Meeting the Needs of Infants and Toddlers in Child Care Kathy L Reschke, Ph.D., ICF International

Overview  Introductions  Session Goals  Where infants and toddlers are and why  Closer look at most common settings  Strategies  Infant-Toddler Initiatives; potential collaborators

Session Goals  Gain current understanding of where infants and toddlers are being cared for and why  Gain a better understanding of key characteristics of common infant/toddler settings and caregivers  Identify strategies for working within these settings  Identify state/national interest in the well-being of infants and toddlers in non-parental care

Where the Babies Are ■ Survey of Income and Program Participation – Child Care Module ■ Winter 2002 ■ Estimated 1.57 million infants (< 1 yo) ■ Estimated 3.6 million toddlers (1-2 yo) ■ Table: % of children in various child care arrangements on a regular basis (at least once a week)

INFANTS 0-1 TODDLERS 1-2

Other Stats ■ Early Head Start: ■ Infants – 3%; Toddlers – 4% ■ Infants are less likely to be in multiple arrangements, more likely to be in one type of care for more hours per week ■ Center-based – 33hrs/wk. ■ Relative care – 27 hrs/wk. ■ Costs ■ 20% received some type of assistance

The Choices Parents Make ■ Cost of care ■ Labor-intensive ■ Out-of-pocket: infant - $117; toddler - $104; preschooler - $75 ■ Availability ■ Directly tied to cost ■ Preferences ■ Prefer a home-like environment with one caregiver ■ Characteristics of care rated “very important” by a high percentage of infant parents: availability and reliability

Closer Look at Centers ■ Education/training of caregivers ■ As of Sept ’06, 16 states had any level of preservice training requirements for I/T caregivers. ■ I/T teachers have lowest education level; over half having no higher than HS diploma ■ 40% of BA programs required I/T course ■ Turnover of caregivers ■ 41% turnover of I/T staff in one year ■ Quality ■ 63% rated as “mediocre”; 8% as “poor”

Closer Look at Fathers Providing Child Care Fathers as regular child care providers ■ Least financially costly option ■ “Tag Team” child care ■ Work alternate shifts ■ One or both parents working part time ■ Unemployed or disabled ■ Puts stress on marital relationship

Closer Look at Grandmothers Providing Child Care ■ Motivation is to support adult child: ■ Care is flexible, no- or low-cost, any time ■ Often one of a number of resource exchanges ■ Self-perception: supporter, expert ■ In no way views herself as professional, educator ■ Fuzzy role boundaries; can cause tension ■ Strong mesosystem influence – relationship between parent and caregiver is paramount, complex and multi-dimensional ■ More appropriate to take a “family support” approach than an ECE approach ■ Very few ECE connections; more community

Closer Look at Family Child Care Homes Family Child Care Homes ■ Very different organization/structure: ■ Caregiver wears all hats, makes all decisions ■ One caregiver, multiple ages of children ■ Work long hours, offer care at non-traditional hours ■ Self-perception: ■ Wide range of views of professionalism ■ Widely variable: education/training; use of schedule, curriculum; connection to ECE world

Closer Look at Family Child Care Homes ■ Connections: ■ Licensing: over half the states (34) allow a person to care for 3 or fewer non-related children without being regulated ■ Family child care associations ■ Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies ■ Child and Adult Care Food Program ■ Child care assistance program ■ Community resources

Connecting to Caregivers 1. How can this knowledge inform the way that you initially find and connect to children with special needs in these caregiving settings? 2. What challenges do these unique characteristics present in serving children? 3. What opportunities might they offer? 4. What strategies seem most suited to this population of children, families and caregivers?

National/State Activity ■ National Initiatives: ■ National Infant & Toddler Child Care Initiative ■ Zero-to-Three and Child Care Bureau ■ 5-year initiative involving 20 states ( ) ■ Focused on system building ■ Work with CCDF administrators and other partners in each state ■ ■ Website: state-specific information and resources

State-Level Activity ■ Infant-Toddler Specialist Networks ■ 17 states; funded through CCDF; often located in regional R&R offices ■ More info on ■ Infant-Toddler Credential ■ 12 states; 5 states in development (3/07) ■ Early Learning Guidelines for Infant/Toddlers ■ 17 states (4/06) ■ Infant Mental Health Consultant Networks ■

Other Resources ■ Zero-to-Three: ■ State updates ■ Program profiles ■ Federal legislative updates ■ ■ Ounce of Prevention ■

Questions??