Developing a caregiver training curriculum to enhance early childhood safety skills in Thai child development centers in Nakhon Pathom Province

Abstract

The study responded to the need to strengthen caregivers’ competency in providing learning experiences to promote early childhood safety skills (ECSSs) in child development centers affiliated with local administrative organizations in Nakhon Pathom Province, Thailand. It aimed 1) to develop a competency-based training curriculum for caregivers, 2) to verify the curriculum’s effectiveness in enhancing caregivers’ knowledge, ability, and experience provision plans, and 3) to investigate the possibility of expanding the curriculum for use in other centers. The study adopted four R&D stages of research, namely, baseline study (R1), curriculum drafting and verification (D1), effectiveness verification (R2), and curriculum revision (D2). Mean scores, standard deviations, and t-tests were employed in analyzing the quantitative data. It was found that the developed curriculum consisted of eight essential components: curriculum problems and importance, principles, objectives, contents, training activities, period, training materials, and evaluation. The training followed a structured five-stage model involving case study analysis, collaborative idea exploration, problem-solving, safety skill development, and presentation. After the training, the caregivers participating in the training program gained statistically higher knowledge and understanding of learning experience organization for child safety (p < .01), and their ability to prepare and carry out the learning plans was rated at a high to a very high level. The children in the centers also developed significantly improved safety skills to a high level after their caregivers’ learning application of the training. The curriculum was successfully applied in two other child development centers, confirming its potential for adaptation and relevancy. The findings indicate that the curriculum effectively enhanced the caregivers’ competencies and contributed to the promotion of ECSSs in child development centers.