Abstract
In their article on attachment relationships with non-parental caregivers and how it may contribute to public child care, Beckh and Becker-Stoll (2016) first describe important background about research on early parent-child relationships, and how their nature and quality might affect future development of competencies in various areas. They share evidence from some longitudinal studies, in particular those conducted in the Minnesota Longitudinal Study (Sroufe, Egeland, Carlson, & Collins, 2005) and in Germany by Klaus Grossmann and Karin Grossmann and students, important founders of attachment theory and renowned researchers in the field (see for example, Grossmann, Grossmann, & Waters, 2005). With the addition of other longitudinal studies in Israel, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, the picture becomes even more integrated (Grossmann et al., 2005).
Such background information is significant because it sets the ground for understanding the relationships that children form with non-parental caregivers, especially teachers. Important evidence is presented to highlight the meaning of such relationships for the future of healthy development in children. Although attachment theory has been shown to concur most powerfully with parents, we still have some evidence that non-parental care might also have formative significance, as is the case for example in Kibbutz studies in Israel (Aviezer, Sagi, & van IJzendoorn, 2002) and elsewhere (e.g. Ahnert, Pinquart, & Lamb, 2006), as well as in studies on teacher-child relations, mostly those conducted by Pianta and students (e.g. Sabol & Pianta 2013).
Against this background, the authors introduce impressive findings from their large-scale German National Study of Child Care in Early Childhood. They once again highlight the role of sensitive relationships with preschool teachers in predicting children’s functioning, above and beyond the strong effects reported for mother-child relationships. Underscoring the significance of teacher-child relationships is important for two reasons: first, when they are positive and sensitive, better teacher-child relations are likely to be fostered, and stronger academic motivation and better academic achievements to be facilitated in children. Second, when they are negative and less sensitive, they might become a risk factor for children, especially those growing in less favorable and more toxic environments. All these have important implications for public and educational policies, as the authors suggest, including various intervention programs that might help promote teachers’ sensitivity.