Caring for Babies and Toddlers

1. Caring for Babies and Toddlers Supporting Families and Caregivers…

2. Development in the First Years of Life* • 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

3. The Young Child Grows Faster in the First Three Years Than He or She Ever Will Again… • 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)

4. Baby Facts • 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

5. Risk Factors for Children in Poverty:* • Inadequate nutrition • Environmental toxins • Diminished interaction due to maternal depression • Trauma and abuse/neglect *National Center for Children in Poverty, “Early Childhood Poverty: A Statistical Profile (March 2002)”, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY.

6. Risk Factors for Children in Poverty:* • Lower quality child care • Parental substance abuse • Low birth weight • Less access to health care services *National Center for Children in Poverty, “Early Childhood Poverty: A Statistical Profile (March 2002)”, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY.

7. Families of Infants and Toddlers Need… • 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

8. Early Head Start • 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 at-risk range of developmental functioning.

9. Early Head Start • Early Head Start mothers were more supportive, more sensitive, less detached and more likely to extend play to stimulate cognitive and language development.

10. 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

11. 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.

12. Percentage of Children Under 5 in Non-parental Care NHES:1999

13. Child Care and Our Youngest Children* • 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.

14. Child Care and Our Youngest Children* • 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.

15. 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.

16. History • 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

17. History • 2001-Kick Off at the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) Conference • Better Baby Care Campaign Website Established • Release of the Packard Report on Infant and Toddler Care • 2002 NACCRRA State seed grants • NACA state Better Baby Care Advocacy Project • Better Baby Care housed at ZERO TO THREE

18. Goals of the Campaign • To Promote: • Safe and Healthy Care • Family Centered Care • Developmentally Appropriate Care

19. Safe and Healthy Care What does it look like? • Well informed providers • Safe, clean, and spacious rooms • Appropriate health procedures • Promotes health • Children with special needs are included • Consistent and continuous

20. Safe and Healthy Care What do we need to do? • Improve standards • Assure health and mental health consultation • Provide special needs supports

21. Family-centered Care What does it look like? • 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

22. Family-centered Care What do we need to do? • Increase consumer education • Provide parent education and family support through child care • Develop supports for family child care and kith and kin providers

23. Developmentally Appropriate Care What does it look like? • 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

24. 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

25. Critical Investments • Expand supply and quality • Expand Early Head Start • Provide paid parental leave

26. Better Baby Care Website www.betterbabycare.org