Orientation Ron Lally Center for Child and Family Studies, WestEd.

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.

DomainDomain

FoundationFoundation

Age-level descriptionAge-level description

ExamplesExamples

Behaviors leading up to the foundation

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 3Self expression

EmpathyMeasure 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 periodicallyReflect,

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