Poster #27 - "I Know How to Heal": Preschoolers' Subjective Experiences as Caregivers and Care Receivers

• In Event: 35.081 - MTCC Poster Session Eight
  In Poster Session: 35.081-2 - Early Childhood Poster Session 2

Abstract

Children engage in a multitude of reciprocal relationships of care within early childhood care and education settings where they act as both care-receivers and care-givers, yet little research investigates the ways in which children experience these roles. In this paper, I share how 15 three- to –five-year olds expressed, enacted, and then subsequently described and explained their subjective experiences of care. Drawing on the Mosaic approach, this study used a participatory, multi-method data gathering framework to guide the data generating process, which included observations, photographs, videos, child conferences, and book-making. Data revealed that children’s experiences of care were focused on minimizing discomfort, sustaining connections, promoting positive emotions, enhancing personal safety, and ensuring sustainability of shared resources.

Author

• Kate McCormick, SUNY - College at Cortland