Infants and Toddlers

There are 5 million infants and toddlers in low-income families, half of them living in poverty. Many of these families face multiple demographic and familial risks.

Scientists who study brain development are finding that the earliest relationships and experiences that a baby has help set the stage for life-long emotional and other competencies. Yet investments in high-quality infant and toddler care, including supports to informal care providers, lag, and state policies to support parents vary.

Communities are developing programs to meet the needs of parents with infants and toddlers, with some programs targeting higher-risk babies, but sustaining the costs of these programs is challenging.

Publications

• Basic Facts About Low-Income Children
  Birth to Age 3
  Fact Sheet, September 2007
• National Early Childhood Policy Profile
  Fact Sheet, June 2007
• Infant and Toddler Child Care Arrangements
  Brief, August 2005
• Infant and Toddler Child Care Quality
  Brief, August 2005
• Impact of Training and Education for Caregivers of Infants and Toddlers
  Brief, August 2005