Framework for Infant–Toddler Learning and Development

The Framework for Infant–Toddler Learning and Development presents guidance on planning relationships and interactions, routines, and environment and materials to support the learning and development of infants and toddlers. Aligned to the California Infant–Toddler Learning and Development Foundations (ITLDF), it describes how young children learn and develop across the domains of Social and Emotional development, Approaches to Learning, Language Development, Cognitive Development, and Perceptual and Motor Development. The primary audience for this document is caregivers, particularly infant–toddler care educators in home-based and center-based early learning and care settings, along with trainers, coaches, program directors, education coordinators, early interventionists, disabilities specialists, mentors, and supervisors. Families with infants and toddlers and early childhood faculty in higher education will also find this resource useful.

The sections that follow provide a preview of the content in The Framework for Infant–Toddler Learning and Development, which includes five chapters: 1) Introduction 2) Planning to Support Infant–Toddler Learning and Development, and the three Core Chapters, which focus on practices for planning Relationships and Interactions, Routines, and Environment and Materials to support the learning and development of infants and toddlers. To access the full chapters, please download the Framework for Infant–Toddler Learning and Development here.

Organization of the Framework for Infant–Toddler Learning and Development

The introductory chapter provides overarching framing and guidance, addressing the broader context for early development and learning, program features that support infant–toddler learning and development, important considerations for how infants and toddlers learn, and guiding principles that address how to plan possibilities for early learning and development.

Key sections in Chapter 1:

Organization of the Framework for Infant–Toddler Learning and Development
The Context for Early Learning and Development
Program Features That Support Infant–Toddler Learning and Development
The Infant–Toddler Learning Process: The Starting Point
Principles Underlying the Support of Early Learning and Development

The “Planning to Support Infant–Toddler Learning and Development” chapter (planning chapter) discusses how infant–toddler care educators support infant and toddler development by engaging in the planning cycle of observing and documenting, studying and interpreting, planning, and implementing a plan. The chapter introduces and discusses how care educators plan individualized support for infant and toddler development in three contexts: relationships and interactions, routines, and environment and materials. Discussion and examples illustrate the planning cycle and emphasize ongoing reflection and partnering with families to understand each child’s strengths, interests, and needs. By incorporating reflection at every step of the cycle, care educators continually adjust to support young children’s learning and development.

Relationships and interactions are at the heart of early learning and development. Children learn and grow through interactions with adults and peers. These interactions usually take place as part of ongoing, meaningful relationships. When infants and toddlers are in the care of individuals outside their family, secure primary relationships with responsive infant–toddler care educators (care educators) support their development. Through consistent and responsive interactions, care educators build children’s self-confidence and support their learning. Although every child learns and develops through interactions with others, each child’s learning and development varies based on their lived experiences, cultural identity, home languages, and racial-ethnic identity, among many other factors. The term interactions refers to times when children engage with other people. Interactions might occur during daily routines, indoors and outdoors play, or any moment in the day when the child is alert and responsive.

As part of caring, respectful relationships, care educators strive to be responsive to what children communicate about their experiences, interests, ideas, wants, or needs. Care educators who are intentional about planning and engaging in responsive interactions with infants and toddlers support young children’s understanding of self and their relationship with the people and things in their environment.

Information on supporting relationships and interactions is organized into six areas of practice.

Table 1. Areas of Practice for Relationships and Interactions

Area of Practice	Practices
Partnering with Families to Support Interactions	Practices: Observing how families interact with their children and communicating shared understandings Collaborating with families to plan ways to support learning and development Working with families to support children’s development in their home languages Collaborating with families to promote culturally responsive and affirming interactions with children
Individualizing Interactions to Meet Each Child’s Needs	Practices: Providing a variety of choices for interactions Providing additional supports or adjustments for children with disabilities
Being Sensitive and Responsive to Children’s Cues and Communication	Practices: Responding to children’s verbal and nonverbal communication Acknowledging children’s emotions Providing encouragement
Communicating During Interactions to Prompt Thinking and New Learning	Practices: Connecting language to people, things, and actions in the child’s environment Prompting children’s thinking and expanding on ideas Engaging in back-and-forth interactions Communicating about expectations and transitions
Centering Play and Social Interactions	Practices: Engaging in joyful, playful interactions with children Creating opportunities for peer interactions
Scaffolding and Modeling New Skills and Behaviors	Practices: Embracing children’s tendencies to imitate Learning through interacting with others Scaffolding children’s acquisition of new skills

