Orientation Ron Lally Center for Child and Family Studies, WestEd

Guiding Principles in the Creation of the Infant/Toddler L & D System  The family (including the family’s culture and language) plays a central role in early learning and development.  Infancy is a unique stage of life that is important in its own right.  Development in infancy can be described by three age periods—birth to eight months, eight months to 18 months, and 18 months to 36 months.

Guiding Principles in the Creation of the Infant/Toddler L & D System  Infants and toddlers are competent, yet vulnerable, at every stage of development.  Nurturing relationships provide the foundation for emotional security and for optimal learning and development.

Guiding Principles in the Creation of the Infant/Toddler L & D System  Infants and toddlers learn in a holistic way rather than one domain at a time.  Early development can be characterized by both quantitative and qualitative change.  Early development reflects an interplay of differentiation and integration.

Introduction to the I/T Learning and Development Program Guidelines

What Are Infant & Toddler Program Guidelines?  Broad recommendations for program quality based on research, theory, and practice.  Available for voluntary participation of programs seeking a higher quality of care and education for children from birth to 36 months.  Related to other quality improvement efforts.

Program Guidelines Are Not:  Early Learning Guidelines or Standards or Foundations  Regulations  Child Assessments  Program Assessments  Quality Rating Systems  Tied to Funding

Program Guidelines Resources  Infant/Toddler Learning & Development Program Guidelines  Infant/Toddler Learning & Development Program Guidelines Workbook  Infant/Toddler Learning & Development Program Guidelines DVD Series

Introduction to the I/T Learning and Development Foundations

Domains Covered by Infant/Toddler Learning & Development Foundations  Social-Emotional Development  Cognitive Development  Language Development  Perceptual and Motor Development

Purposes of the Infant/Toddler Learning & Development Foundations  To provide research-based and evidence- based descriptions of the way most infants and toddlers typically make developmental progress.  To augment infant care teachers’ understanding of early development.  To inform the curriculum planning process and assessment of children’s development progress.

Domain Foundation Age-level description Examples Behaviors leading up to the foundation

Foundations Resources  California Infant/Toddler Learning & Development Foundations  California Infant/Toddler Learning & Development Foundations DVD series

The Desired Results Developmental Profile – Infant/Toddler © (2010) [DRDP-IT © (2010)]

The Desired Results Developmental Profile – Infant/Toddler © (2010)  Is an observational assessment tool, NOT a test  Is based on developmental research and theory  Includes developmental sequences of behaviors along a continuum  Is completed by each child’s teacher

How the DRDP-IT © (2010) Is Used  To provide a general orientation to facilitating development and learning in key domains at each stage and age.  To focus on qualitative differences in development in key developmental domains.  To focus on the child’s current level of development (Positive Orientation) rather than on what the child has not yet or only partially mastered.  To help caregivers or teachers track the developmental progress of individual children.

How the DRDP-IT © (2010) Is Used  To be inclusive of children with disabilities or other special needs (universal design).  For birth to 3 it should consist of observing naturally occurring behavior rather than setting up situations to observe and record specific behavior.  It should not interfere with the ongoing interactions and routines in the care and education setting.

Alignment of DRDP-IT © (2010) to Infant/Toddler Foundations Expression of emotion Measure 3 Self expression Empathy Measure 5 Empathy Emotion regulation Measure 11 – Seeking other’s help to regulate self Measure 12 - Responsiveness to other’s support Measure 13 – Self comforting Measure 10 - Impulse control Impulse control Social Emotional Development Foundations Desired Result Indicator

DRDP-IT © (2010) Resources  DRDP-IT © (2010) – Assessment Instrument  DRDP-IT © (2010) – Assessment Users Guide

Introduction to the Curriculum Framework

What Is the Infant & Toddler Curriculum Framework?  A document that presents principles, a planning process, and strategies to assist infant care teachers in their efforts to support children’s learning and development from birth to 3.  The curriculum framework presents general guidance on planning learning environments and experiences for infants and toddlers.

How is the Infant & Toddler Curriculum Framework to be Used?  The curriculum framework provides a structure that infant care teachers can use to make informed decisions about curriculum practices.  Infant care teachers can follow the curriculum planning process presented in the framework to support learning and development in ways that are responsive to infants’ interests, inclinations, and needs.  Infant care teachers can turn to the framework for specific ideas (strategies) to support early learning and development.

The Curriculum Planning Process Observe & Reflect on infants’ & toddlers’ learning Document observations Complete DRDP-R I/T periodically Reflect, question, & plan Implement curriculum

Curriculum Framework Resources California Infant/Toddler Curriculum Framework (in preparation) Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) print materials and DVDs that provide guidance on facilitating infants’ learning in all developmental domains New Perspectives on Infant/Toddler Learning, Development, and Care (DVD)

Introduction to PITC