Professional Development Programs for Infant/Toddler Caregivers: Setting the Stage for Lifelong Learning

Increasingly, infants and toddlers in the United States are being cared for outside of the home and/or by extended family (Capizzano & Adams, 2000). This social and demographic change has placed an unprecedented level of responsibility on people other than family--caregivers--to provide a nurtur...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inDimensions of early childhood Vol. 35; no. 3; pp. 12 - 21
Main Authors Zwahr, Melissa D, Davis, Caroline F, Aviles, Jill, Buss, Kristen H, Stine, Helen
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Southern Early Childhood Association 2007
Subjects
Caregiver Training
Child Caregivers
Infants
Lifelong Learning
Ohio
Professional Development
South Carolina
Toddlers
West Virginia
West Virginia
Ohio
South Carolina
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Summary:Increasingly, infants and toddlers in the United States are being cared for outside of the home and/or by extended family (Capizzano & Adams, 2000). This social and demographic change has placed an unprecedented level of responsibility on people other than family--caregivers--to provide a nurturing, stimulating, and safe environment that will meet the essential needs of the youngest children and positively promote their development. However, only a small portion of infant/toddler care environments are of sufficient quality to adequately address and meet the needs of children from birth to 3 years. Caregiver training is a critical link in improving the quality of care. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the need for high-quality training and professional development opportunities specifically designed for caregivers of infants and toddlers. It challenges the early education field to raise the bar for the quality of care provided to children from birth to 3 years. (Contains 4 tables.)
ISSN:1068-6177