Educators interact with more than 4 million infants and toddlers each week in the United States and can provide positive, nurturing experiences that enhance development. Tragically, the infant-toddler workforce in the United States often lacks the support and resources necessary to support their work. These urgent needs require comprehensive attention at systems-, program-, and individual-levels. The "ZERO TO THREE Critical Competencies for Infant-Toddler Educators"™ model and services take a multilevel approach to addressing this dearth of resources by helping systems fill gaps and build capacity to effectively support early educators. At the heart of the "Critical Competencies" approach are the infant-toddler educators themselves, and supporting their understandings about and concrete interactions with infants and toddlers each day.