Summary of Packard-CSU Ed.D. Pre-Dissertation Fellowship Report
Title: The Efficacy of High Quality Infant Toddler Programs Toward Early School Readiness and Its
Implications to Disadvantaged Families
Ed.D. Candidate: Corinna D. Calica, Sonoma State University – University of California Davis
Research Question(s):
1) How can low-income families provide their young infants affordable and high quality care while they
attend school and/or are employed?
2) How can low-income and disadvantaged infants, confounded with multiple risks and challenges,
combat the societal norm of an achievement gap for the first three years of their lives?
3) What proven elements of care strengthen a disadvantaged infant’s internal coping mechanisms and
propel an infant’s optimal growth and development?
4) How do disadvantaged infants positively develop in their growth and development when exposed to
these elements of care over a period of one school year?
5) How do these elements of care facilitate low-income infants’ achievement of preschool readiness and
later school readiness?
Conceptual Framework and/or Guiding Purpose of the Study:
Disadvantaged or “at-risk” families living in poverty are confounded with multiple risks and challenges,
which confront and affect their life skill resiliency and their child’s academic school success. In this current
economic downturn, low-income parents are faced with finding affordable, as well as quality, infant toddler
childcare, for their infants or toddlers, as they gain employment after a parental leave. This research study,
over a one-year span with a follow-up plan, will carefully examine and analyze the lasting efficacy of high
quality infant and toddler programs on enrolled “at-risk” infants and toddlers and their families.
The research proposes that placing a disadvantaged infant or toddler in a high quality infant and toddler
program on a long-term basis, with highly trained and motivated staff, with a relationship-based curriculum,
is a strong indicator of a child’s later school readiness in the preschool and elementary years.
Furthermore, the research proposes such move will lend to the reduction of a disadvantaged child’s
multiple risks and strengthening of internal coping mechanisms toward resiliency.
Relevant Theoretical and Empirical Literature:
A high quality infant and toddler program has program policies and practices that support the development
of positive relationships—specifically, relationships between caregivers and families and vice versa (CDE,
2006). With the emergence of the Program for Infant Toddler Care Institutes, the discipline and
professionalism of infant toddler development progressed as well. Other policies and practices that mark
a high quality infant toddler program are the following (CDE, 2006):
1. Primary care-giving assignments
2. Small Groups
3. Continuity of care-giving relationships
4. Safe, interesting, and developmentally engaging environments and materials
5. Inclusion of children with special needs
6. Curriculum that is responsive to individual children’s interests, needs, and developmental abilities
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Summary of Packard-CSU Ed.D. Pre-Dissertation Fellowship Report
The center quality influences children’s outcomes that yield positive gains in school readiness. Carefully
modeled quality early education programs have shown significant effects repeatedly on young children’s
cognitive growth and, on occasion, on their social development. Increased results, though modest in most
cases, are stronger for children from low-income families, even though the average quality of centers the
children attended was moderate to low (Loeb, 2004).
Childcare quality, family factors, and attachment are important to an infant’s optimal growth and
development. Through sensitive caregiving interactions, attachment grows, especially when there is a
consistency and, over time, children come to know the person who provides the care --- development,
learning and attachment are vitally related to one another (Gonzalez – Mena, 2007).
In infant toddler early care and development, there are five major research-based elements that are
important for infant practitioners to know (Honig, 2002):
1. High quality care leads to positive child outcomes
2. Child outcomes vary with time spent in care
3. Caregivers influence parents and parent-child relationship
4. Children from stressed families are at risk
5. Parents need better information about and access to quality care
According to the NICHD Early Childhood Research Network (2001), childcare quality is a consistent
predictor of children’s behavior and social-emotional development. Basically, children receiving more
sensitive and responsive attention in childcare tend to have fewer caregiver-related problems at age 2 and
3 (NICHD, 2001). Nurturing and culturally-responsive care-giving of young children during the first three
years of life help infants develop a sense of trust and security with their primary caregivers, which later
translate into healthy relationships and lifelong learning. The California Department of Education (CDE)
Infant Toddler Program Guidelines (CDE, 2006) contend that relationships support all learning domains in
an infant. Furthermore, the CDE ascertains that ”consistent, prompt responses help infants feel secure as
well as help them learn to wait and regulate their emotional responses even though they feel some stress
(CDE, 2006).”
High quality group care for infants and toddlers is based on research – based knowledge of development
in the earliest years--- the capacities of infants, the wide range of individual differences among young
children, the origins and impact of diverse cultural styles of care giving, and the resiliency with which
infants and toddlers cope with which infants and toddlers cope with developmental change (Lally, 2003).
