State licensing requires staff who work in infant and toddler programs to complete a three-unit semester course in Infant/Toddler Care and Development. This course satisfies the infant/toddler development portion of the requirement. The UCSC Extension course "Principles of Infant/Toddler Caregiving" fulfills the remainder of the state licensing requirement.

This course is designed for those who work or plan to work in child-care programs for children up to three years of age. The focus is on understanding growth and development and recognizing the range of individual differences within developmental norms. Participants engage in a variety of activities to promote theory learning and observation skills. Topics include gross and fine motor skills, perception, emotions and feelings, social skills, cognition and language.

Learning Outcomes:
At the conclusion of the course, you should be able to

• Develop an understanding of the interactions among familial, cultural, social and physical environments that influence growth and development of infants and toddlers
• Demonstrate knowledge of an infant's physical, perceptual, sensory motor, socioemotional, and cognitive growth and development
• Demonstrate understanding of theories and research of infant education and development
• Recognize, analyze, and discuss quality environments and care for infants through the identification and interpretation of State regulations and California Department of Education’s Infant/Toddler - Learning and Development Program Guidelines
• Identify and assess developmental expectations for infant learning and construct appropriate educational activities and materials
• Identify requirements, regulations and program components and types of programs in infant care
• Construct a philosophy and design a program for infant care and education