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Supporting Early Development, One Milestone at a Time
Learn about early development and how to support developmental milestones by age in home and professional settings.
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Empowering Early Childhood Development
Empowering Early Childhood Development
The first three years of life are the most important for lifelong mental health and well-being.
We use early childhood development research to create meaningful resources for families, professionals, and policymakers who shape the lives of young children.
Impact Stories
Discover real-world stories and learn about people who make a real impact.
Our Focus
At ZERO TO THREE, we offer early childhood trainings and resources to address the most critical issues impacting babies and toddlers. Explore our fields of focus.
Making an Impact Together
Our belief that every child deserves a strong start in life fuels a collective mission to foster healthy development from the very beginning.
Understanding child development and your role as a parent or caregiver is crucial for molding babies and toddlers into the best versions of themselves. We support parents and caregivers through our projects and programs and early childhood development resources, including research-based tips and tools for effective parenting.
Advance your knowledge and skills with our comprehensive early childhood education training programs for professionals. Our resources, from conferences to free webinars, provide guidance for educators, health care workers and other early childhood professionals. They are designed to enhance your understanding of childhood development and inform effective teaching strategies.
ZERO TO THREE advocates for policies that promote the well-being and development of babies and toddlers as well as their families. We engage in research and collaborate with policymakers to influence legislation related to early childhood education, child welfare and child care solutions. We dedicate our efforts to ensure the needs of infants and toddlers are prioritized in public policy decisions.
We emphasize the importance of mental and emotional health in infancy and early childhood development. We provide resources and training for parents, caregivers and professionals on how to nurture emotional well-being in babies and toddlers. Through our programs and campaigns, we promote awareness of the critical impact of early experiences on mental health. We also develop guidelines and tools that you can use to support the mental and emotional needs of babies and toddlers.
Our programs, early childhood development resources and training programs empower communities. In addition to offering local resources, we facilitate training sessions for community organizations and professionals to enhance their capacity to support children and families effectively. By fostering community engagement and collaboration, we help create environments that nurture healthy childhood development.
"This is just what I needed to reestablish my motivation in moving forward with this work."
The Latest News and Featured Resources
Explore the latest news and updates in the field of early childhood development.
Press Release
Early Childhood Leaders Urge Congress: Don’t Cut Medicaid—It Will Devastate Babies and Families
House Energy and Commerce Committee’s proposal would strip health care from young children and caregivers, and push families into poverty
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Healthy Futures: Ensuring Healthcare Access for Babies and Toddlers
Ensuring that all babies receive the medical attention they need is crucial to fostering a strong, healthy future.
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Early Head Start Helps Families Thrive — Let’s Keep It That Way
Early Head Start is the only federal program dedicated to the comprehensive development of pregnant women, infants and toddlers in families with low incomes.
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Open Letter
The Forgotten Fourth Trimester: Why Moms and Babies Deserve Better
Rachell, a Strolling Thunder 2025 parent, shares her journey through pregnancy loss, postpartum PTSD and early parenting to highlight why families urgently need paid leave, maternal mental health care and support for infant and early childhood mental health.
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Distillation
Early Childhood Attachment Styles: What Parents and Professionals Should Know
Attachments are strong emotional bonds between two humans, and babies and toddlers form multiple ones with the various key people in their lives. These connections happen between infants and their caregivers, parents, siblings, and others they interact with. Developmental experts use this understanding of early attachments to comprehend how early childhood relationships form lifelong perceptions and behaviors in future connections.
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No Baby Goes Hungry: Ensuring Infant and Toddler Food Security
Proper nutrition during early childhood lays the foundation for lifelong health, but cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could put many babies at risk.
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Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Hear from AANHPI early childhood leaders and learn how diversity-informed practice furthers the early childhood field.
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Press Release
Proposed Federal Budget Guts Essential Programs for Babies and Families
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Field Study
Professional Perspectives: A Look at Our Work with Young Children and Families
The early childhood field as a whole works together to ensure babies and families have the support they need to thrive.
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The Baby Brain Map: Your Guide to Early Brain Development
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From birth to 3, a child’s brain produces more than 1 million neural connections each second.
Upcoming Events:
Check out our upcoming in-person and virtual events.
Virtual
May 14, 2025
Unlock the Power of Building for Babies: A State Policy Self-Assessment Suite
Join us for an introduction to Building for Babies: A State Policy Self-Assessment Suite, a tool designed to help states strengthen prenatal-to-3 systems through more than 100 infant and toddler policy recommendations.
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Virtual
May 15, 2025
Ensuring Active Efforts for Native Kids and Families
Join Safe Babies, a program of ZERO TO THREE™, for a webinar promoting active efforts to for Native children and their families.
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Virtual
May 22, 2025
The Power of Parent Leadership: Stories, Strategies and Successes
Join Safe Babies, a program of ZERO TO THREE™, for a webinar recognizing the important role of parents and caregivers in their families and communities.
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Virtual
June 17, 2025
DC:0—5™: Clinical Training
Tailored for those working with infants and young children, focusing on assessment, diagnosis, and case formulation.
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Virtual
June 25, 2025
Building Educator-Family Partnerships to Support Highly Sensitive Young Children
Join us for a conversation with Claire Learner on how educators and parents can work together to support highly sensitive children with responsive, thoughtful care that helps them thrive.
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Virtual
July 15, 2025
Infant Mental Health Training: What You Need to Know
The DC:0-5 Overview Training helps administrators and allied professionals gain a foundation for understanding this diagnostic system.
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Virtual
July 16, 2025
The Growing Brain: From Birth to 5 Years Old Virtual Training of Trainers
Our newly designed virtual Training of Trainers combines live online events and self-study to support your journey towards becoming a ZERO TO THREE certified trainer of The Growing Brain curriculum.
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Virtual
August 5, 2025
The Growing Brain Basics Webinar Series
Explore how the brain grows and develops from conception to 5 years old and how you can support healthy brain development during these years when the brain is the most plastic, or receptive to change.
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Portland, OR
August 5, 2025
Cross Sites 2025
Safe Babies, A Program of ZERO TO THREE™, hosts the 19th annual Cross Sites Meeting, August 5-7, 2025.
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Virtual
September 10, 2025
The Growing Brain: From Birth to 5 Years Old Virtual Training of Trainers
Our newly designed virtual Training of Trainers combines live online events and self-study to support your journey towards becoming a ZERO TO THREE certified trainer of The Growing Brain curriculum.
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Virtual
September 16, 2025
Infant Mental Health Training: What You Need to Know
The DC:0-5 Overview Training helps administrators and allied professionals gain a foundation for understanding this diagnostic system.
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Baltimore, Maryland
October 8, 2025
LEARN Conference 2025
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Babies and their families are coming to Capitol Hill to advocate for the policies they need to thrive.
Your Gift Can Chart a New Path for a Child
Your donation to ZERO TO THREE helps train thousands of early childhood providers, empower millions of families worldwide and advocate for responsive policies affecting babies and their families.
A Closer Look
New Early Childhood Books and Best Sellers | ZERO TO THREE
Explore our vast range of evidence-based resources and educational books designed to strengthen your practice.
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Join the Think Babies™ Campaign!
Learn about how you can get involved in the Think Babies™ campaign to promote enriching early experiences and a strong foundation from the start. It's time for policymakers to think babies.
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Early Childhood Issue Areas
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Calling All Baby Champions
Whether you're a parent, caregiver, community leader or policymaker, you can support our efforts and do your part in giving infants and toddlers a strong start in life.
Sign up for our newsletter to access the latest resources, learn about upcoming events and more. Help advance our initiative by making a donation or becoming a member.
