Early Care & Learning Council: NYS Campaign for Continuity

Imagine moving to new house and having to make new friends every six months.

Imagine getting a new supervisor every 6 months with different methods and expectations.

How would this rattle your comfort zone?

This is what life can be like for infants and toddlers moving through a child care program. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Today, the Early Care & Learning Council’s Infant and Toddler Project will kick off the NYSCampaignforContinuity, a statewide campaign to promote continuity of care for babies and toddlers in child care centers. Continuity of care is a child care program policy that supports the idea that children should have one caregiver from the time they enroll in a child care program until they are ready for preschool. Stable and responsive relationships with parents and primary caregivers are critical for the development of babies and toddlers. 85% of brain development occurs before the age of 3. When infants and toddlers repeatedly age out of their child care groups and move on to different rooms with different caregivers, it can disrupt their social emotional development. Continuity of care allows children to have close caring relationships, a sense of security and trust and the confidence to explore and learn.

Evelyn Efinger, Infant and Toddler Coordinator at the Early Care & Learning Council, will introduce the campaign today at an Infant and Toddler Leadership Forum at the NYS Association for the Education of Young Children Conference in Buffalo. Campaign messages and materials will be distributed statewide by the NYS Infant and Toddler Resource Network, a network of Infant and Toddler Specialists located in the Child Care Resource & Referral agencies across the state.

Practicing continuity of care has been challenging for child care programs in the past. The child care regulations in New York State support the traditional method of center based care where children move up through the rooms as they age. This year the state will be adding supportive language to the new child care regulations to be released later this year.

Efinger said, “Continuity of care is not a new concept but we are taking a new approach to helping child care programs implement better policies for babies and toddlers. Later this year, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services will be adding language to the child care regulations to encourage programs to practice continuity. This campaign is a renewed effort to elevate the discussion and look at infant care through the eyes of the baby. We know the ingredients of high quality child care for our youngest children. And now we must work together to implement best practice.” said Evelyn Efinger, Infant and Toddler Coordinator at the Early Care & Learning Council.

During infancy, children are learning about the world and about themselves. They are focused on security, exploration and identity formation. Developing these competencies is easier when babies are cared for by a responsive adult who knows them well and can interpret their cues.