Accurate diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at an early age is increasingly sought so that the child and family can access early intervention and supports. However, not all children neatly fit into the diagnostic criteria for ASD, and additional assessment and supports are often required as providers continue to evaluate the possibility…

Opioid use in pregnancy and the postpartum period increases the vulnerability of the newborn in many ways. No single system can appropriately meet all the needs of this population. Due to the variety of systems that are involved, there are multiple opportunities for gaps in care. Thus, the systems of care must collaborate, communicate, and share…

Good nutrition during the 1,000-day window between pregnancy and 2 years old can give children the opportunity to reach their full potential. Conversely, malnutrition early in life can cause irreversible damage to a child's brain development and physical growth, leading to a lifetime of poor health and lost potential. Each year, malnutrition costs…

In the spring of 2020, the emerging COVID-19 pandemic prompted states across the country to mandate that most early childhood education programs close, leaving families with young children scrambling to adapt to full-time caregiving and leaving educators uncertain of their economic and professional future. For many communities, this hardship was…

A large portion of an infant's or toddler's day involves bodily care routines, including diapering. Tuning in to the uniqueness of a child's individuality during diapering by responding with sensitivity, encouragement, and in an unhurried manner, sends a powerful message to the child about his or her body, bodily functions, and crucially, that the…

Program leaders and supervisors have an ethical obligation to actively endeavor (a) to deepen their capacity to create safe and inclusive spaces for reflection and inquiry and (b) to intentionally acknowledge how topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion arise in themselves, their communities, their staff, their supervisees, and their clients.…

There are few sources of national data on the early childhood and school-age workforce. The National Workforce Registry Alliance is creating an important source of current, verified, longitudinal data on the early care and education field. The 2019 dataset analysis focused on the characteristics of infant--toddler educators to highlight the status…

This article is an excerpt from the forthcoming book, "Mental Health in the Early Years: Challenges and Pathways to Resilience', by Gail L. Ensher, David A. Clark, and Melissa M. Luke with contributing authors. This excerpt includes the value of a family systems and an ecological perspective; provides an overview of social--emotional…

The Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation, a 45-year study of children born into poverty, offers a number of lessons for practitioners. Among these are the potency of early relationship experiences for predicting developmental outcomes and the fate of early experience following developmental change. This article describes the…

Building professional relationships and collaboration are key components to providing effective quality services to infants, toddlers and families involved in the child welfare system. However, it seems many programs and systems continue to work independently of each other, perhaps to the detriment of our most vulnerable children and families.…

This article spotlights Colorado and Rhode Island's collaboration efforts on the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act (PL 108-36, 2003), which reauthorized the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA, 2018) and Part C of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2018). These two key pieces of federal legislation require…

Early experiences matter. The quality of the early care and education provided to young children not only impacts their experiences now, but directly contributes to their future success in school and in life. High-quality early learning experiences require effective educators but attainment and application of these critical knowledge and skills is…

Children from birth to 3 years old with complex medical needs often experience psychological issues, but there are limited services and supports to meet their needs. To bridge this gap, the authors created the Pediatric Birth to Three Clinic and Early Childhood Mental Health Program at the University of Minnesota. They describe the toxic stress…

This article introduces the revised and updated "DC:0-5™: Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood." The authors describe the past and current efforts to create a developmentally based classification system for very young children. DC:0-3, published in 1994 by ZERO TO THREE,…

Pregnant women and young children who experience toxic stress are at risk for negative health outcomes. The "medical home" is seen as a place to address toxic stress by promoting healthy relationships, but Spanish-speaking Latino families face challenges accessing the medical home while simultaneously confronting unique stressors. This…