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Abstract
Infants communication development is dependent on how caregivers respond to their behaviors throughout the day (Breazeal & Scassellati, 2000). A novel peer-coaching model was implemented in three Early Head Start classrooms at an Early Learning Center in the Southeastern United States. The peer-coaching model was developed to (a) increase frequency of appropriate infant/toddler teacher responses to children in their classroom, (b) increase engagement of children, and (c) support social-emotional development of infants and toddlers. This study documented toddlers communication with their teachers during the sessions with the highest and lowest adult responsivity rates to examine whether toddler communication co-varied with teacher responsivity. Results of this descriptive study suggest that child communication acts do increase as their teachers rate of responsive acts increase. This is an important finding to support the need for future research regarding best practices in increasing quality communication between toddlers and caregivers in a childcare setting.