Conversations with families about understanding and nurturing their young child's development can be both rewarding and challenging. In this article, two seasoned HealthySteps specialists and two HealthySteps physician champions were asked to reflect on this central aspect of their mission in serving infants, toddlers, and families and on what…

The early childhood workforce encompasses a range of professionals across health care, early childhood education, mental health, child welfare, and early intervention. Despite the differences in daily responsibilities, these professionals experience similar systems-level challenges which impede their ability to professionally flourish and risk…

This article focuses on the fundamental role that early childhood educators (ECEs) play in the lives of infants and very young children and their families--underscoring the power of early interactions and relationships between infant--toddler and preschool educators and the children in their programs. The authors explore the ECEs' unique roles,…

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the environment in which young children are developing. This article explores the question: How might this reduction in social interactions with peers impact the social development of the youngest children? Social skills rely on a foundation of cognitive and emotional skills that are prerequisites to…

The use of developmental milestone checklists is an excellent opportunity to highlight significant behaviors and the ages at which the majority of children display the behaviors. The checklists are intended to help parents know what to expect as their young children grow and when it is appropriate to refer their child to an expert for a screening…

This article is an excerpt from the "ZERO TO THREE Critical Competencies for Infant-Toddler Educators"[TM] Course Curriculum, module SE-6: Promoting Children's Sense of Self and Belonging. The course supports development of the essential skills educators need to optimize the social-emotional, cognitive, and language and literacy…

Expanding Quality in Infant Toddler Care is a professional development initiative that is relationship-based on every level. It is administrated by the Colorado Office of Early Childhood. Instructors get intensive training and become members of the Infant Toddler Specialist network. Every level of the EQ Initiative uses an open framework called…

This article is an excerpt from the forthcoming book, "Mental Health in the Early Years: Challenges and Pathways to Resilience', by Gail L. Ensher, David A. Clark, and Melissa M. Luke with contributing authors. This excerpt includes the value of a family systems and an ecological perspective; provides an overview of social--emotional…

Part C of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates the provision of early intervention (El) services to qualifying children under 36 months old. Socia/­ emotional development is one area that programs are obligated to provide assessment and intervention for and yet, most El programs do not have licensed mental health…

Decades of research and clinical observations have demonstrated the harmful effects of parent-child separation on children's short- and long-term well-being (Society for Research in Child Development, 2018). Young children may be separated from their parents due to a variety of circumstances. This article provides recommendations for the…

A community of practice (CoP) is a vehicle for bringing in participants who share a common interest to learn from and grow with each other. In order to have a transformative learning experience, the CoP needs to be facilitated by a humble, credible facilitator. This article examines the role and benefits of a humble, credible facilitator and how…

This article highlights two competency-based coaching and mentoring models for the incumbent infant-toddler workforce, designed and implemented at two Illinois institutions of higher education. Each model has been intentionally developed with an antibias and equity lens, focused on cultivating a diverse workforce of practitioners through…

Standards and competencies are critical structural supports for any professional workforce, including early childhood professionals. Workforce capacity building, career progression, and career longevity can be supported by the foundation of consistent competency expectations. Defining and embedding consistent, evidence-based competencies is a…

This article discusses how increasing diversity within a community requires health care professionals to reassess the developmental assessment tools being used, or at the least, what implications one can derive from resultant identification of delays. The author describes a culture clash between her training and developmental expectations as a…

This article describes some of the extraordinary accomplishments of the second cohort of states to participate in the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Financing Policy Project (IECMH-FPP). The purpose of the IECMHFPP is to support states' advancement of IECMH assessment, diagnosis, and treatment policies that will contribute to the healthy…