High quality care for infants and toddlers can enrich children’s early experience and provide critical support to their families.  When describing ‘quality care’, many experts in the Early Childhood field use a variety of concepts in their descriptions. Elements of quality care include the child’s safety, meeting the needs of the individual within the group, small group size, and responsive planning.  However, there is one theme that seems to be high on everyone’s list ~ the relationship between caregiver and the family.  

Taken from ZERO TO THREE’S  Caring for Infants and Toddlers in Groups:  Developmentally Appropriate Practice, nurturance, support, security and predictability let children know that they can count on being loved and cared for in the child care setting.  Nurturance is the warmth, feeding and protection that infants expect from quality care givers every day.  Support is the care giver helping the child achieves the developmental milestones that a child goes through the first years of their life.  Security is concerned the ‘safe haven’ for infants and toddlers ~ creating an atmosphere where the child knows that nothing bad will happen here.  Predictability is the feeling of knowing what to expect next because the flow of the day follows a sequence.

Parents forming and sustaining a respectful relationship with their child’s caregiver is a vital competent of quality care. Two-way communication between the teacher and the family builds mutual respect, cooperation, and shared responsibility for the child’s well being. By sharing information, each party will become more comfortable with each other’s feelings while looking out for the best interest of the child.  Also, sharing expectations is essential in providing quality care to not only infants and toddlers, but to all children in care.