TASSA 2012

Infant and Toddler Child Care and Development Initiatives in New York State

Asil Ali Özdoğru

Infants and toddlers need high quality care because of major developmental milestones in the first three years of life and lifelong influences of early experiences. Two quality improvement initiatives in New York State aimed to increase the quality of care and support for infants and toddlers in early childhood settings. In the first initiative, Infant and Toddler Resource Network (ITRN), which is comprised of the seven regional centers and more than 30 support specialists, provided coaching, training, and resources to child care programs with infants and toddlers across the state. In the second initiative, four collaborative community partnerships across the state provided enhanced support to children, parents, and providers in the form of infant-toddler social-emotional consultation (ITSEC). Process and outcome evaluations with participatory approach showed favorable results for the two initiatives. The ITRN met the needs and expectations of the child care workforce, increased awareness and knowledge in nationally recognized quality components of child care, enhanced the quality of practice in child care for infants and toddlers, and created professional collaborations and working relationships among the major players in the field. The ITSEC was also instrumental in improving children’s behavioral outcomes, meeting parents’ needs, increasing knowledge and skills of caregivers and home visitors, enhancing program quality, and creating opportunities for cross-system collaborations. The findings indicate that there is a need for ongoing specialized assistance and support among the parents and caregivers of infants and toddlers and adequate resources should be allocated for evidence-based early childhood quality improvement projects.

Citation: Özdoğru, A. A. (2012, March). Infant and toddler child care and development initiatives in New York State. Poster presented at the 5th annual of the Turkish American Scientists & Scholars Association, College Park, MD, USA.