults who care for them, it is vitally important to provide supports and services to the childcare providers to ensure their emotional well-being.  Strategies to “help the helpers” can include professional development supports such as access to behavior health consultation, and reflective consultation, which can help providers  remain emotional available, sensitive, and responsive  to the needs of the infants and young children they care for.