Shaken baby syndrome describes the serious injuries that can occur when a very young child is severely or violently shaken, causing the brain to move back and forth inside the skull. The syndrome usually originates when a parent or other caregiver shakes a baby out of anger or frustration, often because the baby would not stop crying or…

This brochure, one of a series of publications on recommended feeding and dietary practices to improve nutritional status at various points in the life cycle, focuses on childbirth, the initiation of breastfeeding, and breastfeeding concerns during the first week after birth. Addressed to health care providers working with mothers and newborns,…

This guide is intended to help instructors educate new and expectant parents about safely transporting their newborn babies. The guide accompanies a 27-minute video, developed by the National Traffic Safety Administration, which introduces some of the key safety issues that new parents should consider during their baby's first 6 months of life.…

Based on the view that positive changes in infant and toddler caregivers' relationships can help to achieve the shared goal of promoting young children's healthy development, this book provides stories or vignettes about relationships with children and their parents designed to stimulate individual reflection, encourage group discussion, and honor…

Infants and toddlers like to crawl, climb, run, and explore in wide open, outdoor spaces. This publication provides ideas for day care providers on using outdoor play to facilitate learning in infants and toddlers. Section 1 discusses the benefits of daily outdoor play, including learning to interact with others, practicing language skills,…

In order to prevent the occurrence and spread of disease in California child care programs, this set of laminated procedure pages, in English and Spanish versions, details infant and child care procedures for safe diapering. The document delineates important rules about diapering, gives directions for making a disinfecting solution, and provides…

This pamphlet from the Colorado State Board of Education lists activities that parents and caregivers should see in schools that are providing high-quality care and education for young children. The quality indicators are listed by age group (infant/toddler, 3- to 5-year-olds, 6- to 8-year-olds) and are presented as responses to the question,…

Intended for use by childcare center directors, this guide presents the Quick Quality Check, a practical method for measuring and improving the quality of care in infant/toddler classrooms. The four chapters of the guide discuss the specifics of the Quick Quality Check method for both infants and toddlers, including the instrument development, as…

This issue of the Australian Early Childhood Association Research in Practice Series discusses how educators can observe and respond appropriately to the infants in their care. The booklet examines the two major opportunities for early childhood educators that have been shown to influence outcomes for infants: (1) the opportunity to help infants…

This publication is designed to assist early childhood providers, cooks, and parents in hygienic food preparation and a healthy diet provision for young children in Australian child care. The guide recommends nutritional requirements for children, using the five food groups as a guide for meal planning. The Australian dietary guidelines are also…

This paper asserts that the more enriching the interactions and experiences that parents and child caregivers provide to very young children, the more chances they are providing for growing neural connections and pathways in the brain to support language, reasoning, and planning skills; mental health and emotional well-being; and motor…

Intended for adults working with expectant and new teen mothers, this guide provides techniques and strategies for helping the teen mother develop skills needed to achieve parenting and life goals. The first half of the guide explores the relationship between the adult mentor and teen parent, and steps toward problem solving and positive change.…

This manual is intended for teachers who envision the value of teaching parenting/caring to elementary school children but have minimal time and little opportunity for training. The manual is the third of three units of the curriculum, "Education for Parenting." Each unit follows a different aged baby visiting the classroom and is…

This manual is intended for teachers who envision the value of teaching parenting/caring to elementary school children but have minimal time and little opportunity for training. The manual is the second of three units of the curriculum, "Education for Parenting." Each unit follows a baby of a particular age visiting the classroom and is…

This document is comprised of weekly newsletters for 2002, organized by month, for family child care providers. Each theme-based newsletter contains: (1) creative activities for use with mixed-age groups of 2- to 5-year-olds; (2) ideas on guiding behavior, organization tips, and a Monthly Planning Calendar; (3) special sections for infants and…