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Access and Quality in Infant-Toddler Care: State-Level Initiatives to Build Stronger Systems

Thursday, November 13, 8:30 to 10:00am, Property: Grand Hyatt Seattle, Floor: 1st Floor/Lobby Level, Room: Leonesa 2

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

Despite demand, high-quality early care and education (ECE) is less accessible to families seeking care for their infants and toddlers (Henly & Adams, 2018; Jessen-Howard et al., 2018). Yet, this developmental period shapes children’s short- and long-term outcomes (Choi et al., 2019; Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000), and ECE experiences during the infant-toddler years have been linked with positive long-term development (Horm et al., 2022; Pilarz et al., 2019). Various factors may contribute to barriers in accessing infant-toddler care, such as affordability (Paschall et al., 2021), requirements for lower child-staff ratios (Sandstrom et al., 2011), and alignment with families’ needs (Paschall et al., 2021). However, more work is needed to explore barriers and factors that influence enrollment of infants and toddlers.


In addition to infant-toddler care being less accessible to families, quality of programs that serve infants and toddlers is mixed (La Paro et al., 2011). Licensing standards and ECE guidelines for infant-toddler care are not standardized to reflect a common definition of high-quality environments (National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance, 2017; OHS, 2016). Policies have shaped the nature of ECE experiences for infants, toddlers, and their families, although policies vary at the state and federal levels. For instance, many infant-toddler programs provide resources and supports for families to strengthen the relationship between caregivers and children. Indeed, support for families has been linked with positive parent and child outcomes (Chazan-Cohen et al., 2023). Further, state and federal guidelines recognize the critical role of teachers for ECE programs serving infants and toddlers (National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance, 2017; OHS, 2016).


Given the limited access to infant-toddler care and lower levels of quality experienced in infant-toddler programs, some states have prioritized initiatives to support infants, toddlers, and the families. Our panel takes a state-level approach to examining both access to and the quality of infant-toddler programs. The first paper, using a mixed-methods design, explores the factors influencing infant and toddler enrollment and the role of decision-making strategies in shaping ECE opportunities for infants and toddlers. The second paper presents preliminary findings from an intervention designed to enhance family support within community-based child care settings, broadening access to parenting resources and developmental services for infants, toddlers, and their families. The third paper leverages evaluation data from a statewide infant-toddler initiative to analyze the connection between aspects of quality and infants’ and toddlers’ social-emotional development. Together, these studies offer a comprehensive look at programmatic and family factors that shape access to infant-toddler care across multiple states, as well as the overall quality of infant-toddler programs. Aligned with APPAM’s theme of “Forging Collaborations for Transformative and Resilient Policy Solutions,” our panel relies on state-level collaborations to identify areas of growth to improve access to and the overall quality of care available to infants, toddlers, and their families.   

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