Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/we-see-you!-supporting-the-professional-growth-of-infant-and-toddler-care-providers/5026074/
We see you!” That was the message a nonprofit foundation wanted to convey to infant-toddler professionals across their city. According to Zero to Three (Keating et al., 2019), of the approximately 12 million infants and toddlers in the U.S., more than half spend at least part of their day being cared for by someone other than their parents. Quality early care for infants and toddlers can deliver lifelong positive impacts; the knowledge, skills, and well-being of caregivers are strongly linked to the quality of care received by infants and toddlers (Aikens et al., 2016).
Yet infant-toddler professionals earn the lowest wages and are required to meet the fewest employment and professional development requirements. Infant and toddler providers earn less than their counterparts who work with preschool children, regardless of educational attainment (Austin, 2018). Nationally, African American early educators are disproportionately represented among the infant-toddler workforce (Austin, 2018) and they are more likely than their Hispanic or Caucasian peers to experience the adverse consequences of the disparities in earnings for infant and toddler teachers (Whitebook et al., 2018; Austin, 2018). There is clearly a need for intentional, evidence-informed professional development to improve the quality of infant and toddler care. As a professional development ...