Related Resources and Organizations

The National Infant & Toddler Child Care Initiative has developed a few resources that do not fall under any specific topic area but are relevant to quality infant toddler care. These resources are listed below. In addition, resources provided here include publications and organizations that focus on issues related to child care for babies and toddlers and the development of child care systems to serve them. The Internet links can be used to find additional information. The list does not include every available resource. The National Infant & Toddler Child Care Initiative does not endorse any resource, publication or organization.

NITCCI Resources

• Creating a System of High-Quality Child Care for Babies and Toddlers: Linking to Good Start, Grow Smart (2005)

  In April 2002, President Bush introduced the early childhood initiative Good Start Grow Smart . This effort was launched to support young children's school readiness from ages 3-5. Because the foundation for school readiness skills takes root before age 3, infant and toddler child care programs and providers are critical stakeholders, along with States, preschool programs and schools, in Good Start Grow Smart initiatives. This publication discusses how the three key areas of early learning guidelines, professional development, and program coordination, can be used to improve the quality of infant and toddler care.
  389 KB

• Infant and Toddler Screensaver (2003)
  
  The National Infant & Toddler Child Care Initiative and the Early Head Start National Resource Center developed a screensaver in 2003 to present facts about infant and toddler child care in an engaging format. The screensaver was officially released at the 2004 Birth to Three Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. The screensaver has been shared with State/Territory child care administrators, Early Head Start Programs nationwide, and members of the 20 State/Territory teams participating in the National Infant & Toddler Child Care Initiative.
  
  To download the screensaver, click on the icon below. It is the responsibility of each user to ensure that their computer is up-to-date with the latest version of virus detection and protection software. The National Infant & Toddler Child Care Initiative bears no responsibility for virus(es) transmitted via the internet. The information contained in the screensaver is also available in an Adobe Acrobat (PDF) file. If you cannot download or access these files, contact the National Infant & Toddler Child Care Initiative at itcc@zerotothree.org to obtain a single copy of the screensaver, which can then be re-produced.
  1.88 MB  Compressed

Related Resources

• Licensing Rules for Infants and Toddlers

  Based on the information in a report by Sarah LeMoine and Gwen Morgan, the Initiative developed national maps that show the licensing ratios for infants and toddlers at 6 weeks, 9 months, 18 months, and 27 months. The report, available through the Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting web site, titled "Do States Require Child Care Programs to Educate Children? (Report #3: Infant/Toddler Rules to Assure Early Education and Strong Relationships)," examines the baseline requirements that states have for child care centers that serve infants and toddlers.  The report is part of a study of State child care licensing rules to determine whether the States require child care centers to provide education to children or intend the rules only to protect children's health and safety.
  1.19 MB

• Brazelton Touchpoints Center
  http://www.touchpoints.org

  The Touchpoints Model is a training program for multi-disciplinary professionals. Its goal is to provide them with skills and strategies with which they can build alliances with parents of children aged zero to three. The Touchpoints framework focuses on key points in the development of infants, toddlers and their families.

• Child Care Aware
  http://childcareaware.org/
  

  Child Care Aware, a program of NACCRRA, is funded through a cooperative agreement with the Child Care Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Child Care Aware is committed to helping parents find the best information on locating quality child care and child care resources in their community.

• Child Care Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ccb/
  

  The Child Care Bureau is dedicated to enhancing the quality, affordability, and availability of child care for all families. The Child Care Bureau administers federal funds to states, territories, and tribes to assist low-income families in accessing quality child care for children when the parents work or participate in education or training.

• Child Care and Early Education Research Connections
  http://www.childcareresearch.org/
  

  Child Care and Early Education Research Connections (CCEERC) promotes high quality research in child care and early education and the use of that research in policymaking. CCEERC aims to fulfill its mission by making child care and early education research accessible to researchers, policymakers, and practitioners. CCEERC also offers guidance about research methods and research quality, and provides information on public policies.