Routines provide an important foundation for infants and toddlers to grow and learn. Routines refer to a predictable sequence of events that occur at predictable times in the day. Routines include care routines which meet children’s basic needs like diapering, sleeping, and feeding. They also include important transitions like greetings, departures as caregivers change during the day, and transitions in and out of the care routines. Routines offer moments for predictable connections that support relationship security Routines might seem like tasks needed to get through the day. However, routines provide unique opportunities for infants and toddlers to learn and develop including building relationships, communication skills, body awareness, physical skills, and health and safety concepts. They offer valuable moments that can have a meaningful impact on every part of a child’s development and learning. Predictable and consistent daily moments provide infants and toddlers with safety and comfort. Routines meet the basic care needs of children and can help them build healthy habits. They also help infants and toddlers anticipate the structure of their days, such as arrivals, drop-offs, and transitions between activities. When infants and toddlers know what to expect in their day, they can focus on learning, and transitions go more smoothly. When infant–toddler care educators create routines that are well-planned and purposeful, they can be responsive to the interests, strengths, and needs of individual infants and toddlers to create rich learning experiences.

Information on supporting routines is organized into six areas of practice.

Table 2. Areas of Practice for Routines

Areas of Practice	Practices
Partnering With Families	Practices: Promoting Partnerships with families Embedding children’s culture and language used at home into routines
Establishing Predictable and Consistent Routines	Practices: Establishing and following a simple sequence of events
Being Responsive and Modifying Routines Based on Observations and Children’s Shifting Needs	Practices: Responsive moments during routines Shifting routines slowly to support children’s learning
Individualizing Routines to Meet Child’s Needs	Practices: Responding to children’s developing abilities and shifting interests and needs Supporting children with disabilities or developmental delays through routines
Encouraging Infants and Toddlers to Play an Active Role in Routines	Practices: Providing opportunities for children to participate and engage in routines Noticing when children may be ready to practice a new skill and when they may need some more time before trying a new skill
Communicating With Infants and Toddlers During Routines	Practices: Describing what you are doing and what the child is experiencing Extending children’s thinking and communication during routines Encouraging back-and-forth conversations during routines

A rich learning and care environment provides the foundation for infants and toddlers to interact with other children and adults, play and explore, engage in learning experiences, and take part in routines. Here, the term environment refers to a nurturing and safe space that is intentionally set-up by an infant–toddler care to support children’s learning and development. The term materials refers to the thoughtful placement of objects and equipment in the learning and care environment for infants and toddlers to interact with and explore. Well planned learning and care environments include a variety of materials and spaces and are flexible according to the multiple needs of each unique care setting. For example, environments and materials can include an open space with ramps, a cozy area for books and stories, a table with chairs for mealtimes, and nature exploration areas outdoors, among many other everyday spaces and materials.

Care educators play an important role in setting up the environment with invitations and opportunities for infants and toddlers to engage in rich interactions with other children and adults. A learning environment that provides children with opportunities to move around, gives access to a variety of materials and areas, and encourages interaction with objects and people supports children’s learning and development. A child’s learning and care environment and materials are like a studio for an artist or a laboratory for a scientist.

When care educators plan the environment with children’s learning and development in mind, children encounter spaces where they can freely use their growing abilities to move and explore the properties of things and how they work. A well-planned environment can provide infants and toddlers with opportunities and experiences to gain new skills and knowledge. In such an environment, children notice, investigate, experiment, and develop meaningful relationships. Infants and toddlers thrive when they have opportunities to explore and manipulate materials in a variety of ways, combining curiosity with learning.

Information on supporting set-up of the environment and materials is organized into five areas of practice.

Table 3. Areas of Practices for the Environment and Materials

Areas of Practice	Practices
Partnering With Families in Arranging the Environment and Materials	Practices: Collaborating with families to promote culturally relevant environment and materials
Arranging the Environment With Predictable Areas	Practices: Arranging the environment so children have space for play, exploration, and interactions with others Providing predictable learning experiences and routines that support children’s learning and development across all domains
Individualizing the Environment and Materials to Meet Each Child’s Strengths and Needs	Practices: Providing children with appropriate challenges to support their emerging concepts or skills Providing materials and spaces that meet the strengths and needs of children with disabilities or developmental delays
Providing a Variety of Materials That Children Can Explore	Practices: Providing materials that encourage exploration, problem-solving, and creativity Providing materials that allow children to use all their senses
Planning and Updating the Environment and Materials Based on Children’s Interests	Practices: Planning the daily materials, areas, and learning experiences children have available to explore Introducing familiar materials and new materials together to support a balance between predictability and novelty Providing objects that build on children’ interests

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