California Preschool Learning Foundations - ECEZero2Three ...

ity of the teacher-child relationship
and that conflict in the relationship
is a predictor of children’s poorer
academic performance and greater
behavior problems, sometimes years
later (Birch and Ladd 1997; Hamre
and Pianta 2001; La Paro and Pianta
2000; Pianta, Steinberg, and Rollins
1995; Pianta and Stuhlman 2004a,
2004b). In a manner similar to the
way in which successful peer relationships
in the classroom contribute to
children’s enthusiasm for learning and
classroom success, so is the teacherchild
relationship a significant contributor—both
before school entry and
afterward.
The indicators of young children’s
close relationships with preschool
teachers and caregivers are remarkably
consistent with the behavioral
indicators of children’s attachments to
their family caregivers. In both cases,
the significant features are the extent
to which children seek security and
support from their primary preschool
teachers and caregivers and the extent
to which they contribute to maintaining
positive relationships with those
adults. Preschoolers exhibit their reliance
on their primary preschool teachers
through their preference to be with
the adult; the adult’s capacity to assist
and comfort them when others cannot;
their efforts to attract the teacher’s
positive regard (and avoid criticism by
Although these relationships are
not interchangeable, and close
relationships outside the home
do not diminish the strength of the
young child’s attachments to the
parents, it is apparent that both
kinds of relationships are
developmentally important.
Several studies have confirmed
that young children’s success in
kindergarten and the primary grades
is significantly influenced by the
quality of the teacher-child relationship
and that conflict in the relationship
is a predictor of children’s poorer
academic performance and greater
behavior problems, sometimes
years later.
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this person); their pleasure in shared
activity with the adult; and the greater
ease with which they can disclose
and discuss troubling topics (such as
distressing experiences) with the primary
preschool teacher or caregiver.
Although this similarity in behavioral
indicators should not be taken to indicate
that young children’s relationships
with their parents are identical
to their relationships with their
primary preschool teachers and
caregivers in early childhood settings—
clearly, they are not—it is important to
recognize that children derive security
and support from their close relationships
in these settings comparable to
the confidence they derive from attachment
relationships at home.
Friendships
California Department of Education • Preschool Learning Foundations, Volume 1
Our understanding of preschool
children’s friendships has advanced
in concert with our knowledge of peer
interactions, both of which reveal
children’s skill and sophistication
in peer sociability to be greater than
was earlier believed. Friendships are
important to children’s adaptation to
school and their academic success for
the same reason that successful peer
interactions are important: they cause
kindergarteners and elementary grade
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT