Rachel Campbell ECE 252

ATTACHMENT OBSERVATION

 Observe day care/home care setting/child being left with non family person and respond to the
following questions. Use separate paper to record the observation. Respond to the items using given
format. Give specific examples of behavior in your responses.  One example may NOT be used for
multiple responses.

Introduction

Part A 

1. Give a description of gender and age of the specific child observed (must be between 9 and 30
months), as well as setting (place and size of the group) and length of time observing. (5 points) 
The child I was observing was about twenty-months old and a little girl with a twin
sister. I was observing at my place of work. A preschool that starts from six weeks to
kindergarten. I was observing in our eighteen-month classroom. The ratio is four
children to one teacher. At the time of my observation it was 8am and they had about
eight children with three teachers. I was in the classroom for an hour. The entire drop
off time.
2. Write an objective observation of either arrival or departure time.  (10 points)
a. As the little girl was coming into he classroom with her father. She was being carried
into the classroom. Her sister walked in and went straight for the kitchen center. The
little girl clung to her father. He went and put everything away for both girls. Spoke to
the lead teacher about picking them up early for a dentist appointment. He called to the
other little girl and said goodbye “I’ll see you later.” He then looked at the little girl in his
arms and began to tell her he would see her in a bit, it was time to play. He then looked
at the lead teacher, who reached out for the little girl. She hugged her father then went
into the arms of her teacher. She whimpered for a few minutes while the teacher
walked her over to the library and sat down with her, asked the little girl to pick a book
and began to read.

Part B - Base the following answers on your objective observation (Part A/2) of the child’s interaction
with their parent.  (This is your interpretation of the objective observation.)

1.   What attachment promoting behaviors do you see the child displaying?
The child clung to her father. She was able to look around but did not show interest in getting
down. She was calm but did show signs of being sad, she laid her head on his shoulder.

2.    How does the parent respond?

The father was not upset of trying to rush out of the classroom. He came in dropped off both
girls’ belongings and talked to the teacher. The father said good bye to his other child and then took
time explaining to the little girl in his arms the events of the day. He looked at the teacher and she took
over.
3.    How does the caregiver respond?
The teacher was able to give the father some space while he did his routine. Then when the
unspoken look was given, she took over the conversation. Then once she had the little girl walked over
to the library and began to distract the child. The child wasn’t crying.

4.    Can you tell how the parent feels about the child’s attachment to the caregiver?
The father showed no signs of being upset. He went through his motions and then handed his
child over to the teacher. And said goodbye, then left.

Part C - Base your answers on your objective observation (Part A/2) of the child’s interaction with the
caregiver.  (This is your interpretation of the objective observation.)

1.     What attachment-promoting behaviors do you see the child displaying?

She seemed to know he was leaving but was not overly upset. She was clinging onto her father,
but he also seemed to go with it. The other sibling just walked into the classroom with out a second look
back. This child was attached to her father.

2.    What evidence of the attachment dance do you observe?  (Caregiver promoting attachment
behavior.)
The teacher was there to make the drop off easier. But the little girl really didn’t make it difficult
between the father leaving and the teacher grabbing her. She went with her teacher and then went into
her day.

Part D

1.    How did you feel about this observation?

Overall this was a great drop off for both parent and child. The little showed signs of being
attached and possible having a hard drop off but then turned around and easily went with the teacher.

2.    What advice might you give to the caregiver and/or parent?
I felt both parent and teacher did a great job with drop off. The father was patience and did not
rush pushing off the little girl with the teacher. And the teacher was not rushing to move the father or
the little girl.