The power of teacher‐toddler relationships and stability of care for language development

Abstract

AbstractThe value of positive teacher‐child relationships for child development is well established for preschool‐ and school‐age children, but little is known regarding children under the age of 3. The current study examined the links between teacher‐child relationship, stability of care, and toddlers’ expressive vocabulary. It also examined whether the associations between the expressive language and the teacher‐child relationship differ depending on the stability of care. Participants of the study were 212 toddlers (50.9% boys) and 36 teachers. Expressive vocabulary skills were assessed individually across two waves, and relationship quality was reported by teachers in the second wave. Results suggested that closeness was associated positively with expressive vocabulary, whereas neither conflict nor dependency were associated with vocabulary. Prior expressive vocabulary also positively predicted closeness, particularly for children with less stable relationships with teachers. Moreover, children who stayed with the same teacher were more likely to have closer, more dependent, and less conflictual relationships with them.