Policy Resource
Maine's Infant/Toddler Credential System
Maine Roads to Quality, in partnership with Maine Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Child and Family Services, worked with a ZERO TO THREE Learning Community to develop a two-tiered Infant Toddler Credentialing System (ITC) to ensure that training is available for caregivers who do not have college experience, as well as for those who do.

ITC 1: No college is necessary for this credential. The four trainings that are necessary can be taken through any of the Child Care Resource and Development Centers. The training courses are:
- Caring for Infants, Toddlers and Their Families, which is a 30-hour course fostering the understanding of infant and toddler growth and development
- Foundations in Health, Wellness and Safety, which an 18-hour course used to highlight the importance of health, safety, and nutrition
- Supporting Maine’s Infants & Toddlers: Guidelines for Learning & Development, which is a 30-hour program that develops participants ability to observe, assess, and utilize curriculum effectively
- Introduction to Infant Mental Health: Issues and Practice, which is an 18-hour course designed to increase caregivers’ awareness of the importance of positive interactions with infants.
Following the completion of these trainings, a portfolio is developed by the applicant and reviewed by Maine Roads to Quality to determine if competencies have been met, then the award will be made.
ITC2: An associate degree is necessary to pursue this credential. The coursework in the associate degree must include specific course equivalents for 3 credit courses in Introduction to Early Childhood Education, Observing and Recording Children’s Behavior, and a course on Infants and Toddlers.
Then the four specific 3 credit courses to earn the ITC 2 can be taken through Kennebec Valley Community College on ITV. They will also be offered where there is a group of 12 or more interested throughout the state. The 1 credit seminar course will probably be offered on-line. When courses are completed, the award will be made by Maine Roads To Quality. The three credit courses include: Infants and Toddlers I: Social Being and Ability to Communicate; Working in Partnership with Families; Strong Healthy Bodies and Curious Minds; Infant Toddler Language and Literacy; and the one credit course Infant and Toddler Seminar.
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