Niagara Countys
Infant & Toddler Specialist
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Who we are:
Funded by the New York State Office of Child and Family Services, our Infant Toddler Specialist is part of a statewide network of over 50 professionals prepared to offer training and on-site assistance meant to guide you in creating high-quality care practices and environments for children from birth to three years old. We are deeply committed to providing a range of infant and toddler care resources to support caregivers and early childhood professionals. The Community Childcare Clearinghouse of Niagara is dedicated to enhancing and nurturing the high-quality care of infants and toddlers across various settings, including family child care homes, group family child care homes, and various child care centers. We also extend our expertise to families and agencies serving children and families in our community.
Get in Touch:
Call Us
Email Us
General Assistance In:
Assistance is free of charge and is typically provided in one-hour sessions based on the needs of your program.
We can help with:
Developmentally Appropriate Practice
Circle of Security
Daily Schedule
Rhythms/ Transitions and Routines
Supervision
Environment Layout & Structure
Freedom of Movement
Health & Safety
Handwashing Routines
Group Sizes & Ratios
Continuity of Care
Biting Support and Solutions
Challenging Behaviors
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Reflective Supervision
Responsive Caregiving
Social Emotional Development
Navigating relationships with families
Assessment & Screening Tools
Community Education / Resources
Cultural Responsiveness
OCFS Regulations
Observation & Documentation Routines
Baby Doll Circle Time
Banking Time
Language and Literacy
Reflective Supervision
Curriculum & Activites
Administering Rating Scales
These take approximately 2–3 hours to complete, depending on the size and needs of the program.
Assessment Scales
ITERS-3 : is designed to assess the quality of care for center-based programs serving children birth through age 2.
FCCERS-3 : is designed to assess the quality of care for home-based programs for children from birth through age 12. (Our IT Speclaist only counts for Birth- 3 years old.)
Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) is an observation tool that measures what matters most in early learning: the quality of educator–child interactions.
Teaching Pyramid Infant–Toddler Observation Scale (TPITOS) is for early childhood center-based programs caring for infants and toddlers. Focusing on teacher practices and classroom environment variables, TPITOS measures how well your program’s staff is fostering responsive, nurturing relationships with children and promoting strong social-emotional development in their earliest years.
Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA) is a screening and assessment tool focuses on identifying key social and emotional strengths and the planning resources provide caregivers and parents with research-based strategies to promote children’s resilience.
- Observation, documentation, and assessment of young children’s progress and achievements are ongoing, strategic, reflective, and purposeful.
- Anecdotal notations are taken throughout observations
- S.M.A.R.T. Goals
- Specific
- Measurtable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-Bound
- Inteviews, conervations, and general correspondence with providers
ASQ: Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition (ASQ®-3) is a developmental screening tool that pinpoints developmental progress in children between the ages of one month to 5 ½ years.
ASQ-SE: Ages & Stages Questionnaires®: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ®:SE-2) is a parent-completed, highly reliable system focused solely on social-emotional development in young children.
Trainings On & Off Site
Our trainings are always free and designed to support child care providers and families working with children from birth to three years old. These trainings focus on developmentally appropriate practices, required and relevant OCFS topics and regulations, and the impact of adverse childhood trauma (ACEs). These trainings also aim to help participants discover new and effective ways to build engagement, strengthen relationships, and improve communication with infants and toddlers.
Training topics may include, but are not limited to:
- Caring Spaces ©
- Rosemarie Lawton: Infant and Toddler Social-Emotional Development
- Exploring engagement & curriculum activities
- Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP)
- Trauma-informed care and ACES
- Positive guidance and behavior support
- Building secure attachments
- Family engagement and communication strategies
- Health, safety, and nutrition
- Creating responsive caregiving environments
- Supporting early language and literacy
Request our services for FREE
Our Infant Toddler (IT) Specialist focuses on building and maintaining strong foundations aligned with infant and toddler development. Our specialists’ work is guided by the 10 components of quality care, which aim to assist in: developmentally appropriate curriculum, maintaining safe & nurturing environments, guiding early childhood teaching practices, supporting continuity of care models, and much more.
Frameworks that inform our work
Focused Oriented Services
Each technical assistance visit, training, or coaching session that the Infant Toddler Specialist delivers aims to emphasize the high-quality early care that’s essential to a child’s long-term social, emotional, and intellectual development.
Data-Informed Training & Professional Development:
Training and professional development opportunities for our specialists & communities are thoughtfully designed using regional and statewide data to address the most pressing needs of infant and toddler programs.
Responsive & Individualized Support:
The Infant Toddler Network is committed to providing responsive, relationship-based support tailored to the unique needs of each program. Whether a request falls within the Infant Toddler Specialist’s scope or extends beyond it, every effort is made to connect programs & providers with appropriate resources, services, and partners.
The Program for Infant Toddler Care (PITC)
The Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) promotes responsive, relationship-based care to support the healthy development of young children. It emphasizes strong connections between caregivers, children, and families, while respecting each child’s individuality and cultural background. Through key practices like primary caregiving and continuity of care, PITC helps create nurturing environments where infants and toddlers can thrive.
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Their Core Principles:
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Families are essential partners in shaping their child’s care experience
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Every child is unique, with individual temperaments, development rates, and interests
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Responsive caregiving supports children’s natural drive to explore and learn
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Relationships matter most – they’re the foundation for healthy development
Zero To Three Program
Zero to Three’s Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) focuses on responsive, relationship-based care to support the healthy development of infants and toddlers. It highlights the importance of strong, trusting connections between caregivers, children, and families, while honoring each child’s individuality and cultural background. By promoting practices like primary caregiving and continuity of care, PITC helps create stable, nurturing environments where young children feel secure and are able to grow and thrive.
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Safe Babies Initiative: Promoting Safety and Well-Being
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Professional Development and Learning Opportunities
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HealthySteps: Enhancing Pediatric Care and Support
10 Components of Care
National experts have identified 10 research-based components that are essential to high-quality child care. Using the 10 Components of High Quality Care as a guide, the NYS Infant and Toddler Resource Network is helping child care programs improve the quality of care for our babies, toddlers, and their families. The Niagara County Infant Toddler Specialist is available to help child care programs increase the quality of care they provide infants and toddlers through mentoring and coaching.
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1.
Health and Safety Practices
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2.
Staff Well Trained
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3.
Age Appropriate Environments
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4.
Small Groups with Optimal Ratios
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5.
Primary Caregiver and Continuity of Care
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6.
Active and Responsive Caregiving
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7.
Curriculum, Observation, and Individualized Programming
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8.
Emerging Language and Literacy
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9.
Family Involvement and Cultural Continuity
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10.
Comprehensive Support Services
