The Baby Leadership Learning Collaborative (Baby LLC) initiative is a leadership group committed to bridging relationships across service sectors to promote infant-early childhood mental health and to break the multigenerational cycle of risk often associated with early adversity and trauma. Baby LLC has guided an early relational health focus…

All infants and toddlers need good health, strong families, and positive early learning experiences. Furthermore, young children benefit most from an early childhood system that is built through collaboration. These goals form the framework for a policy agenda that creates a comprehensive range of services and supports that honor the needs and…

This article explores the many ways in which states can and are addressing racial equity in problem solving and policymaking. The authors explore national data that make the case for addressing bias and advancing equity in state policy; share strategies and best practices for engaging families and communities; and provide examples of policies that…

When science is integrated into early childhood learning experiences, it becomes a critical area supporting young children's development. Young children are natural scientists, curious about their world, and they engage in scientific practices to learn about and explore their world. This article describes how the K-12 Framework for Science…

The Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Focused Practice Promoting Infant Mental Health® (Endorsement®) recognizes knowledge, skills, and reflective experiences that promote quality service when working with or on behalf of infants, toddlers, and families. Developed by the Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health, the…

Child- and family-serving programs in community-based settings wield tremendous power for improving the lives of infants and toddlers. In this article, three authors, from Ohio, Montana, and Sierra Leone, describe the principles of adaptive leadership and will share their real-world applications. Their stories explore critical questions for…

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) is an umbrella term that describes a variety of conditions characterized by a pattern of atypical facial features, growth restriction, structural physical abnormalities, and brain dysfunction resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure. Studies suggest that the prevalence of FASDs ranges between 2-5% (of the…

Infants, toddlers, and young children have unique needs when separated from their primary caregivers because of child abuse and neglect. Parents of these children often have their own histories of abuse and neglect and can benefit from assessments and interventions that bear in mind the effect caregiving histories have on present parenting. This…

Nurturing care in early childhood requires responsive interactions and opportunities to learn; however, there are few large-scale programs in low- and middle-income countries that support parents' ability to provide responsive care and activities that help children learn. The Reach Up training program was developed to increase capacity of…

Achieving reproductive health and justice matters to family and child well-being. These two ideals are, however, often put at odds in public policies and discourse that shape the systems and programs that affect pregnant women and families. This article describes the Irving Harris Foundation's historic approach to investing in early childhood and…

Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative (ELNC) began as a year-long initiative to support early learning for very young children and families. The program has grown into a self-sustaining, nonprofit, place-based organization committed to improving the lives of children and families in the underresourced neighborhoods of Grand Rapids, MI.…

The opioid epidemic has led to a dramatic increase in the number of infants and toddlers being removed from their homes and placed in foster care. Doing so places these vulnerable young children at high risk for attachment issues, postnatal medical problems, and development delay. Early Childhood Courts have been found to be a very effective…

Research indicates that many toddlers experience low to mediocre quality child care settings with limited interactions and learning opportunities available. This article uses the context of brain and development research to describe toddlers' experiences in child care. Reporting on the established connections between toddlers' experiences and…

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…

Professionals who work with families during the prenatal to 5 years range (p-5) can work with colleagues across various sectors of the field to coordinate and collaborate on behalf of young children and their families. This article explores the efforts of p-5 professionals throughout Los Angeles County to strengthen their capacity to engage in…