Early Childhood Education

Zero to Three

ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit whose mission is to support the healthy development and well-being of babies, toddlers and families. Founded in 1977 by experts from the fields of pediatrics, research science, mental health, child development and other disciplines, ZERO TO THREE is governed by a multidisciplinary, internationally renowned Board of Directors. Its founding members include T. Berry Brazelton, Selma Fraiberg, Stanley Greenspan, J. Ronald Lally, Bernard Levy, Reginald Lourie, Peter Neubauer, Robert Nover, Sally Provence, Julius Richmond, Albert Solnit, and Leon Yarrow.

ZERO TO THREE has built a reputation for translating and disseminating cutting- edge knowledge on howto promote the healthy development of infants, toddlers, and their families. The organization’s work strengthens and supports all those working to support families of young children in our society.

ZERO TO THREE helps parents better understand their child’s social, emotional, and intellectual development. The organization communicates with parents directly through our parent publications, our award-winning Web site: www.zerotothree.org, and extensive outreach to news media. On average, ZERO TO THREE staff and board are quoted several hundred times per year in news reports.

ZERO TO THREE works with infant/family programs to achieve quality and excellence by focusing on the “behind the scenes” issues of staff training, management, and leadership that directly affect the quality of services provided to children and their families. ZERO TO THREE is also the designated provider of training and consultation for Early Head Start.

For professionals, ZERO TO THREE unites passion and knowledge, presenting the latest findings from clinical research, providing forums for the exchange of ideas across academic disciplines, and promoting national leadership on behalf of young children. This is done through such venues as the annual National Training Institute, the Leadership Development Initiative, the Task Force on Culture and Development, the professional Journal: Zero to Three, and landmark publications such as Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood.

ZERO TO THREE also guides policy makers as they make important decisions regarding what babies and toddlers need for healthy development as well as on successful strategies, components of quality services, and the needed investments on behalf of young children. Projects include the ZERO TO THREE Policy Center, State Early Childhood Policy Leadership Forum, National Infant and Toddler Child Care Initiative, and the Child Welfare Work Group.

In addition, the ZERO TO THREE Press is the publishing arm of the organization. The Press contributes to the definition and advancement of the infant/family field by providing authoritative information, new ideas, and practical resources to promote the healthy development of babies, toddlers, and their families.

For more information, contact ZERO TO THREE at the following addresses: ZERO TO THREE, 2000 M Street, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036; www.zerotothree.org.

See also Infant Care; Parents and Parent Involvement.

Tom Salyers