Write two educational provisions for infancy

This module provides child care consultants with information about screening and assessment of infants and toddlers. Upon completion of this module, child care consultants will be able to: • Describe factors that affect infant/toddler development and identify resources for reference on developmental milestones. • Discuss how the integrated nature of infant/toddler development affects overall growth and development. • Describe their state’s professional development system supports for infant/toddler caregivers and how they can be accessed. • Define the difference between observation, screening, and ongoing assessment and the key components of each process. • Discuss the importance of coordinating referrals with the family and other care providers, such as medical and dental homes, therapists, and additional child care providers. • Identify key aspects of the state Part C/Early Intervention system for infants and toddlers with disabilities. • Discuss the importance of involving families in the process of observation, screening, and assessment. Infant/Toddler Development, Screening, and Assessment is one of three infant/toddler modules created to support consultants working in child care settings, especially those who have not had education or training specific to infants and toddlers in group care. These modules were designed to complement training offered to early childhood consultants through the National Training Institute at the Department of Maternal and Child Health, U...

The healthy growth and development of a young child is much like the construction of a strong and stable building. When it comes to infant and toddler development, the neural pathways and connections literally shape the physical architecture of the developing brain, forming the strong foundation on which everything else is built. Social and emotional development is an integral part of the foundation that helps guide a young child into adulthood and is firmly tied to every other area of development—physical growth and health, communication and language development, cognitive skills, and early relationships. 1 in 5 children has a diagnosable mental disorder, but factors that predict mental health problems can be identified in the early years. Early childhood social and emotional development is influenced by biology, environment, and relationships that exist between a small group of consistent caregivers and a child. Because the parent-child relationship is so critical for early development, the mental wellness of adults plays a critical role in how very young children develop. When an infant or toddler’s social and emotional development suffers significantly, they can, and do, experience mental health problems as well. But skilled providers can accurately screen, diagnose, and treat mental health disorders in infancy and early childhood before they impact other areas of development. Federal and state policymakers can strengthen the foundation being built for infants and todd...

During the infant and toddler years Children need relationships with caring adults who engage in many one-on-one, face-to-face interactions with them to support their oral language development and lay the foundation for later literacy learning. Important experiences and teaching behaviors include but are not limited to: • Talking to babies and toddlers with simple language, frequent eye contact, and responsiveness to children's cues and language attempts • Frequently playing with, talking to, singing to, and doing fingerplays with very young children • Sharing cardboard books with babies and frequently reading to toddlers on the adult's lap or together with one or two other children • Providing simple art materials such as crayons, markers, and large paper for toddlers to explore and manipulate During the preschool years Young children need developmentally appropriate experiences and teaching to support literacy learning. These include but are not limited to: • Positive, nurturing relationships with adults who engage in responsive conversations with individual children, model reading and writing behavior, and foster children's interest in and enjoyment of reading and writing • Print-rich environments that provide opportunities and tools for children to see and use written language for a variety of purposes, with teachers drawing children's attention to specific letters and words • Adults' daily reading of high-quality books to individual children or small groups, including...

Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The infant’s understanding and mastery of the physical world begins with the reflex movements of newborns. These movements progress within three months to such actions as sucking, grasping, throwing, kicking, and banging, though these are purposeless and repeated for their own sake. During the 4th to the 8th month, the infant begins to repeat those actions that produce interesting effects, and from the 8th to the 12th month he begins coordinating his actions to e.g., knocking down a pillow to obtain a toy hidden behind it. The infant’s physical actions thus begin to show greater Infants display

Children need the right foods at the right time to grow and develop to their full potential. The most critical time for good nutrition is during the 1,000-day period from pregnancy until a child’s second birthday. In the first two years of life, breastfeeding saves lives, shields children from disease, boosts brain development and guarantees children a safe and nutritious food source. UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend that infants begin breastfeeding within one hour of birth, be exclusively breastfed for the first six months, and continue breastfeeding until 2 years of age or beyond. At the age of 6 months, children need to begin eating their first foods. Young children should be fed frequently and in adequate quantities throughout the day, and their meals must be nutrient-dense and comprised of a variety of food groups. Caregivers should prepare and feed meals with clean hands and dishes, and interact with their child to respond to his or her hunger signals. What, when and how children eat is more important before age 2 than at any other time in life. Yet, today, many infants and young children are not receiving the nutrition they need to survive and thrive. Fewer than half of the world’s newborns are benefiting from the life-saving power of breastfeeding during the first hour of life. And only three out of five infants younger than 6 months of age are breastfed exclusively. Children’s first foods too often lack diversity and are low in energy and n...

