Looping and Attachment in Early Childhood Education: How the Applications of Epigenetics Demand a Change.

Increasing focus on the quality of child care and pre-K is calling attention to the circumstances of child care and impact on the child’s social and emotional health, specifically in terms of attachment. The early childhood profession recognizes that consistency in caregiving is essential for the child’s attachment. Looping, the practice of keeping a group of children with the same teacher for more than year, has the potential to provide that consistency that is critical for attachment. The field of epigenetics and its compelling findings in regard to attachment demand a second look at looping and how it can be implemented to maintain attachment, which is critical to the child’s physical, cognitive, and emotional health now and in the future. This case study conducted at a preschool that practices looping examines the benefits and challenges of looping through the lens of applied epigenetics.