Building Bridges from Prekindergarten to Infants and Toddlers: A Preliminary Look at Issues in Four States--A Discussion Paper

From the time of conception to the first day of kindergarten, development proceeds at a pace exceeding that of any subsequent stage of life. Relationships and experiences with parents, caregivers, and preschool teachers during these early years "form the foundation and scaffold on which cognitive, linguistic, emotional, social, and moral development unfold." Children who do not have the opportunity to participate in quality early experiences, those who are rarely spoken to, and those who have little opportunity to explore and experiment with their environment, may fail to fully develop the neural connections and pathways that support later learning. The heightened awareness of this critical period of development and an ever increasing number of studies that indicate that high-quality programs lead to positive outcomes for children, have led to greater public support and investments in early childhood programs. Despite this new interest and some public policy activity, early childhood policy itself is still very much in its infancy. Because much policy work still remains to be done to ensure quality services for children ages birth to five, the authors believe that now is the time to begin to explore the connections and interactions between infant-toddler and pre-kindergarten policies, and to create a dialogue about how to build systems that ensure the maximum benefit for children of all ages, while avoiding the negative consequences that could result without an intentional discussion about how the parts fit together. This paper begins to explore these interactions through a very limited number of interviews with early childhood leaders in four states (Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York). It provides an initial glimpse into some of the issues involved in building high-quality learning opportunities for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Includes appendix: Related State Activities. (Contains 5 endnotes.) [This report is a joint publication of the Zero to Three Policy Center and The Trust for Early Education.]