Furthermore, because all early development depends in large part on infants and toddlers daily experience
within their most important relationships, program design, policies, and staffing must appreciate the
significance and complexity of all the child’s meaningful relationships in the group care setting (Lally,
2003). The optimal infant toddler child care environments combined structured activities with plenty of
attention to the child’s individual needs --- this means that the child care setting provides sizeable
proportions for play and exploration and for mastery of the environment through the development of new
skills (Lieberman, 1993).
In quality infant toddler programs, caregivers are knowledgeable, alert, and responsive to an infant’s
unique needs, feelings, cues, and developmental abilities. Similarly, advanced intellectual activity requires
emotional interactions, and supporting these early emotional interactions is critical for intellectual and
social growth (PITC, 2006). In fact, school literacy depends on child’s mastering essential thinking
capacities that stem from early emotional interactions --- they lead to the ability to attend, listen, follow
directions, communicate ideas, participate in a group, understand what is heard or read, solve problems,
and eventually write meaningful words (PITC, 2006).
Furthermore, in the first three years of life, research reveals that quality of infant toddler childcare shows
consistent but modest links and correlation to young children’s cognitive and language development
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Summary of Packard-CSU Ed.D. Pre-Dissertation Fellowship Report
(NICHD, 2001). In other words, the higher the quality of care received by an infant, (the more positive
language stimulation and interaction), the greater the child’s language ability at 15, 24, and 36 months, the
better the child’s cognitive development at 2 years old, and the greater the child’s school readiness at 3
years of age (Honig, 2002).
Essentially, the longer an infant is consistently exposed to high quality care over time, the more the infant’s
sense of trust and security in his or her primary caregiver, environment and routines transfer to building
confidence in personal discovery, exploration and taking developmental risks to expand or challenge
learning. This research examines the positive developmental effects in a young child as the infant
experiences and is exposed to quality infant toddler care on a regular basis.
Methods of Data Collection and Analysis:
For this investigation, the measurement tools utilized and preliminary findings were as follow:
(1) Infant Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS) (Harms, 2002): This Infant and Toddler program
quality rating system has a scale of 1 (deficient) to 7 (excellent) on Program Quality. The toddler
classroom performed with a score of 6.615, which is indicates that the program has an above average
program quality. The consistently highest scores were the Language Component: all three
components scored a 7. Consistent observations and ratings indicate a rich and responsive
environment for both infants and caregivers.
(2) Infant Toddler Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP-R): This is an Infant Toddler
Individual Assessment. A running record of six DRDP individual assessments of specific infants was
conducted for the entire 2010 – 2011 school year.
(3) Desired Results Total Group Summary of Findings: This is a toddler group assessment, and
findings are available to – date for six infants. As illustrated by an ECERS score of 21 for a rich
language environment, the six infants consistently scored high in discovering ideas and in four
dimensions of language development (comprehension, responsiveness, communication, and
reciprocal communication). The six infants’ average group score placed on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th levels in
acting purposes, discovering ideas, and connecting ideas, respectively.
Initial Analysis and Emerging Recommendations:
The research proposes that placing a disadvantaged infant or toddler in a high – quality infant and toddler
program on a long-term basis, with highly trained and motivated staff, with a relationship – based
curriculum, is a strong indicator of a child’s later school readiness in the preschool and elementary years.
Furthermore, the research proposes such move will lend to the reduction of a disadvantaged child’s
multiple risks and strengthening of internal coping mechanisms toward resiliency.
As far as the quality environment and practices of infant toddler care, the overall program where the six
low – income infants belonged rated at an above average score (6.615 out of 7.0). Among the multiple
quality subscales rated, the program scored perfect 7s under all the sections under the Language
Component (21 total score out of all 3 sections), meaning the program environment and practices lend to
an excellent implementation of early learning language acquisition and skills.
Astoundingly, the independent developmental profiles of each of the six infants indicate language
development as each of their highest emerging skill. Furthermore, the Summary of Findings (total score
combinations of all infants developmental profile scores) point toward a consistent above average rating of
all of the infants in language development, which is similar to the program environment’s high rating in
language – rich learning program. This initial assessment shows the validity and reliability of scores
indicative of a quality infant toddler programs’ transfer of learning, specifically to language development, to
individual infant language skills and group language interaction.
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Summary of Packard-CSU Ed.D. Pre-Dissertation Fellowship Report
With a research study over one – year span, scores gained by disadvantaged infants and toddlers enrolled
in high quality childcare settings were tracked, tabulated, and analyzed. Increased positive outcomes from
infant toddler assessments between the six infants were analyzed to determine their correlation to high
quality infant toddler care.