• Creative Curriculum® for Infants and Toddlers (Teaching Strategies, Inc.)
  http://www.teachingstrategies.com/
  

  Teaching Strategies, Inc. offers curriculum resources, training manuals and parent resource booklets related to infant and toddler care, including the Creative Curriculum® for Infants and Toddlers, which emphasizes the importance of early learning in the context of relationships. Creative Curriculum® is also available for family child care, with a focus on strategies to provide age-appropriate experiences for mixed-age groups of children, including infants and toddlers.

• Early Care and Education Collaborative
  http://ecap.crc.uiuc.edu/about.html#itg
  

  The Early Care and Education Collaborative is a multi-year project of eight state-based child advocacy organizations working on child care issues. The Communications Consortium Media Center (CCMC) coordinates the Collaboration. The project's purpose is to design and implement strategic public education strategies aimed at creating the public will in each of the target states to expand both the supply and the quality of early care and education resources. Further, the Collaborative wants to share "lessons learned" on this unique partnership with the broader child care community.

• Early Childhood and Parenting Collaborative Information Technology Group (ECAP/ITG)
  http://ecap.crc.uiuc.edu/about.html#itg
  

  The former ERIC Clearinghouse on Early Childhood Education (ERIC/EECE) provided information for educators, parents and families, and individuals interested in the development, education, and care of children from birth through early adolescence. Before its closing in December 2003, ERIC/EECE was operated by the University of Illinois for over 35 years. During its last year of operation, ERIC/EECE was hosted by ECAP/ITG. Because of the great popularity of ERIC/EECE's resources, ECAP maintains an archive of many of the publications and resources produced by ERIC/EECE.

• Early Head Start National Resource Center @ ZERO TO THREE (EHSNRC)
  http://www.ehsnrc.org

  The Early Head Start National Resource Center @ ZERO TO THREE was created by the Head Start Bureau and is operated by ZERO TO THREE. The EHSNRC works at the national level to provide training and technical assistance to Early Head Start and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs.

• First Connections
  http://www.firstconnections.nde.state.ne.us/
  

  First Connections is a multifaceted, comprehensive telecommunications project offering education about infants and toddlers to teachers, caregivers, and parents across the state of Nebraska and beyond. The curriculum framework is based on the Child Development Associate (CDA) competencies. There are five sequential curriculum modules in this online training that are supplemented by video clips and photos to enhance the information presented in each lesson. The website also features resources and information about infant and toddler development.

• Healthy Child Care America (HCCA)
  http://www.healthychildcare.org/

  The Healthy Child Care America (HCCA) program is a collaborative effort of health professionals, child care providers, and families working to improve the health and safety of children in child care. Launched in 1995, HCCA seeks to maximize the health, safety, well-being, and developmental potential of all children so that each child experiences quality child care within a nurturing environment and has a medical home.

• High/Scope Foundation
  http://www.highscope.org/
  

  High/Scope Educational Research Foundation is an independent nonprofit research, development, training, and public advocacy organization with headquarters in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The High/Scope educational approach is based on active, hands-on learning that children plan, engage in and then reflect on. Adults support this process and try to expand children’s experiences. Key experiences that support all children’s development guide teachers and caregivers in their observations and interactions with children. Although best known for its preschool programs, High/Scope has also developed key experiences for infants and toddlers and publishes several resources focused on children birth to three.

• I Am Your Child
  http://www.iamyourchild.org

  The I Am Your Child Foundation (IAYC) is a national, non-profit, non-partisan organization that was founded in 1997 to raise awareness about the importance of early childhood development and school readiness. IAYC develops a wide variety of resources for parents, early childhood professionals, child advocates, health care providers, policymakers and the media. IAYC also promotes public policies that help ensure that children have the physical well-being and the social, emotional and cognitive abilities they need to enter school ready to succeed.

• Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Department of U.S. Health and Human Services
  http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov
  

  The Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) provides links to resources, publications, websites, and federal and state programs relating to the health and well-being of infants, children, adolescents, pregnant women, and their families. MCHB provides a list of child health links, including children with special needs.

