Responsive caregiving is individualized, nurturing, respectful, and a foundation of quality infant and toddler care. It refers to a parenting, caregiving, and teaching practice where the adult notices, understands, and responds to an infant or toddler’s cues. When caregivers respond to cues in ways that ensure a child's needs are met, infants and toddlers feel safe, heard, and valued.
Learn about ways to observe infants and toddlers—a key part of the ongoing child assessment cycle. Explore strategies to support this important component of quality infant and toddler care.
Children learn best from rich, responsive social interactions with other people. These interactions allow children and adults to share attention and build bonds.Explore the importance of adults’ responsive social interactions with children. Find out how these interactions allow children and adults to share attention and build bonds.
Explore the importance of early relationships in a child’s life and research-based teaching strategies that support them.
This short video explores the impact of adults on the growth and development of infants and very young children.
Learn about the importance of supporting early bonding and attachment child-parent relationships and child-caregiver relationships. Explore strategies useful for Head Start center-based, home-based, and family child care program options.
Welcome to the Office of Head Start (OHS) Caring Connections podcasts. These podcasts are designed to offer you important tidbits of information that focus on topics relevant to your work with infants, toddlers, and their families.
In this webisode, learn more about responsive interactions with infants and toddlers. Discover ways to use everyday routines as opportunities to engage in these interactions.