Developed by the California Department of Education and WestEd’s Center for Child & Family Studies, the California Infant–Toddler Learning and Development Foundations (ITLDF) describe research- and evidence-based expectations for how most children progress from birth to age 3 in social-emotional, language, cognitive, and perceptual and motor development. The ITLDF support care educators and families in understanding early development, fostering responsive relationships, and creating accessible, culturally grounded learning experiences. They provide a common language for families, professionals, community members, and policymakers, guiding curriculum, assessment, professional development, and quality improvement while honoring each child’s unique strengths, cultures, and languages.

In this new second edition of California Infant–Toddler Learning and Development Foundations, the 4 domains presented explain the competencies infants and toddlers typically attain in the first 3 years of life. The descriptions of competencies are enriched with examples of typical behaviors at each age level in each of the four domains as well as behaviors leading up to attainment of those competencies.

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