Activity matters: Impact on educator-child interactions in toddler classrooms

Background: The quality of childcare depends on interactions between educators and children, which are influenced by the activities carried out by educators (Guedes et al., 2020; Cadima et al., 2022). These early interactions are crucial for children's language development, which subsequently influences their academic achievement and literacy (Law and Levickis, 2018). Therefore, understanding how educators support interactions, particularly across different activities, is paramount. Objectives: In this context, our primary aim is to explore the variation in the quality of educator-child interactions across different activities (e.g., meals, book reading). Method: Educator-child interactions were videotaped over the course of a single day in 40 French toddler classrooms with an average age of 15-36 months. The quality of educator-child interactions was observed using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS Toddler; La Paro et al., 2012). This tool comprises two domains: Emotional and Behavioral Support, and Engaged Support for Learning, with a total of 8 dimensions. Observers established start and end criteria for each targeted activity and then rated each of them on these eight dimensions in repeated cycles of 30 minutes. Each dimension included in the CLASS-T is rated on a 1–7 scale, with 1-2 indicating low quality, 3-5 indicating mid-range of quality, and 6-7 indicating high quality. Results: A hierarchical linear model will be used to test the relationship between activities and the quality of educator-child interactions across both CLASS-T domains. For example, we predict higher scores for book reading moments compared to meals regarding Emotional and Behavioral Support and Engaged Support for Learning domains. Practice or Policy: Professional development should include targeted training to improve interactions within specific activities, addressing the least effective interactions while maximizing effectiveness in others.