• Center on the Social and Emotional Foundation for Learning (CSEFEL)
  http://www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel/

  This five-year project will support a national center to help Head Start and Child Care programs identify and implement practices with demonstrated effectiveness in promoting children’s social and emotional competence. The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning is a collaborative initiative of the Child Care and Head Start Bureaus. The goals of the Center are designed to strengthen the capacity of Child Care and Head Start to improve the social and emotional outcomes for young children. The University of Illinois will partner with a consortium of universities and early childhood organizations including the University of Colorado at Denver, the University of South Florida, the University of Connecticut, Tennessee Voices for Children, and Education Development Center to carry out the goals and activities of the Center.

• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
  http://www.naeyc.org
  

  The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a nationwide membership organization of early childhood educators and others dedicated to improving the quality of programs for children from birth through third grade. The website provides information on accreditation, early learning, resources for both parents and child care providers, and early childhood education policy.

• National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI)
  http://www.nbcdi.org
  

  The National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) is a nonprofit organization that provides support through programs, workshops, and resources for African American children, their parents and communities in the areas of early health and education, health, elementary and secondary education, child welfare, and parenting. The website provides links to information about their local affiliates, conferences, and programs.

• National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP)
  http://www.nccp.org/
  

  The National Center for Children in Poverty’s Infant and Toddler Project focuses on the experiences of 25 selected initiatives across the country to provide a menu of concrete, innovative strategies other states and communities can use to promote more targeted and effective policy and practice attention to infants and toddlers. The website highlights the 25 initiatives, shares their creative solutions and five overarching strategies, and identifies resources for policy makers.

• National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC)
  http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm
  

  The National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC), a project of the Child Care Bureau, is a national resource that links information and people to complement, enhance, and promote the child care delivery system, working to ensure that all children and families have access to high-quality comprehensive services. This link is for publications and organizational resources that pertain to infants and toddlers.

• National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC)
  http://nectac.org
  
  The National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center supports the implementation of the early childhood provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Their mission is to strengthen service systems to ensure that children with disabilities (birth through five) and their families receive and benefit from high quality, culturally appropriate, and family-centered supports and services.
• National Scientific Council on the Developing Child
  http://developingchild.net/
  

  The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child was created to extend the work that culminated in the publication of From Neurons to Neighborhoods (National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, 2000). The ultimate goal of the Council is to enhance the early development of children through the design and implementation of effective public and private policies and programs. Based on its belief in the value of sound and accurate science as a foundation for enlightened action, the Council will serve as a credible knowledge broker by translating research findings for multiple audiences and identifying evidence-based strategies to guide social policies, professional services, and parenting practices.

• The Program for Infant Toddler Caregivers (PITC)
  http://www.pitc.org/

  The goal of PITC is to help caregivers recognize the crucial importance of giving tender, loving care and assisting in the infants' intellectual development through an attentive reading of each child's cues. The PITC's videos, guides, and manuals are designed to help child care managers and caregivers become sensitive to infants' cues, connect with their family and culture, and develop responsive, relationship-based care.

• Talaris Research Institute
  http://www.talaris.org/
  

  Talaris is a nonprofit Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) dedicated to advancing knowledge of early brain development. Their research is focused on children from birth to age five. They sponsor scientific studies on early brain and behavioral development and then translate the research findings into useful tools and information for parents, caregivers, educators, healthcare, and business professionals. The website features a list of recommended reading and easy to read summaries of research (Research Spotlights) on how children think, feel and, learn.

• U.S. Census Bureau
  http://www.census.gov/

  The Census 2000 website provides population, housing, economic and geographic data.

• ZERO TO THREE
  http://www.zerotothree.org

  The ZERO TO THREE Web site offers information for those interested in the healthy development of young children, birth to three. The site includes information on brain development, learning during everyday routines, the developmental assessment process, parenting tips, professional journal articles, policy briefs, as well as easy-to-use A-Z topic listings, a search engine, and a growing list of Spanish materials. The site also includes an Infant Mental Health Resource Center that describes what infant mental health (IMH) is and provides a list of resources and training programs related IMH.