Within the United States a significant population of foster care infants and toddlers access early special education services under the parameters of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" (IDEA)-Part C (United States Congress 2004). A dearth of literature exists about special education interventionists' services for this…

Infant and early childhood mental health practices can be supported by policies and professional standards of care that foster the healthy development of young children. Policies that support infants and toddlers include those that strengthen their families to provide a family environment that promotes mental wellness. Policy issues for infants,…

Executive functions (EFs) involve a number of interconnected systems that, when compromised, can result in difficulties that affect a child's ability to perform tasks across early childhood settings, including the home and community-based settings. In retrospective research studies, researchers have found that a young child's…

California has long been on the cutting edge of social and political change. This trendsetting continues today on issues from addressing climate change to supporting immigrant communities to ensuring equal rights for all. But, when reviewing the grades of this year's California Children's Report Card, it is difficult not to ask the question: why…

To create a just and equitable society for the infants and toddlers with whom its members work, the infant mental health field must intentionally address some of the racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and other inequities embedded in society. The Diversity-Informed Infant Mental Health Tenets, presented and discussed here, are guiding principles…

The primary purpose of this guide is to provide families with an overview of the Washington State Department of Early Learning, Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) program. It provides general and important information about the statewide ESIT program, including a listing of parents' rights under the Individuals with Disabilities…

Infant/toddler teachers take a child-centered, emergent approach, meaning that they observe the children at play, ask themselves what they are interested in learning, and design developmentally appropriate curricula to meet and extend those interests. This curriculum development technique leads to "possibilities for the child to develop deeper…

As coordinators of local early childhood coalitions working to improve the quality of early childhood programs, the authors had been looking for ways to support early childhood professionals in their efforts to strengthen partnerships with families, support young children's healthy emotional development, and continue to promote developmentally…

Play provides abundant opportunities for children to learn science concepts such as the diversity and interdependence of life, relationships between force and motion, and the structure of matter. It is also a rich context in which to introduce young children to the process of scientific inquiry. Teachers support play through intentional planning…

Reading, writing, and communicating, also known as literacy, are important cognitive skills to teach within society. Early literacy is knowledge about reading and writing before actually being able to read and write and is the foundation to future reading and writing skills (Ghoting & Martin-Diaz, 2006). The role of families in developing early…

This issue brief presents a plan to expand educational opportunities and care for children ages 0-5 years old by investing significant federal dollars to: (1) Make high-quality preschool universally accessible to all 3- and 4-year-old children; and (2) Enable more lower-income families to afford child care for children ages 0-3 years old. These…

Over the more than 3 decades that it has taken "zero to three" to become a field--actually the coming together of many fields--reflective supervision has evolved as the centerpiece in the attainment of high-quality, effective practice. However, there is little research evidence to support reflective supervision or practice as being central to the…

The Child Development Institute, a nonprofit early intervention program in California, conducted a needs assessment which revealed a community that was receiving little support for infants and toddlers. There was virtually no enrollment in Part C early intervention services despite ranking high on environmental risk factors. This article describes…

The focus of this article is on the transactional relationship of research and practice for speech-language pathologists serving infants and toddlers with and at risk for autism spectrum disorder in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act supported early intervention. Specifically, information is provided on (a) the relationship between…

Each year, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) releases its annual list of scientific advances that represent significant progress in the field. The 20 studies selected have given new insight into the underlying biology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and potential risk factors, tested approaches for improving early screening…