“Unlike preschool curricula, which may have more prescribed topics andcontent, the learning that occurs in the first 3 years of life is less content-specificand more fundamental to all learning processes. Because babies self-selecttheir object of attention an arena of practice, the planning and implementationof experiences that will support a child’s agenda must be carried out througha process of close observation, documentation, reflection, and individualizedplanning. Therefore, rather than a curriculum that is designed for an age groupor a classroom, infant/toddler curricula are documented in individual plans (the‘written plan’ referred in the Head Start Performance Standard).”

“Planning infant and toddler curriculum requires that teachers understand and respect how infantsand toddlers learn... Infants and toddlers have an inborn drive to seek information and experience.When they play, they often initiate learning, actively building skills, concepts, and connectionsbetween ideas.

Article focuses on examples from teachers. Two of a larger set of examples from teachers are brieflysummarized here:1. Child pushing friends down and knocking materials off shelf. Met with parents and learned childliked to see things fall. Created a structure for dropping and rolling things down. Child did thisrepeatedly over 2 days; then stopped knocking materials and pushing friends

Infants and toddlers learn through play, exploration, and interaction with objects and people in thecontext of meaningful relationships with trusted adults....The parents and the EHS staff collaborativeto develop learning goals, identify the experiences they want children to have in the program, and dowhat is necessary to create these learning opportunities. The ongoing developmental assessment

n order to inform policy makers, research is needed tostudy the effectiveness of the curricula that are currentlymost widely used. The curricula currently being used ininfant/toddler settings are evidence-derived, that is, basedon what is known from research about the developmentof young children. However, the curricula are generallynot evidence-based: their effectiveness in improving childoutcomes has not been evaluated.Just as important, research is needed to understandthe supports and teacher competencies needed tosuccessfully implement a curriculum. We have notedabove the need to extend new research approaches forverifying curriculum implementation to the infant/toddlerperiod. However, research is needed not just aboutwhether a curriculum is being implemented, but to identifythe most important features of infant/toddler curriculaand the aspects of implementation that are most criticalto supporting development. Finally, studies are neededto examine which combination of features, drawingupon both the what and the how (safe and engagingenvironments; individualized planning for activities toextend learning; implementation of planned activities inthe context of secure and responsive relationships) aremost beneficial to infant/toddler development.

Should be based on following the interests andabilities of the child: they are not a prescribed,invariant, or scripted series of adult-initiated and-directed activities or lesson plans. Infant/toddlercurricula involve the planning of environments andexperiences that are responsive to the abilities andinterests of the individual child

Regarding the what and why, reviewers confirm thatthe program has a written statement of philosophyand has selected a curriculum framework that isconsistent with the philosophy.

Having a curriculum then helps the educator to developsupports for each child’s development within the contextof supportive relationships

the assessment of individual children’s progressthrough ongoing observation by those caring forand educating the infant/toddler using an earlylearning framework that articulates developmentalprogressions (such as the Head Start EarlyLearning Outcomes Framework or state ELGs), andobservation of the infant/toddler’s own interests andmotivation for learning

This includespractices based on continuity of caregiving andprimary caregiving as well as inclusion of family input.

This includes having developmentallyappropriate materials aimed at supporting and extendingdevelopment across all domains, including motor, social-emotional, cognitive, and language development, andapproaches toward learning; planning of space to be bothsafe and conducive to active engagement and exploration,and geared to the interests and abilities of all the infants andtoddlers in the group, either in a center or a home setting

supporting andextending infant/toddler learning. These activities must bebased on the child’s interests, abilities, and internal sleep/wake/feeding schedule

Pedagogy, the lived experiencein the teaching process within the context of relationships,is referred to as the how of the infant/toddler curriculum,including responsive interactions and the process ofindividualizing.

Clearly, infants and toddlers are far from schoolentry, and the behaviors and skills that are precursors ofsuccess in school are very different from what is seen inchildren as they enter formal schooling at age 5.

here is growingrecognition among researchers, practitioners, andpolicy makers that the first three years are a distinctdevelopmental period characterized by rapid braindevelopment, reliance on relationships with adults,extreme responsiveness to environmental variation,and great opportunity for long-term impact on futureoutcomes across a range of developmental