Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

2025

Faculty Mentor

Kelly McGloon

Abstract

Nurturing Potential: Building Teacher Capacity to Support Infant Development in Low Income Daycares

Jeanae Williams, OTDS

Faculty Mentor: Kelly McGloon, PhD, OTR/L

ABRSTRACT:

Early childcare centers play a critical role in fostering young children’s learning and development. Each year, approximately 600,000 infants are born at risk for developmental delays, yet less than 50% are identified early. Early detection and support are crucial in reducing long-term developmental challenges and improving outcomes for reaching milestones. This capstone project aims to enhance the capacity of infant classroom teachers in low-income daycare settings by providing education on typical development and increasing awareness of resources for early identification of developmental delays.

Teachers were introduced to accessible developmental screening tools, online resources, and age-appropriate activities to enhance their education of the importance of early intervention. By gaining hands-on experience with these resources, this project was found to empower teachers with the knowledge and confidence to support early detection and intervention. The results proved that as teacher capacity increased, the gap in early identification and inexperience of resources for at-risk infants in low-income communities decreased. Some limitations of the capstone project include ABC Quality guidelines, teacher burnout/staff turnover, and time constraints/busy schedules. In conclusion this capstone was successful in its objectives to strengthen the role of early childhood educators in developmental monitoring, intervention, and addressing developmental concerns to promote a strong foundation for lifelong learning.

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