Worldwide, 15 million babies are "born too soon" every year (Blencowe et al., 2012; Howson et al., 2013). Remarkably, prematurity survival rates now exceed 93% across all countries. More than 360,000 preterm babies survived in the United States in 2020; 10% of all births (Blencowe et al., 2012; Howson et al., 2013). While this is an…

The 'Spotlight on the Many Voices of the Early Childhood Workforce' Solutions Summit was held on 11 December 2018 as an official side event of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) Partners' Forum in New Delhi, India. The aim of the Summit was to place a spotlight on and develop solutions for the diverse early childhood…

Nichole Holtvluwer writes for fellow guides who work in the toddler community. Recognizing that communication with parents is the most important path to serving the child, Holtvluwer offers concrete advice beginning with the guide's most important stance: withholding judgment. She details four steps to working with parents or caregivers: building…

Alyssa Conklin-Moore discusses normalization in the child under three from several perspectives. She takes an extensive look at the child, including orienting parents to the Montessori environment, the child's entrance into the environment, addressing the sensitive periods, and fostering independence, contribution, and community. She reminds the…

Parents' interactions with their children can have influential effects on children's language outcomes. Special supports may be needed however, when young children live in poverty and show developmental delays early in life. This study analyzed data for a subset of children enrolled in Early Head Start (EHS) programs and participating in a…

Twenty-two children ranging in age from 2 to 3 years were tested on their abilities to apply weight and distance rules to the balance scale. This study was performed to test the prediction that 2-year-olds would be able to understand either a weight rule or a distance rule, but not be able to integrate the two. The sample group was instructed in…

This study tested the hypothesis that social competence of mother-infant play reflects both secure mother-infant attachment and more advanced cognitive development. Subjects were 58 toddlers between 16 and 19 months of age and their mothers. Two general methods were used: observation and maternal report. Standardized developmental assessments were…

This paper discusses the use of child development charts to assess the social, self-help, gross motor, fine motor, and language development of infants and young children. It examines the roles of teachers and parents in observing and assessing children's development and provides 2 checklists, one for infants from birth through 21 months (at…

To identify the role of the child's own action in the development of the ability to coordinate perspectives, a spatial localization task was presented to 2 groups of children: 16 children between 18 and 24 months old, and 16 children between 42 and 48 months old. A reward was hidden randomly in one of two identical left-right locations on a…

A survey of research findings on environmental and person variables provides clues as to what is required in a high quality infant-toddler program. One of the most important components of such a program is a loving, responsive caregiver. Research has shown that there are specific adult qualities that nurture the roots of intellectual competence,…

In 1981 and 1982, pre- and postnatal medical, financial, demographic, and maternal social support data were collected from 220 lower socioeconomic status (SES), "high risk" mothers and their newborn infants. An analysis of data on the oldest 100 children in the sample found that 14 families had been referred to a children's protective services…

Noting that current research on childrens mathematical development does not adequately detail how toddlers represent small numbers and the role that number words play in the development of number understanding, this study used a combination of methods to examine mathematical development in one toddler. Underlying the study was an Integrated Model…

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of the security of mother-infant attachment and of infants' cognitive development on mothers' and infants' ability to coordinate their attention to objects with the attention of another person. Fifty-eight 15- to 19-month-olds were videotaped for 10 minutes while they played with toys near…

This paper asserts that infant-toddler teachers, like preschool teachers, need to be cognizant of individual children's developmental levels, chronological ages, and general developmental stages, as well as infant-toddler theories and developmentally appropriate practice for infants and toddlers. In that spirit, the paper describes the purpose and…

This paper addresses the issue of how children should be reared from birth to become members of a faith community. The paper begins by seeking answers in psychological theories and research studies of Piaget, Bandura and Sears, Mahler, and Erikson. It is asserted that interactions with primary caregivers are the essential ingredients by means of…