Using Research to Guide Efforts to Meet Babies’ Developmental Needs

• In Event: Creating Respectful Caring Cultures From Birth to Three: Moving From Research to Policy

Abstract

This paper will present how research on early development and learning has guided a professional development effort in the infant/toddler field for over twenty-five years and has inspired a public awareness initiative on what it will take to meet the needs of babies (infants and toddlers) in both home and group care settings. The presenter will give an overview of research across several disciplines that point to the fundamental importance of early relationships. The overview will include findings from developmental neuroscience, economic analyses, and infant-caregiver interactions. A synthesis of research completed almost fifteen years ago identified the quality of relationships as the single most important dimension in the quality of early care settings (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000). The presenter will examine how recent research confirms this conclusion.
The Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) is a comprehensive professional development system centered on what it takes to establish nurturing relationships in infant/toddler care settings. The PITC considers primary care, continuity of care, small groups, and individualization of care as essential features of quality. These dimensions of quality are carefully defined and reflect what we know from theory, research, and practice. Data from several evaluation studies will be highlighted that indicate the challenges of implementing and sustaining these practices on a broad scale.
Research and evaluation data make clear that in order to avoid neglecting the fundamental developmental needs of babies and create a respectful caring culture, a multi-faceted approach to system change must be taken. I will close by summarizing our work on “For Our Babies,” an early learning initiative that calls for important investments in babies (Lally, 2013). These investments include expanded voluntary home visiting programs, increased availability of high-quality child care for infants and toddlers, and expanded early intervention services.

Author

• Peter L. Mangione, WestEd