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…

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…

Educators interact with more than 4 million infants and toddlers each week in the United States and can provide positive, nurturing experiences that enhance development. Tragically, the infant-toddler workforce in the United States often lacks the support and resources necessary to support their work. These urgent needs require comprehensive…

Power to the Profession is a national collaboration working to define the early childhood profession by establishing a unifying framework for career pathways, knowledge and competencies, qualifications, standards, and compensation. This initiative is led by a National Task Force comprised of leaders from 15 national organizations, including ZERO…

Traumatic experiences are common in early childhood and may have enduring consequences on health and development. Cost-effective and developmentally appropriate interventions are needed to support the educational success of children affected by trauma. The Supportive Trauma Interventions for Educators (STRIVE) Project emphasized strategies for…

Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative (ELNC) began as a year-long initiative to support early learning for very young children and families. The program has grown into a self-sustaining, nonprofit, place-based organization committed to improving the lives of children and families in the underresourced neighborhoods of Grand Rapids, MI.…

A study tour of early childhood education (ECE) programs in Aotearoa New Zealand offered a rich opportunity to explore the implementation of "Te Whariki," the national ECE curriculum. This article describes three central aspects of the "Te Whariki" approach that have garnered international admiration as a model for ECE: the…

Professionals who work with families during the prenatal to 5 years range (p-5) can work with colleagues across various sectors of the field to coordinate and collaborate on behalf of young children and their families. This article explores the efforts of p-5 professionals throughout Los Angeles County to strengthen their capacity to engage in…

There are few sources of national data on the early childhood and school-age workforce. The National Workforce Registry Alliance is creating an important source of current, verified, longitudinal data on the early care and education field. The 2019 dataset analysis focused on the characteristics of infant--toddler educators to highlight the status…

Hearts and Minds on Babies (HMB) is an innovative, attachment-based training for Early Head Start (EHS) staff and parents, developed through a collaboration between university-based researchers and clinicians and community-based EHS educators. This article describes HMB, our collaboration, and lessons learned when infusing infant and early…

Case studies provide numerous opportunities for professional development and can be particularly helpful in transdiciplinary training. This article offers suggestions for how to use the "Zero to Three" Journal's "Stories From the Field" series of articles across a variety of settings and roles such as clinical practice, program…

This article explores the ethical obligation of those in the early care and education field to deconstruct ableism (and other -isms, such as racism, sexism, classism) and to reconstruct an understanding of social identity that is strengths-based and affirming. The authors describe the Dis/ability Studies and Critical Race Theory (DisCrit)…

Research indicates that many toddlers experience low to mediocre quality child care settings with limited interactions and learning opportunities available. This article uses the context of brain and development research to describe toddlers' experiences in child care. Reporting on the established connections between toddlers' experiences and…

Collaboration between university researchers and community agencies offers the opportunity to pilot innovative, evidence-informed interventions. Partnerships of this nature also present unique ethical dilemmas to community agencies, particularly regarding research and agency policies, navigating privacy protections, adequate and consistent…

This nine-unit curriculum translates current scientific research on early brain development into practical suggestions to help early childhood professionals understand the reciprocal link between caregiving and brain development. The curriculum was created and extensively field-tested by the Erikson Institute Faculty Development Project on the…