ZERO TO THREE, in partnership with the Bezos Family Foundation, conducted a comprehensive research effort, including a series of in-home discussions and a large national parent survey with a diverse range of parents of children from birth to 5. Our findings provide brand new insights about the challenges parents face, what they do and do not…

This article is an excerpt from the opening plenary address at "ZERO TO THREE's" National Training Institute in Orlando, Florida, on November 29, 2007. Dr. Lieberman uses the example of a 2-year-old and her mother whom she treated more than 20 years ago to illustrate what has changed in our understanding and treatment of infancy and early…

From a surprisingly young age, children are capable of a level of sophisticated social understanding and interaction for which they are rarely given credit. Indeed, beginning as early as 9 months, children are gaining the skills needed to become active members of the unique culture and society into which they are born. This article explores the…

In their first few years, almost all children learn at least one language, though not equally well. Differences in the quantity, quality, sources, and variety of language inputs and conversation opportunities have a long-lasting effect. This article provides an overview of early language development and explains how talking with babies promotes…

The author explores the extent to which infants and toddlers are regularly in the care of nonparental relatives, friends, and neighbors and notes the limited research on the quality of care provided by family, friends, and neighbors. (Note: This article is an excerpt from "Who's Watching the Babies?: Improving the Quality of Family, Friend, and…

Far from egocentric, infants and toddlers advance significantly in their understanding of others' feelings, desires, goals, intentions, preferences, and views during the first 2 years of life. In so doing, they establish the foundation for later social and emotional understanding. This article surveys those accomplishments, speculates about how…

Jewish agencies and organizations in communities across the country have developed a variety of innovative programs for parents with young children. Programs combine Jewish themes with content about parenting and child development, both to provide information and support and to inspire families to become more involved with Jewish religion and…

Parents and child care personnel in English-dominant parts of the world often express misgivings about raising children bilingually. Their concerns are based on the belief that dual language learning during the infant-toddler stage confuses children, delays their development, and perhaps even results in reduced language competence. In this…

A significant percentage of all child care programs are offered through religious organizations. This article describes the efforts of one church located in an impoverished section of Washington, DC, to respond to the needs of low-income families with infants and toddlers. The St. Philip's Child Development Center of Anacostia serves the community…

The author describes the practices of primary caregiving and continuity of care as necessary components of a high quality child care setting. Yet recent evidence suggests that continuity of care is rare for infants and toddlers because young children are often moved from room to room as they grow. The author describes the benefits of primary…

Infants and young children have the ability to regulate their food intake according to their energy needs, and parents play an important role in facilitating their children's self-regulation. When overweight children learn to eat in accordance with feelings of hunger and fullness and learn to soothe themselves without eating, they will reduce…

This article was excerpted from the author's "Charting the Bumpy Road of Coparenthood: Understanding the Challenges of Family Life", published in 2007 by "ZERO TO THREE." In the "Families Through Time" longitudinal study, James P. McHale and a number of colleagues met with expectant couples and then followed the families when the infants were 3…

Rappaport and Yarbrough describe three steps for early childhood professionals to take toward becoming effective advocates for infants and toddlers: (1) gather information about the public policy process; (2) learn to communicate effectively about the early years; and (3) build and maintain relationships with allies who can make policy decisions.…

For thousands of years military children have been faced with many challenges that result from the combat deployment of their parents. These challenges are likely to be particularly burdensome to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers because of their emotional and cognitive immaturity, their reliance on magical thinking, and their dependence upon…

The author describes the physical and emotional effects of chemical addiction in families on infants and toddlers and suggests that service providers take into account both chemical addictions research and theoretical knowledge of the importance of early parent-infant relationships. Describing a model that incorporates interagency and…