Child Care Professionals > The NJ First Steps Infant Toddler Initiative

• 90% of brain development occurs under the age of two
• The quality of child care effects social emotional, language, early literacy and cognitive development.
• Early childhood experiences influence school readiness and academic success.

The NJ First Steps Infant Toddler Initiative, funded by the NJ Department of Human Services, Division of Family Development assists educators of very young children in providing the very best care for infants and toddlers. The New Jersey First Steps Infant/Toddler Initiative has two predominant goals:

1. To improve the quality of Infant/Toddler early care across the state
2. To increase the availability of quality early care programs for families with infants and toddlers

QUESTIONS

Question

Why is NJ First Steps important?

Answer

In New Jersey, at least 50 percent of mothers with children under the age of three are employed outside of the home, and an estimated 12 percent of infants and toddlers attend a regulated child care program. Recent studies such as the Raising the Bar in Infant Care: Helping Teachers Improve Their Qualifications to Work with Infants and Toddlers released by the NJ Infant and Toddler Child Care Initiative of the NJ DHS, Office of Early Care and Education led to a concern with the qualifications of the infant toddler workforce. The "Raising the Bar" study revealed that the state's infant and toddler child care providers are not prepared to provide high-quality experiences for very young children, our most vulnerable and impressionable population in care. The study found that New Jersey's infant/toddler providers have inadequate education and limited experience. They also have lower qualifications than their peers working with older children. Forty percent of family child care providers and 50 percent of center staff caring for these children have no formal education beyond high school.

Question

What services does the NJ First Steps Infant Toddler Initiative offer?

Answer

NJ First Steps is for early care providers interested in establishing, expanding or strengthening services to infants and toddlers. These services include:

• Professional Development: On-site topics are delivered by specialized trainers to present best practice standards in infant and toddler brain development. Education enables providers to work toward the NJ Infant/Toddler Credential.
• Technical Assistance & Consultation: The Infant/Toddler Specialists will serve as mentors to new and experienced early educators. Services provided include: telephone and on-site support, site observations, assessments, and development of program improvement plans.
• Resources & Materials: Your local child care resource and referral agency has a resource library where early care providers can access education in the form of DVDs, videos, equipment and other resources.
• Community Partnerships: The Infant/Toddler network consists of community and statewide organizations that are stakeholders committed to improving the quality of life and early education for young children. These groups include the New Jersey Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (CCANJ), the Coalition of Infant/Toddler Educators (CITE), Professional Impact NJ (PINJ), early intervention, health care organizations, higher education, government, business, local school districts, parents and others.

Question

How do child care providers access the support of NJ First Steps? [ Get Answer ]

Answer

You can benefit from First Steps. The following agencies are serving as the lead for your community:

• Northern NJ: Programs for Parents, Inc. - 973-744-4050, ext. 1016 [ Visit Web Site ]
• Central NJ: Community Coordinated Child Care of Union County - 973-923-1433, ext. 108 [ Visit Web Site ]
• Southern NJ:: Southern Regional Child Care Resources, EIRC - 856-582-8282 ext. 145 [ Visit Web Site ]

These three lead agencies are working in collaboration with CCANJ, the NJ Division of Family Development, Zero to Three, and a statewide advisory committee to create a statewide system of infant/toddler specialists who will be responsible for providing comprehensive services to aid or enhance the quality of infant/toddler care in licensed centers and registered family child care homes.

Click here for a NJ First Steps Brochure.