Adults exhibit strong emotions when charged with the care of infants. Parents and caregivers of infants and toddlers often experience a heightened sense of emotionality when they care for infants and toddlers. Developing strategies for dealing with conflicts that can emerge between parents and caregivers must be considered part of the caregiver's role. Language skills and habits develop early. Good care provides many opportunities for infants to engage in meaningful, experienced-based communication with their caregivers, and have their communications acknowledged and encouraged.
Environments are powerful.
Infants and toddlers are strongly influenced by the environments and routines they experience each day. This is particularly true for very young infants who cannot physically move themselves from a noxious to a more pleasant environment. The physical environment, group size, daily schedules, lesson plans, and caregiving routines must foster the establishment of small intimate groups in which relationships with trusted caregivers can develop and become the base for social, emotional and intellectual learning in a safe and interesting environment.