Changes in Child–Teacher Relationships in a Therapeutic Preschool Program

The purpose of this paper was to examine the processes and outcomes of teacher–child attachment relationship formation in a therapeutic preschool. Although the average child did not form a secure teacher–child attachment relationship, as a group and over time children became more secure in their teacher–child attachment relationships. Children who were least secure, most avoidant, and most resistant in their initial teacher–child relationship were the children who moved the most rapidly towards security. Children who moved the most rapidly towards security were the least resistant, and most likely to seek comfort within their teacher–child relationships by the final data collection point.