For better reliability and validity purposes, the Toddler Program Head Teacher has suggested continuing
the assessment and research of six infants during the six – week summer program (June – July 2011).
These six infants will be returning for the college’s summer program with their student parents in order to
qualify for re-enrollment for the upcoming (2011 – 2012) school year.
Generally speaking, this investigation purports that placing young children in relationship-based care,
child-centered environments, and with highly – trained and nurturing caregivers assist them to increase
resiliency, thrive developmentally, and achieve success in school readiness. Young children of
disadvantaged families benefit significantly towards optimal development when given the opportunity to
experience high quality care giving routines, trained and skilled care givers, and highly developmentally –
appropriate environments and settings.
Additional Description:
With the Packard Committee’s recommendation, the research study and tracking of infants will continue
for an additional year of study (school year 2011 – 2012) in order to fully observe their desired outcomes
through entrance into preschool years.
Further implications of infant and toddlers school readiness will be inferred and explained through the
second year research study. Comparisons to other similar studies on infant toddler program quality and
positive school readiness outcomes will be assessed.
Recommendations will be made in the completed research study concerning infant and toddler programs
for low-income communities in the county of the community college.
References
California Department of Education, California Infant/Toddler Learning and
Development Foundations (Sacramento: CA Department of Education & West Ed
Center for Child and Family Studies, 2006), p. 3.
California Department of Education, California Infant/Toddler Learning and
Development Foundations (Sacramento: CA Department of Education & West Ed
Center for Child and Family Studies, 2009).
California Department of Education, Infant Toddler Desired Result Developmental
Profile Assessment (Sacramento: CA Department of Education, 2001), www.cde.ca.us.
California Department of Education, Desired Results Developmental Profile
Assessment Instruments (Sacramento, CA: CDE, 2010), www.cde.ca.us.
Concepts of Care: Essays on Infant/Toddler Development and Learning, ed. Lally, J.R.,
Mangione, P., Greenwald, D., (Sausalito, CA: West ED), p. 17.
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Summary of Packard-CSU Ed.D. Pre-Dissertation Fellowship Report
Desired Results for Children and Families, www.desiredresults.us/
Gonzalez-Mena, J. & D. Widmeyer Eyer, Infants, Toddlers and Caregivers (New York,
NY: McGraw-Hill, 7th Edition, 2007), p. 48 - 49.
Harms, Thelma, The Infant Toddler Rating Scale (New York, NY: Teacher’s College
Press, 2002).
Honig, A.S., Secure Relationships: Nurturing Infant/Toddler Attachment in Early
Care Settings (Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of the
Young Child, 2002), pp. 47 – 50.
Lally, R. A. Griffin, E. Fenichel, M. Segal, E. Szanton, & B. Weissbourd, Caring for
Infants and Toddlers in Groups (Washington, D.C.: Zero to Three, 2004), p. 57.
Lieberman, A., The Emotional Life of a Toddler (Free Press: New York, N.Y., 1995). P. 213.
Loeb, S., B. Fuller, S.L. Kagan, & B. Carroll, “Child Care in Poor Communities: Early
Learning Effects of Type, Quality, and Stability,” Child Development, Jan/Feb
2004, 75, 1, pp. 47-65.
NICHD Early Child Care Research Network, “Early Childcare and Children’s
Development prior to School Entry, “(Biennial Meeting of the Society for
Research in Child Development, 19 April 2001, Minneapolis, MN).
Program for Infant Toddler Care. www.pitc.org
“Replicating Effective Early Childhood Programs,” Journal of Zero to Three
(Washington, D.C.: Zero to Three, Vol. 25, 5, May 2005).
SPSS. www.sagepublications.com.
West Ed/Far West Laboratory Center for Child and Family Studies, Infant/Toddler
Care giving: A Guide to Cognitive Development and Learning (CA Department of
Education, 1995).
West Ed/Far West Laboratory Center for Child and Family Studies, Infant/Toddler
Care giving: A Guide to Creating Partnerships with Parents (CA Department of
Education, 1995).
West Ed/Far West Laboratory Center for Child and Family Studies, Infant/Toddler
Care giving: A Guide to Culturally Sensitive Care (CA Department of Education,
1995).
West Ed/Far West Laboratory Center for Child and Family Studies, Infant/Toddler
Care giving: A Guide to Social-Emotional Development (CA Department of
Education, 1995).
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