Blog

Guest Blog written by Kelley Abrams, Ph.D. Over the first few months of life, babies form a close, special relationship with one or a few selected caregivers. This special relationship is called attachment. The attachment relationship evolved through natural selection to keep infants safe from harm. Babies use their attachment figures as a secure base […] Read more

Many of California’s Smallest Babies Are Not Being Referred For Necessary Follow-up Care A new study by researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine, the California Prenatal Quality Care Collaborative, and the California Department of Health Care Services has found that 20% of very-low-birth-weight babies born in California during 2010 and 2011, were not referred […] Read more

Folic Acid Supplementation Prevents Serious Neural Tube Birth Defects Each Year Neural tube defects (NTDs) are birth defects of the brain and spine. About 3,000 pregnancies in the U.S. still are affected by NTDs annually, but the number of babies born in the United States with these conditions has declined by 35 percent since 1998, […] Read more

Head Start Participation Has Positive Impact on Childhood Obesity A University of Michigan study looked at body mass index associated with Head Start participation. The findings show that kids who participate in Head Start tend to have a healthier weight by kindergarten than similarly aged kids not in the program. In their first year in […] Read more

New Study Reveals Nearly 55% of US Infants are Sleeping With Potentially Unsafe Bedding  Despite warnings against it, a new study finds that over half of US infants are still placed to sleep with bedding that increases their risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and sleep-related suffocation. “Parents have good intentions,” says study author […] Read more

Today’s infants and toddlers are born into a world of digital gadgets. Recent research says: On average, children from birth to 23 months old are watching 55 minutes of TV a day, and 2- to 4-year-olds are watching 90 minutes a day. Use of mobile media starts young: More than a third (38%) of all […] Read more

A new report Worthy Work, STILL Unlivable Wages: The Childhood Workforce 25 Years after the National Child Care Staffing Study by Marcy Whitebook, Deborah Phillips, and Carollee Howes, offers recommendations to reinvigorate a national conversation about the status and working conditions of the early childhood teaching workforce. Worthy Work, STILL Unlivable Wages provides a portrait […] Read more

The First Solid Foods for American Babies Depends Very Much on The Mother’s Socioeconomic Background This recent study, “Sociodemographic differences and infant dietary patterns,” was published last month in Pediatrics. Scientists at the University of Buffalo studied the first solid foods eaten by American babies in their first year to find insight into whether or […] Read more

Over 300 San Diego community members including educators, doctors, advocates, business colleagues and other leaders gathered at the beautiful new San Diego Central Library for a sneak preview of the PBS documentary “Raising of America: Early Childhood and the Future of the Nation”  and a moderated panel discussion. The League of Women Voters of San […] Read more

ZERO TO THREE’s Beyond the Word Gap is a multimedia web portal designed to provide parents, professionals, and policymakers the resources they need to close the word gap and support early language and literacy. As policymakers turn their attention to closing this gap and improving the school readiness of low-income children, Beyond the Word Gap […] Read more