ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to review three major infant toddler curricula, identifying key or unique features, discussing strengths and limitations, and reflecting on similarities and differences. The commonly used definition of curriculum in early childhood as “an organized framework” (Bredekamp & Rosegrant, 1992, p. 10) including the three components of content (what children are to learn), processes (classroom practices), and context (the physical and social-emotional environment) will be used. Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE), the Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC), and Creative Curriculum for Infants & Toddlers will be reviewed in the chronological order of their development. This review and reflection provides a platform for consideration of factors that will require a transformation or revolution in infant toddler care. An examination of infant toddler curriculum is important for several reasons.
One factor is the number of infants and toddlers in care. Recent reports document that approximately 50% of one-year-olds and 60% of two-year-olds experience regular nonparental care, averaging 30-32 hours per week (Kreader et al., 2005; Mulligan et al., 2005). Another factor is the low quality of available care coupled with the research base demonstrating that quality impacts young children’s shortand long-term developmental outcomes. For example, the NICHD Study of Early Child Care (NICHD Early Child Care Research Network, 1996) found that three out of four infant caregivers provided only minimal stimulation of cognitive and language development and that higher quality early care was related to better cognitive and academic outcomes across preschool, primary, later elementary, and adolescence (Vandell et al., 2010). The child outcomes research combined with information emerging from neuroscience has led policy makers and others to
increasingly focus on the content of infant toddler programs. For example, more and more states have established early learning guidelines for infant toddler programs (Scott-Little et al., 2008). These factors show the growing interest of families, practitioners, researchers, and policy makers in infant toddler curriculum. Five topics are used to organize the reviews of the three infant toddler curricula.
These topics are: origins and theoretical bases, key components, contributions to the field, consideration of diversity, and strengths and cautions. It is important to recognize the curricula reviewed here are only a sample of those available. These approaches were selected due to their extensive use. Other widely used approaches include published curricula such as HighScope and broader philosophical models such as Reggio Emilia.
