Caring for Babies and
Toddlers
Supporting
Families and
Caregivers…
Development in the First Years of Life*
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A drive to development is inborn,
propelling the human infant toward
learning and mastery
The opportunities for growth that enrich
the early years also bring with them
vulnerability to harm
People (especially parents and other
caregivers) are the essence of the infant’s
environment, and their protection,
nurturing, and stimulation shape early
development
*Ross A. Thompson, “Development in the First Years of Life”, The Future of Children: Caring for Infants and Toddlers, Vol. 11, Number l The
David and Lucile Packard Foundation, 2001
The Young Child Grows Faster in the
First Three Years Than He or She Ever
Will Again…
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Growth of the body (physical size, motor
coordination, health)
Growth of the mind (thinking, language,
concepts, problem solving)
Growth of the person (relationships, social
understanding, emotions); and
Growth of the brain (development of neurons,
synapses, and the influence of experience on
brain growth)
Baby Facts
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12 million infants and toddlers in the US
40% of children under the age three lived in
or near poverty in 2000
In 2000, 2.1 million children under age three
lived in poverty in the US
The poverty rate for young Black and
Hispanic children under age three is three
times higher than that of White children the
same age
Risk Factors for Children in Poverty:*
Inadequate nutrition
 Environmental toxins
 Diminished interaction due to
maternal depression
 Trauma and abuse/neglect
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*National Center for Children in Poverty, “Early Childhood Poverty: A Statistical Profile (March 2002)”, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University,
New York, NY.
Risk Factors for Children in Poverty:*
Lower quality child care
 Parental substance abuse
 Low birth weight
 Less access to health care
services
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*National Center for Children in Poverty, “Early Childhood Poverty: A Statistical Profile (March 2002)”, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia
University, New York, NY.
Families of Infants and
Toddlers Need…
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A strong nurturing family
A clearly identified medical home with up-to-date
primary care
Health insurance and access to information on health
resources, including services special needs children
Access to paid family and medical leave for the first
year of a baby’s life
Access to parent education and family support
Access to early intervention services
Access to quality, affordable care
A stable and permanent home and access to
specialized services where needed
Early Head Start
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Early Head Start children, at three years
of age, scored higher on standardized
assessment of infant cognitive
development than the control children.
They were less likely to score in the atrisk range of developmental functioning.
Early Head Start
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Early Head Start mothers were more
supportive, more sensitive, less
detached and more likely to extend play
to stimulate cognitive and language
development.
Finding From the Abecedarian Study
(full day, high quality intensive intervention 0-5)
Children who participated showed:
 Higher cognitive scores
 Better academic achievement in math and
reading
 Completed more years of education
 Were more likely to go to college
Research
“Second only to the immediate family,
child care is the context in which early
development unfolds, starting in infancy
and continuing through school entry for
the vast majority of young children in
the United States.”
-- National Research Council, From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of
Early Childhood Development, 2000.
Percentage
Percentage of Children Under 5 in
Non-parental Care NHES:1999
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
82.3
69.2
52.3
57.8
42.7
0
1
2
Age
3
4
Child Care and Our Youngest Children*
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Early exposure to child care can foster children’s
learning and enhance their lives, or it can leave
them at risk for troubled relationships. The
outcome depends largely on the quality of the
child care setting.
Responsive caregivers who surround children
with language, warmth, and chances to learn
are the key to good outcomes. Attributes like
training, and staff-child ratios matter because
they foster positive caregiving.
*Deborah Phillips and Gina Adams “Child care and our youngest children” The Future of Children: Caring for Infants and Toddlers, Vol 11, Number 1 David and
Lucile Packard Foundation, 200l.
Child Care and Our Youngest Children*
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The child care system in the U.S. is very
diverse and variable, both “wonderful and
woeful” can be found in all types of care.
However, overall, setting where quality is
compromised are distressingly common.
Children in families without support or good
incomes are most often exposed to poor
quality care.
*Deborah Phillips and Gina Adams “Child care and our youngest children” The Future of Children: Caring for Infants and Toddlers, Vol 11, Number 1 David and
Lucile Packard Foundation, 200l.
What Is the Better Baby Care
Campaign?
Mission Statement:
To create a nationwide effort to ensure
the very best care for our youngest
children by improving the early care of
infants and toddlers while their parents
are working, in school, or in need of
out-of-home services.
History
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1996 Welfare Reform requiring mothers
with children under 3 to work
1998 CCDBG set aside for infants and
toddlers
2000 Input to develop a Better Baby
Care Agenda
History
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2001-Kick Off at the National Association of
Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies
(NACCRRA) Conference
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Better Baby Care Campaign Website
Established
Release of the Packard Report on Infant and
Toddler Care
2002 NACCRRA State seed grants
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NACA state Better Baby Care Advocacy Project
Better Baby Care housed at ZERO TO THREE
Goals of the Campaign
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To Promote:
Safe and Healthy
Care
 Family Centered Care
 Developmentally
Appropriate Care
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Safe and Healthy Care
What does it look like?
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Well informed providers
Safe, clean, and spacious rooms
Appropriate health procedures
Promotes health
Children with special needs are included
Consistent and continuous
Safe and Healthy Care
What do we need to do?
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Improve standards
Assure health and mental health
consultation
Provide special needs supports
Family-centered Care
What does it look like?
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Feels more like home than school
Helps parents connect to their
children
Parents and providers learn from
each other
Mothers and fathers are involved
Responsive to culture and language
of families
Family-centered Care
What do we need to do?
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Increase consumer education
Provide parent education and family
support through child care
Develop supports for family child care
and kith and kin providers
Developmentally Appropriate Care
What does it look like?
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Strong and positive relationships
Individualized
Ample and appropriate materials to
explore
Sensitive and knowledgeable staff
Small groups and sufficient staff
(including high retention)
Good working conditions
Developmentally Appropriate Care
What do we need to do?
Increase training and compensation
 Build the capacity of higher
education
 Provide infant and toddler
specialists in every Resource and
Referral Agency
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Critical Investments
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Expand supply and quality
Expand Early Head Start
Provide paid parental leave
Better Baby Care Website
www.betterbabycare.org