The healthy growth and development of a young child is much like the construction of a strong and stable building. When it comes to infant and toddler development, the neural pathways and connections literally shape the physical architecture of the developing brain, forming the strong foundation on which everything else is built. Social and emotional development is an integral part of the foundation that helps guide a young child into adulthood and is firmly tied to every other area of development—physical growth and health, communication and language development, cognitive skills, and early relationships. 1 in 5 children has a diagnosable mental disorder, but factors that predict mental health problems can be identified in the early years. Early childhood social and emotional development is influenced by biology, environment, and relationships that exist between a small group of consistent caregivers and a child. Because the parent-child relationship is so critical for early development, the mental wellness of adults plays a critical role in how very young children develop. When an infant or toddler’s social and emotional development suffers significantly, they can, and do, experience mental health problems as well. But skilled providers can accurately screen, diagnose, and treat mental health disorders in infancy and early childhood before they impact other areas of development. Federal and state policymakers can strengthen the foundation being built for infants and todd...

Children need the right foods at the right time to grow and develop to their full potential. The most critical time for good nutrition is during the 1,000-day period from pregnancy until a child’s second birthday. In the first two years of life, breastfeeding saves lives, shields children from disease, boosts brain development and guarantees children a safe and nutritious food source. UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend that infants begin breastfeeding within one hour of birth, be exclusively breastfed for the first six months, and continue breastfeeding until 2 years of age or beyond. At the age of 6 months, children need to begin eating their first foods. Young children should be fed frequently and in adequate quantities throughout the day, and their meals must be nutrient-dense and comprised of a variety of food groups. Caregivers should prepare and feed meals with clean hands and dishes, and interact with their child to respond to his or her hunger signals. What, when and how children eat is more important before age 2 than at any other time in life. Yet, today, many infants and young children are not receiving the nutrition they need to survive and thrive. Fewer than half of the world’s newborns are benefiting from the life-saving power of breastfeeding during the first hour of life. And only three out of five infants younger than 6 months of age are breastfed exclusively. Children’s first foods too often lack diversity and are low in energy and n...

Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The infant’s understanding and mastery of the physical world begins with the reflex movements of newborns. These movements progress within three months to such actions as sucking, grasping, throwing, kicking, and banging, though these are purposeless and repeated for their own sake. During the 4th to the 8th month, the infant begins to repeat those actions that produce interesting effects, and from the 8th to the 12th month he begins coordinating his actions to e.g., knocking down a pillow to obtain a toy hidden behind it. The infant’s physical actions thus begin to show greater Infants display

This module provides child care consultants with information about screening and assessment of infants and toddlers. Upon completion of this module, child care consultants will be able to: • Describe factors that affect infant/toddler development and identify resources for reference on developmental milestones. • Discuss how the integrated nature of infant/toddler development affects overall growth and development. • Describe their state’s professional development system supports for infant/toddler caregivers and how they can be accessed. • Define the difference between observation, screening, and ongoing assessment and the key components of each process. • Discuss the importance of coordinating referrals with the family and other care providers, such as medical and dental homes, therapists, and additional child care providers. • Identify key aspects of the state Part C/Early Intervention system for infants and toddlers with disabilities. • Discuss the importance of involving families in the process of observation, screening, and assessment. Infant/Toddler Development, Screening, and Assessment is one of three infant/toddler modules created to support consultants working in child care settings, especially those who have not had education or training specific to infants and toddlers in group care. These modules were designed to complement training offered to early childhood consultants through the National Training Institute at the Department of Maternal and Child Health, U...

During the infant and toddler years Children need relationships with caring adults who engage in many one-on-one, face-to-face interactions with them to support their oral language development and lay the foundation for later literacy learning. Important experiences and teaching behaviors include but are not limited to: • Talking to babies and toddlers with simple language, frequent eye contact, and responsiveness to children's cues and language attempts • Frequently playing with, talking to, singing to, and doing fingerplays with very young children • Sharing cardboard books with babies and frequently reading to toddlers on the adult's lap or together with one or two other children • Providing simple art materials such as crayons, markers, and large paper for toddlers to explore and manipulate During the preschool years Young children need developmentally appropriate experiences and teaching to support literacy learning. These include but are not limited to: • Positive, nurturing relationships with adults who engage in responsive conversations with individual children, model reading and writing behavior, and foster children's interest in and enjoyment of reading and writing • Print-rich environments that provide opportunities and tools for children to see and use written language for a variety of purposes, with teachers drawing children's attention to specific letters and words • Adults' daily reading of high-quality books to individual children or small groups, including...