WestEd News
Early Caregiver-Child Relationships Build the Foundation for Lifelong Learning
The brain’s rapid development during a child’s first years of life establishes the foundation for later learning. As early care providers and state policymakers are focusing more urgently on how best to support healthy development during this crucial period of growth, a federally funded policy brief offers research-based guidance on raising the level of quality for out-of-home early child care.
The researchers who authored the brief emphasize the importance of supportive policies that focus on the relationship between caregiver and child as the key to strengthening healthy early development.
“Primary caregiving” and “continuity of care” are two important practices that enable caregivers to develop close, positive relationships with infants and toddlers, according to the researchers. Providing such care can be challenging, though state- and program-level policies can support the implementation of these practices.
Read the R&D Alert article to learn more.
Posted on February 27, 2017